Return to Transcripts main page

Inside Politics

More Suffering And Dying From COVID-19 In U.S. Than Ever Before; Biden Promises Diversity In His Cabinet And Top White House Officials; Latino Lawmakers Push For More Representation In Biden's Cabinet; Interview With Senator-Elect Ben Ray Lujan (D-NM); Progressives Look To Have As Voice In Biden Administration; Trump Uses Georgia Rally To Lie About Election. Aired 8-9a ET

Aired December 06, 2020 - 08:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[08:00:11]

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DANA BASH, CNN HOST (voice-over): COVID catastrophe.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We are at high tide and the hurricane is hitting.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's time to hunker down. It's time to cancel everything.

BASH: But there is hope on the horizon.

DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES: Help is on the way. Vaccines are imminent.

BASH: Plus, President-elect Biden reaffirms a campaign promise.

JOE BIDEN (D), PRESIDENT-ELECT OF THE UNITED STATES: It will be the single most diverse cabinet based on race, color, gender that's ever existed in the United States of America.

BASH: And will last night's Trump campaign rally help or hurt the GOP in Georgia?

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: They cheated and they rigged our presidential election. We can't let it happen again.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(MUSIC)

BASH (on camera): Welcome to INSIDE POLITICS. I'm Dana Bash, in today for John King.

It was hard to imagine when this pandemic started some ten months ago that we would be ending 2020 still so deep in crisis. But that is where we are. Thousands of Americans are dying every single day of COVID-19, two deaths every minute.

Just yesterday, 213,875 new cases, 101,190 were in the hospital, and 2,254 more confirmed deaths. And yes, this is the global pandemic, but things in the U.S. are a lot worse than elsewhere in the world.

One example, there were more than 440,000 new confirmed COVID-19 cases in the past two days here in the U.S. That's more cases than Canada has had ever. The numbers on that graphic are not a typo.

According to the CDC, at least 25,000 more Americans are likely to die of COVID-19 by Christmas.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. ROBERT REDFIELD, CDC DIRECTOR: December and January and February are going to be rough times. I actually believe they're going to be the most difficult time in the public health history of this nation.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: Despite how grim things are now, there is good news on the horizon. Vaccines are coming. The government projects that 20 million people will be vaccinated by the end of the year. But a new model says that even with the vaccine rollout, there are likely more deaths ahead of us than behind us.

The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation predicts nearly 540,000 deaths by April 1st. The numbers are really hard to digest. So, here's some context. That's like wiping out a mid-sized city. It's more people than live in Kansas City or Mnneapolis or even Sacramento.

Listen to this frontline doctor in Minnesota describe what it's like.

(BEGN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. SHIRLEE XIE, ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR OF HOSPITAL MEDICINE, HENNEPIN HEALTHCARE: I think that sometimes when you hear statistics like that, you become numb to what those numbers mean. But for us, you know, the people that are taking care of these patients, every single number is somebody that we have to look at and say, I'm sorry, there's nothing more I can do for you, and it's just another family we have to call to tell them that their loved ones are going to die.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: Joining us now with their perspective and insights, CNN medical analyst, Dr. Leana Wen, and Dr. Megan Ranney.

Thank you so much to both of you for getting up this morning.

And, Dr. Wen, the statistics are horrific and getting worse. The case curve is on the screen. I know you're familiar with it. It's what it looks like today.

Have we just begun to see the post-Thanksgiving surge? Is that's what's happening?

DR. LEANA WEN, CNN MEDICAL ANALYST: We're still just at the beginning of the effects of Thanksgiving. We knew that we were going to have the surge upon a surge because after every major holiday, we did see a surge, but we're only a week out after Thanksgiving holidays.

And so, in the weeks to come leading up to Christmas, we're going to see an even more exponential rise in the number of cases. Our hospitals are already at the brink. And they are just at the brink of becoming so overwhelmed that patients are going to get less than ideal care and so I just hope everyone listening and watching will understand that hospitals are the last line of defense. They are not the first line of defense.

The first line of defense is what happens in communities and right now we really need everyone's help to hunker down to flatten that curve once again, because otherwise, we have a catastrophe on our hands that's worse than any of us can possibly imagine even now.

BASH: I really hope people are listening to you.

And, Dr. Ranney, none of these surprises viewers who have been listening to you on this program for months. You've been warning Americans about headlines like we're seeing on the screen that are popping up all across the country. Staffing shortages, supply shortages, bed shortages. Hospitals across the country are really hurting, and that includes your own state of Rhode Island which started sending patients to temporary field hospitals.

[08:05:05]

What happens now?

DR. MEGAN RANNEY, EMERGENCY PHYSICIAN, LIFESPAN/BROWN UNIVERSITY: I wish I knew what happens now. As Dr. Wen said, we are absolutely on the brink of a crisis.

You know, we've opened the field hospitals here in Rhode Island, but we're having trouble getting adequate staff for it. The trouble isn't just beds. It's also doctors, nurses, techs, physical therapists, all the people who make up the system to take care of the patients. If they're all out sick, if they're all working their hardest in their home states, there's no one to come to my state and help out.

And the thing is that we're at the brink now, but what we see as we look ahead is even worse. As Dr. Wen mentioned, we're just heading into the Thanksgiving surge. We have Christmas ahead of us.

Folks are already exhausted. People are tired of staying home, and I'll tell you, I hear in the ER that people are still going out, still seeing their families. And so I get so worried about what is ahead in the weeks to come.

BASH: And staying with you, Dr. Ranney, I want to look at California, because cases there are exploding. As of tonight 33 million -- as of last night, 33 million people will be back under stay at home orders and 10 percent of America's population, that is what we're talking about.

Listen to what the L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR ERIC GARCETTI (D), LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: California has more virus cases now than at any point in this pandemic. And we will soon have more cases than we have available hospital beds. This is the greatest threat to life in Los Angeles that we have ever faced.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: The stay-at-home order starts tonight, Dr. Ranney. So, should more states be following California's lead?

RANNEY: I hate to say it, but yes. Listen, a stay-at-home order is the last step. There's so much we could have done proactively to prevent getting here. We could have had universal mask mandates. We could have shut down the things that we know are high risk for transmission like indoor restaurants and weddings and large social gatherings, but we didn't do that.

Now our health care is at the breaking point where we're not going to have resources to take care of car crashes or heart attacks or appendicitis. That leaves us no choice but shutting things down again. It is not where we want to be, but it is where we must be if we're going to save more lives.

Now, the one thing that I'll say about California's policies, I disagree with them shutting playgrounds. Outdoor stuff is still relatively safe, but that indoor dining, those indoor get-togethers do need to be shut down at this point.

BASH: And, Dr. Wen, let's talk about some optimism. I think we all need it right now. That is about the vaccine. The first shots could be going into people's arms a week from now, which is really an incredible scientific achievement.

But there is still a lot we don't know including whether you can still spread the virus even though you've been vaccinated. That's something I heard for the first time this week. Explain that to our viewers.

WEN: So you're right, Dana, that there is great news on the horizon. And I think that it needs to be said that there are several caveats. One is that these vaccines are not going to be available to most Americans until the spring. And so there's great news, but we still have to get through this winter, because the vaccines are that the going to get us out of this current surge.

The other part is what you mentioned about the -- about the -- what the vaccine trials show and what they don't know. So what they do show so far is that they are efficacious in reducing severe illness, and in reducing illness as in people with symptoms who are diagnosed with coronavirus, 94 percent to 95 percent efficacious in reducing symptoms and severe illness, which is amazing.

But right now, what they don't yet show is whether it reduces the ability if you get the -- even if you get the vaccine, to transmit the virus to others. Maybe you could still be a carrier of the virus. Maybe you don't get severely ill, which is very important, but you could still transmit it to others. And I think that has -- you know, if it turns out this is true, then ideally, this would render coronavirus if you get the vaccine to be something not much more harmful than the common cold, but you could spread it to others.

So that additionally means we need to keep up our precautions of hand washing, physical distancing, wearing masks until we get more information about what this vaccine does in terms of transmission.

BASH: We're going to be wearing masks for a while.

And finally, Dr. Wen, this situation is bleak. It will not be like this forever, as you just were alluding to. Give our viewers something to look forward to. What do you think life is going to be like six months from now?

WEN: Six months from now could be very different. We could be in a situation where many Americans, if not most Americans, are vaccinated.

[08:10:03]

We could be getting ready to send our kids back to school in the fall.

And we could be getting -- next winter, we'll certainly be able to see our loved ones indoors for these holiday gatherings. But I do think, again, one more plea that there's hope on the horizon.

But let's not let our guard downright now. Because how tragic would it be for people to lose their lives, thousands a day, when we're on the precipice of being able to save people here in the U.S. and around the world?

BASH: Please listen to Dr. Wen, Dr. Ranney. They know what they're talking about. They're medical professionals. They're good people. Please listen, listen, listen. Thank you both for allowing us to listen to you this morning and I hope you have a great day. We'll be back to you.

And up next, how one hard hit state plans to carry out the most ambition vaccination campaign ever.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:15:09]

BASH: We're just days away from the start of the most monumental vaccine campaign in American history, and FDA advisory committee meets Thursday to approve the first COVID-19 vaccine from Pfizer. Shots could begin a few days after that.

By the end of December, a second vaccine from Moderna is also likely to be available. The CDC is officially recommending the first shots go to health care workers, along with residents at long-term care facilities like nursing homes as more doses are shipped out, they'll go to essential workers, seniors and those at risk of dying from COVID-19.

The government says 20 million Americans will be vaccinated by the end of this year.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FAUCI: Help is on the way. Vaccines are imminent. We'll be starting to get vaccine doses in people's arms by the middle and end of December, and then more in January and more in February. And as we get into the late winter and early spring, a lot more.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: Dr. Mandy Cohen is North Carolina's health and human services secretary and she joins us now from Raleigh, where she's coordinating the state's vaccination plans.

Thank you so much for joining me.

So much to get to with this plan that you're working on. First, the government is likely to approve a vaccine pretty quickly after Thursday's FDA meeting.

Do you have the money and the resources you need from the federal government to start vaccinations right away?

DR. MANDY COHEN, NORTH CAROLINA SECRETARY OF HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES: Well, Dana, first, thanks for having me on.

And it is an incredible scientific achievement that we're even in December talking about two potential vaccines, but the work ahead is massive to get everyone vaccinated. And we know it will start with limited supply of vaccine.

Just to put things in context for you, in North Carolina when you think about COVID testing, we have a state of about 10.5 million folks and we've been working for eight months to get folks tested and we've done 5.5 million tests.

Now, think about vaccinating folks. Even if you think about that vaccinating half our population in the next six months, that means about 10 or 11 million vaccinations. That's double what we've done in testing. So the logistical and communication work here is going to be massive. And it's going to take the federal government, the state government, the private sector, all of us working really hard together.

BASH: Yeah. It sure is. I want to look at a couple of other numbers in addition to what you just mentioned about 85,000 doses of the vaccine are expected right away. It's a two-shot vaccine. So that's enough for about 42,000 people. You in North Carolina have about 140,000 health care workers and residents of long-term care facilities. So, as you see the numbers don't add up.

So, first things, first. How will you decide who gets the first round? And how long will that take?

COHEN: Well -- yes, so it will be in limited supply. The way the federal government is doing the allocation, the 85,000 doses that North Carolina is expecting are all first doses. We can give them all out right away. Then they'll give us the second dose.

So we will send the 85,000 first to our hospitals across North Carolina. But that won't even get to all of our hospitals. We have over 100 hospitals here, and only get to about 50 or 60 of them at first given the way the vaccine is packaged up.

We know the first week it will go to our hospitals. By the second week, we hope to have both the Pfizer and the Moderna vaccine. That's when we think we'll be able to get to both the hospitals and our long- term care settings.

Our long-term care settings are being handled by the federal government through their partnership with Walgreens and CVS. So, they'll be handling that end of a vaccination. So, we'll be really focused on our health care workers. And to think better prioritize, we had an independent vaccine advisory committee here in North Carolina that was organized by our institute of medicine. Their recommendations align with the National Academy of Medicine, the CDC's advisory committee.

So, we're going for health care workers that are exposed to COVID and long-term care workers and residents first.

BASH: And so, walk us through the logistics of how this will work. Is it an honor system? You mentioned the pharmacies are taking care of the elderly. That is, you know -- and long-term care facilities. That may be more obvious.

But say I'm a nurse or eventually, I have a preexisting condition, how do I prove that and get the shots?

COHEN: Right. So, at first the hospitals will be the ones making the decisions about which folks are actually exposed to COVID who are working on the COVID units in the emergency room.

[08:20:02]

And it's going to be the clinical staff as well as the environmental cleaning staff, anyone who comes into contact with COVID.

But that's not every health care worker. So it's really going to be the hospitals themselves that are receiving the vaccine from us that are going to be doing that first -- first cut, of who is going to get it or not.

Then they have to think about planning that and remember, these are 24 /7 operations at hospitals, remember, the night shift. Getting all of those logistics, and we have to bring everybody back for a second dose. There's a lot of detail here to make sure we get it right.

BASH: And on the second dose, the Pfizer shot and the Moderna vaccine, they're both expected to have two doses to be -- to be useful, to actually work. The plan released in October says you're exploring using a federally supported vaccine database in order to track people and make sure they get the second shot. How would that work? COHEN: So actually, we made the decision to build our own database

here in North Carolina. The reason we did it is to make sure it was flexible to our needs in the state, and specifically so we can link it into our electronic health records ultimately that was not going to be possible with using the federal database. So, we built our own in North Carolina. We're already training folks on it. Then we're working to merge that together.

That's an important part of all these logistics, the IT tracking, to make sure that we can remind folks to come back for that second dose to make sure if they got the Pfizer dose, the vaccine to begin with, they get the Pfizer again. If they come back in either 21 days or 28 days for Moderna, and to make sure that we are seeing who is getting vaccinated, because we certainly want to make sure that we're thinking about equity on the front end of this.

We are very concerned about making sure that we are vaccinating our marginalized communities, our African American, Hispanic, Native American communities in north Carolina. That data is very important to us.

BASH: No question. And before I let you go, there are reports that you're a candidate for a top job in the Biden administration. Have you spoken to the president-elect or any member of the transition team about that and would you want to serve in the Biden administration?

COHEN: Well, I should say it's an honor to serve whether at the federal or state level during this historic and unprecedented time. We certainly need great leadership at this moment, and I've been lucky to serve with the Governor Cooper here in North Carolina.

I think I'm being considered speaks to the really great work we've been doing in North Carolina and I'm flattered by that. But we just continue to be heads down here in North Carolina, but again, honored to serve here or North Carolina --

(CROSSTALK)

BASH: Just real quick, have you had any discussions with anybody on the Biden transition?

COHEN: I have not had any discussions with them at this point.

BASH: OK. Well, I know you obviously as you described, have your hands full, and you have a huge task ahead of you and it sounds like you are on top of it, especially given how difficult logistically and as you said in terms of

communication, it's going to be. We'll check back with you as this starts rolling in North Carolina.

Thank you so much, Dr. Mandy Cohen. Appreciate it.

COHEN: Thanks, Dana. Thank you. Thanks, Dana.

BASH: And up next, is President-elect Biden fulfilling his promise for a cabinet that looks like America? Democratic Senator-elect Ben Ray Lujan will be here next.

And later, President Trump tells Georgia voters they must vote in this month's Senate runoffs even as he attacks the state's GOP leaders and claims it's a rigged election.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: The answer to the Democrat fraud is not to stay at home. That's what Nancy Pelosi and Schumer, that's what they want you to do. Stay at home. Just stay at home.

If you want to do something to them, I don't want to use the word revenge, but it is a certain revenge, to the Democrats, you show up and vote in record numbers. That's what you have to do.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:27:30]

BASH: There is mounting pressure on President-elect Biden to increase the diversity of the cabinet that he's building.

This past week, he named his top economic officials including Janet Yellen. She'd be the first woman to lead the Treasury Department. And Neera Tanden, the daughter of Indian immigrants, she would head the Office of Management and Budget if confirmed.

And civil rights activists are pushing Biden to do more to assemble a cabinet that represents the diversity of America.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DERRICK JOHNSON, NAACP PRESIDENT AND CEO: Whoever selected black, white, or female, they must walk into the door day one and understand civil rights is top of mind. For the NAACP, we want to make sure that civil rights is front and center for this administration from day one to the end of this term.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: Joe Biden says he intends to keep his promise.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BIDEN: Every advocacy group out there is pushing for more and more and more of what they want. That's their job. My job is to keep my commitment, to make the decisions and when it's over, people will take a look and say, I promise, you'll see the most diverse cabinet representative of all folks, Asian-Americans, African-Americans, Latinos, LGBTQ, across the board.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: Joining me now is Ben Ray Lujan of New Mexico, a member of the House who last month won a seat in the U.S. Senate.

Senator-elect Lujan, congratulations on your win and thank you for joining me this morning.

SENATOR-ELECT BEN RAY LUJAN (D-NM): Well, thank you, Dana. Good morning, and honored to be with you.

BASH: Thank you.

Now, of the ten Biden cabinet officials and senior staff announced so far, six are white. Four people of color, five men, five women. What are you saying to thiis transition officials who are saying that they're building a team that does look like America?

LUJAN: Well, I, many of my colleagues, and people across the United States are calling out for more diversity.

Now, Dana, I know President-elect Biden, and he does keep his word. He's a good person, and he's a person of character. So to see Alejandro Mayorkas now nominated for the Department of Homeland Security nomination, that's a good start from the hit Hispanic side of the ledger, but we also want to see more Hispanic, more Latinos and Latinos, people like our governor, Michelle Lujan Grisham, who is well qualified. Attorney General Xavier Becerra, Tom Perez who was confirmed by the U.S. Senate twice and did incredible work.

[08:29:56]

LUJAN: There are strong leaders across America. And I'm certainly hopeful that we're going to see many of them have important roles within the responsibilities we have to look after the American people.

BASH: So you and members -- other members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus met this past week with Joe Biden's incoming chief of staff, Ron Klain and other transition officials about the issues that you just discussed. Sources tell us it was contentious and that you were particularly mad about leaks from the transition about your fellow New Mexican, you just talked about her, Michelle Lujan Grisham -- a leak that she turned down the post of interior secretary. Why was that so upsetting?

LUJAN: Well, Dana, I don't comment about leaks about leaks but look, I think our governor in New Mexico is very qualified. She's a strong leader. She's a public health expert.

She took an interest in public health after her sister, the young aide, was diagnosed with a chronic disease. And that's what our governor has continued to focus on throughout her time, whether it's in public service in the House or now as the governor in the state of New Mexico.

We also have three other incredible candidates for the Department of Interior as we continue to hear their names. And I know there's an interest. And building off the work of someone like Senator Tom Udall whose father Stewart Udall also served in the cabinet under President Kennedy. I'm excited about what New Mexicans have to offer for the good of the American people, national security and offering our expertise to make a positive difference.

But again, but we want to see more diversity within the cabinet. And I know President Elect Biden will keep his word.

BASH: And real quick, you want your governor, Michelle Lujan Grisham, to be nominated for HHS?

LUJAN: Whatever the governor's role is, I think it's going to be important for her to have a significant role again to helping people. She was just elected the chair of the Democratic Governors Association. She's on the board of the National Governors Association.

Governors are going to play an important role in defeating COVID and in implementing all these the important programs. And so I think she's an incredible candidate for Health and Human Services.

But again, whatever that role, I think it's going to be an important one and a strong one. And I look forward to the country getting to know our governor better with the work she'll do to help us all and to keep people safe, save people's lives and get us back on track.

BASH: I want to ask about another very prominent cabinet post that is still open, and that is attorney general. Yes or no. Does that role need to be filled by a person of color?

LUJAN: Well, I think we have two incredible candidates with Xavier Becerra, the attorney general of California and Tom Perez who served in important roles as Department of Labor secretary, but also within the civil rights division of the Department of Justice, and especially with all that's taking place across America. You need leaders like that at the helm.

So I think one of the two of them would be incredible at that position.

BASH: So putting Xavier Becerra aside for a minute, you mentioned the qualifications that Tom Perez has, that he was confirmed twice, he has experience in the Justice Department heading the civil rights division. But how will you answer critics who will undoubtedly say wait a minute. Joe Biden promised to depoliticize DOJ and he's appointing the Democratic Party chair?

LUJAN: Look, Chairman Perez came forward to serve at an important time. And he gave of himself to be able to help elect an incredible president that we needed for the times that we're facing, and that's President Elect Joe Biden.

Tom Perez has committed his life, whether it was in Maryland fighting for consumers and for people, or in within the civil rights division of the Department of Justice. Tom Perez is of character and strong moral. And I have every confidence that he'd do the job and he would do the job well. BASH: I want to ask you about the economy and about Friday's jobs

report that showed that it's clinging to life, the economy is. There's momentum now finally behind a $900-billion bipartisan rescue plan in the senate. It includes, as you see there, aid to small business, extended unemployment benefits, other Democratic priorities. But it doesn't include another round of stimulus checks. Much, much smaller than your party, and I know you, wanted.

But I want you to listen to what President Elect Biden and Senator Sanders have both said about it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT-ELECT OF THE UNITED STATES: If Congress and President Trump fail to act by the end of December, 12 million Americans will lose their unemployment benefits they rely on. Merry Christmas.

SENATOR BERNIE SANDERS (I-VT): The fact that we are not addressing the economic crisis of tens of millions of people in this bill and that we're giving large corporations carte blanche to ignore the safety needs of their workers tells me that this is not a bill that should be passed.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: What's your view? Is the emerging compromise something you can see yourself voting for?

[08:34:42]

LUJAN: Dana, while this is not a perfect compromise, it is a compromise, and I appreciate the bipartisan group of Democratic and Republican senators that came together to find a path forward because the American people are hurting.

People across New Mexico need help now. They needed help months ago, but Mitch McConnell refused to allow a vote on these bills. Now, there's nothing stopping Mitch McConnell from allowing a vote on this initiative. There are clearly enough Republican senators to support this.

And President Elect Biden has also said this is just the beginning of the work that must be done. And I agree with that sentiment. As soon as this $908 billion package is adopted and passed in the House and the Senate and signed into law as part of a larger funding package, we need to continue to work and have something ready to go in January and February to offer additional relief.

And I'm going to fight for those direct payments for the American people by making sure that there's enough funding to safely reopen our schools, help the struggling small businesses out there and to be able to invest in people. They need help. And it's time that's finally going to happen.

And I'm proud that we now have a president in President Elect Biden that is going to fight to bring this together and to deliver for the American people, and to advocate that people deserve the help that is coming.

BASH: Ben Ray Lujan, senator-elect from New Mexico, thank you so much for joining us this morning. Appreciate it.

LUJAN: Thank you, Dana.

BASH: And President Elect Biden is poised to announce more cabinet positions, as we just discussed. Can he make both progressives and moderates happy?

We're going to talk about that after a short break.

[08:36:12]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BASH: Top tier jobs in President Elect Joe Biden's cabinet remain open as progressives and long-time Biden allies jockey for one of their own to get the nod. And they include Defense secretary, Attorney General, HHS secretary and especially -- that is an especially critical role given the fact that we are in a global pandemic.

Sharing their reporting and insights with us now are CNN's Jeff Zeleny and Jackie Kucinich of the "Daily Beast".

Good morning to you both. I hear the birds chirping, Jeff.

JACKIE KUCINICH, WASHINGTON BUREAU CHIEF, "THE DAILY BEAST": Good morning.

BASH: It is early morning.

So I'll start with you Jeff. You were expecting announcements in the next couple of days about HHS secretary. You've been doing reporting on this. What are you hearing?

JEFF ZELENY, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: We are hearing that President Elect Biden's health team will be unveiled at some point this week. And as you said, this is a critical position at the center of the coronavirus fight.

And this has changed from where it was a week ago. We heard in your interview there that New Mexico, Michelle Lujan Grisham is being mentioned as a role for this. But something has happened over the last several days with that. So we will see if she's named or not. Most people now, the worst we can do, do not think she will be.

But there are some other finalists. And that is the California attorney general. We're told he's being interviewed for this, Xavier Becerra. As well as former Michigan governor Jennifer Granholm possibly, as well as the former HHS secretary in the final years of the Obama administration, Sylvia Matthews Burwell. Those are some of the names being mentioned. But I think a larger point here Dana, is essentially right out of the

gate, the transition team was ready to appoint a lot of cabinet officials. Something has slowed this process down which has created an opening for a lot of input from the outside.

And that has made some trouble for the Biden transition team, because it's really giving everyone a role in this and a voice in this. But that is really creating some conflict internally.

So the Biden team is not as fast as they were hoping, announcing all their cabinet members. So that's why there's some infighting now going on.

BASH: Yes. And the question is always is it slowed down because of the criticism --

ZELENY: Right.

BASH: -- or is the criticism louder because it slowed down?

ZELENY: I think yes.

BASH: Yes, exactly.

And Jackie, we were just talking to Senator-Elect Lujan about racial diversity and how he says they need to do better. There's also a question of ideological diversity.

Here's what Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez says. She says "I think it's one of the most simply damaging things that could happen to the Democratic Party that would also absolutely imperil us in 2022 is if we had a bunch of austerity people, or an austerity strategy, an austerity mind set."

Can President-Elect Biden, Jackie, assemble a cabinet that keeps his left happy if he's putting people who are not very, very progressive in across the board?

KUCINICH: Probably not. But the other thing Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said, she does understand that if the Senate does remain in Republican hands, that some of these more progressive nominees probably can't get through.

So there is a balancing act going on among the Biden transition officials to look for people who the president-elect is both comfortable with and but also have the ideological balance, but also can get through a senate if these runoffs do not go the Democrats' way.

So there are just a lot of considerations going on. But that is certainly one of them.

BASH: And Jeff, Agriculture secretary is not usually the most sought after position in a cabinet, but it has turned into kind of a proxy war between Republicans, moderate Democrats and progressives and black Democrats as well. Senator Grassley of Iowa this week publicly advised Biden to select former North Dakota Senator Heidi Heitkamp or Congressman Collin Peterson. Both are conservative Democrats.

Jim Clyburn, who is the reason that Joe Biden got the nomination, never mind the presidency. He's pushing for Congresswoman Marcia Fudge, a leading African American member for that role.

What does this fight tell us about Biden's approach and his problems?

ZELENY: Well, Senator Grassley, first of all does not necessarily have a say in this. He'll have a vote in confirming this, but his vote isn't necessarily needed here.

But look, he does raise a point. He opens a window into what is going on with this. And as you said, Dana, Congressman Jim Clyburn, as we know, was the most important endorser and supporter in this process. So he has a very loud voice in this. But I think what it's highlighting is the overall picture of the cabinet.

[08:44:58]

ZELENY: There has to be a person of color, likely an African American, at the Defense Department as secretary of Defense or Attorney General or some of these other top posts. If that happens then I think that gives President-Elect Biden a little bit more space for the rest of his cabinet.

Jim Clyburn is pushing some House members for these spots. One problem with that is though the Biden transition team is largely staying away from elected Democrats, because the margins are narrow in the House.

So even having an open seat in a safe district is still potentially problematic here. So I am not expecting many Democratic senators or house members to be serving in the Biden cabinet for that reason.

BASH: Yes, It's interesting.

KUCINICH: That's right.

BASH: I was talking to Janet Napolitano who was President Obama's homeland security secretary. She was governor of Arizona. She was picked and replaced by a Republican and she said that maybe that was a mistake because she got a lot of blowback in Arizona which was interesting.

Before I let you guys go, Jackie, all of these are nominations we're talking about. For the most part they have to be confirmed by the U.S. Senate.

KUCINICH: Right.

BASH: Neera Tanden is still facing some pretty big GOP opposition so far, in large part because she is outspoken on social media.

I want you to listen to what Senator Cornyn said earlier this week. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SENATOR JOHN CORNYN (R-TX): I think it's -- I'm not criticizing for using Twitter. I think for somebody who is as supposedly smart and sophisticated as this potential nominee is, to do that -- what she did is just pretty reckless. And unfortunately, she's the one that's going to have to pay the price for it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: I mean do they have any leg to stand on when they're criticizing people for being insulting or highly political on Twitter given the way we've all lived for the past four years?

KUCINICH: Right. I'm just not sure where Senator Cornyn thought all of us were over the last four years after what we've seen on the use of social media. But it does show how the nitty-gritty and the ways that they're going to try to delegitimize some of these nominees and, you know, be able to push them out if they don't like them.

BASH: Jackie Kucinich and Jeff Zeleny -- two friends, two excellent reporters -- thank you so much for getting up early this morning. Appreciate it.

ZELENY: Thanks, Dana.

KUCINICH: Thank you.

BASH: And up next, President Trump's angry lie-filled rally last night in Georgia. Did he help or hurt Republicans in two pivotal senate runoffs?

[08:47:23]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BASH: President Trump traveled to Georgia last night where he was supposed to be focused on helping two Republicans in senate runoffs there, races that will determine whether the GOP keeps control of the Senate next year or not.

At times he was on message.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The stake in this this election is control of the U.S. Senate and that really means control of this country.

The voters of Georgia will determine which party runs every committee, writes every piece of legislation, controls every single taxpayer dollar.

Very simply, you will decide whether your children will grow up in a socialist country or whether they will grow up in a free country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: But the president spent most of the 99-minute rally lying about election fraud even local Republicans say did not exist and claiming somehow he can still prevail in an election he lost decisively.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: They cheated and they rigged our presidential election but we will still win it. I don't run the elections. I don't run to see if people are walking in with suitcases and putting them under a table with a black robe around them. I don't do that. That is up to your government here.

And for whatever reason, your secretary of state and your governor are afraid of Stacey Abrams. They're afraid of her.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: Just hours earlier, he called Georgia Governor Brian Kemp and pressed him to overturn Joe Biden's win there. Kemp declined.

"New York Times" reporter Astead Herndon is covering the Georgia Senate races. He was at last night's rally.

Astead, good to see you this morning. So here is the headline in this morning's "Atlanta Journal-Constitution". It says "At Georgia Rally, Trump tells GOP to vote in rigged election." And this is what one Trump supporter told that paper just last week. "I don't think we should vote until we fix the system. We need to let them, meaning state Republican leaders, know that it's not acceptable. It's tough but I don't think any voting is acceptable until they prove it's safe. I'm really angry."

So that is the result of what the president said last night and so many other times. What are you hearing from Republicans about the president's performance last night?

ASTEAD HERNDON, REPORTER, "THE NEW YORK TIMES": It's kind of split between the Republicans you talk to from a base level, the kind of base supporters who attended last night's rally; and the kind of professional Republicans, those who are running the campaigns, looking to win those two senate seats in January.

From the base level, their primary concern is expressing that anger at the election result. It's siding with the president on his unfounded and baseless claims of voter fraud and pressuring the other Republicans, both in their state and nationally, to do whatever they can to, quote/unquote, "support the president" in this effort to subvert the election.

The professional Republicans, the ones who are tasked with trying to win this race, they think last night went ok. There were signs of a president who was encouraging people to vote, who was saying things like, you know, delivering the kind of standard attack lines on their Democratic opponents and supporting the Republican Senators Loeffler and Perdue. But that was clearly not what he was interested in.

BASH: No.

HERNDON: He was there to do his own grievances about the election and that's what -- that's what the crowd is there for also.

He also has these side moments where he knifes (ph) in Georgia's politics, chiding the governor, encouraging Doug Collins to run against him in two years. Those are the kind of things that make these folks upset.

They have a little bit of the good side that they wanted, those kind of standard lines. But they also had a good provider from both the crowd yelling at the senators and from the president himself that they are under real pressure to follow his words exactly, otherwise, they lose the base.

BASH: It's so complicated. We heard, as you mentioned, the president try to tie Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock, the Democratic candidates there, to the left wing of their party. That is what the Republicans do want this race to be about.

This is what the Democrats are hoping voters remember. Let's listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JON OSSOFF (D), GEORGIA SENATORIAL CANDIDATE: Our lives have been turned upside down and they are doing nothing in Washington.

David Perdue had his chance but he was too busy looking after his stock portfolio.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: So you're down there. Is that kind of message resonating?

[08:54:52]

HERNDON: You know, Democrats have a challenge of their own. They have one that has to maintain a really tight coalition that had Georgia go blue on the presidential level but remember, David Perdue ran ahead of Jon Ossoff in November.

So there are certainly a group of voters who voted for Joe Biden on the top of the ticket, but also voted for senate Republicans and that's who they want to claw back. Their hope is that this is a kind of a turnout game that goes in their favor, that people are still motivated by the question of Trump who especially as he attends rallies in Georgia.

But also that they can speak to voters saying, hey, you don't want the gridlock of the Obama era and that if you want Joe Biden to be able to make your lives better, to implement even the pragmatic moderate change that he has talked about, he needs Democrats in the Senate and that is something that we can provide. It's going to be a close race, we all know that. But the question is whose base turns out more. Republicans have kind of ceded that suburban and cities they're just trying to juice that real turnout of the kind of Trump base on the outer parts.

BASH: That's right.

HERNDON: We know that that's going to come down to maybe just one percentage point difference between them.

BASH: And it is a special election. It's January 5th which is not normally a day that people are used to going out and voting.

Astead Herndon, thank you so much for giving us that reporting from last night's rally, appreciate it.

HERNDON: Thank you.

BASH: And that's it for INSIDE POLITICS.

Up next "STATE OF THE UNION WITH JAKE TAPPER". His guests include the chief scientific adviser of Operation Warp Speed, Dr. Moncef Slaoui, Senator Mark Warner of Virginia, Georgia Lieutenant Governor Geoff Duncan and Congresswoman Karen Bass.

Thank you so much for sharing your Sunday morning with us.

[08:56:35]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)