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Interview With Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro; Biden Lays Out Coronavirus Plan; Trump Again Refuses To Concede Election Defeat; U.S. Tops 15 Million COVID-19 Cases, Adding 1.4 Million In First Week Of December Alone; Biden, Harris Meet With Members Of The NAACP Amid Pressure To Nominate A Diverse Cabinet; House Passes Defense Spending Bill With Veto-Proof Majority; Biden To Nominate Retired General Lloyd Austin As Defense Secretary. Aired 6-7p ET

Aired December 08, 2020 - 18:00   ET

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

[18:00:00]

WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST: Just a little while ago, the United States Supreme Court delivered a near-fatal blow to Republican efforts to invalidate president-elect Biden's election victory, the High Court denying a Republican request to block certification of Pennsylvania's results.

This as president-elect Biden is now laying out his top priorities to fight coronavirus during his first 100 days in office, stressing mask wearing, vaccines, and opening schools.

The need for leadership more urgent than ever, as the United States has just surpassed 15 million confirmed COVID-19 cases. Nearly 1.5 million infections were reported in the past week alone. As the pandemic explodes, COVID vaccines are now becoming a reality.

The United Kingdom started vaccinating its citizens today, and the first vaccines are expected to be authorized here in the United States later this week.

Let's start our coverage this hour with our chief White House correspondent, Jim Acosta.

Jim, first of all, this very significant ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court coming shortly after the president again falsely claimed he won the election.

JIM ACOSTA, CNN CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Wolf.

This is yet another embarrassing defeat for President Trump, as the Supreme Court has rejected this attempt by Republicans to overturn the election results in Pennsylvania. The president was just talking about some of this earlier today. He was stating how he was hoping that the Supreme Court would somehow come to his rescue.

He was looking for legislators in various states and justices on the Supreme Court to show courage, as he put it, because, as he was saying at this vaccine summit earlier today at the White House, he believes that the election was stolen from him.

Obviously, he's making these false claims once again that he won these states, these battleground states that handed Joe Biden the presidency. And the president is being served by a legal team that is not giving it up either.

We got a statement from the Trump legal team earlier today penned by Rudy Giuliani and Jenna Ellis, who are both dealing with coronavirus, but they said that they don't believe that this so-called safe harbor day -- that is today -- which is supposed to mean the end of election challenges, is the end-all/be-all.

Essentially, what the Trump legal team is saying at this point, Wolf, is that they're going to continue to fight it on until January. And, as you and I have been pointing out, the president will likely use this opportunity to continue his disinformation-for-dollars campaign to raise money from his supporters, with the misunderstanding that he could somehow win this election and become president of the United States for another four years.

That's obviously not going to happen.

The other thing we should point out, Wolf, I talked to a Trump adviser who said the president is never going to concede. It's never going to happen.

And so the president is likely, I think, at this point forward to continue to make these false claims that he was cheated out of the election, that somehow he could still win the presidency.

And don't forget, Wolf, there are some House Republicans who are saying that they would like to see a floor fight in the House of Representatives come January, when the House is supposed to preside over the official counting of electoral votes there.

And so the president is likely to continue this battle, no matter what Republicans say in these various states like Georgia, Arizona, what his own attorney general has said time and again that there wasn't any widespread voter fraud sufficient enough to overturn the results of the election.

And so at this point, Wolf, the president is about to leave office in some 40-some-odd days as somebody who tried -- tried to, by hook or by crook, win a second term in office when he wasn't reelected by the voters, Wolf.

BLITZER: He wants to continue this so-called legal battle to show, what, that he's not the loser, that he didn't lose this race, that he actually won.

Also, it gives him an opportunity to raise a lot more money for whatever political ambitions he might have down the road.

(CROSSTALK)

BLITZER: Jim, stay with us. I want to bring in our senior legal analyst, Laura Coates.

So, Laura, this denial from the U.S. Supreme Court represents what a lot of us think is a near-fatal blow to whatever effort the president might have thought he had to fight the election results, to fight the will of the American people. Does the president have any more viable legal paths to challenge the results of this election?

LAURA COATES, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: No, Wolf, the jig is up.

The president of the United States has no other recourse. It's ironic that today, on the day of the safe harbor deadline for when you can certify Electoral College actual votes going in, that the Supreme Court essentially said, you shall have no safe harbor here, one reason being, of course, because there has been no path towards the Supreme Court.

There's been no viable legal claim that was ever raised by the legal team to even have the Supreme Court say, we are the right court to hear this. They were talking about whether you could have an expansion of absentee voting, for example, in Pennsylvania, and whether that violated the state Constitution.

Well, the Supreme Court doesn't do what the state of Pennsylvania's Constitution. You know who does? The Pennsylvania Supreme Court. And, Wolf, they already have agreed, unanimously, I would add, that they're not going to take any sort of approach where they would wholly disenfranchise people, voters, who have lawfully followed the system that the legislature actually set down for them.

[18:05:12]

So, he has no more recourse here. It doesn't mean he's not going to keep trying, unfortunately, for the Groundhog's Day effect that we're all suffering through right now. But the Supreme Court, even with three of his own confirmed Supreme Court justice, said, the jig is up.

BLITZER: Yes, important point, indeed.

I want to bring in Gloria Borger.

Gloria, the president had appealed to the Supreme Court, including, as Laura just pointed out, those three Supreme Court justices that he nominated, were approved, were confirmed by the Senate.

Just hours before this Supreme Court denial came down, I want you to listen to what the president said earlier this afternoon.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Let's see whether or not somebody has the courage, whether it's a legislator or legislatures, or whether it's a justice of the Supreme Court, or a number of justices of the Supreme Court.

Let's see if they have the courage to do what everybody in this country knows is right.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: First of all, that's false. Everybody in this country does not know that's right.

Clearly, that appeal had little impact on the nine justices of the Supreme Court.

GLORIA BORGER, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: That's right. It had absolutely no impact on the justices.

But it did give you insight into how the president thinks about the Supreme Court. He believes that the people he appointed are somehow beholden to him because of their appointments, rather than being beholden to the law, to the Constitution, to the people of the United States.

And that's what he was saying out loud. And, of course, that wasn't the case today. This was a Supreme Court saying, no, we're not going to consider this. This is a matter of state law. And what you are doing -- and what he was doing in that case was asking the Supreme Court to effectively nullify a governor's certification of an election in a state, which is something that they're not going to touch, especially without a good case before it.

So they decided that they weren't going to even deal with it. So, he will pursue it. He will continue to raise money off of this, as Jim Acosta pointed out earlier, and he will take it to wherever it can lead him politically or financially.

BLITZER: Yes, that's important.

Let me go back to Jim.

As we have been noting, today marked what's called the safe harbor deadline. That's the date by which the states, all 50 states and the District of Columbia, were supposed to have certified the election. I think 49 actually did and the District of Columbia.

How significant is the timing of this Supreme Court denial coming, what, just minutes before 5:00 p.m. Eastern? I thought it was pretty significant, the timing of this.

ACOSTA: I think it's hugely significant, Wolf, for a couple of reasons.

One is, I mean, keep in mind, you have a couple of members on the Supreme Court right now, in Amy Coney Barrett and Brett Kavanaugh, who worked on the Bush v. Gore case on behalf of former President George W. Bush in the 2000 Florida recount battle.

If those justices are looking at the facts at hand here, and not determining that the president, outgoing President Trump, has a case here, then that's it. As Laura Coates were saying, the jig is up. I do think, because you have a couple of justices on the Supreme Court

who have expertise in Bush vs. Gore, I mean, I do think that that is significant. I think, if they had seen anything here to weigh their -- to weigh in, to bring the court into this sort of -- into the sort of battle, that they would have done so.

And I think the other item that you need to take a look at, Wolf, is the Trump campaign, the Trump legal team, Jenna Ellis and Rudy Giuliani, put out a statement earlier today, talking about this safe harbor day. And they seemed to acknowledge that it exists and that it is sort of a deadline for these legal challenges.

But what they're saying in their statement is that they believe that they can go past these challenges and take this right into January.

Wolf, what the president and his legal team is asking the country to do is to endure another three or four weeks of these cockamamie legal challenges that are just never going to hold up in court. And he's -- and he and this legal team is asking the rest of the Republican Party to go along with this clown car parade.

And it's just never going to -- it's never going to end in the result of the president holding onto the White House. All it's going to do, as Gloria was saying and the rest of us have been saying, is raise more money for the president for his future ambitions.

BLITZER: Yes, I mean, he lost the national popular vote by more than seven million votes, not one million, two, seven million votes.

[18:10:04]

And, as far as the all-important Electoral College is concerned, Biden has 306 electoral votes and Trump has 232. You need 270; 232 is way below that.

Our political commentator Bakari Sellers is with us right now.

Bakari, should this be seen, this decision by the Supreme Court, as a message to the Republicans in general out there who are still planning some sort of election challenge that the Supreme Court is not taking those claims seriously? You're a lawyer. You know there were at least 30 or 40 court decisions over these past five weeks which totally rejected what the president and his legal team are arguing.

BAKARI SELLERS, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: You know, Wolf, there is a joke. What do you call the person who finished last in their law school class? You still call them a lawyer.

And for some of us who made it out of law school by the skin of our teeth, even we can tell you that these legal cases aren't worth the paper they're written on.

I think that everybody realizes that. So, you have the legalities of this matter, which we all have -- all have spoken to. And we all know that these cases are very much meritless. In fact, I think that there would be some -- there should be some Rule 11's or some sanctions filed against these lawyers for filing cases that they know to be frivolous.

However, this is when you meet the legality vs. the political angle that a lot of these senators, particularly Ted Cruz and Lindsey Graham, are playing. The fact is, Ted Cruz and Lindsey Graham could care less that this Supreme Court, one that we believe to be probably one of the more conservative Supreme Courts we have had in recent history -- we don't expect many of the rulings that they render to be unanimous.

But this Supreme Court came down and said that this was a fruitless, futile effort. That won't stop Lindsey Graham and Ted Cruz from beating the drums in Georgia, from filing these suits, like the state of Texas did today.

And to answer your question directly, no. The Republican Party is definitely afraid of the personality and the cult-type relationship that Donald Trump has with his followers. And, because of that, you're still going to see this drumbeat. And even it's going to go into the next United States Congress on the first few days, where they're going to take to the whale and make an argument that this election was rigged.

It's very, very, very dangerous. I'm just extremely proud of the United States Supreme Court today.

BLITZER: Yes, to their credit, there are some Republican governors out there who have had the guts to tell the president and his legal team, you are wrong...

(CROSSTALK)

BLITZER: ... the Republican governor of Georgia, the Republican governor of Arizona.

And the president's own attorney general of the United States, William Barr, he had the guts to publicly give an interview with the Associated Press and say there isn't any evidence of widespread fraud. And he cited not only an investigation by the Department of Justice, but by the Department of Homeland Security and the FBI.

And the president continues to continue with this.

Everybody, stand by for a moment.

I want to bring in the Pennsylvania attorney general, Josh Shapiro, who's joining us on the phone right now.

Attorney General, thank you so much for joining us.

And, as you heard, the Supreme Court denied these Republican efforts to block the certification of Pennsylvania's election results. What's your reaction to this important decision?

JOSH SHAPIRO (D), PENNSYLVANIA ATTORNEY GENERAL: Well, Wolf, it was expected.

This election has been over for weeks. And the important thing to people here is that their voices were heard. It was a secure election.

And so I would say that, while this is breaking news, it really is a particularly momentous day here. We have known the results of this election since early November. We have known that there was no fraud. We have known that there no legal mechanism for interference, or for having these results changed.

And this is just one of dozens of lawsuits that we have won, because the suits that had been filed have no merit. It's -- Wolf, I will just say this. It is sad, really. These suits are being filed in court, in a court of law, but, really, they are for an audience of one.

And that is the Republican president of the United States. And some Republicans are just too afraid to stand up to him.

BLITZER: Yes, and they're being thrown out of all sorts of courts, local courts, state courts, and now the U.S. Supreme Court.

It was one sentence, Attorney General, a one-sentence order by the U.S. Supreme Court.

What sort of message does that send about how the Supreme Court views these efforts?

SHAPIRO: I think it sends a crystal-clear message.

And it is time for us to move on. It is time for us to stop stirring the pot to stop trying to create confusion, to stop wasting resources, and to move on with a transition in this country.

BLITZER: The president has been calling the speaker of the House in Pennsylvania, your state, about the election results.

Just hours ago, President Trump actually claimed that he won these remaining six battleground states, even including Pennsylvania, even though all have them have certified that he lost.

[18:15:02]

So, will any of this, do you believe, change the president's behavior?

SHAPIRO: I can't speak to changing the president's behavior.

But I can assure you it won't change the results at all here in Pennsylvania. He can call Speaker Cutler time and time again, but there is absolutely no role for the speaker or any legislator here in Pennsylvania when it comes to certifying the election, which has been done by our governor, appointing electors, which has been done by our governor, or the electors voting, which will be done by 20 Pennsylvanians on Monday.

Nothing that the president says, no matter how many phone calls he makes, will stop those electors from meeting on Monday and issuing 20 votes for Joe Biden.

Look, the president saying he won doesn't make it so. And this isn't about -- I saw the clip earlier where you had the president on saying, hopefully, some legislator will have the courage. I don't know if he was speaking about Speaker Cutler or not.

But courage isn't following the lies of Donald Trump or the lunacy that he wants you to follow. Courage is following the law. And that is what we're seeing here in Pennsylvania. The law is being followed. The Electoral College will meet. And there will be 20 votes certified for Joe Biden.

BLITZER: Yes, the president and his legal team losing case after case after case over these past five weeks. It's been five weeks since the Election Day.

And I will just point out to you, Attorney General, what I pointed out earlier. The president claimed he actually won these six remaining so- called battleground states, Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, Wisconsin, and your state of Pennsylvania.

I will point out all six of those states have certified that Joe Biden won those states. In fact, he's got a lot more electoral votes than the president of the United States.

The attorney general of Pennsylvania, Josh Shapiro, thanks so much for spending a few moments with us.

SHAPIRO: Good to be with you. Thanks, Wolf.

BLITZER: There's more breaking news just ahead on president-elect Biden's new health team and his priorities for fighting the coronavirus pandemic.

And the NAACP now urging the president-elect to create what they're calling a Cabinet-level civil rights czar.

I will speak to the group's president and CEO, Derrick Johnson. He was in a meeting with the president-elect today. We will discuss.

That's coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:21:44]

BLITZER: We're back with breaking news on president-elect Biden's strategy for battling coronavirus during his first 100 days in office.

He laid out his priorities while introducing the team he has chosen to lead the pandemic response.

Let's go to our political correspondent, Arlette Saenz, covering the Biden transition for us in Wilmington, Delaware.

Arlette, so, what's the latest?

ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN POLITICAL REPORTER: Well, Wolf, we are learning that president-elect Joe Biden is expected to nominate Ohio Congresswoman Marcia Fudge to lead the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

This is a new development that we are just getting in. And she is just the latest person of color, the third person of color that we have learned this week who Biden intends to add to his Cabinet ranks.

And while we are waiting to hear more names of people Biden will add to his Cabinet, today, he honed in on his health team, as he is ready to get right to work on tackling that pandemic.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SAENZ (voice-over): As COVID-19 rages across the country, president- elected Joe Biden laid out a blueprint for tackling the pandemic in his first 100 days in office.

JOE BIDEN (D), PRESIDENT-ELECT OF THE UNITED STATES: But I'm absolutely convinced that, in 100 days, we can change the course of the disease and change life in America for the better.

SAENZ: The president-elect's goals, developed with the help of Dr. Anthony Fauci, include widespread mask-wearing, getting more kids back in classrooms, and putting 100 million vaccine shots in Americans' arms.

BIDEN: My first 100 days won't end the COVID-19 virus. I can't promise that. But we did not get into this mess quickly. We're not going to get out of it quickly.

SAENZ: From his home base in Delaware, the president-elect unveiled the key members of his health team, the pandemic's impact seen clearly, with some joining virtually, including Biden's pick to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, California Attorney General Xavier Becerra, who would be the first Latino HHS secretary.

XAVIER BECERRA, U.S. HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES SECRETARY NOMINEE: At HHS, tackling pandemics, saving lives, keeping us healthy should be our calling card.

SAENZ: One of Biden's top advisers since the start of the pandemic, Dr. Vivek Murthy, set to reprise his role as surgeon general.

DR. VIVEK MURTHY, FORMER U.S. SURGEON GENERAL: While this is a daunting task, we absolutely have as a country what we need to overcome this virus.

SAENZ: And the incoming director of the CDC explaining the team's commitment to serve.

DR. ROCHELLE WALENSKY, CDC DIRECTOR NOMINEE: But every doctor knows that, when a patient is coding, your plans don't matter. You answer the code. And when the nation is coding, if you are called to serve, you serve.

SAENZ: Dr. Fauci taking on an expanded role as chief medical adviser to the president. DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, NIAID DIRECTOR: We have got a lot of hard and

demanding work to do in the next year. But, as we have done during previous crises, I also know we can get through this pandemic together as a nation.

SAENZ: With his health team set, the president-elect is nominating retired Army General Lloyd Austin as secretary of defense, who would be the first African-American to lead the Pentagon.

[18:25:00]

BIDEN: Folks, you're led by one of the truly great generals in the United States military.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SAENZ: And retired General Lloyd Austin is expected to be part of a Biden event tomorrow.

The president-elect will be introducing his choice to lead the Department of Defense here in Wilmington tomorrow.

And, Wolf, we are also getting some news now when it comes to the Biden team's reaction to the Supreme Court deciding against Republicans' efforts to try to stop those certification results in Pennsylvania.

I want to read you a statement that we have. It says from a spokesman, Michael Gwin, it says: "Dozens of courts have rejected Trump and his allies' debunked and meritless claims. And now the highest court in the land has joined them without a single dissent, in repudiating this assault on the electoral process. This election is over. Joe Biden won. And he will be sworn in as president in January."

BLITZER: So, bottom line, Arlette, does the Biden team think there's anything at all possible standing in the way, in their way, ahead of the inauguration?

SAENZ: Well, look, the Biden team really does not think that there are any viable legal challenges that can be brought at this point.

They do believe that Biden will be inaugurated as the president on January 20. And one thing that they will be waiting for will be for that Electoral College vote on December 14 to try to put an end to some of these attempts.

BLITZER: Yes, then it will be done, done, done. It's done, done, done right now, but, once again, it will be done, done, done.

All right, Arlette, thank you very, very much.

Just ahead: the first COVID-19 vaccinations in the West. We're going to get a live report on that and talk about vaccine authorization here in the United States that's likely in just a few days.

And I will ask the head of the NAACP about the group's new call for president-elect Biden to name a civil rights czar.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:30:00]

BLITZER: New milestones tonight in the coronavirus crisis, the United States surpassing 15 million cases with nearly 1.5 million new infections in just the past week. But at the same time, the United Kingdom became the first western nation to administer COVID-19 vaccines. CNN's Nick Watt reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NICK WATT, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Sleeve up on the Christmas T-shirt, a 90-year-old English woman just became the first person on earth to receive Pfizer's vaccine in earnest, outside clinical trials, minor hiccups aside.

MARTIN KENYON, U.K. VACCINE RECIPIENT: Because I couldn't damn well find anywhere to park my car, so I was late.

WATT: The vaccine rollout is under way.

KENYON: Except that I hope I am not going to have the bloody bug now.

WATT: The U.S. likely just days behind today. The FDA released analysis that found no specific safety concerns that would preclude issuance of emergency use authorization.

MAYOR BILL DE BLASIO (D-NEY YORK, NY): The vaccine is coming next week. The vaccine will be here in New York City.

WATT: But supply is tight, logistics challenging.

DR. RACHEL LEVINE, PENNSYLVANIA SECRETARY OF HEALTH: We anticipate the rollout of the vaccine to take six, nine, could even be 12 months before everyone is immunized.

WATT: Pfizer will work to increase capacity. Moderna's vaccine is nearing rollout, Johnson & Johnson now in late stage trials.

DR. PAUL STOFFELS, CHIEF SCIENTIFIC OFFICER, JOHNSON & JOHNSON: We might have results sooner than expected, but we target for results in the month of January.

WATT: And the federal government still says they'll have --

MONCEF SLAOUI, CHIEF ADVISOR, OPERATION WARP SPEED: The volume of vaccines we need to immunize the U.S. population, as we promised, all of it by middle of the year, 2021, and that's still on track.

GOV. TIM WALZ (D-MI): The good news is we're close but the challenging news is this, the hardest weeks I think are still ahead of us.

WATT: Because virus spread is accelerating. In September, it took 25 days to log a million new cases. This latest million, the 15th, took just five, five days.

GOV. NED LAMONT (D-CT): We knew Thanksgiving may result in a bit of a spike up in our infections, and here we are two weeks later.

WATT: More than 30 million Californians ordered once again to stay home.

DR. MARK GHALY, CALIFORNIA HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES SECRETARY: We're experiencing a surge like we've never seen.

WATT: More Americans in the hospital with COVID now than ever.

GOV. TOM WOLF (D-PA): If the worst happens, hospitals will not be able to treat all sick Pennsylvanians. They'll be forced to turn away people who need treatment.

GOV. JIM JUSTICE (R-WV): The number of deaths is escalating in our state now with leaps and bounds.

WATT: Another 60,000 Americans could be dead by New Year's.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Nick Watt reporting for us. Nick thank you very much.

Joining us, CNN's Max Foster, he's live in the United Kingdom. Max, you had a chance to witness some of those first vaccinations earlier today. What was it like? Update our viewers, what's going on in the U.K. right now?

MAX FOSTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, it is working pretty well so far in that vaccination clinic here in Cardiff I was in this morning. I asked one of the nurses what she was doing. And she said to me she was injecting hope, which I think pretty much speaks to how many people here feel about this historic milestone in the vaccination program.

And if anyone symbolizes that hope, it's probably William Shakespeare, the first man who was vaccinated in England, and also a lady called Maggie, who was the first woman vaccinated, first person actually vaccinated in the world with this Pfizer vaccine.

[18:35:13]

Let's hear from both of them because they very much spoke to the energy in the country today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARGARET KEENAN, FIRST VACCINE RECIPIENT: It's the best thing that ever happened in a moment. So, do please, go for it, that's all I'm going to say, you know? If I can do it, well, so can you.

WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE, SECOND VACCINE RECIPIENT: Groundbreaking I think. Could make a difference to our lives from now on, couldn't it?

FOSTER: The world is watching. So they'll be learning from your example.

TRACY MEREDITH, CARDIFF AND VALE HEALTH BOARD: Yes, I really hope so.

FOSTER: And what's the message then?

MEREDITH: The message is I think get everybody in, get everybody vaccinated. Obviously, it is a choice, but we're here to look after everyone and for everyone to look after each other. So, please, get vaccinated.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER (voice over): Days getting to local areas will be tougher, but so far it has been going pretty well.

BLITZER: All right Max. Max Foster reporting for us from the U.K. Max, thank you very, very much.

There's more breaking news we're following. We're going to talk to the head of the NAACP about the meeting he and other civil rights leaders had with the president-elect, Joe Biden, and the vice president-elect, Kamala Harris, just a little while ago about diversity in the incoming Biden Cabinet.

Plus, the president-elect just announced retired General Lloyd Austin will be his pick to become the next Defense Secretary in the United States. We're going to take a closer look and why there are some hurdles between him and the top job over at the Pentagon.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:40:00]

BLITZER: There's more breaking news we're following. President-elect Biden and Vice President-elect Harris meeting with members of the NAACP and other civil rights groups as they face pressure to nominate a diverse cabinet. Derrick Johnson, is the President and CEO of the NAACP, he's joining us right now. Derrick, thanks so much for joining us.

I know you participated in the meeting virtually. You said today's meeting was positive. I know you pushed the president-elect and the vice president-elect to create the role of the civil rights czar. You suggested the position could be called the national adviser on racial justice, equity and advancement. So were they receptive to creating such a position?

DERRICK JOHNSON, PRESIDENT AND CEO, NAACP: Wolf, let me tell you, the meeting was extremely positive. Both the president-elect and vice president-elect was very open to hear from the civil rights leaders. We were excited about that. And he recommitted to racial equity, which I think is really important at this time considering what's happened the last four years.

But what gets done is what gets measured. And what gets measured is when you have somebody who is responsible, you can hold accountable. And that's why it is important for us to have an adviser that's focusing on racial equity.

And if you use examples that we've seen corporate America do when they got serious about racial equity, they've put in place diversity and inclusion officer reporting to the president and CEO. That's the model we want to see this president adopt. It is successful, it is accountable and we can make sure it gets done.

BLITZER: So what did they say, the president-elect and vice president- elect? Are they open to your suggestion?

JOHNSON: I think the conversation was open. Now, we committed that we will have ongoing dialogue about multiple issues. You know, the president is a life member of the NAACP, the vice president-elect is outstanding, and also a friend of the civil rights community, they both are. And so the goal here was establish the table for ongoing dialogue to allow civil rights organizations, organizations that represent a constituency group of African-Americans to have input.

We respect the voice and authority of the office of the presidency and we just want to make sure that African-Americans are not left out of this administration's decision-making process.

BLITZER: Do you have someone in mind that you think would be good for this new role?

JOHNSON: Well, I think, you know, this administration embracing the concept is the first step. And then from there, there are many individuals who can step right in on day one to ensure that we can address some of the harm that is happened, not only the last four years but for decade. We must embrace the diversity. That's the strength of this nation. That's what most of us learned in school, that this is a diverse nation. And so in order for us to embrace it, we must put forth metrics to move it and advance it.

BLITZER: Since you first advocated for this meeting that you and other civil rights leaders had with the president-elect and vice president- elect today, Biden has taken some significant steps to nominate two African-Americans to senior cabinet roles. We just learned he's also expected now to nominate the Ohio congresswoman, Marcia Fudge, as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, a woman I assume you know well.

He also selected retired army General Lloyd Austin to become the next Secretary of Defense. Are you satisfied with the number of African- Americans the president-elect so far has nominated to cabinet positions and senior positions in the White House?

JOHNSON: Well, it's still early. But I can say, if true, you know, I have not confirmed been of this, Congresswoman Marsha Fudge would be outstanding. She is someone who served as chair of the CBC. She was the chair of the subcommittee on act for food nutrition.

[18:45:05]

She was the national president of a major sorority, Delta Sigma Theta. She is sharp. She is a consensus builder. And so, wherever she's selected, if that is in fact true, I know she

will be excellent. So, I look forward to that confirmation that is true. I am pleased that she will serve in the cabinet, if it's true, because she's an outstanding legislator and I know she will be strong leader in the cabinet.

BLITZER: Yeah, we confirmed it here at CNN, and other new news organizations are reporting it as well.

You know, Derrick, when you and I spoke the other day, you explain your desire for a meeting with the president-elect, the vice president-elect, and it was more than just securing appointments but also ensuring civil rights policies are a top priority for the incoming administration.

Did you get a solid commitment on that -- on that front from the president-elect during today's meeting?

JOHNSON: Well, he stated emphatically that racial equity, it will be a priority for this administration. That's important because if racial equity is a priority, then we know that we can start rebuilding and repairing the lost ground we've seen over the last four years and repairing some of the damage over several decades.

We must, as a nation, start looking forward towards 2030 and beyond. And that can only happen if we see the strength in our diversity. We are a nation build on a diverse background and we must embrace it like we've never done it before.

BLITZER: Certainly, certainly must.

The NAACP president, Derrick Johnson -- Derrick, as usual, thanks so much for joining us. I'm glad we had this conversation.

JOHNSON: Thank you for the opportunity.

BLITZER: Just ahead, a closer look at confirmation challenges for President-elect Biden's pick to become the next defense secretary.

We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:51:33]

BLITZER: There's more breaking news we're following.

The House of Representatives has just passed a $740 billion defense spending bill. President Trump has pledged to veto the bill, but it past the chamber overwhelmingly with a veto-proof majority. The Senate still needs to vote on the legislation, it is expected to pass their overwhelmingly as well.

Meanwhile, there's more breaking news, we're following the president- elect has just announced that retired General Lloyd Austin, this is an official announcement, will be his pick to become the next defense secretary.

CNN Pentagon Correspondent, Barbara Starr, has more on that.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Retired 4 star General Lloyd Austin will be the first black secretary of defense, if confirmed by the Senate. President-elect Joe Biden selecting a general he's known for years.

GEN. LLOYD AUSTIN, DEFENSE SECRETARY NOMINEE: Ladies and gentlemen, it is my distinct honor and privilege to introduce to you, the vice president of the United States, Mr. Joe Biden.

STARR: But Biden's first commander-in-chief decision, to nominate Austin, may run into a political buzz-sawed Capitol Hill. Austin needs a congressional waiver, as required by law, because he's been out of the military less than seven years. The top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee put his marker down in 2017 after waiver was granted to James Mattis, President Trump's first defense secretary.

SEN. JACK REED (D-RI): Let me be very, very clear, I will not support a waiver for any future nominees, under the incoming administration or future administrations.

STARR: Now, Reed says he would like to hear from Austin on why he should get a waiver. Concern also from other Democrats that civilian leadership of the military, remains the norm and there isn't an unexpected cozy relationship with general still on duty.

Senator Richard Blumenthal already opposes a waiver. Three other Democratic senators are uncertain.

Choosing another recently retired general to serve in a role that is designed for a civilian, just feels off, said Congressman Elissa Slotkin, who knows Austin from her time at the Pentagon.

Austin is a historic choice for military that for decades has struggled with diversity. Just 19 percent of the enlisted force is black, just over 8 percent of the force are officers according to the Pentagon.

Austin is a highly decorated combat veteran, much of his reason career focused on Afghanistan and Iraq, where he led the 2011 withdrawal. The deeply reserved, one time four-star, now must become a public political figure, dealing with Russia, China and convincing Congress to cut defense spending.

But a former battle buddy thinks he is very much up to the job.

LT. GEN. MARK HERTLING (RET.), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Lloyd is a very introverted, thoughtful, ethical and courageous soldier and individual. He's smart as a whip.

(END VIDEOTAPE) STARR (on camera): Now, of course, Joe Biden and Lloyd Austin know each other from the Obama administration, but our colleague Jake Tapper has also learned that Austin had a close relationship with Beau Biden, when the younger Biden was serving in Iraq, under Austin's command -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Interesting.

All right. Barbara Starr reporting for us, thank you.

More news right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:59:20]

BLITZER: Finally, our nightly tribute to some of the people we lost to the coronavirus.

Rita Kuritzky of New York was 91 years old. Her granddaughter Krista (ph) says she was known for her strength, her directness and her fabulous potato salad. She was a very good baseball player in her youth and a huge fan of Derek Jeter and the New York Yankees.

Joseph Linardi of New Jersey was 92. He was a U.S. Marine Corps veteran and a retired pipe fitter who raised and cared for pigeons in his backyard. His daughter Nancy says in her heart and mind, her father died a true hero.

May they rest in peace, and may their memories be a blessing.

Thanks very much for watching. I'm Wolf Blitzer. Follow me on Twitter and Instagram @WolfBlitzer, tweet the show @CNNSitRoom.

"ERIN BURNETT OUTFRONT" starts right now.