Transcripts For CNBC The News With Shepard Smith 20240711

Nation to formally authorize a covid19 vaccine rollout begins next week, and the world is watching. Plus, Chinas Mission to the moon new images of the first Lunar Landing in more than 40 years. Announcer live from cnbc global headquarters, the facts, the truth, the news with Shepard Smith. Good evening more progress and more set backpacks on this, the 266th day of the pandemic. There is now a cure. Pfizers vaccine approved in the United Kingdom here in the United States the cdc slashing its quarantine guidelines now just ten days, or seven with a negative test for people exposed to covid but the virus is not going away. Its getting much worse. A warning tonight from the head of the cdc. December and january and february are going to be rough times. I actually believe they are going to be the most difficult time in the Public Health history of this nation. White House Coronavirus Task force telling states we are in a very dangerous place as covid cases and hospitalizations rise. In a report obtained by nbc news, the task force urged Health Officials to take matters into their own hands, writing, if state and local policies do not reflect the seriousness of the current situation, all Public Health officials must alert the state population directly while local leaders prepare to roll out the first round of the vaccines and the doses there, Many Americans are in dire need of relief as the Economic Impact of the pandemic tightens another nightfall on the nations capitol with no Disaster Relief from congress. There is one development though. President trump is signaling support for Senate Republicans latest proposal. Were covering all the angles from washington to london. I will speak with the operation warp speed director. We begin with the cure some people in the United Kingdom are set to get pfizers vaccine as early as next week. But the first round of doses will cover only a fraction of the countrys high priority groups nbcs Richard Engle is live in london richard, how many people there are expected to get this vaccine . The initial dose is around 800,000, but they have secured about 40 million so we are talking 20 Million People, and thats just from the Pfizer Vaccine this country and the United States and no country really is banking on one vaccine to cover it entirely. They are hoping that this, because it is a little bit ahead of the pack, its ready to go, because they have approved it, can get them over the hump, can get them to january and the expectation is that other vaccines in january, february will come along that will be easier to deal with, easy to manipulate, that wont have these intense refrigeration demands. One of them, a homegrown vaccine, oxford astrazeneca, would be even easier for them to distribute so the intention here is to get the most Vulnerable People covered. The people who are most likely it die not necessarily the people who are most likely to spread covid19, but to die from it so they are really focusing on the care homes, hospitals, intensive care units, and people 80 plus. And this is a work in progress they know that they are going to have to get through these refrigeration demands and even the Prime Minister Boris Johnson was kaugsing people dont think this is a cure this is a start of a process. Its all the more vital that, as we celebrate this scientific achievement, we are not carried away with overoptimism or fall into the naive belief that the struggle is over its not this country is also starting off from a better place than the United States. The u. K. Just locked down for a month, and in england that drove down infection rates about 30 so they are starting off having already gone through a lockdown and now with a rollout beginning. Its going to be tough, but things do look a little bit better here tonight than they do in the states. Very hopeful. Richard engle live in london so when will americans get access to a sflak today the health and Human Services secretary alex azar said the government is on track to ship enough vaccines for 20 Million People by the end of this year so by the end of the month lieutenantgeneral is operation warp speeds director of supply, production and distribution. Thank you for being here you said that americans who want to get a vaccine, all of them who want one, can get one by the end of june, andconfirming, you mean in they need multiple doses, there will be enough . Thats correct. Its nice being with you this evening. How will we learn that we can get it and how will we learn where to go and when and the process . The Communication Campaign is going to continue moving forward with respect to this we didnt want to overpromise and underdeliver now as we know and get a better picture with respect to our production and where we are at on our vaccines, ensuring we get it to the prioritized populations, as we continue to stockpile the vaccines, getting them out there to the rest of the american people, we figure that by the end of february, mash timeframe it will be open it all americans certainly by april for sure. We will continue to provide that information to the American Public in numerous forms to include sites such as this. So, like, well get Text Messages or there will be Public Service announcement say my brother, my brother, how does he know when its his turn and how will he know where to go some of it is a work if progress Public Service announcements also websites that show the states and where in the states to get the vaccines and also what prioritization groups are going to be in line. That will be available to the american people. How will they know if i am a priority or not . Will i have to show an i. D. . How will that work. We are notgoing it turn anyone away. But if you are elderly, we will know that. You are a health care worker, you have the credentials to show that again its going to be up to the governors to decide the priority within their states. I am saying, like, i know diabetics will come earlier likelier than others how would you know if im diabetic is there an i. D. Requirement no. We want to ensure that we get vaccines in arms at the state level to prioritize that so if you are coming in for a vaccine, obviously we want you to be prioritized. Come forward if you have those comorbidities or elderly or you are a health care worker. I hear you. But that sounds like there could be a rush because how are you going to know if there is no i. D. Who has comorbidities, who ought to be i ask because i have stood in the lines for testing. They can go for hours. Its kind of a crapshoot about whether its going to work out very well. There is so much to plan here. Are you concerned . Of course we are concerned. Obviously this is things we are taking into consideration or working with the states to plan for that this is a scenario where we are not going to turn anybody away we want to focus on the p populations. At first it will be scarce resources. We need to be complementary of that and do the right thing for the american people. General, all the best good luck, and thank you thank you for your time. As it stands right now, once the fda does green light a vaccine, it will be for adults only that doesnt mean kids arent getting infected they are they just cant be given a vaccine until its been tested on people their age. Now moderna is planning to do that that Company Announced today it will soon begin testing its doses on kids between the ages of 12 and 17 cnbcs Senior Health and science correspondent meg tirrell. What do we know about this particular trial from moderna . Well, hey, we know it hasnt started yet. The plan is to enroll about 3,000 kids ages 12 to 17 with the goal of ensuring the vaccine is safe and effective in the younger age groups neighborhood to adults. Kids make up a smaller portion of covid19 cases in the u. S. ,12 according to the American Academy of pediatrics thats still 1. 3 million kids who have had the disease and the numbers are rising quickly, up 29 over the last two weeks. Pediatricians like dr. Anderson have been advocating for vaccine trials to extend to kids i am very uncomfortable sending my children back to school where despite the best efforts of the school there is real risk for contracting covid19. Modernas ceo told us the companys goal is to have enough data from trials in kids to have the vaccine ready for next years backtoschool season we hope to get this age group added to the label by the Regulatory Agency at the end of spring, which will allow us, i hope, in july and august to vaccinate, they can go back to school and high school, to school normally on september 21. Now, for younger kids it will be a little longer and pfizer as well has already started enrolling kids as young as 12 in its vaccine trials. What about the cdc shortening these quarantine guidance . Right this is something we have seen adopted in other countries and that Public Health experts told us last week is supported by the science. So if you have been exposed to someone with covid, the cdc still says 14 days quarantine is the best way to reduce the risk of spreading the disease but it acknowledges its hard for people to quarantine that long, especially if it means missing out op work and pay. So the new guidance is, if you have no symptoms, you can end quarantine after ten days, or if you get a test and you are negative, you can end it at seven days also, if you have no symptoms. But the problem here is one you were just talking about, getting the test results fast enough with so much strain on the System People are waiting longer to get a test and get the results. Thank you. The largest governmental operation undertaken since world war two. Thats what the new york gov andrew cuomo is saying about this vaccine rollout that a few minutes ago sounded like they dont have a complete plan for just yet he and other governors warn they need more money to pull off whatever the plan is experts estimate it will cost more than 8 billion to fund it all. States need to buy the super cold freezers. They have to hire the medical workers to administer the doses, build the technology to track who got the vaccine and remind folks to get their second shot its a lot cnbcs elon moy he is with us now. What are you hearing from state officials . States are really the ones bearing the burden of making sure the vaccine gets out of the box and into peoples arms so far, they havent gotten a lot of help from washington. State Health Officials say congress has only given them 200 million for Vaccine Distribution thats just about 60 cents a person i talked to the cdc director in maine and he said his state has only gotten 800,000 definitely not enough. We at the state level can only carry the ball so far down the field. Congressional support, congressional assistance on this front will absolutely be crucial. Now, he said the biggest cost will be the human capital. The people that they are going to need to hire and train to handle the vaccine and physically give you that shot. Its all well and good to have a vaccine, but unless we can figure out a way to get it into peoples arms, its not doing what we need it to do. In order to get it into peoples arms, we need to recruit, hire, and properly reimburse a diverse array of vaccinators pharmacists, physicians, emts, et cetera. The final price tag will depend which vaccine is the most popular and how quickly it rolls out to the general public. We know the funding for the Vaccine Distribution has been a Sticking Point for Coronavirus Relief is either side starting to budge . There was a little bit of movement today, shep, with Democratic Leaders nancy pelosi and Chuck Schumer getting behind a bipartisan framework that includes 16 billion in vaccine funding. So now that the drug is almost here, that is creating a sense of urgency on capitol hill to restart those negotiations with republicans. One top democrat said today that they could strike a deal as soon as this weekend, but, shep, even he acknowledged thats pretty optimistic. Thank you. Where is the money . New data tonight on where covid relief money for Small Businesses actually went remember the Paycheck Protection Program they passed in the spring it was meant as a lifeline for Small Businesses designed to let them pay their workers and rent during the shutdown. Remember there was lots of secrecy. The government never fully showed us who was getting all of our money. Well, thats changed now thanks to news organizations that sued under the freedom of information act, and as it turns out the government gave out 523 billion, and more than half of that went to five, the top five percent of companies. Some of them National Chains so what about the mom and pops cnbcs kate rogers following the money. The administration has said that the program benefitted smaller businesses because the vast majority of actual loans made were for under 150,000 as of this summer but Larger Companies got a greater portion of the pie more than 600 companies received the maximum allowable amount of 10 million. This includes big chains like Boston Market and legal seafoods canceled loans do not appear in the data the top geographies that received aid, california, texas and new york were the top states with loans totaling around 150 billion the Top Industries by loan amount included full service restaurants, which we know continue to struggle, physicians and lawyers offices, new car dealers and limited service restaurants. Another question remains though. How many jobs did the Actual Program save the Trump Administration has touted that the ppp supported 51 million jobs our Analysis Shows half a million loans went to Companies Reporting no jobs. More than a million loans to Companies Reporting one job. This could be a reporting issue. Its hard to know if companies that took the loans actually retained the jobs they hoped to with the forgiveness process just beginning the program certainly had critics a critics but it helped Small Businesses that were able to access loans data show that many Small Businesses say they favor another round of ppp but the program was designed to float Small Businesses for just a few weeks at the beginning of the crisis the period under which to use the loan has been extended, but w weeks have turned into eight months of various restrictions and lockdowns with a long winter ahead, while another round of aid remains elusive. Thanks. Pardon the family . That has never happened. As his presidency comes to an end, sources tell nbc news President Trump has floated the idea of doing exactly that before they are charged with any crimes the New York Times was first to report that the president discussed preemptive pardons for don jr. , eric trump, ivanka trump, jared kushner, and rudy giuliani, his longtime ally who went to ukraine to dig up dirt on the bidens and is leading the president s failed legal fight to overturn the election giuliani told nbc news the reports about the pardons are totally false. So, can a president grant pardons before any crimes are even prosecuted . Pete williams is here. Nbc news chief justice correspondent. Pete, preemptive family pardoning. Can a president do that . Absolutely. It will surprise some people, but the Supreme Court said as far back as 1866 that a pardon applies, quote, to every offense known to the law so that means a pardon can be given at any time after an offense is committed, either before Legal Proceedings have begun or while they are still going on or after conviction the Authority Comes from the constitution it says a President Shall have the power to grant reprieves and pardons for offenses against the United States. So that means the pardon applies to things already done that are potential crimes in other words, a pardon cannot apply to future conduct, only past actions, and pardons only apply to federal crimes, not state crimes, but they can be quite broad. President Andrew Johnson granted a blanket pardon to anybody involved with the confederacy during the civil war president carter granted unconditional pardons to men who evaded the draft during the vietnam war. Most famously of all, gerald ford gave Richard Nixon a pardon for conducted related to the watergate scandal that led to house impeachment proceedings. Michael flynns pardon applied to anything investigated by Robert Muellers teams and legal experts say pardon could even cover any offenses, any offenses committed during a given time such as a president s term in Office Without mentioning any specific conduct. Thats a long way of saying that the answer to your question is, yes. Thanks so much. The state of our climate, why the u. N. Secretarygeneral says the human race is on a suicide mission. Thats next. Plus we all knew that it was going to have this surge again. A growing crisis. We go inside a hospital icu overwhelmed by covid and Everything Else. They have been champing at the bit to get the max back in service. Jumping Onboard American Airlines tests out the 737 max, but can they convince the public its safe and later, how santa is following the fauci and working hard to stay covid safe this holiday season. Ho ho ho the facts, thtrh, ok everyone, our mission is to provide complete, balanced nutrition for strength and energy. Whoohoo great tasting ensure with 9 grams of protein, 27 vitamins and minerals, and nutrients to support immune health. The boeing 737 max jet returns to the skies after being grounded for 631 days. Today the jet flew from dallas to tulsa with members of the media onboard. Officials say boeing fixed the glitches responsible for multiple or two crashes that killed 346 people. American airlines ceo shared these pictures on instagram. He flew on the same jet last night with his wife and colleagues parker said he boarded the aircraft with the utmost peace of mind. Nbcs tom costello was on the flight. Reporter good evening. This is the American Airlines 737 max that we flew today dallas to tulsa, back to dallas again. The max, as you know, grounded for 20 months. The faa just lifted that grounding order, but airlines have to put in Certain Software fixes to ensure that the plane is safe to fly its all about that critical Automated System called mcas at the heart of those crashes overseas that killed 346 people. The Software Upgrade is said to take care of that problem. And we talked to the chief pilots who say they are very confident now. It was like flying any other 737. It was a short haul flight over to the Maintenance Base in tulsa. American will start putting paying passengers onboard the max at the end of december so this flight today as all about reassuring the public through the media that the plane is safe to fly people will be told in advance on their ticket and in the boarding email that you are boarding a max, you are flying on a max if you are not comfortable with that, you can certainly change your flight without penalty. But every airline that has the max in their fleet needs this plane. It is critical to improving fuel efficiency and with the airlines really being strangled by the pandemic, they need every efficiency they can get, and they need customers confident that this is a safe plane and something that you would feel confident putting your families on so that is, in a nutshell, what is happening here in dallas, whats happening at tulsa as the max starts to fly yet again. Shep, thats the story from dfw. A rather cold dfw. Back to you. Thank you. And the war on nature. Thats the challenge issued today by the head of the united nations. We now know this decade will end as the hottest on record thats according to a new report from the World Meteorological organization it cites 2020 as one of the three warmest years ever a year that saw recordbreaking haines and wildfires the u. N. Reports Climate Change is damaging roughly a third of unescos World Heritage sites, places like the Olympic National park and australias Great Barrier reef, all under very high threat. So the u. N. Is imploring world leaders, commit to a future without Carbon Pollution thats warming our planet here is cnbcs contessa brewer. Nature always strikes back, and it is already doing so with growing force and fury reporter our climate is changing rapidly, severely the evidence is clear, and the impact is real scientists point to the events we have watched unfold around us throughout 2020. The hottest temperatures on record in australia contributing to massive wildfires and in brazil and on the u. S. West coast, drought in south america and europe, severe flooding in africa, china and Southeast Asia and a recordbreaking atlantic hurricane season. The change in the arctic is not only for the region, but the whole Global Climate system. Anything change in the arctic affect also the weather. The heat waves r. Reporter the impact on wildlife polar bears starving as Arctic Sea Ice continues shrinking. Marine life dying off as the ocean becomes more acidic, absorbing Carbon Dioxide from the atmosphere koalas caught in the raging wildfires. And then there is the impact on humans. An extreme event americamean suffering. Rainfall shortages and temperature increases that result in drought we have never seen before. Reporter five years since the paris climate agreement from which the United States withdraw, and Scientists Say a renewed commitment is crucial to head off the consequences still to come. Now is the time to transform human kinds relationship with the Natural World and with each other. And we must do so together solidarity is humanity, it is survival. Reporter its not a lost cause here researchers point to commitments by china and japan to be Carbon Neutral by 2050. Because they are big carbon contributors, its meaningful. More importantly, Green Technology is evolving so rapidly, its becoming affordable or even the most efficient option for improving transportation and infrastructure and other systems around the globe now, if we could only apply that to jet planes, shep. Thank you. Rising covid cases bringing big changes. In pennsylvania, a rapid surge has led to sudden increases in testing. Today strike teams spread across the state. We are live at one of those clinics. And 49 days until inauguration whats left on this president s schedule the lastminute policies that could ke alright, i brought in ensure max protein to give you the protein you need with less of the sugar you dont. [grunting noise] ill take that. Woohoo 30 grams of protein and 1 gram of sugar. Ensure max protein. With nutrients to support immune health. Of the financial system. Le have been shut out [music playing throughout] my grandfather founded Industrial Bank in 1934 so black people would have a bank that would work with them. Because our doors are open, other doors are opening to more opportunities for our community. Were excited to work with citi, so we can realize our dreams of expanding our reach and impact. Citi is committed to working with blackowned banks like industrial, so they can continue to support their clients and communities. Balanced nutrition for strength and energy. Whoohoo great tasting ensure with 9 grams of protein, 27 vitamins and minerals, and nutrients to support immune health. And nutrients to [whats this . ] oh, are we kicking karly out . We live with at t. It was a lapse in judgment. At t, we called this house meeting because you advertise gigspeed internet, but we cant sign up for that here. Yeah, but im just like warming up to those speeds. Youve lived here two years. The personal attacks arent helping, karly. Dont you have like a hot pilates class to get to or something . [ muffled scream ] stop living with at t. Xfinity can deliver gig to the most homes. The year thats whats topping cnbcs on the money. Elon musk, the ceo of tesla and spacex, fortune giving him the honors and that photograph calling him creative and controversial. The magazine cover highlighting his ability to transform one industry after another, or something. Tesla now valued at more than half a trillion dollars. Making elon the second richest person in all the world. Turkey, stuffing and weed were apparently on the menu at thanksgiving cannabis sales hit a record during the Holiday Weekend consumers spent 238 million, the most ever, on marijuana. Thats according to a Data Tracking firm. Most of the spending came the day before thanksgiving. That day they now call green wednesday. And lebron james is staying at l. A the lakers superstar agreeing to a twoyear 85 Million Contract extension. On wall street, investors proceeded with caution the dow up nearly 60 the s p up 6 enough for a record close. The nasdaq down more than 5. A disney cast member punched in the face, and four missing children are back home safe on a cnbc trip coast to coast oklahoma, crews rescued four children missing nearly 12 hours. A helicopter crew spotted the kids at 1 30 this morning near ten killer dam an hour east of tulsa. The 5 and 9yearolds appear to be safe but extremely cold. Florida. The love and hip hop star spectacular blue smith accused of punching a disney cast Member Police say he was walking towards a ride at Animal Kingdom when he made a sneezing gesture and said coronavirus Authorities Say the cast member told senate he wmith he was not asked him to leave the line. Smith refused. According to the arrest report, when the cast member tried to block him, smith punched him twice. Vermont. Forget rudolph cement trucks light the burlington streets this season, and excavation and Construction Companies streaming more than 25,000 lights around their trucks bringing joy to neighborhoods and signaling brighter days ahead. Texas. A graveyard full of fall pumpkins for a great cause these mini pigs apparently love pumpkins sherry salas collecting old halloween and thanksgiving pumpkins to donate to her friends mini pig rescue. They are going to throw them away anyway. They have nowhere to use them. These once abandoned pigs eating well and living the gourd life on this cnbc trip coast to coast im Shepard Smith on cnbc. Its the bottom of the hour. Time for the top of the news more than 98,000 americans hospitalized with covid right now. Thats an alltime high according to the covid tracking project. The latest surge overwhelming some hospitals, putting even more pressure on their workers in pennsylvania, its so bad that the governor is warning the state could run out of icu beds in just weeks. Health experts ramping up testing across pennsylvania to try to slow the spread nbc nbc newss Josh Letterman in bedford, pennsylvania. How many people are getting tested a day reporter up to 450 at each of five popup sites that are opening just this week its quiet here now, but today we watched for more than nine hours as the line of cars spilled down the street into a parking lot at another nearby school one couple telling me they waited three hours here to get a covid test because while in major cities like philadelphia, pittsburgh, testing is generally available, for so many rural americans it is still the only option to go to a site like this. And its pennsylvania setting another record for daily cases today. The doctor who set up this test site tells me the situation is spiraling out of control when we started coming here a few weeks ago we had 5 , 8 . We would really be concerned about 12 . But now the last couple of weeks before thanksgiving and after thanksgiving the numbers have gone up to 25 , 26 Positivity Rate it is a really big problem most of the people have fullblown ppe and were really concerned. Reporter in this county, there is one hospital. The icu is closed. If you get seriously ill with covid19 as more and more people are, they have to find some bed somewhere else in the state to ship you to. As the States Health director warns that the Hospital System here is on the pris miss ecipicf being overreturn. Thats the big surge everywhere, that hospitals will max out and sick and injured people wont have anywhere to go for treatment. Its a very serious one. In missouri, where the u. S. Department of health estimates more than 84 of icu beds are occupied the death toll there now stands at more than 4,000, and hospitalizations are up 60 over the past month thats according to the covid tracking project nbc news went inside De Paul Hospital in bridgeton. Thats half an hour northwest of st. Louis. Drgs adoctors and nurses tired and overwhelmed as the dead keep piling up. Nbc news ellison barber live outside the hospital now you spoke to nurses there. What did you hear . Reporter yeah, shepherd, i want to show you it is a triage tent set up outside of the emergency room the hospital hasnt used this yet and they are hoping they dont have to, but inside they say their resources are stretched incredibly thin. We were able to go inside and be on one of the icu floors many of the patients objen that floor had covid19 many of those covid19 positive patients in icu were sedated we saw them having to flip patients from their stomach or on to their stomach to put them in the proning position because it was the only way for them to get oxygen into their lungs to keep breathing on their own without the help of a machine. We saw other patients who were on ventilators but not all of the patients on that icu floor had covid19. There were some noncovid patients other emergencies are still happening even as covid cases and hospitalizations continue to rise, and we saw that firsthand when a noncovid19 patient coded on the icu floor we are going to show you this video, and it is difficult, very difficult to see, but we want to show it to you because it is important to understand the reality of what these doctors, these nurses, Health Care Workers inside this hospital and so many hospitals like it are up against. Ultrasound. Everybody clear. One, two, three. Reporter hospitals do not have unlimited resources when we are talking about hospitals hitting capacity, we are not just talking about physical space and the amount of beds that they have available. All that matters, but what also matters is do they have the staff to take care of patients who need those beds. What were seeing in many places is that they are running low on staffed icu beds the doctors, the nurses, all of the Health Care Workers here, they are exhausted they are working so hard and they are seeing so much death, and all of it, nine months in, is taking a heavy mental toll. Unfortunately, we are not seeing a lot once they get to us, we are not seeing a lot that make it out of here. Reporter how much many patients have you lost i dont even know our numbers. There is days when its three and four a shift so, its hard. It affects everybody we have to pick each other up and move on to the next room reporter this hospital has seen so many deaths in the last week and a half that they had to bring in a temporary refrigerated truck to serve as a temporary makeshift morgue at the end of next week we are told right now that temporary morgue is being used sh shepherd. Thank you. We have heard nothing on covid from President Trump of late, and we dont see much of him anymore either in fact, since thanksgiving his public schedule shows three meetings, some lunches and golfing, but nothing else officially but behind the scenes there is a lot going on to cement his legacy and apparently to put up roadblocks for the next white house cnbcs eamon javers now. Whats happening there and whats coming up reporter yeah, nbc news is reporting that President Trump is not like think to attend the inauguration of joe biden and not even likely to call joe biden before the swearing in on january 20th but those arent the only ways that President Trump can spoil the party for joe biden. Just yesterday, for example, trumps own attorney general, bill barr, appointed a special counsel elevating an Ongoing Investigation into the organization joins of the russia probe to that special counsel status which means it will continue into bidens first year in office. That could yield embarrassing details for the biden Team Contractors have been completing as much construction on the Mexican Border wall ahead of bidens term the president has also moved forward on selling oil leases in the Arctic National wildlife ref rouge. And also taken steps to strip federal bur coeaucrat of Civil Service protections. And on the flip side, some trump political appointees have sought to convert themselves to career status meaning they could stay on once trump leaves now, that process is referred to as burroing it it happens at the end of a lot of administrations ironic given the president has complained about the deep state bureaucrat working against him with this process ongoing, some of those Trump Supporters could remain buried inside the biden government for months or years to come. Thanks. In washington, if it you control everything, you can do most anything. If not, its mostly gridlock thats why the Upcoming Senate runoffs in georgia are so important. Two senate seats, the vote early next month, and both sides are already spending a Staggering Amount of cash nearly 300 million worth of tv and radio ads because control of the senate and for democrats for an easy path for Sweeping Change is at stake. President trump is set to rally voters in georgia on saturday, but he has been telling the voters, the vote rigged and the election is a fraud. Nbc news Vaughn Hilliard is in atlanta tonight. Reporter we have talked to several of those voters this afternoon. We are about an hour outside of atlanta here and you talk to those voters, Republican Voters believing the president that this was not a fair fight one woman, francis, telling me she is questioning whether she will vote in the runoff elections. You said it. The stakes are so high if democrats were to pull off both of these u. S. Senate seats, it would be a 50 50 split in the u. S. Senate. With Kamala Harris at the white house, she would come down, she would be the 51st deciding vote. And that is why the president s trip, this upcoming saturday, is where all the attention is going to be. Is he going to be looking to the election a month from now . Those runoff races or is he going to be focused on the race that took place a month ago . He lost by 13,000 votes. These senate races are expected to be close. The president has resisted urges to move on there is only been two recounts in georgia, shep the third, it is slated to be completed by midnight tonight. The republican governor already certified the results. The republican secretary of state said the results are complete here. There is no path forward for the president. But that is why republicans are questioning where does this go over the next month . Kelly loeffler, the republican senator, and david perdue, the other republican senator will be joining President Trump on saturday Vice President pence will also be here on friday. Its going to be a big month ahead in georgia. Thanks. A recordbreaking birth. A little girl, this little girl, born a month ago, but her birthday 27 years in the making. And the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree scheduled to light up tonight on nbc with al and the gang, but if you want to check it out in person this year, you will have to follow a whole new set of rules announcer the facts, the ok everyone, our mission is to provide complete, balanced nutrition for strength and energy. Whoohoo great tasting ensure with 9 grams of protein, 27 vitamins and minerals, and nutrients to support immune health. Thats why weve merged with sprint. Get more. Now its about to get even better. And as we work to integrate sprints network, our nationwide 5g keeps getting stronger. With the capacity and coverage to reach more people and places across the country. Who says you cant have it all. Now is the time for 5g. Now is the time to join tmobile. And other Money Managers dont understand why. Because our way works great for us but not for your clients. 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And the former soviet union were the last two countries to do so. Israel move over, cowboys now we have drones to herd cows. Using a drone instead of cowboys and dogs creates a much less stressful environment for the animals. They hover over the buvines, broad them along, sending video back to the ranch. Farmers can open an app, click on the pasture they want to fill with cows and the drones do the rest china. A bright yellow robot chef serving contactless meals to students in shanghai the tenfoottall machines picks up dishes and pops them into a microwave before lunch time. Its part of the countrys effort to improve food safety and control the spread of covid19. Am bocam body cambodia. This elephant spent eight years alone, but now he has made a new friend the group who helped transport him capturing this moment extending his trunk to one of the first elephants he saw one less lonely elephant as we go around the world in 80 seconds. Molly gibson here has already broken a record and she was just born over a month ago really, she could have been born at any time in the last 27 years because her embryo was frozen in october of 1992. Then unfrozen in february, when a family in tennessee adopted it molly here is believed to hold the distinction as the longest once frozen embryo to actually be birthed the previous titleholder, mollys sister emma, whose embryo was frozen for 24 years according to the National Embryo donation center, there are an estimated 1 million embryos frozen right now in the United States there is only one person who can fly all over the world during a pandemic. Wherever he wants, really. An essential worker. His name is santa claus. Ho ho ho hello, shep smith. My goodness, you look even younger than last christmas. Santa is sending you this special message because i was told you are being very good and working hard this year, and i wanted to say thank you. Youre welcome, santa he is working hard this year, too. No wonder they wouldnt show me that. And not just on all the toys how do you social distance when everybody wants to meet you . Thats next. I have moderate to severe plaque psoriasis. Now, theres skyrizi. 3 out of 4 people achieved. 90 clearer skin at 4 months. After just 2 doses. Skyrizi may increase your risk of infections. And lower your ability to fight them. Before treatment your doctor should check you for infections and tuberculosis. Tell your doctor if you have an infection. Or symptoms such as fevers,. Sweats, chills, muscle aches or coughs. Or if you plan to or recently received a vaccine. I feel free to bare my skin. Visit skyrizi. Com. When disaster strikes to one, we all get together and support each other. Thats the nature of humanity. It has encouraged other people to take the time for each other. There is only one santa claus. He lives at the north pole and he has great job security. But there are other people who dress up like st. Nick, ambassadors, lets call them here are some of them. Ambassadors with some of the kids of our staff. But for those ambassadors, its complicated this christmas how do you share cheer without spreading covid . It looks a little like this. Heres cnbcs jane welds reporter its lonely at the north pole santa is trying to save christmas during a pandemic, which is keeping him from what he loves. I make people laugh all the time, and that makes me know they love me. Reporter rick erwin has been playing santa for 18 years and leads a group of about 600 professional st. Nicks they can make 20 or 30 grand a season but this year some may make a third of that. Those who are making money have pivoted. They are greeting kids behind plexiglass or sending personalized videos. Hello, sara and jacob reporter in los angeles, the county mandated that all santas, must be outside. So at the grove he comes by on a trolley. But this christmas also has a strange twist. Rick erwin had a clause in his 2020 contract. Yeah, santa had a clause if he could not get a covid vaccine, his ipo events would be canceled in late summer his organization reached out to the Trump Administration to get professional santas vaccinated in the first wave just lake they were during the h1n1 epidemic in 2009. And we agreed to help with a nationwide promotion for operation warp speed which we would participate in simultaneous rollouts in 35 cities around the country. Reporter he was dealing with the department of health and Human Services. He said he couldnt wait to tell the president because the president loved this idea and was excited. Reporter but soon caputo was out with personal issues and communication stopped. We realized if we were going to save christmas it would be up to the clause community. Reporter thats what sants are doing. They are saving christmas. I want to assure everybody that there will be a christmas the worst year ever is going to end on the best note possible. And were here to help you do that. Merry christmas i am here at the massive Glendale Galleria in california. They had less than a week it move santa from inside the mall to outside under the tent where the traffic family is getting a picture. It cost them 10 or 15,000 to do this they invested had technology they are several feet away from santa, the photo makes it look like they are next to him. Look at my photo, shep you can see. Its magical it was like i was right there. Fantastic you know, i opened the wall street journal this morning and saw a review of a crazy christmas podcast and it was yours. What are you doing reporter its called top story tonight jesus. And it tells the christmas story as if modern media and social media existed 2,000 years ago in bethlehem. Mary and joseph go on dr. Phil wait a minute. Wait a minute. Shep, i have breaking news i have breaking news hold on. Santa has one more message for you. Yes, santa . I know how much you love tennis the beach, and you love the old miss rebels. Yes, sir. Santa will be sure to keep that in mind this christmas. Thank you and when we play lsu and texas a m, if we do. Jane, youre the best. You have been nice. Yeah trying good to see you, jane. The Rockefeller Plaza lighting up its tree in a little more than an hour, and like Everything Else its going to look a little different this year here is a live picture i think. Do wefb a live picture tonights Tree Lighting ceremony usually packed with people there it is. Thats Rockefeller Plaza our home base. You cant go because of covid. Not tonight. You watch the whole thing on nbc 8 00 eastern i thought it was at 9 00 anyway, i think its 9 00 eastern. Anyway, check your local listings and if you want to check out the tree in person, sign up for a virtual wait list. They send a text then you have five minutes to check it out its beginning to look a lot like christmas, sort of. And here are some fast facts on the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree december 1933 is when it began 700 lights is all it took. Fast forward to today, 50,000 lights in the end, the tree gets recycled and donated to habitat for humanity that tradition born after the 2007 rockefeller tree went to build a home in pascagoula, mississippi, for a survivor of Hurricane Katrina in that sleepy little town. And now you know bts fans breathing a sigh of relief south koreas new law that makes military service no longer a threat to the kpop band. And dr. Fauci named one of people magazines people of the year the other faces getting their own covers a t aio your own home. [music playing throughout] its more than just a house. Its a kitchen thats been passed down, along with the recipes. Three generations on the wall. With room to grow. The rhythm of home. The smells, the sounds, the flow. The feeling of owning a home is not black or white. Citi is working across our business to make Home Ownership a reality for more black americans. Bts the kpop phenomenon throwing into disarray by military service south korean citizens are required to enlist for 20 months when they are 18 years old the gro south Koreas National Assembly rushed to the rescue, passed a revision allowing kpop stars to postpone military service until the age of 30. People magazine revealing its 2020 people of the year. All four celebrated for having a positive impact on the world George Clooney for his add to vo kasy work, donating to the equal Justice Initiative after George Floyds death, selena gomez giving people access to Mental Health services. Regina king calling for support for lowincome people during the pandemic and dr. Fauci one of the leading sources of information during the fight against covid. 50 seconds left on a race to the finish the u. K. Becoming the first country to approve Pfizers Covid vaccine for public use operation warp speeds supply chief says every american who wants a vaccine will get one by the end of june promising enough shots for everybody to get multiple doses and a report finds 2021 will be one of the three warmest year ever the leader the u. N. Says humanity is on a suicidal path and we need to cut emissions now. And now you know the news. For this wednesday, december the 2nd, 2020, im Shepard Smith 2nd, 2020, im Shepard Smith follow us on [narrator] new york city. [woman] happy new year at the dawn of the 80s it was exploding with opportunity. [newsreader] boom times. Thats what the numbers signal today, an economy thats on a roll in this country. A place to seek money, power, fame. Amid the glitz and greed, five titans seized their moment. And by 1983, some were crossings lines that couldnt be uncrossed. A mysterious trader had convinced the market he was a magician, when in reality he was just a cheater. [man 2] boesky was blatantly violating the law with insider trading. A poor girl from brooklyn had become the queen of hospitality