Flying into space theres always risk. I never knew another crisis. In their own words. Life on the front lines. Meet the icu nurses volunteering to fight covid19 far from home. People are running out of unemployment checks. And the biden team talks. The plan to fight the pandemic and bring our economy back. Announcer live from cnbc global headgaurs, the news with Shepard Smith the pandemic is spiringal out of control forcing cities and states to issue new initiatives to slow the spread the United States topped more than 11 million cases. Johns hopkins reports the latest million added in the past six days alone for context, mexico reported about a million cases since the pandemic began that means weve added mexicos total caseload in less than a week and the cases arent just surging. Theyre getting more severe. At least 26 states hit alltime highs for hospitalizations last week all the ones in red here thats from the covid tracking project. More than 1,100 americans die on average each day because of covid. Roughly 46 deaths every hour the United States barreling into new and devastating phase of the pandemic, but today the world received another glimmer of hope the drugmaker moderna announcing early data show its Covid Vaccine is more than 94 effective in preventing the disease. It comes a week after pfizer announced similar results. About its latestage vaccine trial. Cnbcs meg tirrell now meg what does it mean for the fight against covid . Reporter well, could be extremely miningful, shep. Now two highly effective proven vaccines against covid19. As dr. Fauci put it today, the cavalry are coming a former fda commissioner dr. Scott gottlieb on the board of pfizer weighed in on the potential impact this morning on cnbc. I think what it means that once we get the vaccines in sufficient quantities ed hadding into 2021 the combination of the fact that a lot of the population will have already had covid combined with the fact well be vaccining the public with a highly effective vaxee we could effectively end the pandemic in 2021 without technology. And supply of vaccines, and depends how many decide to take them, shep. What are the differences between moderna the vaccine, we heard about that today, and then pfizers vaccine reporter based on the same Technology Message are Rna Technology but have a few differences one, of course, the efficacy rate both above 90 . Moderna 94. 5, and 91 both similar modernas shot four weeks apart. Pfizers three weeks apart a big difference how theyre stored it pfizers needs to be incredibly cold up to six months and can be put in the fridge five days. Modernas only negative four dridr degrees, kept in the fridge up to four months, shep. Where do we go from here and what does the fda need to do to approve a vaccine . Reporter both companies will file with the fda for emergency use authorization over the coming weeks the fda pulls together outside advisers and get more data and see how they deliberate over the vaccines fda decides. If they give the green light, cdc has an Advisory Group making recommendations who should get the vaccine which vaccine, who should be prioritized. Expected to play out over the coming weeks. Meg tirrell, thank you. President elect biden says the consequences could be deadly if the Trump Administration refuses to cooperate with his Transportation Team on plans to battle covid and distribute vaccines. More people may die if we dont coordinate a vaccine is important its a little nuisance until youre vaccinated. So how do we get the vaccine, over 300 million americans vaccinated whats the game plan if we have to wait until january 20th to start that planning it puts us behind over a month and a half. Earlier on the today show dr. Anthony fauci told Savannah Guthrie he was concerned about the lack of coordination with the biden transition team. The virus is not going to stop and call a timeout while things change. The virus will keep going. We want to get doses to people starting in december, and then we want to really get the ball rolling as we get into january, february and march smooth a process for that. The way you do that, by essential willy having the two groups speak to each other and Exchange Information that hasnt happened yet. Dr. Fauci called modernas vaccine announcement striking and a really strong step forward in getting control of the virus. Ayman javers is covering this and the biden team hasnt been access to operation warp speed and distribution of the vaccine . Reporter right today president elect biden was asked by a reporter how important it is for him to now get the detailed briefings on exactly what the administrations Vaccine Distribution plan really is. Heres what he said. Its important that it be done and there are coordination now. Now or as rapidly as we can get that done. I am hopeful that the president will be mildly more enlightened before we get to january 20th. Biden said he himself would take the vaccine if the companies and dr. Fauci said its safe and he said his rollout of a vaccine will prioritize those in greatest need and work alongside the world health organization. To make sure businesses have what they need to survive, biden called on congress to pass the more than 2 trillion h. E. R. O. E. S. Act the house passed this summer but languished in the senate also gave his guidance to americans about thanksgiving celebrations saying that americans shouldnt gather in their homes with groups larger than ten people. He said bear in mind you want to see your family and loved ones for thanksgiving and christmas this year but also want to see them next year as well shep right our own dr. Gottlieb, same thing. Eamon, same time bet with Business Leaders and unions about rebuilding the economy. Reporter exactly right met with leaders of general motors, microsoft also uaw, aflcio. Union leaders and ceos the Vice President and now president elect stressing positives there saying theyre all coming together with a unity agenda for building the economy back the Vice President also saying, though, that he told the ceos he is a union man and that unions will have more power under his administration. Eamon javers, thanks. As President Trump refuses to concede and continues to say or at least tweet that he won the election, his own National Security adviser said the obvious. It looks like biden won. If there is a new administration they deserve time to come in and implement their policy we may have policy disagreements, but, look, if the bidenharris ticket is determined to be a winner and obviously things look that way now, well have a very professional transition from the National Security council. No question about it. The National Security adviser Robert Obrien went ton say america passed the baton and peaceful transitions even in the most contentious of periods. This is all new. Hallie jackson at the white house. The president drn have public appearances yet again today, but, man, on the twitter. Reporter boy ask he, shep. Is he ever today feels a lot like yesterday, feels a lot like the day before the president is repeating baseless and inaccurate claims he won the election. Obviously he did not we are in an interesting moment here in this transition of power when the fact that the National Security adviser is acknowledging there will be a transition and a hand over of power to the next president is new. Right . Normally thats not news normally in november after an election heading into transition, those processes have already gun. What you see currently, shep, a real concern and our team reporting on this within various agencies and departments here inside the Trump Administration and with those working on and with the biden transition about how this delayed transfer of power, this delayed transition is affecting different places. For example, hhs, the real concern is about the cdc that is considered by many experts to be the agency, the branch, if you will, most affected by how slow the transition process is working. Multip multiplepeople familiar with it expect to name a new director once he takes office the state department, and justice, a lot of concern about National Security as weve been talking about. Why its interesting to hear Robert Obrien come out and make those remarks. Again, probably should not be news in any other year, shep. Hallie, expecting President Trump to order drawdown of troops in afghanistan soon reporter beginning of year basically before he leaves Office Something else ambassador obrie be talked about as well. Drawdown to roughly 2,500 troops in afghanistan this is something nbc news first reported actually earlier on before the election. The idea would be that this is something that the president has wanted to dosobviously concern among those in the National Security and defense policy circles about what this kind of drawdown means, particularly given that you have this sort of interesting hand over of power once again theres that theme. At the defense department, too the department of defense. With the pentagon seeing an installation of frankly trump loyalists come into place in the last couple weeks. New reporting for the New York Times, hallie, thats coming in to us just now it has five buylines including maggie hageman and eric schmidt and dang sivid singer the presit asked those in the Oval Office Meeting thursday whether he had options to take action against irans main nuclear site in other words, some of his advisors talked him down from firing a shot at iran over Nuclear Escalation anything back door on this anything swirling there . Reporter interesting you ask about that nbc news has not confirmed that reporting. I wush i could take the place of those five New York Times reporters on the byline. Its a powerful piece but spokes to concerns of people around the president s orbit. Something like this could happen here in the waiting days of his administration he is powerless and knows hes loses power of that office in eight weeks he could take actions to potentially undermine u. S. National security interests abroad, even though he would have the full authority to be able to take these actions since, of course, he is still commanderinchief why you heard a drum beat of people talking about the need to be able to have this transfer of power, this transition that is smooth and orderly something we just havent seen yet. Shep hallie, thanks. More for viewers on this those advisers who talked President Trump down from striking on iran, according to reporting of the New York Times not confirmed by ybz, includes Vice President pence, mike pompeo, acting defense secretary andmilly all swirls thursday getting concerning rors out of the United States pentagon, talk down off a strike from iran, says reporting of the New York Times. Again, not confirmed by nbc news. On covid, were all waiting for a vaccine to get back to normal right . Thats why positive results from pfizer and moderna caused the stock market torally until everybody gets vaccinated, the economy is still on pause in so many areas. Restaurants and movie theaters still shut down. More than 11 million Americans StillUnemployed People still not spending in many cases, because either they have nothing to spend or its not safe to go anywhere and spend it steve liesman, seen jer economics correspondent at cnbc. Is this market too optimistic, more optimistic than the street . Reporter you know, shep, the vaccine developments are great developments theyre huge triumphs but a very long way to go between there and here theres distribution, production, approval process and most of all a massive surge now in the virus, and that is actually related to how well the vaccine can work in our society. I talked to a doctor today dr. Bruce lee, professor of Health Policy at management and he told me if the virus goes unchecked well be so deep in the pandemic that the vaccine alone will not be good enough to return us immediately to normal. If we hand off to the vaccine a very, very steep curve on this, on this virus, its going to take longer than perhaps the street is estimating. Is there a realization now with this push and pull of a covid surge and prospects of a vaccine down the road you really have to fix that problem before the economy can rise reporter i think thats right. If you look at some forecasts im following. Look at Goldman Sachs. What they 4 had to do because of the surge. Optimistic First Quarter next year and brought it down by 3. 5 because of the virus a big decline in the growth. Vaccine adds another 3 . Were on this roller coaster shep, the thing to focus on here is the deaths that are forecast here theres 250,000 so far and were going to go, by estimates to 440,000. The vaccine should hopefully bend that curve. How much, though, it bends it, and thats going to have a critical impact on both how we return to normal and the economy. Yeah. And all of our families. Steve liesman, thank you so much. On deck Major League Baseballs first woman general manager. Kim ng joins us live to talk glass ceilings shattered baseball and the boss man derricks jeter, and traditionally this it prime travel time. Thanks, covid. Virus proof flyings is it possible what airlines are doing to get you traveling again feels cutting edge. Really hightech. Big, really big, covid killing ceiling fans how they work, and why theyre popping up everywhere. And long lines for days the growing number of americans in need of testing and food during these difficult times. Three two one zero. Thats it. Liftoff. And in just about three hours the spacex rocket falcon 9 is expected to dock at the International Space station. What a sight as it thundered into the night sky from Kennedy Space center in floridas coast. The First Manned Mission naeft laun nasa launched using a rocket built by a private Company Three men astronauts, one from x x japan will be there researching microstrategy on our health and chatting with students back here on earth along the way. Baseball now americas pastime. Yet for a century and a half run almost exclusively by men. That just changed. The Miami Marlins introducing kim ng as their new general manager today. Told you about her friday. Ng is the highest ranking woman in the leagues 151year history. Her experience includes stocks with the white sos, your new york yankees and the dodgers six Championship League series and three world series rings nbd. And the ceo of the marlinss says shell bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to the team no doubt about that. Kim ng is with us now. What went through your mind when you were officially made the first woman manager of a Major League Baseball team, kim . You know, shepard, i think in disbelief. I ive tried and gone down this road a number of times, and so when derek said, you know, i want you to be my next general manager, it was so hard to believe. And so it took me a few seconds to process, but when i finally did, the biggest feeling i felt was just relief. That it had finally happened you know, you look at your resume 30 years of experience i mean, youve literally accomplished everything, and from reading it, it just feels like were you a man this wouldnt have been surprising at all and maybe because of you it wont be Going Forward you know, i dont know exactly what the reason was. All i know is that im here now, and i thank derek and Bruce Sherman for giving me this great opportunity. So many challenges in baseball ahead whats number one for a manager in the major leagues today i think when you first take on the job i think its to just become familiar with all of the players. Whether theyre on the 40man roster or minor league prospects. I think you have to get to know them each and every one of them so that you dont make a mistake in the future then i think the other important thing is to really get to know your staff and how they evaluate to make sure that you trust their evaluations and, again, you dont make any bad decisions. General managers across the league are faced with the challenge of money and a lack of people in the stands, and a covid bubble and all the rest. The marlins managed to do pretty well in the last postseason, all things considered. How do you see the future with covid as your guide . You know, tell you what for all that the marlins went through, particularly earlier in the season, with, you know, 18 players and staff going down, and to then show the resilience that they did and the grit to come back and make the playoffs was astounding in terms of what weve got going in the future, were really just covid pending and waiting to hopefully get a vaccine that is usable and quickly but were just going to have to wait and see what happens on that front. Good luck to the marlins. The marlins general manager, kim ng live with us from south florida. Great to see you and thank you. A young girl gets a muchneeded