administration is taking to combat it. the white house still has not offered comprehensive details about its plan to distribute half a billion tests for free. >> joining me now is dr. vivek murthy. how much higher do you think it will go and when will it peak? >> well, john, you know, it is troubling to see these numbers, to see how high the cases are going, to know our hospitalizations have increased like this. unfortunately this is the consequence of an extraordinary transmissible variant, the omicron variant. as troubling as this is and as tough as the next few weeks may be there is something important we have been learning during this experience and that is that our vaccines, especially when combined with boosters, have remained extremely effective at keeping people out of the hospital and it is saving their lives. it is why we have been encouraging people to get vaccinated and boosted. when i talk to doctors in the emergency room and colleagues in hospitals around the country, they continue to emphasize that the people they are seeing who are hospitalize ready primarily those who are not vaccinated. so, remember, these vaccines work, those boosters are more important than ever before. there is another glimmer of hope here, as we look at data from south africa and the united kingdom, we're seeing increasing signs that the severity to an individual of omicron compared to prior variants may in fact be lower. we still are at a population level, we have a challenge because of so many people being infected. but we're also seeing a sharp rise and now a dropoff in those countries. hopefully that will be our case as well. >> when? when do you think that will drop off in the u.s.? >> so that is difficult to predict. we have seen the rise and -- to the peak has been a couple of weeks or several weeks, i should say, in south africa and the united kingdom. we're always cautious about predicting what we will experience here in the united states. covid made many prediction wrong. what we can do though is focus on taking the mitigation measures and wearing our masks, which we know help reduce spread, getting vaccinated and boosted as soon as possible and ensuring that in settings like schools, we're using testing to help reduce risk. >> okay, testing. the surgeon general of florida now suggests limiting tests to high value subjects, to high value testing. don't test everyone necessarily, test people who maybe are symptomatic or greater risk. what do you think of that? >> well, i think we actually studied testing a lot over recent months and we know where it is useful. take schools. we know that using testing, surveillance testing in schools can be a very important way to help reduce risk to our teachers, and to our students. we know that tests to stay is an important policy that can be used. when we're using -- making decisions, policy decisions on where to use testing, it is important these are driven by the evidence. we know people who are asymptomatic can also test positive. so limiting testing to just those who are symptomatic is not entirely consistent with the science we have learned over the last several months. >> do you think testing is essential to keep schools open? >> i think it is one of several layers that can help keep stools open. we learned of the fallen fact, we kept 95% of kids back in school in person, that layers work, and layers include surveillance testing and universal mask, using the $10 billion provided in the american rescue plan to improve ventilation and we know that getting our kids vaccinated makes a huge difference as well. that's why you talk to pediatricians around the country, the vast majority of kids who are being hospitalized now are those who are not vaccinated. >> i know you have school-aged children. do you think there is a point, in chicago, they hold a vote today, the teachers, to basically not go in and teach now. do you think there is a scientific justification to not have schools open at this point? >> well, john, look, i know these are tough, tough times for parents and for educators. as you mentioned, i'm a dad of two kids. one of them is old enough to be vaccinated. my son is 5 and now fully vaccinated. but my daughter is under 5 and she is not eligible yet for a vaccine. my wife and i are planning to send her to school. our school has the appropriate layers of precaution. it is a public school, in washington, d.c., and we feel proud of what they're doing. in the next few weeks, schools are going to have to make some challenging decisions here. we hope that they use the mitigation measures that we know work to keep our kids safe. but i recognize in some cases schools may have to make temporary emergency decisions if they have large number of staff, for example, who are out sick or feel they can't take the measures. the goal is, keep our kids in school, that is our top priority. we just need to do it safely. our mitigation measures can help us do that. >> the cdc changed its guidance for isolation period after you test positive from ten days to five days. and there is no testing requirement to get out of it. you don't have to test negative to go back and join the workforce. dr. anthony fauci said it was being discussed to now add a testing requirement. what is the status of that? >> well, as you mentioned, guidance on shortening the isolation period was one that the cdc issued last week. they have received feedback and questions about the role of testing, in shortening that quarantine period and they're working on issuing a clarification on that. i would expect that any day now. >> what kind of clarification, what do you mean? >> well, they're going to speak to the role that testing can play in a situation like reducing isolation. what they're trying to do, it is important to say more broadly, is recognize and incorporate both the evolving science on omicron and on prior variants in terms of how long somebody remains contagious, with the critical need to maintain essential services. that means making sure people can see a doctor, if they're sick, that there is a fire person to show up if their house is on fire, and that means we have to balance those. those are all part of public safety. clarification will come out in the next couple of days. >> what is the science, though, behind the decision not to initially require a negative test? is there science that says a negative test doesn't matter? >> well, you know, i believe if you look at the science and again the cdc is going to comment on that science. i don't want to speak for them. but we have seen this there is utility for antigen tests in a variety of situations. we recommended them to people before they get together at holiday gatherings, we have seen many schools and businesses use them to screen people out. so i believe that there will be a role for antigen testing here to help reduce risk as well. >> i got to let you go. the record pediatric hospitalizations at this point, part of this is just this virus is everywhere at this point and everyone is getting it. is there something that particularly makes children more susceptible to omicron? >> it is a really good question, john. it is one we have been speaking not only internally about, but with our colleagues around the world. understand is there something they're seeing in their data that makes them worry in particular about children? i would say at this point it is still not clear that kids are more susceptible to omicron compared to adults. but we do know that in many parts of the world, that kids have had a lower vaccination rate. which may be one of the operative elements here that is driving kids to not only get sick, but to have some kids end up in the hospital. it is why we have more work to do here to get more children vaccinated. we have more than 200 million people vaccinated in our country, millions who are boosted. but kids who haven't had vaccines authorized later for them because the studies took longer to do and that was important to do thoroughly, but now we have to put the foot on the accelerator. get our kids 5 and above vaccinated. it is more critical than ever. >> thank you for being with us this morning. appreciate it. >> of course. thanks so much, john. so as berman mentioned, happening today, the chicago teachers union is set to hold an emergency vote on whether to walk out of the classroom and move to virtual learning amid a spike in covid cases, even as the city's mayor insists schools are safe and will remain open. joining us now to discuss is the chicago teachers union vice president stacy davis gates. stacy, i know you were just listening to that interview that john berman did with the surgeon general. and what he was talking about there when it came to schools and covid was really more of a reactive than a -- more of a reactive approach perhaps than a proactive approach. he was talking about temporary emergency decisions, meaning, you know, possible closures or downsizing if staff are out sick. what is your reaction to what he is talking about there? >> my reaction is that i wished our mayor would listen to the surgeon general. and plan for all contingencies. meaning that testing, contact tracing and vaccination efforts by her administration have been an abject failure. only 30% of our elementary school students are vaccinated. only 50% of our high school students are vaccinated. added to that we had the worst debacle with respect to testing that the district has seen in december. so the layers of mitigation that we need to keep our schools open and keep our students inside of the school buildings have not happened here in chicago. >> you have this vote today so we'll be waiting for that result. i know you've been hearing from a lot of members of your union. what is your read on what is going to happen today? >> well, our members and parents quite frankly are experiencing severe staffing shortages. we have members who are doubled up in auditoriums, with their class, and with their colleague's classrooms as well because they're homesick. we're seeing parents say mitigations have not been impl implemented. contact tracing and notifications are slow. and that they are reluctant to send their children back to school. yesterday i stood with black mothers on the south side of chicago, basically demanding testing. testing that they need because 80% of their school community was in quarantine right before christmas. i stood with another school right before christmas, who lost a colleague to covid and that school was just flipped back to remote today because several members of that school community came to school yesterday and were positive with covid-19. the mitigations are not in place here. the communication is not in place here. our mayor quite frankly is failing our students, and we want a plan that looks like, that sounds like safety. much like the surgeon general which has provided. >> you mentioned mitigation factors. among them vaccines for students. what about vaccines for teachers, though. because you have unvaccinated teachers as well. >> actually we have a 95% vaccination rate with our teachers and they're boosted. >> you fought a requirement, right, just to be clear. >> no. we did not fight a requirement. in fact, we urged a requirement. >> you urged a vaccine requirement. i had seen that there was a -- that the teachers union, because city workers had been allowed a testing protocol -- not in chicago. all right, so -- >> not with our union. >> you said -- you said that you -- i was reading this, you said you were pissed off. i know you feel very strongly about this because there are not these mitigation measures. what do you want to see with testing? >> i'm a mother. i have three children that attend chicago public schools. a seventh grader, fifth grader and second-grader. their lives have been disrupted. my son doesn't have a science reading or math teacher because those teachers resigned because it was too much and a lack of support. our lives have been turned upside down and our mayor is tone deaf and doesn't connect well with the people who need her leap erleadership the most. i'm angry that once again we're being placed in a situation as parents, as educators, that we have to make it make sense because we don't have leadership. >> but you -- what would you like to see for testing, for potentially coming back into class? specifically if you can speak to testing if you can speak to ventilation, if you can speak to those specific mitigation factors? >> absolutely. we want testing in all of our school communities. we believe that testing is the way that we keep them the safest. number two, we want vaccination clinics anchored, especially in the zip codes where families have been slow to get vaccinated. beyond that, we want regular reporting on ventilation mitigations in our buildings. right now members are going back into their school communities and finding that their air filters have not been changed over break and that their classrooms are still filthy. again, the basic mitigations, the same things we fought for last january are the same things that we're fighting for this january. our mayor has failed us repeatedly. >> all right, stacy davis gates, thank you. we'll be keeping an eye on this vote today. pivotal for so many teachers, tens of thousands of teachers, in chicago as well as the students that they serve. drivers in virginia stranded in their cars overnight, some stuck in the cold for more than 12 hours. we'll have the latest on what is quite the traffic jam, that is not a still picture there. plus, majority leader chuck schumer says he will push a vote on changing the filibustfilibus does it stand a chance? 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>> well, we're proposing a broad measure of reforms, first, let me say this, let me just make it clear what you said at the beginning, john. and that is that the big lie that donald trump perpetrated, that the election that he actually won the election, which has no basis in fact, is insidious and spreading throughout our democracy. it, of course, led to january 6th and the people who created violence in the capitol, killed death results. it is also resulting in the same thing happening across the country, with the taking away of voting rights, particularly aimed at certain groups of people, people of color, poor people, people who live in big cities, young people, people who are disabled, elderly people. it has created the same kinds of threats of violence. we have seen officials, these are officials whose only job is to count the vote accurately being threatened by some of these same forces. so we have an obligation to stand up for our democracy, because the democracies at stake here. if people believe the elections can be rigged, if people believe that the elections aren't fair, and legislation throughout the state legislatures is allowed to pass our democracy, and we have strong legislation to deal with those issues, two bills, one of which is called the freedom to vote act, the second which is called the john lewis voter rights restoration act, which is supported by all 50 democrats. unfortunately, john, not a single republican is supporting them. and this is a change of the republican party. voting rights used to be a bipartisan issue. ronald reagan supported voting rights. george h.w. bush supported voting rights. george bush supported voting rights. and whenever there were voting rights legislation, renewed with large bipartisan majorities, but donald trump has infected and that's the appropriate word, the republican party, with his big lie and this desire to stop democracy. and so we have no choice but to move forward. and rules have been changed in the past. and that's an important point we're making to senators manchin and senator sinema. robert c. byrd, a defender of the senate way, the senate rules, i believe changed the rules nine times, and he did when circumstances changed, the rules must change. circumstances have sure changed with this new republican party. so we're exploring a variety of ways to change the rules, and -- but allow us to pass these to important pieces of legislation. there are different proposals out there. >> senator, the specifics matter here. the specifics -- >> i am not going to -- there are a variety of different proposals. we're discussing them. we have a discussion today, seven or eight senators and me are meeting with senator manchin to discuss the different types of proposals, but there are a variety of them. the bottom line is this, they must allow us to pass these two vital pieces of legislation, even if not a single republican joins us. >> i will note that you are the one who raised senator joe manchin and kyrsten sinema to me. i didn't bring up their names first. you brought them up before i did. >> it's okay. has their names ever been in the newspapers? >> never before appeared on television or a newspaper, senator. but it does indicate to me you don't have their votes as of this morning. if you still have yet to convince them, it means you haven't convinced them yet. >> we are in a 24/7 process. there have been constant discussions over the break on the phone. there have been constant and just about every senator has been talking to both -- to senator manchin and to senator sinema about how important these issues are. not only to our caucus, to our country, senators are going up to them and saying i'll lose my election if they -- you allow these changes to occur. there is lots of discussions going on right now. and we're going to keep fighting because it is very, very important. is it a certainty we're going to win? absolutely not. this is an uphill fight. but it is too important to abandon. it is too important to ignore. it is too important to let republicans block us because certain rules which have strangled and paralyzed the senate are in effect. >> has senator manchin given you any indication on which reform he would support if any? >> there is a variety of reforms we're talking to senator manchin about and senator sinema about. there are a variety of different reforms. and, look, they are discussing it with us. you know, joe manchin gets lots of calls each day from senators, from civil rights community, from so many others across the country. and to his credit he's not taking those calls. he's talking. but it is a fight, it is an uphill fight as you know. we have seen the reports in the papers. but we're going to keep at it because it is too important to abandon. >> you do note it is an uphill fight, though, which is interesting to me this morning. as we get closer to the 17th, that's not that many days away. some democrats argue if you give away this reform, that's the type of language they use, republicans will use it against you if they take the majority. what do you say? >> well, look, the bottom line is that this is so, so important that if it passes, it won't even matter in the sense that it will make it so much harder to have fair elections. it will so slant the table that they might not even need to change rules if this goes forward. this is not just an ordinary piece of legislation. this is one of -- this is about the most serious thing americans have, the right to vote and a free and fair election. there has been a long, long history in america about this, you know, 1789, you had to be in many states a white male protestant property owner to vote. most of us couldn't vote. but there has been an inexorable march toward expanding voting rights. there have been setbacks for sure. each case -- in each case, john, the federal government stepped in and, you know, the republicans make these false arguments. this should not be federalized. it is in the constitution that the federal government should control federal elections, and the voting rights acts throughout history, 13th, 14th and 15th amendments were amendments passed by the federal government. >> how much -- >> -- tone su ensure voting rig. >> if the republican takes control again, they might just change the rules anyway. >> that's possible. look. the bottom line is this issue is so important, it transcends so many other issues. and even we are making the argument to the senators that even if you wouldn't change the rules on other things, you should on this. three of the leading senators who are leading our discussions with senator manchin, senators king and kaine and tester, when the year started, they were not for changing the rules and then saw the importance of this and now they are. at least in regard to voting rights. >> i want to ask you, something about one of your colleagues, senator ted cruz of texas. he said that if republicans take control of the house, he thinks it is likely they could instigate impeachment proceedings on joe biden. what do you think about that? >> ted cruz says a whole lot of things. i don't think many of them should be dignified with comments. okay. >> that's fair. build back better. we talked about joe manchin a little bit. we know that as of now there is still discussions under way, but, you know, nothing certain. the child tax credit, is that a red line for you? would you be wilmiomen willing joe manchin and say we'll take the child tax credit out of this if you support the bigger plan. or is that a red line? >> we're continuing to fight for a good solution on bbb. there are discussions with senator manchin on all of these issues, including the child tax credit. i'm not going to get into a public debate. to many of us, myself included, the child tax credit is so important and has done so much getting taking half of the kids in america out of poverty, we'll do everything we can to retain it. >> we're to speak with eric adams in just a moment. your new mayor. he wants to keep the schools open here. he says the schools will stay open here. do you support his decision to keep new york city schools open? >> i think mayor adams is off to a very good start in his last few days. i won't second guess him on the issues. he has the facts. he's starting off on a very strong foot and i think he's going to be a very good mayor. >> i want to let you go. i want to reflect on january th. the voting rights legislation is part of that. the anniversary is coming up. where do you think the country moved in the last year? >> well, you know, unfortunately we have never had a president like donald trump who is willing to just lie for his own good and then having so many people in the media and acolytes repeat that lie. so now we're in the awful situation where a third of america, majority of registered republicans, believe that he actually won the election even though there is zero evidence to that effect. zero. zero. zero. and republicans themselves admit that privately. and so i am worried about the future of this country. when you let people who want to erode the roots of democracy, who want to rig elections, take hold and not fight them, the democracy is in danger. history has shown in this great country when you fight back, there is a long torturous path, it ends the right way. our country has inexorably marched to greater voting rights and greater freedom to strengthen our democracy. you have to keep fighting. am i worried about it? absolutely, very much so. >> in ten seconds or less, liz cheney over the house select committee has talked about dereliction of duty. the idea there could be criminal referrals from that committee. do you think anything will come of that? >> i don't know the details of the committee. i hope they pursue every angle. if congress people violated the law or did bad things, they should pursue it. >> chuck schumer, we appreciate your time, happy new year. >> same to you. same to you. thank you. standoff brewing between new york city's mayor and the city's largest teachers union. mayor eric adams joins us next. and she was called the next steve jobs. but now former tech icon elizabeth holmes of theranos is found guilty. who she defrauded. before nexium 24hr, anna could only imagine a comfortable night's sleep without frequent heartburn waking her up. now, that dream... . ...is her reality. nexium 24hr stops acid before it starts, for all-day, all-night protection. can you imagine 24 hours without heartburn? your shipping manager left to “find themself.” leaving you lost. you need to hire. i need indeed. indeed you do. indeed instant match instantly delivers quality candidates matching your job description. visit indeed.com/hire when you're born and raised in san francisco, you grow up wanting to make a difference. that's why, at recology, we're proud to be 100% employee owned with local workers as diverse as san francisco. we built the city's recycling system from the ground up, helping to make san francisco the greenest big city in america but we couldn't do it without you. thank you, san francisco. gracias, san francisco. -thank you. -[ speaks native language ] let's keep making a difference together. this is elodia. she's a recording artist. 1 of 10 million people that comcast has connected to affordable internet in the last 10 years. and this is emmanuel, a future recording artist, and one of the millions of students we're connecting throughout the next 10. through projectup, comcast is committing $1 billion so millions more students, past... and present, can continue to get the tools they need to build a future of unlimited possibilities. new york city's new mayor has only been on the job for a few days now. already he's facing off with the city's largest teachers union in the nation's biggest school system over a return to the classroom as the omicron variant keeps spreading. the teachers union is pushing to move to remote learning. mayor eric adams is skwjoining now to address those concerns. thank you for being with us this morning as you're getting settled on the job. i know you are keeping schools open. this, of course, is against the wishes of the teachers through the union. at what point would you consider it unsafe to keep schools open? >> thank you. great to be here. i think it is imperative to go back for one moment. we're not in a battle with the teachers union. i stated over and over again, interview after interview, we have been coordinating to allow a safe space for our children because we have a difference of opinion on one issue. we cannot feed into hysteria. this is traumatizing our children. the way adults are responding to covid is having a negative impact on our children. we are lockstep, we mobilize together, to get over a million test kids to every school. i speak to michael mulgrew three times a day. if you speak with him, he'll tell you and anyone that eric adams and i are moving together to create a safe environment for our children. the numbers right now state, and it is very clear, the safest place for children, right now, is in a school building. that's the safest place for them. if they're not in school, it does not mean they're not going outdoors. it does not mean they're not going to deal with the trauma of not having socialization. not getting a meal, not being able to give remote learning. it is a luxury to say stay at home, when you have all the tools that you needed. but for poor black, brown children that you don't have access to some of the basic things, school is the best place for you. and i'm going to continue to have my children be in a safe environment that all science is saying is the best place for them. >> okay, so, a couple of things there, but, first, you said you disagree on one thing. it is the thing now. it is the thing. it is not just one thing. this is a big area of disagreement that you have, and it can't really be, i think, dismissed. >> yes, it can. i have to totally respectfully disagree with you. this is not the thing. michael shared his opinion and he respects my opinion and i respect his. the thing in the country in the city right now, that adults must stop traumatizing children. we must stop giving the appearance that there is hysteria among those who are making a decision. michael mulgrew and i are on the same page. we need to create a safe environment. he understands that poor black and brown children that are homeless, over 100,000, in the city, did not have access to high speed broadband. he understands that hundreds of thousands of children don't have food at home to eat, stabilizing diet from them comes from school. he understands the increase in attempted suicides when we closed down our schools before. this is not the thing. the thing is that this continuation of creating hysteria, that doesn't exist. there is no battle between michael mill mulgrew and eric adams. i'm not going to submit to people believing there is a conflict between the two of us when we speak three times a day. we're doing an amazing job. >> you can speak three times a day and still have a disagreement and this is a key one. certainly. but just to go back to my initial question, which is -- it sounds like what you're saying, but correct me if i'm wrong, i'm trying to get to the bottom of this, there is no circumstance where you would consider it unsafe to keep schools open? >> no, that's not true at all. >> okay, so then what is -- so then what is -- what is your threshold or even just if you can kind of qualitatively describe where you would consider, hey, this might be a different direction we need to go here? >> no, not at all. listen, coronavirus -- covid is a formidable opponent that pivots and shifts. i'm going to do that. every day i sit down with my medical professionals, they give me smart advice, based on facts, not fear, and i make the smart decisions based on that. right now my medical professionals state that children that are at home are exposed to a 15% likeliness to be exposed, when they are in school, we are less than 1% a year ago. as long as i have smart, talented, compassionate medical professionals that is giving me good advice, i'm going to follow that advice and then when it is necessary to shift, they will tell me when to do so. that is how we are going to fight. >> i know as you say you're basing this on facts, not fear. a fact is that pediatric hospitalizations are at a record high. they have never been higher during the pandemic. even as overall, you know, generally speaking, hospitalizations are not at a record. so we're seeing a lot of kids hospitalized. what do you say to parents who are concerned? >> i say to them, parents, and i'm going to be clear to you, parents, because i am a parent, i have a son, and i know the anxiety that is associated with this, i'm saying to them, your children are safer in school than any other place based on the facts. now, if you take a child out of school, they're not staying home. they're not staying indoors. they're in the streets probably with no mask on. no social distancing. not receiving food, to nurture it, to care. that's what we must look at. so, yes, we see an increase, we see the exposure and how quickly this strand is exposing us. let's be clear. strand after strand, we can't continue to stop our children from developing socially and academically. and the support that they need. so we have to learn how to live with covid, and live with covid with a safe way, and that's what i'm going to do. i'm not going to allow the hysteria to prevent the future of my children. we see the quality education and the development that all sociologists are stating that they need, and i'm going to be focused on that, because i know that our children must be in school. >> yeah, i mean, look, there is no question that children have born such a, you know, the brunt, really, of the pandemic, in this interruption to their schooling and to the network that they get through that is just considerable and debilitating. i want to ask you about businesses in your city that are taking precautions, some are telling employees delay your return to the office. this includes some of the big banks. what is your response to that? >> we have to open up. you know, i know what we're going through. i know how hard it is. i was on the ground when covid hit the city. i watched the morgues outside of hospitals, i watched family members dropping loved ones off to never see them again, i know what we're going through. what we must understand is that the resiliency of returning back to a normal life, if we don't open our cities, almost a million people who are behind in their rent right here in this city, we have low skilled employees who can't do remote employment from home, or telecommuting. that's not a reality in a city like new york and across america. i need my city to open. and we have to be safe, we have to double down on vaccinations and booster shots. we have to double down on testing. but we have to reshape our thinking of how do we live with covid. we spent $11 trillion on covid. we don't have another $11 trillion. every variant can't be another $11 trillion. it is time to open up, and feed our ecosystem, our financial ecosystem and that's what i'm saying to my employees. >> look, we have major protections here, vaccines. not available to everyone who wants them, right? including some children which is why this discussion in particular about schools is so important. and i appreciate you coming on, mayor, to talk about it. >> thank you very much. not russia, not china, what a canadian newspaper says is the most dangerous global threat. the answer may surprise you. and no need to social distance after coming in contact with his music. the singer omarion is finally setting the record straight. ♪ limu emu... & doug ♪ ♪ superpowers from a spider bite? i could use some help showing the world how liberty y mutual customizes their car insurance so they only pay for what they y need. (gaspsps) ♪ did it work? only pay for what you need ♪ liberty. liberty. liberty. liberty. ♪ spider-man no way home in theaters december 17th people with moderate to severe psoriasis, are rethinking the choices they make like the splash they create the entrance they make, the surprises they initiate. otezla. it's a choice you can make. otezla is not a cream. it's a pill that treats plaque psoriasis differently. with otezla, 75% clearer skin is achievable. don't use if you're allergic to otezla. it may cause severe diarrhea, nausea, or vomiting. otezla is associated with an increased risk of depression. tell your doctor if you have a history of depression or suicidal thoughts or if these feelings develop. some people taking otezla reported weight loss. your doctor should monitor your weight and may stop treatment. upper respiratory tract infection and headache may occur. tell your doctor about your medicines, and if you're pregnant or planning to be. otezla. show more of you. trelegy for copd. ♪ birds flyin' high ♪ ♪ you know how i feel ♪ (coughing) ♪ breeze driftin' on by ♪ ♪ you know how i feel ♪ copd may have gotten you here, but you decide what's next. start a new day with trelegy. ♪ ...feelin' good ♪ no once-daily copd medicine has the power to treat copd in as many ways as trelegy. with three medicines in one inhaler, trelegy helps people breathe easier and improves lung function. it also helps prevent future flare-ups. trelegy won't replace a rescue inhaler for sudden breathing problems. tell your doctor if you have a heart condition or high blood pressure before taking it. do not take trelegy more than prescribed. trelegy may increase your risk of thrush, pneumonia, and osteoporosis. call your doctor if worsened breathing, chest pain, mouth or tongue swelling, problems urinating, vision changes, or eye pain occur. take a stand and start a new day with trelegy. ask your doctor about once-daily trelegy. and save at trelegy.com. ♪ it wasn't me by shaggy ♪ you're never responsible for unauthorized purchases on your discover card. the canadian newspaper is sounding the alarm that the 2022 midterm elections could be the catalyst for widespread instability, not just in the united states, but also globally, writing the most dangerous force in the world going into 2022 might not be in beijing or moscow, but in the united states. its name is trumpism. the u.s. is sleepwalking toward calamity, one that could take the rest of the world with it. joining us now is tony keller, the editorial page editor of "the globe." thank you for being with us. why is it that you think that trumpism as it were isn't just dangerous to the united states, but the biggest threat to the world? >> yeah, well, look, the united states is, you know, you're the indispensable super power. we will always have things we'll disagree on, we'll criticize you, just as there is disagreements within u.s. politics. but at the end of the day, you're the indispensable super power. you're the leader of the free and democratic world and we need your politics to go well for the rest of the world to prosper. it basically comes down to that. if you go off the rails, things are not going to go well for the rest of free democratic rule of law world. >> you zero in the op-ed on the big lie, which, of course, we look at or many people do, not all, here in america and say, yeah that is a problem, but maybe we think it is our problem. you make the point it is not just an american problem. this is a problem for other countries, a problem for canada as well. what do you worry is the domino effect outside the u.s. of the big lie? >> yeah, i think it provides inspiration. first of all, it provides inspiration for forces that question democracy, that question the rule of law. and second of all, it provides space, an opportunity for countries like china and russia, which they might not otherwise have if the united states is strong and stable and lined up with its allies and we're all on the same page. there is sort of a sense that the democratic world is kind of box lighting in many different countries, many different places. you did a segment a while ago on the various strong men that are inspired by trump and that trump cheers on. that's a problem. when it is a small country that is backsliding, it is not really a big deal to the rest of the world if things aren't going well in hungary. as soon as it is the united states, it is a completely different story. you're the indispensable super power. if there are -- we got superheroes in the world, we don't have a whole justice league of superheroes. we have the united states of america and no super powers on the democratic side beyond that. it is a problem if the u.s. is going off the rails. >> i appreciate the superhero reference. now i understand it. but when you say off the rails, what do you mean by off the rails? >> well, look, right now i think, you know, we're -- i would be concerned about trump returning as president of the united states. looking at things right now, it looks like biden has -- president biden has a lot of problems, a lot of challenges getting his agenda through congress because it is completely deadlocked. it just feels like u.s. democracy, which has long been an inspiration to rest of the world, even when we criticize things about u.s. foreign policy, u.s. domestic policy, whatever it may be, the u.s. has been a liberal inspiration to the rest of the world for a couple of centuries. and right now it seems like the disagreements are so deep that people on the left and people on the right are willing to treat a u.s. election like a life or death matter, like if their side loses, it's game over. and that is -- i don't have an answer for you for what to do about that. but that is a big, big problem, when an election becomes a life or death matter for one or both sides in the election. >> let us know when you get the answer. we could use it. tony keller, i appreciate the justice league reference. what i should have said it would be more appropriate if you referenced alpha force. >> very inside baseball. >> thank you for being with us. >> thank you very much. here's what else to watch today. we have the very latest on this nightmare unfolding in virginia on the highway. drivers stranded all night on interstate 95, due to the winter weather. we spoke to a woman stuck since 8:00 last night, for ten hours. and now we learn that a u.s. senator says he's been stuck even longer. some of my best memories growing up, were cooking with mom. she always said, “food is love.” so when she moved in with us, a new kitchen became part of our financial plan. ♪ i want to make the most of every meal we have together. ♪ at northwestern mutual, our version of financial planning helps you live your dreams today. find a northwestern mutual advisor at nm.com (swords clashing) -had enough? 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