omicron variant surges nationwide. >> this is andrea mitchell in washington. president biden will talk about the covid spread. utilizing the dproechbs duction act and talking tough. it is now making up 73% of all cases claiming the life of it's first victim. the president himself tested negative several times in the last few days after being exposed to a staffer on friday who pested positive over the weekend. they are talking about rising concerns and the epidemic. he did talk to joe manchin trying to smooth over the blast at the white house staff for reportedly unhinging the plan. and for the first time they have requested a meeting and documents. republican from pennsylvania, scott perry, about his alleged effort pps he already said that he will not cooperate. joining us now, the first director of the institutes of allergy and infectious diseases. we want to talk about omicron, it's now accounting for 73% of new cases, speading more rapidly than anyone expected and the holiday season is just days away, and people wanting to travel. first let's talk about why it is spreading to quickly and how concerned are you about people gathering? first of all, you're correct. it is spreading in an unprecedentedly rapid way. we first saw that in communications with our colleagues this vertical time in the new variant when and it is doing what i predicted it would do. a doubling time of about to days. undoubtedly in the next week or two it will be overwhelmingly, over 100% of the isolates. the configurations of the mutations are the things that make it very, very efficient in spreading from human to human. and so with it is really most an trod fair. this will prose a advantage. it is still true even more so now, it is extraordinarily important for people to be vaccinated and if you're eligible for a boost, get boosted. the protection against systematic infection alone dramatically diminishes when it comes to omicron. but when you get abooster, it bumps it back up very well. please get boosted, but be prudent in nonvaccine ways. avoid congregate settings when you don't know the status of people and in that setting by all means please wear a mask because they do work and they help you. it is something that we don't need to panic about, but we need to pay close attention to this and abide by the principals that we talk about all of the time. >> it is all very helpful, can i break some of it down? omicron seems to be in the upper nasal passages, not as much in the lungs, is that why we think, potentially from the south africa data that it is less lethal and less severe? >> that is a great question. it is likely that the reason it is less severe is that in south africa a large proportion of the population has been infected and recovered, and a smaller proportion had been vaccinated. so it is likely that the protection dennis infection is not very good because it will get into the nasal pharinx. and the experience of a various of a different variant may be protecting you are from severe decide that involves the lungs. so there is one or two reasons why there is less hospitalizations in south africa. and possibly let's in the united states. the vie us have let's verilant, clearly against against severe disease. >> but we don't have laboratory data to back it up. >> yeah, not in this country, but the data from the zoom call over the week with our very cooperative south african colleagues, it looked pretty convincing that it is lower than with delta and the duration of the hospital stay is less and the requirement for oxygen is less. at least in the demographic setting of south africa is appears to be less severe. let's hope that we see that in this country. but this this country, you're right, it's anecdotal. >> you talked about being very careful as you travel in congregant settings. what about planes? you don't know because with domestic travel there is no vax requirement on planes. shouldn't there be? why isn't that a proposal? >> the mask wearing on the plane goes a long way to protect you and the filtration system on planes is really quite good. we don't feel is an issue there on a plane, it's real testifyly safe particularly if everyone abides by the requirement to wear a mask. it's when you travel and the other aspects of traveling. the going to the airport in a gongregate crowded session. you need to keep your mask on virtually all of the time. we feel even in the context of omicron it is safe to travel and visit with family, and if the name and you are vaccinated there is no reason you can't have a holiday dinner and get together. you want to avoid these settings where there is a social function of 50 or 60 people in a setting where you don't know what situation is with the other people. you want to avoid that completely or if you do go, and have to go, make sure you wear a mask at all times. >> i want to point out that tom costello was reporting that he has been to maybe 20 major airports in the last couple weeks reporting for nbc news, and he does not see any social distancing on those lines. the check in lines, the lines to board the plane. so that is another thing that we should be concerned about, absolutely, and this is the reason why travel in and of itself, for a respiratory infection, you always increase the risk even when you have situations like mask wearing on a plane with good filtration. on the plane itself it is really quite safe, particularly if you're vaccinated and boosted. but in other settings it may not be so safe, particularly one you mentioned yourself, when there is no physical distancing and some people are not wearing masks. >> i want to ask you about testing. the testing shortages are profound even for people who can pay for it and go commercially, they're just not available. the drugstores don't have them. the commercial locations don't have appointments ready because it is a holiday week and we should should have anticipated this. i know the president is making a big announcement today but isn't the administration behind the curve? >> we're going to hopefully quickly catch up with that curve andrea. and as you mentioned this will be a major component of his speech this afternoon. a after a million tests very quickly and having a plan of getting anywhere from 200 million to 500 million tests per month. have a website where you can order it and have it delivered free to your home. there is certain sections where it is not very easy to get a test immediately. but hopefully that will be rapidly corrected, and that's one of the things that the plth -- president will emphasize in his speech. >> you mean the doubling time? >> no, i mean the fact that you can get symptoms within a day or two of exposure? >> yeah, well, if, i don't think is anything positive we can say about that, i think it is just a reflection of the extraordinary capability of this to transmit rapidly. and within a couple days they can be infected and transmitting it to tores. it is something that we need to take very seriously. the spread is really unprecedented in respiratory virus history. it is really unprecedented. >> i see what you're saying, that you get symptomatic quickly. e want to ask you about vaccinations into many people, especially young people are saying to me you see all of these breakthrough cases and they're saying the vaccines are working. we should begin to realize that people will have breakthrough cases. >> absolutely. we should could want the cases among boosted people. the vaccines are working. if you look at any data, all of the data from anywhere of comparing the risk of hospitalization and the rick of death in an unvaccinated person that getting infected versus a breakthrough infection it is extraordinarily different. the vulnerability is profoundly weighted. people may and will get breakthrough infections and we'll see more of this with omicron. but so say the vaccines don't work is just not understanding the importance of vaccines in preventing you from getting seriously ill, opt hospitalized, and dieing. >> will the president's president's troop deployments, you don't need the beds and more. all of the things that you need, the personal protective equipment, the masks, the ventilators, all part of the strategic stockpile. but if there is, we will be ready for it, particularly by the outline that the president said, and one of them is to enhance the capability of the hospitals. >> it is still teb days, but one of the things we're thinking about is particularly among health care providers. we want to be care thafl we don't keep them out of action for that long period of time. the consideration of diminishing the quarantine time like wearing masks and being careful. g they're symptomatic you want to keep them symptomatic. >> and i also want to ask you about the, well, but the global probable that we have. saying that we're getting these vaccine doses, i don't have the exact da fa in front of me, they don't need it. >> a couple of comments, i feel like we have a responsibility they are getting doses to lower eligible. we have been giving 300 mill doses, and we have given or will be given 1.1 doses by the middle of 20 2. in addition to the $4 billion that we have given to covax. many of the african countries they are getting them into people's arms and we're working now for the countries to get them to get the doses that we send them, but to be able to efficiently get them into the arms of people. >> the president, the white house says, was exposed to a staffer that tested positive over the weekend. thankfully the president tested negative repeatedly since, but how confident are you about the protection of the leader of the free world? >> we are very careful and the president is very careful. we are both wearing masks, i have to get tested every time i go into the room with the president. and there is a lot of care being attacken to protect our president. i mean when you have someone like there was on air force one, they were infected, they did not realize it and that is why the president is do the important thing. >> you said your daughters are coming home finally this year for christmas. i know you will have to wonderful christmas. >> thank you very much. all of the best to you and your family, thank you very much. >> reviing build back better. what will it take to get senate er manchin back on board? er manchin back on board the jo. when the road is all you need, there is no destination. uh, i-i'm actually just going to get an iced coffee. well, she may have a destination this one time, but usually -- no, i-i usually have a destination. yeah, but most of the time, her destination is freedom. nope, just the coffee shop. announcer: no matter why you ride, progressive has you covered with protection starting at $79 a year. voiceover: 'cause she's a biker... please don't follow me in. want your clothes to smell freshly washed voiceover: all day without heavy perfumes? 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>> not as it currently exists. i think the build back better bill is not what they will take back up here in the spring, every statement that we have seen say they suggest the agenda items are too important to be left behind pause of the opposition for now. i think we will see a break here over the holidays. and a resituation of what will pass both chambers. >> and steve clemmons, he reacted to the blistering segment, let's listen. >>. >> basically, and it is fast. i understand. it is the staff. and they brought some things out. they know what it is and that is it. >> the white house instability. tell us about that. you know his thinking. >> i think that what happened is he was on the same package on tuesday. they were going to take this up next year and the feelings were they were roughly the same place with regard to the process and president biden was always with senatormanchin let him know that this is not personal, that he doesn't want joemanchin beside the bill. this would be picked next year, that statement didn't come, and on thursday the white house reached out the senators officer with their planned statement, and it mentioned senator manchin three times, and what back and forth in the white house is that senator manchin wanted -- senator sinema mentioned, or he wanted no senators mentioned. so both senators or no senators. but the white house steam rolled them and went above. he saw this as a change in tone, to make it personal, and to put a target on his back and that is what he got upset about. >> but sam stein, we were told that he was approved by the president himself. at some point it gets back to joe biden. >> the statements that he is talking about is the statement talking about how there was pick ups. and that they needed to work with them on the statements. after senator manchin went on fox news sundayy, they put out another statement. that was blistering, attacking senator manchin. for walking away from an idea that would have achieved a lot of the parodies that he claims that he wants. and that was okayed by president biden himself. and that seems heated. it doesn't really make sense to make it make it different. they got on and they reported that they are trying to repair some of the hurt feelings. we're told that the hurt feeling wills happen in the new year. they need to find a frame work that works for everybody here. putting aside other than personal feelings. >> one of the big problems ff steve is the child tax credit, that joe manchin told senators that he felt some of the money was being used for drugs or hunting trips rather than it's immediate purpose. i think you can understand how upsetting that was to fellow democrats. >> i understand that. i know that senator manchin said publicly that he wants to make sure that that money gets to the children, gets to the people in need, and he has doubts about that in some cases. i think the bigger issue for senator manchin is the cost of this. he is not opposed to it, but i think one of the things he said many times is he agreed to a frame work of $1.75 million. but his view is that it is gym makes that are coming in to show what the costs of these are. particularly in the way it scored that makes it appear on the facade. and i think there is funded to him throughout the year. >> garrett, very briefly, can humpty dumpty be put back together again? >> thank you all so much, a bill mess on the hill to put it mildly. one of their own in a bold and rare move, the january 6th committee is trying to question a sitting member of kronk for the first time but he is not going along with that. this is ant -- andrea mitchell reports. -- andrea mitchell reports. you can keep your phone. keep your number. and get your employees connected on the largest and fastest 5g network. plus, we give you $200 in facebook ads on us! so you can reach more customers, create more opportunities, and finish this year strong. visit your local t-mobile store today. ♪ ♪ 'tis the season to break tradition in a cadillac. don't just put on a light show—be the light show. make your nights anything but silent. and ride in a sleigh that really slays. because in a cadillac, tradition is yours to define. so visit a cadillac showroom, and start celebrating today. ♪ ♪ do i need to pretreat my laundry? nope! with tide pods, you don't need to worry. ebrating today. the pre-treaters are built in. tide pods dissolve even when the water is freezing. nice! if it's got to be clean, it's got to be tide. the house will be questioned by the january 6th committee. he said he will not come involuntarily. the committee is seeking documents and testimony about what he may or may not know involving president trump's efforts to overturn the election. joining me now is sahil kapur. an nyu law professor. so for the congressman, it's the first time they have gone after a sitting member of congress and he is not going to do it voluntarily. will they go so far to pressure him legal sfli. >> the next steps are unclear. the committee is figuring out how to respond to scott perry's claims here. based on my reporting in the last hour, some officials are already raising an eyebrow at his decision. the big question is what will the committee do. will they potentially subpoena him. they will have to tread carefully here. there is no modern precedent for subpoenaing a member of congress. and of course whatever they do here effect all of them in the future. as of this moment they're only asking him to voluntarily appear later this year or early next year and clearly he will not do it. >> what about the legal imply kaegss, trying to force him, contempt, criminal or civil contempt? >> as they said this is really uncharted waters for the select committee. it is rare to have a general investigation of a sitting congressman. and this goes to the erosion of various norms. typically where there has been a witness, in or outside of congress, there would be some negotiation, but here it seems clear there will not be negotiation, only stonewalling, and they go further than perhaps they ever have gone in trying to get this testimony. >> right now it is at an impasse. thank you to me misis a murray. coming up, the stunning escaped. how kidnapped missionaries say they escaped. i have a conversation with one of the 17 original hostages, next. . next hi susan! honey? yeah? i respect that. but that cough looks pretty bad... try this robitussin honey. the real honey you love... plus the powerful cough relief you need. mind if i root through your trash? now get powerful relief with robitussin elderberry. 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>> we forgive them, we long for them to turn their life around. we pleaded with them to realize the arm they're doing to their own country. we pleaded with them to find a better way. >> security in haiti has collapsed following the assassination of their president in july and the devastating hurricane in august. this is "andrea mitchell reports" on msnbc. this is "andrea mitchell reports" on msnbc. clothes couly fresh for weeks? now they can. downy unstopables in-wash scent boosters keep your laundry smelling fresh waaaay longer than detergent alone. pour a cap of downy unstopables into your washing machine before each load. and enjoy fresher smelling laundry. if you want laundry to smell fresh for weeks make sure you have downy unstopables in-wash scent boosters. shop online for downy unstopables, including our new, lighter scent. knowing where you came from, it gives you a sense of “this is who i am”. oh my goodness... wow, look at all those! you get hungry for more and then you're just like, “wow, i'm learning about my family.” yeah, yep. which one, what'd you find? 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i'm just here because subway has so much new, they bought time in this press conference to talk about it. ♪3, 4♪ ♪ they bought time in this press conference ♪hey♪ ♪ ♪are you ready for me♪ ♪are you ready♪ ♪are you ready♪ president biden is set to ramp up testing. and monica alba and vice provost during the transition. monica, walk us through what you will be hearing. we heard from dr. fauci there will be more tep, but he acknowledges they are behind the curve on tests. >> there will be tangible new steps, they will beef up the current testing siting, and the president will also be talking about a frustration that so many people are feeling about access to government tests, but the website won't be available until next month and it's unclear how many each household will be able to access. over all he will have his starkest warning dwlet that people that have not rolled up their sleeves will face a very severe winter. the president is really going to dial it home more given the omicron spike and all of the people traveling for the holidays. >> does this get them to where they need to be, though, considering how transmissible this is? >> yes, you're 100% right. i think this is a move in the right direction, but i don't think it is going to go far enough. one more site does not make enough by any stretch, and we need them to buy all of the rapid tests to authorization more rapid tests leek they did in europe and to distranscript them at pharmacies, grocery stores, and clinics for a very nominal amount of money so they're readily available for people and i think that would be a lot more than logging on to a federal website, remember there will be a disparity in that people people that have broadband, know hoe tow navigate the website, and more. i'm a little hesitant or concerned that it is not going to be enough. >> are we doing enough sequencing to understand where it is spreading? >> no, i think we're still behind the eight ball. what we have is not representative of the country. we have a few really intense hot spots where there is a lot of sequencing, but it is not across the country. so we have a good picture everywhere. i think if you noticed, there has been a big surge in florida in the last few days, and we don't have a lot of omicron reported there. so we need more waste water sequencing infrastructure. >> how concerned are you about the surge that we're now heading into a really dark place this winter? >> many of us have been suggesting for a long time that the winner there be new year's. even with delta in august, we were warning that this is going to be a big surge and we really need to get mandates out there for vaccination and travel. and now we have omicron which transmits much more rapidly. and many more breakthrough infections. they are not serious, which is good, but even if you have a fair number of serious cases in the unvaccinated, that could overwhelm a very fragile health system at the moment. and so i think that that -- people have described it as a perfect storm. we have the holidays, omicron, a fragile health care system. we have winter. this is not a formula for a good time and i think that we'll have a lot of problems for the next few months at least. >> wishing you and your family a very safe and happy holiday to come. >> you too. thank you. and the verdict watch, jurors now deciding three closely watched trials. kim potter, ghislaine maxwell and elizabeth holmes. what the three women face and where deliberations now stand. this is an dree a mitchell reports. is an dree a mitchell reports. ever notice how stiff clothes can feel rough on your skin? 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>> i think maybe a little of both. i think that in some ways it humanized her. she did not have any prior incidents of credibility problems. but i think that it also exposed her inconsistency in her defense. she is only charged with recklessly or negligently killing daunte wright. so in some ways i saw it as an invitation to nullify because of sympathy for her. >> and let's talk about ghislaine maxwell. this trial lasted just three weeks. much faster than originally anticipated. what does that signal to you about how this could play out? >> well, they only brought in four victims. she chose not to testify. and again, it is one of the biggest decisions that a defense team has to made, what is the risk versus the benefit of testifying. but i think what i heard of the victim testimony and the expert testimony painted a pretty clear picture of ghislaine maxwell as the recruiter and groomer, which is pretty consistent with the way child predators work. so you have to be in the courtroom to know everything that happened there, but it seemed like the evidence was strong and we'll see what the verdict is. sometimes when there is a pre-christmas verdict, some worry that the jury gets generous, but there are also victims to think about. >> and elizabeth holmes, very high profile case, a major fraud case, hugely successful woman wholy misleading consumers on the rapid blood test that she was packaging and manufacturing and selling. >> yeah, and so she also chose to testify. again such a big decision. but i think that they are willing to kind of bet their whole hand, the thing that she has been doing all her life, which is talking people into things, trying to persuade them, and we'll see if the jury buys it. >> what do you think in terms of the intent here? do you think that it helps her case to have testified? she was blaming i guess her boyfriend for having misled her. >> yeah, you know, again, i think that this is an effort to try to get the jury to feel some sympathy for her. you know, i think that the defense is essentially i was so abused that my mind was so overborn that i wasn't able to think straight. even though a jury might be sympathetic, i think that they will see through it and say that she made statements that was not true. and so i think that it is a hard sell in light of the facts of her sbebld intent to degraduate. >> and the christmas holiday, do you let the jury go home for the weekend and risk contamination?. >> and the christmas holiday, do you let the jury go home for the weekend and risk contamination?. >> and the christmas holiday, do you let the jury go home for the weekend and risk contamination? or do juries rush to get it done? >> it is very common on a verdict on a friday or just before a holiday. i'd be surprised if we don't see a verdict before christmas. >> wishing you a verdict of a happy holiday. a wonderful holiday season. merry christmas to you, barbara mcquaid. >> thank you. and the commander is the three month old rescue puppy, the latest resident at 1600 pennsylvania avenue. commander arrived at the white house on monday, a birthday gift to president biden from his brother and sister-in-law. and even as we learn that another