d.c. recording a record number of cases. across the country, crushing lines for tests. it will be weeks before 500 million additional tests promised by president biden will be available. >> if you go to the pharmacy, we hear it over and over again, empty shelves, no test kits. is that a failure? >> no, i don't think it is a failure. >> we're nearly two years into the pandemic, you're a year into the presidency, empty shelves, no test kits in some places three days before christmas when it is so important, is that good enough? >> no. nothing has been good enough. but look where we are. we're in a situation now where we have 200 million people fully vaccinated. >> and some very good news. a new pill getting approval today, a day after the fda green lit pfizer's pill. new data from the uk bolster hope that omicron is milder, less deadly than delta. public health experts are also clear vaccines reduce spread, protect against severe illness, and a major battle is rampant, misinformation, the surgeon general saying this today. >> you've seen public health politicized, it should be driven by science and public interest. we've also seen extraordinary spread of misinformation. >> joining me, infectious disease doctors. i want to start with you on sound from the surgeon general. how detriment alice misinformation to our recovery at this point? >> i think it is central to why so many of us space remained unvaccinated. there are some people that face logistical, want questions answered, but a huge portion of our vulnerability in the face of this variant now this far in, two years in, has to do with how many people chose to not get vaccinated based on advice they got that they were mislead on, whether it is people telling misinformation or disinformation that was politically motivated, the surgeon general said. that along with bad luck of getting a variant that's not only more transmissible, can outcompete delta, makes some tools in the medical tool box less effective, like the monoclonal antibodies. all of that is putting pressure on the pandemic response which is unprecedented. you wouldn't expect at this point. >> misinformation and messaging. listen to sound from former president trump. >> people have died under covid this year by the way under joe biden than you, more people took the vaccine this year. people are questioning -- >> the vaccine worked. some people aren't taking it. the ones that get very sick and go to the hospital are ones that don't take the vaccine. it is still their choice and if you take the vaccine, you're protected. the results of the vaccine are very good and if you do get it, it is a minor form. >> i don't need to tell you, we would have likely been at a very different point if this was the message that he was using as soon as the vaccines became available. when you watch this, to what do you ascribe that pivot? >> you know, i think president biden went out of his way in his speech tuesday to praise donald trump not once but twice and he said in the first instance that trump got a booster, he said that's maybe one of the few things we agree on. then he also said that we had developed vaccines more quickly than other countries and ascribed it to trump. i don't know if playing up to trump by biden earlier might have helped on this front but clearly it's had an effect on him. yes, if he came out and said that earlier, we'd be better off. biden did two political things smart in that speech of his. on one hand, he tried to split anti-vaxxers. he is heightening the war on misinformation and disinformation. they have to stay at that over and over again. some people will never be reached, they'll be in bubbles, but i think a concerted campaign against disinformation can help and it is essential. >> dr.dr., talking about it bei less deadly than delta, what does that actually mean? >> i'll say there are more signals it might be. the reason it is hard to figure this out, delta happened at a different point in time, where more of the world's population was not vaccinated yet, more of the world's population didn't have immunity. it is hard to figure out what today omicron would do to a person without any prior infection and isn't vaccinated. that's why the severity question is hard. you've seen what the uk is seeing, shorter hospitalization times. that's something we saw as well. is that because the pop haitian -- population is highly vaccinated. even as we hear good news with merck, the supply is so low in the surge, best way to protect ourselves are vaccines. we need to be vaccinated if we want to return to normalcy, not having to worry about hospitals getting full again or remaining full. >> i am glad you underscored that point. here is president biden yesterday pushing back on what some are describing as his administration's slow reaction to the new variant. take a listen. >> what would you say to some americans that would say it feels like we're chasing omicron instead of being ahead of it, fully prepared for it. >> look, omicron really came on the scene just before thanksgiving. we weren't talking about omicron six months ago. it is recent. so we are chasing omicron. >> ej, you have written about this. it is part of why i wanted to talk to you about it. what is your take on the white house response. >> if you look at the administration's overall approach and divide it in two, they've done pretty decently, quite well on vaccination, especially given the misinformation. 240 million with one dose. 88% of people over 65 are fully vaccinated. on that side they've done well. they were slow on testing. there was a good piece in "vanity fair" where they put their eggs in the vaccine basket and didn't take testing as seriously as they could have. they should have rolled out, they should have been much more aggressive about testing early on so we might have had more tests available for the holidays. to their credit, they finally pivoted and said we're now going to make the tests available, but they should have been operating full-bore on both fronts. and i think they now regret that they didn't. >> dr. bailey, i would like to know if you agree, and to speak how important testing is at this point. >> yeah. i think it is two things. yes, could we have done better, absolutely, throughout the entire pandemic. the last two years health experts have been saying testing helps, it makes individuals take decisions about their health and helpings from public health perspective, it makes people change behavior which reduces transmission which would be amazing if you could just have this from everywhere, rapid tests, you could have them stop any activities they would do that would continue the spread which will eventually reach vulnerable people that end up in the hospital. the other reason testing is important, now we have drugs. both the merck and pfizer are required to be taken certain number of days, five days of symptom onset, not testing, symptom onset. you need to get your hands on a test and get it quickly to take advantage of this. that makes other tools less effective when testing is not available. the reason it is not an issue, not just delays in testing but demand that gone up because of how transmissible the variant is. it is not the amount but sudden amount of tests needed that manufacturing can't keep up with. >> i walked into a cvs and without saying what i was there for, the good person behind the counter said is this what you're looking for, handed me a test. that was about a week ago. i bet he doesn't have as many sitting back there. it is a sign of what the doctor said, the demand has soared in the last week or week and a half. >> as someone doing the rounds placing calls to various pharmacies, asking them that exact question to your point, they answer it as soon as they pick up the phone. there are a lot of us looking for the tests. thank you both so much for getting us started. coming up, donald trump makes a desperate final appeal to stop the january 6 committee to the supreme court. plus, a stunning guilty verdict for the police officer who killed daunte wright. and then paul krugman is here live, why biden should swing from the fences and build back better. stay with us. and build back better stay with us ♪♪ all the gifts you really, really, really, can't wait to unwrap. ♪♪ joy. fully. ♪♪ thinkorswim® by td ameritrade is more than a trading platform. it's an entire trading experience. with innovation that lets you customize interfaces, charts and orders to your style of trading. personalized education to expand your perspective. and a dedicated trade desk of expert-level support. that will push you to be even better. and just might change how you trade—forever. because once you experience thinkorswim® by td ameritrade ♪♪♪ there's no going back. instantly clear everyday congestion ♪♪♪ with vicks sinex saline. for fast drug free relief vicks sinex. instantly clear everyday congestion. and try vicks sinex children's saline. safe and gentle relief for children's noses. xfinity rewards are our way of thanking you just for being with us. enjoy rewards like sing family fun nights! rent sing for $1 then belt out all your favorite tunes from the movie with sing karaoke. plus, see sing 2 in theaters with buy-one-get-one free fandango tickets. join over a million members by signing up for free on the xfinity app. our thanks. your rewards. the walls are closing in on trump. the maga riot committee on the verge of getting 800 pages of secret documents, call logs, schedules, private communications. today he is going to the supreme court, asking to stop immediate release of records until they decide on hearing the case. an appeals court already rejected his executive privilege claim. the supreme court is not obligated to hear the case. this desperate legal move coming as his fiercest ally jim jordan is called to talk to the committee. it does not sound like he plans on cooperating. >> the january 6th committee didn't want you on the january 6 committee might want you in front of them to take questions. what will your reaction be, the same as mark meadows, take a walk or would you sit down and speak to them? >> i have to be honest with you, i have real concerns about any committee that will take a document and alter it, present it to the american people, completely mislead the american people like they did last week. in 12 months went from secure porder to chaos, energy independence to the president begging opec to increase production. safe streets to record crime. >> very hard pivot. jill, does the former president have standing? >> he has standing because he is in the court. they are accepting it, but he does not have any chance of winning. i would say chances are almost zero. there's the precedent of watergate case, us v nixon where they said the president has to turn over documents, to us, to a production unit, not to congress, still pretty good precedent. and you have something better here. the president, the only one we have at a time that is president biden waived any executive privilege. he has said the public's need to know, their right to know is paramount here, and that documents should be turned over. so i would say this is a losing case. maybe the court will not even hear arguments. >> jill, the january 6th committee responding through its lawyers stating moving quickly is warranted because the of the indisputable importance and urgency of the select committee investigation. delay would inflict a serious injury on the select committee and the public. jill, what is the strategy here? >> let me just say that in the watergate case, we went from final subpoena for 64 tapes for trial, our second subpoena, to supreme court decision in three months. there's no reason it should take longer. this case is under way. it could be decided long before march. the timing here is crucial because unless the documents are turned over, i would say way before the summer recess, it will be useless. by the time you get to midterm elections and risk that congress could change hands and the republicans would shut this down, americans will never know the truth of what happened, who planned it, who funded it, what did the president know and when did he he know it, going back to another watergate case. we have to have expedition. if there's an argument at the supreme court, it can be done immediately. look how fast they're taking on cases. they took on an abortion case quickly, the vaccine mandate case. it will be argued january 7th, weeks away. no reason this couldn't be argued in weeks if there was going to be an argument. remember, this is a case, they don't have to take the case. they could say it is so obvious what the decision is, they don't have to take it. speed is important. >> that's been the strategy here, delay, delay, delay. i want to go back to the clip i played. i don't know if you caught what the fox news host said in the clip to jim jordan. it was an aside. but it is worth repeating. he says looks like the january 6th committee who didn't want you on them might want you in front of them to take questions, almost positioning it, they didn't want you, now they've come crawling back, when no, that was the point. they rightly didn't believe someone like jim jordan who had potentially played a role in what happened january 6 should be in charge of accountability. >> you make an excellent point. i hear jill draw the parallel to watergate. watergate drove a president from office, he was ultimately held accountable. but there's been a year lost, a year precisely now getting into 2022, for the average american, they think this now starts to feel political. one has to ask. the committee talks about need for expediting, talks the need for speed, yet we are here now almost a year to the day and none of the accountable actors, none of the instigators off the crime that took place before the eyes of the world have been held accountable. if you ask the american public and those asking around the world 24 hours after january 6 last year that we would be a year removed from the event, no one would be accountable, no one would believe it. that's playing against this strategy and why if you're republican or one of the instigators, you're happy it delays and go to the courts. as jill played the prelude to, if the congress lost a year from now, this will go away like it never happened. >> jill, to that point on moving this expeditiously, i think there are a lot of people share the sense of urgency. "new york times" thinks it is a mistake for garland to wait on findings from the january 6 probe. it is possible the department is deferring the decision pending further work by the house, such an approach would come at a very high cost. your thoughts. >> i agree, i agree with "new york times." there's no reason for delay. they can go ahead simultaneously with what is happening in the january 6th committee. we work simultaneously with senator irvin select committee, and there was no problem coordinating. we ended up giving our evidence to the impeachment committee because we got more evidence quicker and felt it was a road map but we also benefitted by the irvin committee. we learned about the taping system from a question asked in a public hearing by that committee. so they can work very well side by side and there is a time factor here and i agree that it is a year, almost celebrating the year anniversary of january 6, not an anniversary that i particularly want to celebrate. not celebratable because it is awful, but it did take a long time to get going. now that they've gotten things in place, now that they have evidence, they are ending up probably going to be making criminal referrals to department of justice, but they don't have to wait at the department of justice. department of justice can see the same way that i can a host of crimes that have been committed and i think they've been pointed out by many in the press. they need to be acted on. if president nixon had been held accountable and he was, he obviously had to resign in disgrace, if he had gone to jail along with his compatriots, maybe donald trump would have learned a lesson, maybe donald trump wouldn't have done the things he did that are so illegal. >> i have 30 seconds left. when we come into the new year looking at january 6th, what does the democrats' message have to be? >> i mean, that's the central question. is the democratic message we're going to continue to work in bipartisan manner with a republican party that's gotten behind armed attack against the democracy of the united states capitol or is it moving this issue front and center. from january 6, everything else emanates. voting rights, ability to stay in office, which means passing legislation that will help lives of every american, improve the economy, tackle covid. they don't do those things. i think it will feel like political back and forth to the average voter. democrats will have missed a historical chance to send the insurrectionist republicans to the dust bin of history. >> thank you both. coming up in 60 seconds, a dramatic verdict in the officer killing of daunte wright. what it means for police form when we are back in 60 seconds. s ! let's meet the new all-american club™. this playmaker's coming in strong with new oven roasted turkey, black forest ham, and hickory-smoked bacon. it's good, hall of fame good. save big. order through the app. ♪ ♪ ♪“i got you babe” by etta james♪ ♪ get groceries, gifts, & more fast and easy. so last minute guests are the only thing you'll be waiting on. ♪ joy. fully. ♪ as a dj, i know all about customization. that's why i love liberty mutual. joy. fully. they customize my car insurance, so i only pay for what i need. how about a throwback? ♪ liberty, liberty, liberty, liberty ♪ only pay for what you need. ♪ liberty, liberty, liberty, liberty ♪ former minnesota police officer found guilty of manslaughter for killing daunte wright in a traffic stop this year. >> we the jury on the charge of manslaughter in the first degree while committing a misdemeanor on or about april 11, 2021 in the state of minnesota find the defendant guilty. the verdict on count two is we the jury on the charge of manslaughter in the secondary culpable negligence on or about april 11, 2021, in hennepin county, state of minnesota, find the defendant guilty. >> kim potter taken in handcuffs into custody after the verdict was read, faces up to 25 years in prison. this is the new mugshot taken by officials. she won't get out on bail. the jury deliberated three and a half days, nearly 24 hours before reaching a verdict. potter claimed it was an accident, pulling a gun instead of a taser. a 26 year veteran of the police department. the prosecution making point it was an accident but actions were reckless and criminal. the majority white jury sending a message that accidents can also be criminal. so what will the verdict mean for the future of police reform? daunte wright's family with emotional reaction after the verdict. >> the moment that we heard guilty on the manslaughter one, emotions, every single emotion you can imagine running through your body at that moment. i let out a yelp. it was built up in the anticipation of what was to come while waiting for the last few days. >> joining me, retired nypd detective and member of the black law enforcement alliance. former prosecutor, your reaction to the verdict. >> a bit surprising. early on i was asked for my feelings before the verdict came out. i was cautious about my approach with the verdict. i had been disappointed with verdicts in the past, i was cautious about it. i had a significant conversation with law enforcement organizations head and he was really apoplectic and concerned about the message the verdict delivered and what he would have to then tell his membership about how reckless or negligent behavior by police officers in this day and age rightfully can be a criminal charge. so i think the verdict is significant. it is substantive. it will really kind of determine how prosecutions are done moving forward. i think whatever keith ellison established there, i want to call it the minneapolis, will be replicated through the nation, pulling together towns, groups of individuals, presenting clear positions on pretext tul, aggravated actions, slow walk it through a police officer's training and qualifications, not being afraid to charge what some might consider high but charging adequately, appropriately, regardless of the fact that you're charging a police officer. the verdict is significant, substantive, and will have impact moving forward. >> paul, your reaction? >> so both the prosecution and defense agree that potter made a mistake. the defense claimed a mistake is not a crime. the conviction means the jury found miss potter's reckless mistake was two crimes, first and second degree manslaughter. this verdict surprised some people because miss potter was a more sympathetic defendant than sun like derek chauvin. potter was a working mom with two sons, had been a police officer for 26 years and never fired a gun or taser in the line of duty until the day she killed mr. wright, but none of that is a defense to manslaughter. the prosecution emphasized that after she shot, she didn't try to help or call an ambulance, rather she burst into tears and said i'm going to prison. in the end, the sympathy went more towards a 20-year-old kid whose life was extinguished rather than to the former police officer despite her copious tears on the stand. >> speaking to those tears, paul, she did choose to take the stand. let's take a listen. >> stopping at 2:02:01. you have the firearm in your right hand, correct? >> yes. >> you are pointing it directly at mr. wright, correct? >> may we have a break? >> miss potter, do you need to take a break? okay. members of the jury, we're going to break for lunch. >> paul, talk to me about the decision and how you think it played into the final verdict? >> i think when miss potter took the stand, she raised some credibility issues with the jury, wondering whether she was telling the truth. she has a selective memory. claimed not to remember anything immediately after the shooting. she gave an interview where she said i don't make mistakes. on the stand, she claims she didn't remember that. also when she testified, she never called daunte wright by his name, she just referred to him as the driver. in these cases, there's a mixed bag when officers take the stand or not so chauvin did not take the stand, he was convicted. officer mcdonald in chicago did take the stand but was also convicted of murdering. so there's a play book for the prosecution now that they're winning more of these cases. i guess the defense play will have to evolve beyond what we saw in this case and others which is to put the victim on trial to make it sound like daunte wright deserved to die. the jury rejected that claim. >> mark, what do you think this means for police reform and accountability? >> i think the debate about reform will continue. however, clearly i think this verdict and the derek chauvin verdict is indicative of the public's appetite for increased accountability, if not reform, even when they may be slow about operational reform with agencies. i think there's a feeling, a sentiment that says listen, there has to be high level of accountability and we can't ignore police created jeopardy, the role police play in initiating, creating, cultivating incidents that lead to use of deadly physical force. reform is still on the table, of course. but without a doubt, accountability is pushing ahead in the public's mind. >> thank you both. coming up, no bell winning economist paul krugman is ripping into joe manchin for holding up the biden agenda. krugman is on "the beat" next. and i talk to a writer about a book texas republicans are actively trying to ban. republie actively trying to ban 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. ♪ ♪ '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. ♪ ♪ hi, i'm debra. so visi'm from colorado.room, and start celebrating today. i've been married to my high school sweetheart for 35 years. i'm a mother of four-- always busy. i was starting to feel a little foggy. just didn't feel like things were as sharp as i knew they once were. i heard about prevagen and then i started taking it about two years now. started noticing things a little sharper, a little clearer. i feel like it's kept me on my game. i'm able to remember things. i'd say give it a try. prevagen. healthier brain. better life. a must in your medicine cabinet! less sick days! cold coming on? zicam is the #1 cold shortening brand! highly recommend it! zifans love zicam's unique zinc formula. it shortens colds! zicam. zinc that cold! ♪ ♪ ♪ fine, no one leaves the table until your finished. ♪ fine, we'll sleep here. ♪♪ it's the easiest because it's the cheesiest. kraft. for the win win. coal miners in west virginia and goldman, sachs executives may not see eye to eye. as of tonight, they agree that conservative democrat joe manchin will hurt the economy. in a moment, i talk to a special guest that shares their view, paul krugman. he slams manchin in a new article calling his objections to build back better a grab bag of republican talking points troutd out to attempt to justify his betrayal. biden says he and manchin agreed to keep talking in the new year. joining me, paul krugman, prize winning columnist for "new york times." you had very strong words for manchin. >> the thing about build back better biden agenda is that it is such a good -- like any bill, there's stuff you may not approve of, stuff that isn't perfect, it is all spending on things that we have neglected as a country, stuff we can afford, stuff that has a huge return. america drastically underinvests in children. children that have adequate resources when children grow up to be healthier, more productive adults. we know spending on the environment, not just climate and long run stuff, just direct health and productivity benefits of cleaner air are enormous. what's happening here is that manchin is saying i cannot agree to this thing because it is too much money when in fact that shouldn't be an issue, it is pretty much paid for. it is a really terrible policy decision. hard to know what he thinks he is doing. but he deserves to be slammed for it. people can try to be politically savvy, talk about why he did it, talk him into backing this stuff, but what a horrific move to make at this point. >> what you're saying is the argument doesn't add up. not only is he hiding behind the idea it costs too much money, he is hiding behind the idea it will raise inflation. your take? >> you know, there's a bad habit people have of when we talk about big bills like this, we usually talk about ten year costs. now when we talk about the defense budget, we talk about one year. you say this is $1.7 trillion. but that's over ten years. and the u.s. economy is enormous. the congressional budget office expects gdp to be $288 trillion in the next ten years, so spending 1.7 trillion, even if it was not paid for, and mostly is paid for, according to cbo estimates, that's just not an inflation spending. that's a trivial thing. ed fed said we're on guard. if necessary, we will raise interest rates to keep inflation slow. even people warning about inflation, people like harry summers have been saying this is not inflationary. that's not a reason not to invest in the future. >> he hides behind those boogie mans, that it will cost too much, behind the idea it will raise inflation and hides behind the idea i can't go home to west virginia and sell this. you highlight how far behind west virginia is compared to other states. for example, life expectancy, six years behind new york. is he working against interests of his own constituents? >> of course. west virginia, look, it is not fault of people in west virginia. the economy shifted from resource economy, coal economy to knowledge economy, and a lot of knowledge based industries moved to places with big metropolitan areas with highly educated people. that's hard to reverse. the way to help a place like west virginia which has been stranded by these things is to give them money, give people resources to make sure they have adequate health care, make sure they can raise their children. west virginia depends a lot, again, what we're supposed to do, if people are in trouble, we're supposed to help them. west virginia is a big recipient of federal aid, but should be getting even more. by standing against this, joe manchin, it is against the interests of disadvantaged americans everywhere, but there's an unusual concentration of people who need this bill in his state. it is hard to imagine a state that is more standing to benefit from things he is opposing in his own state. >> listen to fresh comments from mitch mcconnell. >> our goal in the minority is to try to protect the 2017 tax bill. it was the right thing to do for the country. these rates do not need to be taken up. we do not need to go on reckless tax and spending spree. protecting the best of what we did the last four years is job one for us. >> paul, your reaction? >> oh, god, that tax cut, couple trillion to corporations and the wealthy with nothing to show for it. just nothing in terms of increased business investment, nothing in terms of growth. it didn't do the job. it was more expensive than anything that we're talking about in build back better and mitch mcconnell spent four years presiding over an administration that said its infrastructure weak, and four years of no infrastructure happening, then the biden administration which finally delivered infrastructure. they only delivered physical infrastructure. now it is time for human infrastructure. but of all people to say we can do something better and more responsible, mitch mcconnell would be like number 310 million of the u.s. population. >> paul krugman, thank you so much for spending time with us. ahead, texas republicans expanding their push to ban books. i talk live to an author whose book republicans want to -- rep- feel stuck with student loan debt? ♪ move your student loan debt to sofi. earn a $1,000 bonus when you refi— and feel what it's like to get your money right. [ kimberly ] before clearchoice, my dental health was so bad i would be in a lot of pain. i was unable to eat. it was very hard. kimberly came to clearchoice with a bunch of missing teeth, struggling with pain, with dental disease. clearchoice dental implants solved her dental issues. [ kimberly ] i feel so much better. i feel energized to go outside and play with my daughter. i can ate anything. like, i don't have to worry. clearchoice changed my life. ♪♪ fresh flavors... classic dishes... ♪♪ and a new seat at the table. ♪♪ there's a different way to treat hiv. it's once-monthly injectable cabenuva. cabenuva is the only once-a-month, complete hiv treatment for adults who are undetectable. cabenuva helps keep me undetectable. it's two injections, given by a healthcare provider once a month. hiv pills aren't on my mind. i love being able to pick up and go. don't receive cabenuva if you're allergic to its ingredients or taking certain medicines, which may interact with cabenuva. serious side effects include allergic reactions post-injection reactions, liver problems,...and depression. if you have a rash and other allergic reaction symptoms, stop cabenuva and get medical help right away. tell your doctor if you have liver problems or mental health concerns, and if you are pregnant, breastfeeding, or considering pregnancy. some of the most common side effects include injection site reactions, fever, and tiredness. if you switch to cabenuva, attend all treatment appointments. with once-a-month cabenuva, i'm good to go. ask your doctor about once-monthly cabenuva. every day in business brings something new. with once-a-month cabenuva, i'm good to go. so get the flexibility of the new mobile service designed for your small business. introducing comcast business mobile. you get the most reliable network with nationwide 5g included. and you can get unlimited data for just $30 per line per month when you get four lines or mix and match data options. available now for comcast business internet customers with no line-activation fees or term contract required. see if you can save by switching today. comcast business. powering possibilities. in texas, the effort to ban books is spreading from schools to public libraries. some parents are pushing to have books about topics they deem offensive banned from local shelves. follows an earlier effort by a state lawmaker matt kraus. he compiled a list of 850 books that were suspect, demanded schools reveal if any were in their libraries. many dealt with race, sexuality and identity. on the list, the letter q. queer writers' notes to kids. new kid. struggling to fit in at a majority white school. award winning book between the world and me. it sounds dystopian, where a fascist regime is obsessed with burning books. >> don't worry, these are for training purposes only, okay? if any of you guys ever seen one of these bad things for real? >> no. >> we burned almost every physical book in the country. about the time you guys grow up, there won't be one book left. >> joining me, andrew solomon, journalist, award winning author, professor of clinical psychology at columbia university. wrote about one of his books black listed in texas. the title far from the tree, parents, children, search for identity. and the author of once i was you, a memoir. what was your reaction to finding out your book was on a list of targeted books? >> there's a level at which it feels like a bad dream, to feel it warranted attention of somebody that was going to try to black list it. at a profound level as a person who grew up being gay, prejudice that was involved was deeply disturbing and reminiscent to being bullied on the playground. someone whose books are about love, connectedness, generosity, kindness, the idea those were dangerous concepts and that they would be injurous to people and others bullied should be so treated, that was devastating to me. >> maria, someone that's written a book that celebrates a lot of the same concepts, what does it say to you that in the united states of america in the year 2021 there are legislators trying to ban books from schools and from libraries. >> i'm trying to again to put it all into the same picture. we have to understand this is in the context of arise of authoritarianism in the united states, a real challenge to democracy, a real understanding that the narrative that this country portrays, one of independence, free thinking. even revolutionary -- there wouldn't be a country if not for the american revolution. the truth is that this country is so to use the term freaked out by what is happening, texas in particular, so freaked out by the reality of who we are. i always said, you know, people are fighting against who this fighting against who this country is. and i'm trying to think -- i was preparing for this segment. i'm really upset about this. this is a book i'm reading here on vacation. i'm reading the narrative of frederick douglass because this is what we need to do in the united states. we have to understand where we come from and here's the thing, alicia, ultimately people will rise up there. is a whole movement in texas all right called libre traficante. they're not smuggling people. they're smuggling books. when you ban something from young people you know what's going to happen. >> there is no faster way to make a kid want to read. andrew, this is what breaks my heart about the story. there is a kid growing up the way you grew up who may not be able to share their truth with anyone in their life, with anyone in their community, who is desperately trying to see their light reflected back to them on the page. and it's that kid that needs these books so desperately, and it is that kid that is going to be most hurt by these books being banned from libraries. >> i think that kid will be devastated. my book is about my being gay. it's about having a gay family. it deals with transgendered kids which is of course a hot button issue. it's on the list in texas. i grew up with a feeling of loneliness. i didn't recognize it was an identity until i grew older. these books are designed to give children a sense that they're not alone. and what the texas legislation does, or the texas move does is to try to make them feel more alone, to isolate them, to drive them away. the rate of suicide attempts among lgbtq youth is five times the national average. for those people to be denied some comfort and some sense of belonging is a gross violation. i couldn't agree more than that we live in a moment of authoritarianism and it's rooted in a cruel and devastating repudiation of everything that america is supposed to stand for. martin luther king said the arc of the universe is long but it bends towards justice. at the moment it's bending away from justice. it's our mission to bend it back in our direction. >> maria, the gop lawmaker behind this running for texas ag, this is all about politics, right? >> it's all about politics. that's the other thing that has me concerned. because we know the demographics of the state of texas, how many latinos and latinas make that their home. and how this popular population when they're not understood, it's problematic. we saw what happened in the rio grande valley where this part of the country, many latinos and latinas were voting for donald trump. so the state of texas and what they do and how latinos and latinas in particular respond to this is really what the future holds for the country. i'm still holding on to the fact that what just happened in chile where you had a dictatorship where they not only banned books, but they killed artists like victor hara, a young president was democratically elected. so there is only so much you can do to keep this down. >> andrew, i have about 30 seconds left and a question that cannot possibly be answered in 30 seconds, and that is banning or burning books has a very long history in this country. should we be afraid? >> we should be very afraid. we are living in the moment of backlash, and at a time of the annihilation of free speech. and in one justice, one has to confess this comes not only from the right but also from the left. that in the polarization that is an affliction in our country, particularly from the right but also from the left. there is a silencing of voices, and a silencing of voices is the first and most basic step toward an autocracy that closes down the thinking and the freedom and the education of americans across the spectrum. >> andrew solman, maria hinajosa, thank you both for walking us through this. ahead, the video you need to see. a year of fox news on cancel culture. mm. [ clicks tongue ] i don't know. i think they look good, man. mm, smooth. uh, they are a little tight. like, too tight? might just need to break 'em in a little bit. you don't want 'em too loose. for those who were born to ride there's progressive. with 24/7 roadside assistance. -okay. think i'm gonna wear these home. -excellent choice. such tree-mendous views. i'm at a moss for words. with 24/7 roadside assistance. -okay. when a cough tries to steal dad's punchlines, he takes robitussin naturals powered by 100% drug-free ingredients. are you gonna leaf me hanging? soothe your cough naturally. a must in your medicine cabinet! less sick days! cold coming on? zicam is the #1 cold shortening brand! highly recommend it! zifans love zicam's unique zinc formula. it shortens colds! zicam. zinc that cold! thinkorswim® by td ameritrade is more than a trading platform. it's an entire trading experience. with innovation that lets you customize interfaces, charts and orders to your style of trading. personalized education to expand your perspective. and a dedicated trade desk of expert-level support. that will push you to be even better. and just might change how you trade—forever. because once you experience thinkorswim® by td ameritrade ♪♪♪ there's no going back. learning about our history with ancestrydna®, inspired us to learn more about our culture and where we come from. ...right here? ohhh my god. where? discovering things that were a mystery, that's what ancestry® did for our family. ♪“i got you babe” by etta james♪ ♪ get groceries, gifts, & more fast and easy. so last minute guests are the only thing you'll be waiting on. ♪ joy. fully. ♪ dry eye symptoms driving you crazy? inflammation might be to blame. inflammation: time for ache and burn! over the counter eye drops typically work by lubricating your eyes and may provide temporary relief. inflammation: those'll probably pass by me! xiidra works differently, targeting inflammation that can cause dry eye disease. inflammation: xiidra? no! it can provide lasting relief. xiidra is the only fda-approved non-steroid treatment specifically for the signs and symptoms of dry eye disease. one drop in each eye, twice a day. don't use if you're allergic to xiidra. common side effects, include eye irritation, discomfort or blurred vision when applied to the eye, and unusual taste sensation. don't touch container tip to your eye or any surface. after using xiidra, wait fifteen minutes before reinserting contacts. talk to an eye doctor about xiidra. inflammation: i prefer you didn't. xiidra. not today, dry eye. if you watched any fox news at all this year, you know 2021 was the year that so-called cancel culture became a right-wing obsession. folks in the recount put together a truly epic video on this. take a look. >> the cancel culture going after dr. suess tonight. >> first it was mr. potato head, miss potato head. >> they're cancelling halloween. they're cancelling valentine's day? >> let's talk about democrats cancelling themselves. >> hollywood now cancelling itself? >> cancel culture coming for kermit the frog. >> they canceled the black muppets. >> being taught that cancel culture is good, fossil fuels are bad and math is racist. >> yes, barack obama. >> game shows, stalkers being subjected to the hate, the rage of cancel culture, they want to cancel skinny jeans and side hair partings. >> they want to cancel fox news. >> how dare you cancel the president of the united states. >> you were cans 8ed, remember? >> the woke people are basically trying to cancel georgia. >> cancel culture is coming for a disney classic. >> cancelling the constitution. >> cancel culture cancelling our third president. >> trail blazers. she is going get canceled because she road in a car. >> cancel, cancel, just cancel everything. >> is the cancel culture coming after you? >> you see the final expression of cancel culture in islamist terrorist groups like isis and al qaeda. >> that does it for me. "the reidout" with joy reid is up next. joy? >> i'm trying to figure out what a side hair party is because i definitely want to cancel it. side hair parties are not happening under my watch. >> that's actually a list of things that the generation after me is cancelling. no more skinny jeans, no more side parts. they're over it. >> oh, side parts. what are they talking about? okay. we'll talk about the skinny jeans. we'll text than later. >> i will wait for that. >> i only wear sweats now any way because of covid. >> i wear real pants. bye, joy. >> merry christmas. good evening, everyone. happy christmas eve eve. a lot to get to. a stunning verdict for the cop who killed daunte wright during a traffic stop earlier this year. kim potter claimed that she mistook her handgun for her taser. but jurors today found