Democratic Senate CandidateRafael Warnock ahead. Hello, im jake tapper in washington. The state of our union is in a dangerous play. The coronavirus is surging across the United States. New cases have now topped 100,000 for 12 days in a row. On friday, the u. S. Saw the highest daily count since the pandemic began with more than 184,000 new cases in that one day. Deaths are also rising. An average of more than 1,000 deaths a day for the last four days. The virus has already killed more than 245,000 americans, with a critical model warning that another 200,000 americans could die by march because of the virus. The country did receive some good news this week. Great news, really, about the potential for a highly effective vaccine but nothing has yet been approved. Experts worry that the worst will come before the vaccine is widely available. Making this moment even more potentially perilous. The president of the United States quoted this morning he won because the election was rigged. Then he listed conspiracy theories and live. The president is still refusing to allow the biden transition to begin even in critical areas such as National Security or the fight against covid19. Instead, the president is spreading disinformation and he is playing golf and he is cheering on thousands of supporters who gathered in washington, d. C. On saturday to protest the Election Results based on the lies that the president and far right media are spreading. Unfortunately for President Trump, this state of denial wins him exactly zero electoral votes. Joining me now, is a vital member of the president s Coronavirus Task force, director of the National Institutes of allergic and infectious diseases, dr. Anthony fauci. We hit a record high 184,000 new cases on friday and its getting worse. Other than wearing masks, washing hands, avoiding crowds, and social distancing, what more on a policy level do we, in the United States, need to be doing . What we got to do is make what you just said, jake, uniform, not spotty. Everybody has got to do it. There is no excuse not to do that right now. Because we know that can turn things around. I mean, that is the tool we have. As ive mentioned just recently and as you eluded to, we have good news with regard to the vaccine. So there is light at the end of the tunnel. Help is coming and that should, i believe, motivate people to just say we are going to double down and do this uniformly. Those are the tools we have right now. And they do work. We can get this to plateau to come down. Obviously, everyone is sensitive to what we call covid fatigue. People are worn out about this. But we have got to hang in there a bit longer, particularly as we get into the holiday seasons and the Colder Weather as we get into the late fall and early winter months. We have got to hang together on this, jack jake, because we can make it turn around. We really can. New cases are skyrocketing. We know that hospitalizations and then deaths ultimately follow. A university of washington model projects that the u. S. Will reach 439,000 deaths due to covid by march 1st. Is that really possible . Another 200,000 deaths in just the next four months . It is possible, jake. And the issue is the models, as ive said so often, are as good as the assumptions you put into the model. And we have got to change those assumptions. We have got to say we are going to turn it around vigorously adhering to the Public Health measures. And we dont need to get to that number. That is a model number if we act in a certain way. We can turn that around. That, plus, the fact we are going to start getting doses of Vaccines Available for the highest priority individuals sometime in mid to late december, and then as we get into january, we will get more vaccine doses available. I think when we put those two things together, vaccine, plus strong adherence to the fundamental Public Health measures. Half of the states across the country, 25 states have reported record hospitalizations this week due to covid. I know that you have said you dont think a nationwide lockdown necessary but given the news numbers we are seeing do you see any circumstances the next few months it might make sense for local officials, mayors, or maybe governors, to issue new stayathome orders in just specific discrete parts of the country . I think that likely will happen, jake, if we dont turn around this surge. Youre right. We are not getting a National Lockdown. I think that is very clear. But i think what we are going to start seeing in the local levels, be they governors or mayors or people at the local level, will do as you said, very surgical type of restrictions which are the function equivalent of a local lockdown but we wont have a National Lock down. If things really get bad and you put your foot on the pedal and, yet, still you have the surge, you may need to take the extra step youre talking about. You have already encouraged americans to consider cancelling any thanksgiving plans that involve visiting with somebody else or having visitors come. I know a lot of americans are looking ahead hoping to make plans for other holidays such as christmas. When do you think americans will next be able to safely gather together for family events like this . Are you suggesting it probably wont be able to happen until, i dont know, labor day, 2021, thanksgiving 2021 . You know, it depends on a number of factors, jake. For example, we have vaccines now is the first one that came out was highly effective. I anticipate that the second one likely will be comparable. You never can tell until you see the data. But would be comparable. That is great. But we have to get people to take the vaccine. So if we get the overwhelming majority of people taking the vaccine and you have on the one hand an effective vaccine, on the other hand, a high degree of uptake of the vaccine, we could start getting things back to relative normal as we get into the second and Third Quarter of the year where people can start thing about doing things that were too dangerous just months ago. But we have to put all of those things together. Jake, we cant wish it happening. We have to get the vaccine, it has to be deployed and we cant abandon fundamental Public Health measures. You can approach a degree of normality while still doing some fundamental Public Health things that sinner guys with the vaccine to get us back to normal. Not until the second or Third Quarter of 2021 . Christmas is probably not going to be possible . Yeah. Im well, you know, i think if we get most of the country vaccinated in the second, Third QuarterThird Quarter of the year, and the vaccine continues to prove its efficacy and people adhere to those fundamental measures, i think we can start approaching the degree. Its not going to be a light switch, jake. We are not going to turn it on and off, going to where we are to completely normal. A gradual accrual as we get well into 2021. President Trumps Administration is refusing to acknowledge reality and being blocking the transition process with president elect Joe Biden Team and as well as relating to fighting the pandemic. How problematic is it against the coronavirus if the nih and your agency and other Government Experts are not able to begin communicating with president elect bidens team, which, as you know, has its own expertise in fighting pandemics. Jik ejaake, as you know, iv through multiple transitions having served for 36 years. The time period measured from weeks to several months is real important in a smooth handsing over of the information as well as like passing a baton in a race. You dont want to stop and then give it to somebody. You want to essentially keep going and that is what transition is so it certainly would make things more smoothly if we could do that. Just as a Public Health measure, you think it would be a good idea if your team would be able to work with the Biden Harris Transition Team right now, just in terms of what is best for the Public Health of the American People . Of course, jake. That is obvious. Of course, it would be better if we could start working with them. When is the last time President Trump attended a white house Coronavirus Task force meeting . You know, it was months ago, but, you know, when we have our Task Force Meeting, its run, as you know, by Vice President pence and the Vice President then translates that the president , himself. But the last time the president was physically at a Task Force Meeting was several months ago. President elect biden has selected ron klain to be his chief of staff in the white house and partly the reason he pointed to klains appearance fighting ebola in 2014. You worked closely with ron klain during that outbreak. You what i do think of ron klain as bidens choice . I worked with ron klain. He never liked the word czar. He was the coordinator but he was absolutely terrific at the ebola situation where we had a very successful, ultimate end game with ebola. We developed therapies. We put out the outbreak you know, it was a terrible outbreak, obviously. But we, ultimately, were very successful but that is how i got to know ron. Its quite a contrast. In january, ron klain wrote a piece in the atlantic what needed to be done for the pending crisis. This was in january. The next month, trumps acting white house chief of staff saying the virus was another hoax from the media. You dont have to comments on that. I am. Lets move on. I want to ask you about this new vaccine from pfizer which will be hard to to distribute and challenge willing to distribute because it needs to be kept at 75 degrees celsius and it will have two doses. We have hearing state officials in north dakota and mississippi who say they are overwhelmed and daunted and one added we do not have enough to pull this off successfully. How are we able it november and they are not able to proper distribute this vaccine . Its going to be a challenge, for sure. The states is not something i deal with distribution. I know. Others do. I can tell you just from what im hearing, they feel they need more resources to be able to implement something that they had not done before, namely, the special requirements. I believe its going to be done, jake. Im cautiously optimistic that we will be able to get that done. We have, you know, a system, the distribution system, led by general gus perna, who is going to be responsible for getting the material there. Obviously, locally. Once they get them there, they have to be able to distribute and that is what we are going to likely need more resources for. As we are hearing they are talking about needing more resources to implement that. Is the Pfizer Vaccine safe for kids . Has it been tested on kids . No, not yet. What we do this is not an unusual situation, is that once you have a vaccine shown to be safe and effective in an adult, you can go back and do phase one and phase two trials in children, and then do what is called bridging it, namely, using the data to show that its comparable responses in children but its safe. And the reason we do that is that children are vulnerable and you always got to make sure that youre dealing with a safe and effective vaccine before you even think about putting it into children. You want to get the children to get it as quickly as you possible can. You dont want to deprive them of access to it, but you want to make sure youre safe when youre dealing with a vulnerable population such as children. That is standard what we do with almost all vaccines. Once somebody has been immunized, i guess for pfizer, its two doses, img not sum no what it is for moderna or the other vaccines down the pike. Once the process is complete does that mean they can take off their mack, dont have to social distance and go about their lives as before . I would recommend that is not the case. I would recommend you have an added area of protection. Obviously, with 90 plus percent effective vaccine you could feel much more confident but i would recommend to people to not abandon all Public Health measures just because youve been vaccinated, because even though for the general population, it might be 90 to 95 effective, you dont necessarily know for you how effective it is. So when i get vaccinated, which i hope to when it becomes my turn to get vaccinated, im not going to abandon completely Public Health measures. I could feel more relaxed and essentially not having the stringenty we have right now. Because 5 to 10 of the people who get immunized it might not be effective for and people could get the virus if they let down their guard. You worked for six difference administrations as you noted. I want to take you back to something you said the previous anchor of the show Candy Crowley about the ebola crisis in 2014 about your job to deliver bad news to people. Take a listen. Ive never had an experience where the president is telling me to tell him something that he wants to hear. Ive never had an experience where a president is telling me to tell him something that he wants to hear. I guess you cant say that any more . Well, ive been as transparent as open as telling the administration the facts. What they do with it is a different story, but i certainly have not held back from giving my advice and recommendation based on the facts and the data. That hasnt changed from 2014. In fact, that hasnt changed for 36 years that ive been doing this. No, of course not. Its just that this is the only time its gotten you into hot water. One last question. Well. You dont have to comment on that. We need you in that job. The United States. Okay. Has 4 of the population and roughly 20 of the worlds coronavirus cases and the worlds coronavirus deaths. How do you think history will remember the United States government response to this pandemic over the past year . You know, obviously, its not going to be a good report because of the extent of the suffering that we have had. But, you know, jake, i think we are going to have to need a real academic analysis of the multifaceted issues that went into this and it has a lot to do, i think, with the nature of our country, a very large country with 50 states that tend to want to do things a little bit differently, with a country as great and phenomenal as it is, that has a flare of independence that they dont like to be told what to do. So there are a lot of things that are going to go into why we have such a high rate of in fact, and a high rate of death and i think is going to take some serious examination before we really nail down what the totality of the cause of that is. Its go to have been very complicated. Thank you, dr. Anthony fauci. We appreciate your time and the fact youre still on the job there. Thank you, jake. Thank you for having me. Progressives who helped send joe biden to the oval office now saying its time to ponyup with cabinet posts. Senator Bernie Sanders joins me live next. 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Ck, looks like a great day for achy, burning eyes overthecounter eye drops typically work by lubricating your eyes and may provide temporary relief. Ha these drops probably wont touch me. Xiidra works differently, targeting inflammation that can cause dry eye disease. What is that . Xiidra, noooo it can provide lasting relief. Xiidra is the only fda approved treatment specifically for the signs and symptoms of dry eye disease. One drop in each eye, twice a day. Dont use if youre allergic to xiidra. Common side effects include eye irritation, discomfort or blurred vision when applied to the eye, and unusual taste sensation. Dont touch container tip to your eye or any surface. After using xiidra, wait 15 minutes before reinserting contacts. Got any room in your eye . Talk to an eye doctor about twicedaily xiidra. I prefer you didnt xiidra. Not today, dry eye. Welcome back to state of the union. Im jake tapper. President elect joe biden will not take office until january, but the interparty fight between moderates and progressives are on twitter when alexandria ocasiocortez posted this photo of herself throwing shade at joe mansion after he criticized, quote, a crazy socialist agenda. How might this ideological struggle impact the democrats . Joining me now, is senator Bernie Sanders. Glad youre doing well. President trump is refusing to accept reality that he lost the election. How could he try to stay in power beyond january 20th . What level of threat do you think the lack of progress on a transition poses to the country . I am less and less wor