TONIGHT.
REALLY APPRECIATE IT.
STUART STEVENS GETS TONIGHT’S
"LAST WORD."
"THE 11TH HOUR" WITH BRIAN
WILLIAMS STARTS NOW.
>>> GOOD EVENING ONCE AGAIN.
I’M KATY TUR IN FOR BRIAN
WILLIAMS WHO WILL BE BACK ON
MONDAY.
DAY 1,414 OF THE TRUMP
ADMINISTRATION, 26 DAYS SINCE
THE ELECTION WAS CALLED FOR JOE
BIDEN, 48 DAYS UNTIL
INAUGURATION DAY.
AS THE NATION PREPARES TO
WITNESS A NEW ADMINISTRATION
TAKE OVER WE DO REMAIN LOCKED IN
A GRUELING BATTLE WITH THE
CORONAVIRUS, A WAR THAT IS
TAKING A STAGGERING TOLL EVERY
SINGLE DAY.
AND THE STRAIN OF THIS CRISIS IS
PUSHING OUR HEALTH CARE SYSTEM
EVER CLOSER TO THE BREAKING
POINT.
THERE HAVE NOW BEEN MORE THAN 14
MILLION CONFIRMED INFECTIONS IN
THIS COUNTRY.
KEEP IN MIND WE CROSSED THE 13
MILLION CASE MARK JUST LAST
FRIDAY.
THERE WERE MORE THAN 205,000
CASES RECORDED TODAY ALONE.
AND SO FAR MORE THAN 2,500 LIVES
HAVE BEEN LOST.
TONIGHT IN AN INTERVIEW ON CNN
PRESIDENT-ELECT JOE BIDEN MADE
IT CLEAR HOW MUCH HIS APPROACH
TO THE PANDEMIC WILL DIFFER FROM
PRESIDENT TRUMP’S STARTING WITH
ACTUALLY LISTENING TO DR.
ANTHONY FAUCI.
>> WE SPOKE TODAY 3:00.
MY COVID TEAM MET WITH HIM.
I ASKED HIM TO STAY ON IN THE
EXACT SAME ROLE HE’S HAD FOR THE
PAST SEVERAL PRESIDENTS AND
ASKED HIM TO BE A CHIEF MEDICAL
ADVISOR FOR ME AS WELL.
WE TALKED ABOUT MASKING.
IF THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT HAS
AUTHORITY I’M GOING TO ISSUE AN
ORDER YOU HAVE TO WEAR MASKS AND
IN TRANSPORTATION YOU MUST BE
MASKED IN AIRPLANES AND BUSES,
ET CETERA.
THE FIRST DAY I’M INAUGURATED TO
SAY I’M GOING TO ASK THE PUBLIC
FOR 100 DAYS TO MASK.
>> THE FIRST VACCINES ARE
EXPECTED TO BE AVAILABLE BY THE
END OF THE MONTH FOR PEOPLE AT
RISK.
BIDEN ADDED THAT HE’S WILLING TO
BE INOCULATED BEFORE HIS
INAUGURATION AND ON CAMERA.
FORMER PRESIDENTS OBAMA, BUSH
AND CLINTON HAVE ALREADY SAID
THEY’RE WILLING TO DO THE SAME
TO ENCOURAGE AMERICANS TO BE
VACCINATED.
MEANWHILE THE NUMBER OF
AMERICANS HOSPITALIZED WITH
COVID-19 KEEPS ON RISING.
IT IS NOW NEARING 101,000,
ANOTHER RECORD.
THE INCREASING PRESSURE ON
CRITICAL CARE SERVICES HAS
PUSHED CALIFORNIA TO IMPOSE NEW
RESTRICTIONS LINKED TO THE
NUMBER OF AVAILABLE ICU BEDS.
THERE’S MORE ON THAT JUST AHEAD.
YET AGAIN TODAY THERE WAS
NOTHING ABOUT THE SKYROCKETING
CASES OR THE PAIN AND THE LOSS
CAUSED BY THIS EPIDEMIC FROM
OUTGOING PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP.
HIS FOCUS REMAINS FIXATED ON HIS
ARRAY OF FALSE CLAIMS THAT
WIDESPREAD FRAUD COST HIM THE
ELECTION EVEN THOUGH HIS HAND
PICKED ATTORNEY GENERAL BILL
BARR SAYS HE’S SEEN NO EVIDENCE
OF THAT.
THOSE COMMENTS HAVE APPARENTLY
SOURED RELATIONS BETWEEN DONALD
TRUMP AND ONE OF HIS MOST
TRUSTED LIEUTENANTS.
>> MR. PRESIDENT, CAN I ASK YOU
TO RESPOND TO THE COMMENTS BY
YOUR ATTORNEY GENERAL WHO
INDICATED HE HAS NOT SEEN AT
THIS POINT ANY EVIDENCE OF FRAUD
ENOUGH TO OVERTURN THE ELECTION
RESULTS GIVEN THAT, WHY IT’S NOW
NOT THE TIME TO CONCEDE.
>> WELL, HE HASN’T DONE
ANYTHING, SO HE HASN’T LOOKED.
>> DO YOU STILL HAVE CONFIDENCE
IN BILL BARR?
>> ASK ME THAT IN A NUMBER OF
WEEKS FROM NOW.
THEY SHOULD BE LOOKING AT ALL OF
THIS FRAUD.
>> MULTIPLE SOURCES HAVE TOLD
NBC NEWS THAT TRUMP HAS NOT
RULED OUT FIRING BILL BARR.
ALSO THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
REPORTS THE WHITE HOUSE LIAISON
TO THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT HAS
BEEN BANNED FROM THE BUILDING
AFTER PRESSURING STAFFERS FOR
ELECTION FRAUD INFORMATION.
AND TRUMP’S QUEST TO OVERTURN
THE ELECTION SUFFERED ANOTHER
BLOW WHEN THE WISCONSIN SUPREME
COURT TOSSED OUT A REQUEST TO
REVOKE CERTIFICATION OF HIS LOSS
TO JOE BIDEN.
WE’RE ALSO LEARNING MORE ABOUT
THAT POSSIBLE BRIBERY FOR
PRESIDENTIAL PARDON INQUIRY
REVEALED EARLIER THIS WEEK.
TONIGHT "THE NEW YORK TIMES"
REPORTS THIS PAST SUMMER THE
JUSTICE DEPARTMENT A TOP
FUND-RAISER FOR TRUMP
ELLIOTBROIDY AND JARED KUSHNER’S
LAWYER ON THE ROLES THEY BOTH
MAY HAVE PLAYED IN A SUSPECTED
SCHEME TO OFFER A BRIBE ON
BEHALF OF A BILLIONAIRE REAL
ESTATE DEVELOPER IN EXCHANGE FOR
CLEMENCY FOR A TAX CRIMES
CONVICTION.
"THE TIMES" SAYS NO ONE HAS BEEN
CHARGED IN THE INQUIRY.
AND POLITICO HAS NEW REPORTING
ON THE MATTER OF PARDONS THAT
SAYS TRUMP IS CONSIDERING
PREEMPTIVELY PARDONING MORE THAN
20 AIDES AND ASSOCIATES BEFORE
LEAVING THE OFFICE.
TRUMP IS ENSURING THE TYPICAL
PROTOCOL OF CASES THROUGH THE
JUSTICE DEPARTMENT.
THOSE INCLUDE EVERYONE FROM
TRUMP’S PERSONAL ATTORNEY RUDY
GIULIANI TO SEVERAL MEMBERS OF
HIS FAMILY, ALL PEOPLE WHO HAVE
NOT BEEN CHARGED WITH A CRIME.
EARLIER THIS EVENING JOE BIDEN
WAS ASKED ABOUT THOSE REPORTS ON
TRUMP PARDONS.
>> IT CONCERNS ME IN TERMS OF
WHAT KIND OF PRECEDENT IT SETS
AND HOW THE REST OF THE WORLD
LOOKS AT US AS NATION OF
INJUSTICE.
OUR JUSTICE DEPARTMENT IS GOING
TO OPERATE INDEPENDENTLY ON
THOSE ISSUES ON HOW TO RESPOND
TO ANY OF THAT.
IN TERMS OF A PARDONS YOU’RE NOT
GOING TO SEE IN OUR
ADMINISTRATION THAT KIND OF
APPROACH TO PARDONS NOR ARE YOU
GOING TO SEE IN OUR
ADMINISTRATION THE APPROACH TO
MAKING POLICY BY TWEETS.
YOU KNOW, IT’S JUST GOING TO BE
A TOTALLY DIFFERENT WAY IN WHICH