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Don Lemon Tonight
Bill Barr Resigns From His Job; Electoral College Seals Joe Biden's Win; GOP Members Leaving Their Party; Bittersweet Moment Amidst A Pandemic; Health Care Workers Getting Vaccine Shot; Safety Issues Raised In Michigan. Aired 10-11p ET
Aired December 14, 2020 - 22:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[22:00:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHRIS CUOMO, CNN HOST: Thank you for watching. It's time for the big show. "CNN TONIGHT" with its big star, D. Lemon.
DON LEMON, CNN HOST: You are darn right. You are right on, big star. Look, I put this on. It's great, but it looks black and white on T.V. And I said, Chris is going to say I'm stealing his black and white style. But look. Look how I did it with class.
CUOMO: I am the absence of style. That's why you benefit so greatly from this side by side.
LEMON: I got to tell you, I got to tell you something. So, I see Chris in our town this week. And I didn't know it was him. This guy in a truck and Tim and I were driving by in a truck. And I said who is this guy staring at us this weirdo? And then we got closer and we're like, is that Chris? And it was you. You were creeping us out, man. What's going on?
CUOMO: First of all, I don't think that's how it went.
LEMON: That's how it went down.
CUOMO: But Cha-cha wanted --
LEMON: Ice cream.
CUOMO: -- a Buddha Berry which is our local place. So, I didn't want to go in there, I was smoking a cigar, so I'm sitting in the back of the truck with the dogs.
LEMON: Yes, I notice.
CUOMO: And the little dog, you know, I have these two big dogs and a little dog is a menace. The little dog jumps right out of the back of the truck.
LEMON: It's always the case.
CUOMO: So, I had to deal with that. LEMON: Yes.
CUOMO: And then I saw you coming in that Clark (Inaudible) mobile with that khaki briefed on the front of it.
LEMON: Everybody loves that car.
CUOMO: And you had some hat on, you had like a fedora on the side of the --
LEMON: Yes, I did. See, I like was hiding, I like to be in cog-Negro. Neat-o.
CUOMO: Did you just say in cog-Negro?
LEMON: Yes, I did. But you are out there like on the back of your truck or whatever. So, we were two totally different people. But let me -- let me just tell you. I was I was happy to see you. I'm so -- it's a very weird time now. And I told you it's a very weird time like I'm up and then I'm down. I think most people are feeling the same way. I'm very -- I'm happy about other things, and then I'm like, you know, but a lot of people have died and we still have this COVID thing out there.
Is there -- I mean, I thought about why am I feeling this way. And as I was watching TV today and it's like, well, it's great. We've got a vaccine. I'm like, yes. Or it's great, we have some more sanity back in D.C. And then the other guy doesn't, you know, won't go away, or the vaccine is still -- the pandemic is still killing, the virus is still killing, you know, thousands of people every day.
So, it's this we're in this weird sort of tug of war with like, should we be happy about some things? I'm definitely grateful but then I'm also down. So, I think I'm feeling the way many, many people are feeling right now. I'm not sure about you.
CUOMO: I think you're right. And I think that the way to do it is day by day. A lot of cliches have purpose. You know, and sometimes you got to take the grace when it comes. This vaccine never should come as fast as it did, that's why we use time tonight to talk to scientists. We don't do that a lot.
LEMON: Yes.
CUOMO: But Keri Cohn (Ph) she was right. I mean, there are lot of scientists, science is built on science. She deserves to be singled out tonight especially for all the hardships she went through as a woman scientist trying to get taken seriously about when people didn't believe in the mRNA, the messenger RNS that made this possible. So, it's amazing.
LEMON: Yes.
CUOMO: The death rate is also amazing.
LEMON: Amazing. CUOMO: And we have to hope that one leads to a better recognition and it all has to be woven together. And that's our hope, is that a plus b equals c. Which is, you've got a vaccine, but you've got the right messaging now. And you and I don't need 30 graphs to prove to people that there's a pandemic any more.
LEMON: Right.
CUOMO: And that the cases are real and that you need to do certain things.
LEMON: Yes.
CUOMO: Because someone is going to be talking about it on a regular basis. And their people are going to be allowed to talk to us, even when the guy on top says something wrong --
LEMON: Yes.
CUOMO: -- which will happen. And most importantly --
LEMON: And we'll call them out on it.
CUOMO: That's right.
LEMON: But go on.
CUOMO: But most importantly, we will be fighting among ourselves the same way. I mean, not if he is smart. I've never said -- I've known Joe Biden a long time, the president-elect. If he decides to go that way, then he's asking for what comes if he go that way.
LEMON: Yes. And listen, we've already -- I've already -- we've already criticized some things that about, you know, people are saying well, why -- you know, people are talking about how he's crafting or putting together his administration. But the disagreements or the constructive criticism or whatever the discussion has been about policy, not whether there is a grievance somewhere, this is fake news or this is not. It hasn't been. It's a return to, as we said, normalcy and sanity.
CUOMO: Right.
LEMON: But you're right. Listen, I got a run.
CUOMO: But you know our life, brother.
LEMON: It is good to see you.
CUOMO: This is the life we chose, man. Our life is constantly --
LEMON: It is.
CUOMO: -- a contradiction in plus or minus.
LEMON: But let me tell you what someone said to me, someone who I really respect and has been a mentor who's done this.
CUOMO: Me?
[22:05:03]
LEMON: I said I've really respect.
CUOMO: Sorry. I'm here.
LEMON: Who said just because you're on television, just because people think that you have a position of privilege, that should not rob you of your humanity. People try to rob you of what it is to be human just because of those things, but it shouldn't do that, because we are human. Just as human and we feel things just as much, and sometimes even more because we are so close to it.
And think about what we have come through over the past five years, all the attacks and all that. So, I am grateful for the position that I'm in and the platform that I have, but I feel like everybody else, so I'm feeling it. So, I got to run.
CUOMO: You should be. It'd be weird if you didn't.
LEMON: It'd be weird if you didn't.
CUOMO: I love you. Keep feeling, brother.
LEMON: Yes.
CUOMO: Keep feeling.
LEMON: I want to say who it is. I want to say it is. Can I tell you? So he may not want me.
CUOMO: Tell just me.
LEMON: OK. It was Bernie Shaw.
CUOMO: Who?
LEMON: Bernie Shaw. Call me --
(CROSSTALK)
CUOMO: The man.
LEMON: Love him so much. Bernie, I love you so much. I need it last night. Thank you. It was divine intervention.
CUOMO: Did he tell you, you know Bernie Shaw, Don.
LEMON: I am no. I am no Bernie Shaw. Trust me at all. But he called up just to check up on me. And he's great. So I love you, Bernie. Yes. That's it.
CUOMO: And I love him for doing it because you're my man. LEMON: Thank you, sir. I love you too. I got to run.
CUOMO: Make your witness.
LEMON (on camera): Thank you. This is CNN TONIGHT. I'm Don Lemon.
So, I really mean that, guys. I'm not lying. I feel it going through ups and downs. You know, exciting, you know, just feel good, and then I get depressed. And then I come out of it, I think we are all going through that. So, it's going to be OK.
It has been a tough year. And if you are someone who believes in science, and reality, Chris was just talking about the scientists, right, speaking to the scientists. If you believe in science and reality, you know, it's been a tough year and then there's today.
The Electoral College showing our fair and free election in action on live T.V. Guess what? That was a real life in time, real time fact check for the country and for the world to see. And science is getting vaccines, you know, into American arms across the country. That's what's happening right now.
Despite all the misinformation on the virus that has killed more than 300,000 Americans and despite the president's effort to overthrow our election. Science and reality win today. It played out in front of, in front of our very eyes. The President-elect Joe Biden making his new victory speech tonight again.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT-ELECT OF THE UNITED STATES: Together, Vice President-elect Harris and I earned 306 electoral votes. Well exceeding the 270 electoral votes needed to secure victory, 306 electoral votes is the same number of electoral that Donald Trump and Vice President Pence received when they won in 2016.
Excuse me. At the time, Donald Trump called the Electoral College tally a landslide. By his own standards, these numbers represented a clear victory then and I respectfully suggest that they do so now.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON (on camera): You know, he is right. He won. He won a clear victory. It's funny thought that the current president doesn't see it that way, even though he won by the exact same margin and called it a landslide, I'm talking about the Electoral College because he didn't win with the popular vote. Joe Biden has him beat in that.
President-elect Joe Biden, excuse me, has him beat when it comes to that. He won in a landslide, and he won over and over and over.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: We did actually well in almost all of the states. But we had a tremendous landslide Electoral College victory. Like people haven't seen in a long time. And it's a great honor.
We had an Electoral College, as you know, congressman, we had a landslide, 306 to 223. We had a landslide.
You know what it is, really, it's a crooked deal. This is like the fake dossier, this is like everything else, these are crooked people. They lost an election and they lost it big. It was really a landslide from the Electoral College standpoint.
We had a massive landslide victory as you know in the Electoral College. I guess the final numbers are now at 306 and she is, you know, down to a very low number.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: If he wants to call it a landslide for him, he's got -- he's got to call it a land slide for Joe Biden. Just imagine the scene in the joint session of Congress on January sixth when the Electoral College vote is set to be formally confirmed. Actually, the president- elect doesn't have to imagine it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BIDEN: Four years ago, when I was a sitting Vice President of the United States it was my responsibility to announce the tally of the Electoral College votes for the joint session of Congress, that voted to elect Donald Trump. I did my job.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON (on camera): Remember this from January 2017?
[22:10:04]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BIDEN: Donald Trump of New York, has received for President of the United States 304 votes, Hillary Clinton of the state of New York has received 227 votes. This announcement of the state of the vote by the president of the Senate shall be deemed sufficient is declaration of the persons elected president and vice president of the United States, each of -- each for team beginning on the 20th day of January, 2017.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON (on camera): Joe Biden did his job almost four years ago. Now, his job is to lead America.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BIDEN: You know, in this battle, for the soul of America, democracy prevailed. We the people voted. Faith in our institutions held. The integrity of our elections remains in-tact. And now, it's time to turn the page as we have done throughout our history. To unite, to heal.
(END VIDEO CLIP) LEMON (on camera): The Electoral College results are very clear tonight. Here's the moment when California put Joe Biden over the top.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNKNOWN: I will now announce the tally of the vote for the Office of President of the United States, for Joseph R. Biden of Delaware, a Democrat, ayes, 55, no's, zero.
(APPLAUSE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON (on camera): That's it. Done deal. Just minutes later though, the current president in a blatant and kindly kind of pathetic attempts -- attempt to steal the spotlight since he has failed at stealing the election.
Announcing that his handpicked Attorney General Bill Barr will leave the administration before Christmas and releasing a resignation letter so sycophantic that it must have been ghost written by Vice President Pence.
OK, bye-bye, A.G. Barr. Have fun, happy holidays.
Back to the new president-elect and the life changing development of the day. Coast-to-coast. Vaccines being distributed to all 50 states in Puerto Rico. Just days after the FDA issued its emergency use authorization. The first shots already in arms today. And the surgeon general, on the day we passed 300,000 deaths in this country, warns Americans not to pass up the vaccine because of misinformation.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JEROME ADAMS, U.S. SURGEON GENERAL: Don't let misinformation be the reason you aren't getting everything that you deserve to be your healthy yourself.
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LEMON (on camera): But doctor after doctor saying the same thing. Don't let your guard down. Don't risk your health at holiday parties.
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SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Some days, more than a dozen parties, holiday parties going on at the White House. How are we supposed to reconcile this, I know you attended one of these parties, how do you reconcile this, and what message do you think the American people should take away from that?
ALEX AZAR, SECRETARY, UNITED STATES HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES: Well, Sanjay, I'm not as prescriptive as the way you describe it. What I say is when you are in an indoor gathering, you are in at greater risk. When you do not wear your face coverings, when you can't practice social distance you are at greater risk and each of us have to decide our own the risk tolerances and what our behaviors will be.
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LEMON (on camera): Kind of hard to give that message when there have been so many super spreader events at the White House. And countless number. I don't know how many people there have tested positive. Face coverings not really a priority in the, do as I say, not as I do president's White House where science and reality don't count if they don't give this president what he wants.
And what he wants is to undermine the clear results of this election, even on the day that we all saw Joe Biden win the Electoral College. The president's attacks, attack, I should say on democracy, creating an environment where threats against electors are spreading.
Electors in Pennsylvania with law enforcement escorts. In Arizona, meeting at undisclosed locations. Wisconsin told to use an unmarked entrance with a police escort. Michigan, the state capitol shut down due to credible threats of violence.
House Speaker Lee Chatfield, a Republican saying this about the president's attempts to overturn the election. And I quote, "I fear we lose our country forever. I fear we'd lose our country forever. This truly would bring neutrally assured destruction for every future election in regards to the Electoral College and I can't stand for that. I won't."
It's incredible. The current president doesn't want to admit the reality that he lost to Joe Biden. So, he is willing to burn down our democracy on his way out.
[22:15:01]
Trump whisperer? Geraldo Rivera is an apparent -- in apparent attempt to get the message to the current president, saying this, watch this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GERALDO RIVERA, CORRESPONDENT-AT-LARGE, FOX NEWS: I hope that the President of the United States can have it in his heart to put aside this election he has lost. If he sticks it out any further or much further, he will really appear as a sore loser.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON (on camera): Will appear as a -- I mean, Geraldo, honestly, we crossed that bridge a long time ago. How long this has been going on? Six weeks? A long time ago after he lost the popular vote, lost the recounts. Recount, after recount, after recount. Lost in the Supreme Court twice and now the official Electoral College.
There are a few senators though, who are, imagine this before I go on to that, as watching this today on CNN and I can only imagine how humiliating it was for the president at the White House, probably why he made that announcement about Bill Barr today because he wanted to change the subject, just watching himself and it's his own doing. Lose over and over and over, because if he hadn't done this whole it's
rigged and it was stolen, nobody -- when is anyone ever showed the Electoral College procedure? It's something that we take for granted. We know it's happening but we know most people abide by what the voters have done. The voters will. They have elected the president. So, the Electoral College plays out and everyone says, OK, great. That's what is happening.
But he keeps. He has to, he keeps reliving it. He can't help, he is torturing himself with all the recounts, all of the losses in court and then today, we had to play the Electoral College so people can know that it's real so they can see our democracy at work.
Real-time fact checking. He relived it again, keep reliving your loss. I saw the guy, what is his name. Randy Rainbow who said, Joe Biden -- there's been so many recounts that Joe Biden is now the 67th President of the United States because he has won so many times.
There are a few senators though tiptoeing up to reality but not enough. Senator John Thune saying, in the end at some point, you have to face the music. And I think once the Electoral College settles the issue today, it's time for everybody to move on.
The Senate Majority Leader, Mitch McConnell, ignoring questions though about the topic today while Trump's ride or die senator, Lindsey Graham says, it is a very, very, very narrow path for the president. I don't see how he gets there from here given what the Supreme Court did. What about what the voters did? A narrow path, Lindsey? More like a dead end.
And tonight, on the night of the Electoral College officially gives Joe Biden the victory again. It's time for the current president's Republican enablers to acknowledge the truth. And here's the truth. OK, everyone, are you listening? Ready?
In 37 days, Joe Biden will take the oath of office and become the 46th president of the United States. You get that now? No false hope on this program. The truth, Joe Biden is the president-elect and will take office in 37 days. We may never know just how close we came to irrevocably damaging our democracy, but Joe Biden pay tribute tonight to the heroes who stood between us and disaster.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BIDEN: It is my sincere hope that we never again see anyone subjected to the kind of threats and abuse we saw in this election. It's simply unconscionable.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[22:20:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON (on camera): Tonight, the President-elect Joe Biden telling Americans that the rule of law, the Constitution and the will of the people prevailed over President Trump's attempts to undermine the results of the election, delivering his message shortly after the Electoral College officially affirmed his victory.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BIDEN: Every single avenue was made available to President Trump to contest the results. He took full advantage of each and every one of those avenues. President Trump was denied no course of action he wanted to take. He took his case to Republican governors.
And Republican secretary of state as he criticized many of them, to Republican state legislatures, to Republican appointed judges at every level. And when the case decided after the Supreme Court's latest rejection, a judge appointed by President Trump wrote -- quote, "this court has allowed the plaintiff the chance to make his case and he has lost on the merits." End of quote. Lost on the merits.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON (on camera): A heck of a lot to discuss with CNN's chief political correspondent Dana Bash, and CNN's senior commentator John Kasich. Senior meaning just, you know, his experience not his age. The former Republican Governor of Ohio, John Kasich.
JOHN KASICH, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Nice, Don. Nice.
LEMON: No, it's a -- come on. I kid -- we kid because we love you, John.
KASICH: This is all crazy world now, there we go.
LEMON: I think it's the first time I said a heck of a lot to discuss, I should say hell of a lot, because it's true, we do.
Good evening to both of you. Dana, I'm going to start with you. The President-elect Joe Biden, this was essentially a second victory speech for him, but he is now showing some anger. He said that democracy was under attack and he made it really clear. It's time to turn the page.
[22:24:52]
DANA BASH, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, I mean, his second victory speech, but he probably could have given, you know, a dozen of them if you count up all the times that there have been recounts in key states or key cases that the Trump campaign thought that they were, you know, pushing ahead, or did push ahead on and got beaten back pretty quickly in most cases both on the state level and on the federal level.
You could see from the very beginning, from the night that CNN and other networks called the race for Joe Biden at the end of that election week, you could see from there until today, a, an increase slowly but surely, an increase in frustration and language that became more and more pointed. And you know, it's understandable he has lost patience and it's not
just because it's him, it's because of what he said in his speech. It's because of what is happening to democracy.
LEMON: Yes. John, if people knew how much we talked off line, they would be like why are guys talking on TV. But listen, he pointed -- he pointed out that he won the Electoral College, he won the popular vote. he won recounts. And Trump had every opportunity, he fought in the courts and he lost, right? How much tonight you think about setting the record straight, what did you think about tonight?
KASICH: I thought it was good. You know, funny I was listening to it while my wife, daughter, and I were having dinner and I said to my wife, I'm glad he is kind of fighting back on this. I'm glad he is saying what he's saying.
Two things. One, you get to the point where, and I've been that place many times, Don, where you get so frustrated with other people, you don't want to lose your temper but you are digging down and people are beginning to realize, you don't want to mess with this guy, and he is not quite there yet, but he is getting closer.
The other thing I like is, he set the record straight. Now anybody who has any objectivity at all that listened to that, he lost that vote, they've done the recounts. They went to the courts. Many of them Republican judges, today was the Electoral College. I mean, you know, the people that don't buy that, I mean, they are living in a fantasy world. So, I'm glad that he shows some emotion --
(CROSSTALK)
LEMON: John, but what about the people who, hey, let the process play out? Hasn't it played out? I mean, how much more can it play out?
KASICH: That is just so, I mean, it's just -- that's just the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard. We need to let the process play out for what? There's not going to be any change in the Electoral College. I mean, there are Republicans in the Senate that say, there's no way I'm going to let this election be hijacked.
So, you know, it's all, they're all protecting themselves against, quote, "this big base," which I think the big base is really a little base in the orchestra. They think it's a big base and it's a little base. It's just a guy playing the base that is just banging on real hard.
(CROSSTALK)
LEMON: You tell me that all the time, why do you think that?
KASICH: Because I think most people are pretty smart. Republicans and Democrats, they are Americans. I think they are pretty smart. And you know, look, you saw what happened in D.C. over the weekend, the fighting and all that, these are people that are just, you know, just way out there. But I just don't think that's where people are. Most people are like, can we just get on with this thing, this is ridiculous.
And so, I think these claims that it's not fair, that view is held by a smaller and smaller group every single day.
LEMON: So, OK, but Dana, doesn't that take some leadership? I mean, maybe the base is listening to the leaders. I don't know, but where are Republicans now that the Electoral College has affirmed Biden's victory, are they going to now all of a sudden come around and say, yes, he's a -- where are they?
BASH: The issue is that the leader who has been talking incessantly about this is the one who is leading his people down a path to, you know, fantasy island and on the boat. I mean, they are there. And the problem is, that the governor's former colleagues in Congress have, some of them have been outspoken, a handful in the House, a handful in the Senate.
More were forward leaning today now that it is impossible to say anything else when you have the Electoral College voting, 270 votes are there the way that the Constitution constructed it. But even, I think you were eluding to this, Don, even with that some of the president's most ardent supporters are still scared to say that it's over.
LEMON: Yes.
BASH: Well, what if the process is playing on out, you are right, there is no process. But that is not what the president wants to hear.
LEMON: John, are you talking about Marsha Blackburn, Senator Blackburn, Senator Kennedy, excuse me.
BASH: A lot of them.
LEMON: Senator Kennedy, Senator Blackburn, who else? Lindsey Graham, spoke to Biden but he told our Manu Raju today that Trump has a very, very narrow path. I mean, come on, people.
BASH: And listen --
(CROSSTALK)
[22:29:57]
KASICH: I was going to say, Dana, you know, it's a lack of leadership. Back in the old days when I was there, you know, if people started acting crazy, you know, we would get to them and say, just knock it off. I mean, you can have your say, but just forget it.
And now, there's just, there's not the leaders down there. Although, I was looking on my phone here because this guy from Michigan, Paul Mitchell --
LEMON: Yes.
KASICH: -- a Republican, he is now saying, he is not a Republican anymore. He is now an independent and doesn't want to work with them. I mean, that guy deserves, Paul Mitchell, that guy deserves, deserves credit for, you know --
(CROSSTALK)
BASH: But Governor, he is retiring.
KASICH: -- having the guts to stand up.
BASH: He is retiring.
KASICH: I thought he was still in the House.
BASH: He doesn't have to face the voters anymore.
LEMON: He's still -- yes. He is retiring.
BASH: He is retiring. It's your old friend, Fred Upton, from also from Michigan, Adam Kinzinger from Illinois, and I don't know that's about it in the House who actually won in swing districts.
LEMON: Yes.
BASH: They are Republicans who have the courage to say --
(CROSSTALK)
KASICH: Tom Teed. Tom Reed is another one. Reed stood up.
BASH: Tom Reed and there's a few others.
KASICH: Yes.
BASH: But the point is that the fact that we can name them and there are, you know, hundreds of Republicans on Capitol Hill --
KASICH: Yes.
BASH: -- says a lot.
LEMON: And hundreds who has signed on to that bogus --
(CROSSTALK)
KASICH: The whackiest thing to me.
LEMON: -- Texas lawsuit. I got to go.
BASH: Exactly, Don.
KASICH: Look, the whackiest thing to me --
LEMON: I got to go, John. Quickly, if you can.
KASICH: I'd say, the wackiest thing to me is that they are not form a group to say, hey, we are normal, and any of you people that aren't with us, fine. But when you need our votes, go hunt them somewhere else, because we are not with you until you get a reality check, that's how you do it down there. Believe me, I was there. I know how it works.
LEMON: We'll see. We shall see what happens. Thank you both. I enjoy this conversation. I'll see you soon. Dana, I watched you all day. Great job, thank you so much.
BASH: Thanks, Don.
LEMON (on camera): I'll see you soon. A glimmer of hope in the middle of a dark winter, the first public coronavirus vaccine is being given out, I'm going to speak with the doctor who got one. That's next.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNKNOWN: We've seen a lot of despair and this is a positive moment. This is a major turn, the most significant turn during this pandemic.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[22:35:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: More than 300,000 Americans have died from the coronavirus. Record highs today in both hospitalizations and confirmed cases, that's not good. But there was also something very, very good, the vaccine is now in all 50 states.
ICU nurse Sandra Lyndsay of Long Island Jewish Medical Center becoming the first person in New York to get the shot. She was followed by Dr. Yves Duroseau, the chair of emergency medicine at the same hospital. And Dr. Duroseau joins me now. Doctor, it's a pleasure. Good to see you.
YVES DUROSEAU, CHAIR OF EMERGENCY MEDICINE, LONG ISLAND JEWISH MEDICAL CENTER: Pleasure is mine. Thank you for having me.
LEMON: It's been a monumental day, a vaccine is here, you were one of the first to get it, so, what is it like to get it, how do you feel now?
DUROSEAU: I feel encourage. I feel great, the arm is fine, and no consequences whatsoever. Nothing to report.
LEMON: Yes. But listen, you know, as I have been saying, I said it at the beginning of the show, it's bitter sweet news, right? We've got the vaccine now, but a lot of people have died, are becoming ill. You lost an uncle to the virus. You say that you have another family member in the hospital? What is getting this vaccine personally mean for you and quite frankly, for your family?
DUROSEAU: It's tremendous. It's a game changer. It's tremendous, it brings us hope. And we have been waiting for this day. We have been waiting for this day, it didn't come soon enough, unfortunately, but moving forward we have something to look forward to, we have a bright future ahead of us.
But, at the same time, until we get on to that point, we have to continue to remain vigilant in terms of the masking and social distancing, the hand washing and please, please, we have to refrain from gathering. It's hard, it is difficult. But if we do that with the vaccination in combination with the vaccination, we will do well, we'll have a brighter future ahead of us.
LEMON: How important is -- listen, I know, a number of friends. As you know, a number of friends who are, you know, emergency room physicians and they were in hospital and who were on the frontlines, listen, you guys are right there and the danger is with you all the time. How important is this moment for your hospital and those who work there with you?
DUROSEAU: It's critical. It's critical for us to be able to continue to do what we do every day. Without feeling that, that doubt, that insecurity that what we are doing is going to expose us and then expose our families. So, that's going to give us another level of protection, another level of confidence to be able to do all the great things that we do every day.
So, it's critical, as you know, during this COVID surge in the beginning, we didn't know what was going on. There was a lot of uncertainty, there was lack of PPE, et cetera. We've come far since then and the vaccine is just another layer of protection that we all need.
LEMON: Well, listen, we wish you and your family members well. We hope that they recover fully and everything works out. And I see you have a beautiful tree behind you. Merry Christmas to you and your family. And we thank you for coming on, Dr. Duroseau.
DUROSEAU: Same to you, Don. Stay safe, stay healthy, test negative.
LEMON: Thank you very much.
The Electoral College confirming Biden's win, but threats of violence loomed over the process including Michigan. Is this the new reality we are facing now?
[22:40:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON (on camera): The Electoral College voting to affirm Joe Biden's win tonight with states taking special precautions to protect electors in the middle of safety concerns. Michigan forced to close its capitol because of credible threats of violence. A Republican state House member stripped of his committee assignments after saying there could be violent protests at the capitol. But the count went on, Lieutenant Governor of Michigan, Garlin Gilchrist presiding over the proceedings.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LT. GOV. GARLIN GILCHRIST (D-MI): It is now time to sign the certificates of vote for president and vice president. Each elector must sign each of the six certificates to certify the vote for Joe Biden for the Office of President of the United States and Kamala Harris for the Office of Vice President of the United States.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON (on camera): Lieutenant Governor Galrin Gilchrist joins me now. I was on with my producer when you were doing that, and I said, look, there's lieutenant governor who's our guest last week. So, thank you for coming on. Because I know it's been a very busy time for you.
GILCHRIST: Don, thank you for having me, always a pleasure.
LEMON: So, there were attacks on your state votes. Threats of violence, security concerns. How did it go in the end?
GILCHRIST: Well, in the end, Don, democracy prevailed, and the will of the voters prevailed despite the attacks that were sadly partisan. Republicans have been attacking democracy in Michigan all year, Republican elected officials.
[22:44:58]
But thankfully, the voters in Michigan had their will be done. We cast our electors for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. We are ready to move forward together now. And it was, you know, all of the talk and the rancor and the trash talk ended with a whimper.
LEMON: Have you seen anything like this before in your years?
GILCHRIST: No. This added to the list of things that I have never seen before that have happened in 2020. But I'm looking forward to 2021. But not only can we get back to normal, but we finally can define a normal that's going to work for more people, starting with our democracy ending with getting past this COVID-19 pandemic and getting an economy that works for more people.
LEMON: Republican speaker, Michigan's Republican speaker of the House said changing the state's electors to give Trump the win would mean mutually assured destruction in future elections. Representative Paul Mitchell, we spoke about him just a short while ago on this program, left the party over their handling over this. Is there bipartisan acceptance of the results of your state?
GILCHRIST: Well, given that, you know, Michigan has 14 members of Congress, and two of the Republicans have left the Republican Party since the Trump administration, I think it shows that there's a part of the Republican Party that is actually seeing that it needs to accept that reality and move on from this Republican Party that is so broken.
So, I think going forward, however, with the cementing of this victory officially in constitutional terms, there will be enough people in this country who are ready to move forward together with our new president, with our new vice president, with our new Congress and we are going to actually get to the people's business. And I'm looking forward to that future.
LEMON: Security measures were, I know, you said, you had never seen anything like this. You know, the, with all the threats and all this, the security measures were in place to protect Democratic electors in Michigan today. The capitol was closed because of credible threats of violence. Are you worried that this is America's new normal?
GILCHRIST: Well, I wish I could say that this was the first time that the capitol of the state of Michigan where I, as the president of the state Senate preside every day the legislature is in session, has been under attack. But we've seen armed people coming to our capitol with ill intentions ever since, you know, May of this year.
And so, unfortunately this is not the first time. However, I am confident, in law enforcement and the professionals that keep us safe here in the State of Michigan and at the capitol, and you know, I don't think this is a new normal. I think that people are going to be ready to move forward.
And I think they are going to see that violence is not the answer. Or at least it shouldn't be the answer, certainly it's the wrong answer for how we move forward, how we settle political disputes. And I think that we are going to actually, you know, get to the people's business.
We're going to get to the business of legislating, without the pressure without the threats, without the violence or threats of violence against lawmakers. We don't need to see guns in our capitol anymore and I hope that Michigan, our state capitol commission gets to work on that. And I think we can move forward in a much more peaceful and much more productive way
LEMON: I want to talk to you about the attorney general, I guess, calling former, he resigned today, Bill Barr. His resignation letter says that voter fraud allegations will continue to be pursued even though he previously declared that there was no evidence of that. That he didn't found any evidence of that so far that would even affect the outcome of the election.
There were probably always be people promoting the fraud hoax and believing in it, but what do you think can be done to combat that, because none of it is true, and obviously had he gone along with the president, he probably would still be in the job and be the, you know, the favorite son.
GILCHRIST: Well, the lack of fraud has been clear by the terrible record. I mean, I think, the administration has lost basically every lawsuit it's filed in almost every state. So, the courts have spoken. The law is clear. There is no evidence. And it's time to move forward and the way that --
(CROSSTALK)
LEMON: How do you fix that? How do you combat that?
GILCHRIST: We got to get past the conspiracy theories by no longer elevating them, by no longer, you know, talking about them. So, conspiracies they well, you know, may whisk away to the deepest, darkest corners but the majority of people will move forward.
LEMON: Lieutenant Governor, always a pleasure, thank you so much. I appreciate it.
GILCHRIST: Thank you, Don. Take care, be safe.
LEMON: You, as well.
The end of the road, for one of President Trump's most loyal lieutenants. How history will see the Attorney General, Bill Barr who sided with the president through thick and thin, until now.
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LEMON (on camera): Take this. The Attorney General, William Barr, resigned today. Some thought an angry President Trump would fire him after Barr said publicly that the Justice Department found no evidence to back up Trump's false claims of massive voter fraud in the election.
But up until then, Barr was completely loyal to Trump, and generally acted more like Trump's personal attorney than the nations' chief law enforcement officer. He twisted Robert Mueller's findings in the Russia investigation, claiming Mueller did not find that any campaign associates coordinated with Russian interference in the 2016 elected, and that he cleared Trump of obstruction of justice.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WILLIAM BARR, UNITED STATES ATTORNEY GENERAL: There was no evidence of the Trump campaign collusion with the Russian government's hacking.
The deputy attorney general and I concluded that the evidence developed by the special counsel is not sufficient to establish that the president committed an obstruction of justice offense.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON (on camera): Except that was spin. Mueller immediately protested, telling Barr in a letter that his claims, quote, "did not fully capture the context, nature, and substance of the officer's work and conclusions." It was spin.
And this year, a federal judge appointed by George W. Bush ruled, quote, "the court cannot reconcile certain public representations made by Attorney General Barr with the findings in the Mueller report." Spin.
[22:55:08]
Barr ordered prosecutors to dismiss charges against Michael Flynn, who admitted to lying to the FBI during the Russia investigation and is now been pardoned by the president.
And despite Barr now concluding there was no election fraud, before the election, he repeated the president's false claims that mail-in voting was rife with corruption.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARR: We're closely divided country here. And if people have to have confidence in the results of the elections and the legitimacy of the government and people trying to change the rules to this -- to this methodology, which, as a matter of logic is very open to fraud and coercion is reckless and dangerous, and the people are playing with fire.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON (on camera): And there was the violent removal of peaceful protesters from the frond of Lafayette Park near the White House in June. Barr stood behind the line of riot police before they moved in, and was then -- there he is. You see him walking through the park with Trump, who had protesters removed so he could stage a photo-op in front of St. John's Church. There he is walking with the president.
So, and then the president goes to St. John's Church and that's when he holds up the bible. So, he may have served as the top law enforcement officer in the nation, but it's history that will truly be the judge of whether he served justice, or served the president.
Joe Biden's message to America, democracy prevailed. But will he be able to fix the damage and division left behind by President Trump?
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