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Don Lemon Tonight

FDA Plans To Quickly Issue Emergency Use Authorization; Trump Out of Sight as U.S. Facing Pandemic and Cyberattack Crisis; States Told they are Going to Receive Fewer Pfizer Vaccine Sparking Confusion; United States Sees Spike in COVID-19 Deaths, Cases and Hospitalizations; What Will Biden's Team Do to Fight the Climate Crisis; Darkest Days Yet of the Coronavirus Pandemic; Hospital Administrator Whose Staff Cleans COVID Rooms Gets Vaccine to Help Build Confidence; Fox News Prime Time Hosts Ignore Real Crises. Aired 11p-12a ET

Aired December 17, 2020 - 23:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[23:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

DON LEMON, CNN HOST: Tonight, an FDA advisory panel recommending emergency use authorization for a second coronavirus vaccine. This one manufactured by Moderna. The FDA says it plans to issue the authorization quickly. That as the U.S. is dealing with record rates of daily new cases, rising deaths, and record numbers of COVID-19 patients in hospitals.

President Trump out of sight and silent on the crisis. One White House adviser saying Trump's complaining about losing the election, but his whining is unbecoming. And President-Elect Joe Biden making history picking the first Native American as a cabinet secretary.

I want to bring in CNN's White House correspondent, John Harwood and senior political analyst Ron Brownstein. Good to see you both. Thank you for joining me. We got a lot to talk about tonight. So, John, the former Governor of New Jersey, Chris Christie spoke to Chris Cuomo earlier and here is what he said about the election.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHRIS CHRISTIE, FORMER GOVERNOR OF NEW JERSEY: Whenever anybody loses an election, Party, individual, there is great disappointment but elections have consequences and this one was clearly won by President- Elect Biden by the same margin in the Electoral College that President Trump won four years ago. And by even more, nearly double the popular vote.

This election, there's been no evidence put forward that's shown me as a former prosecutor that there was any fraud that would change the results of the election. And so, it's time for us to accept that defeat.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: So, John, what do you think? President Trump is missing action. You think he's listening?

JOHN HARWOOD, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Of course, he's not listening, Don. Look, the president is not all there mentally. Let's just be honest about it. He is showing in the aftermath of the election why he is not fit for the presidency. He is not capable of doing the job. He's not capable of focusing on anyone other than himself.

This is actually been evident throughout his four years in office but it's been accentuated by the fact that since the election not only has he refused to recognize the reality of his defeat he's completely ignoring the surging coronavirus pandemic which is raging through the country and killing 3,000 people a day. It's an abdication of his duty and -- but that's who Donald Trump is and that is what underscores his incapacity to do this job.

LEMON: Ron, we are learning tonight about Cedric Richmond a top Biden aide testing positive. He is a Congressman, right, and also Congresswoman Porter is in quarantine. Secretary Azar's wife testing positive. Secretary of State Pompeo is in quarantine. Seems like we need our top officials to get vaccinated as soon as possible.

RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST, AND SENIOR EDITOR OF THE ATLANTIC: Yes, and we also need as John said, we need a president who will do his job until the last day. And we talked about this before. What we're watching is the equivalent of a navy captain abandoning the bridge under fire and retreating to his state room and wondering about his own survival and plotting his own survival leaving the crew, you know, in this case the American public to face this unprecedented national security threat on their own.

We're looking at a 9/11 a day. A pearl harbor a day. And not only is the president silent and absent, I am especially struck by again the tolerance and abetting of his party, of his behavior. You do not hear Republicans calling him out for walking away from the country at this critical moment, putting any pressure or even acknowledging that it's happening. And now we have a second front of this massive Russian hack which the president is ignoring.

[23:05:09]

And again, Republicans are ignoring that. It is the entire party at this point is kind of walking away from this enormous challenge and given the hostility to the -- or the disruption of the transition, you know, in many ways they are putting taxes in front of the Biden administration is going to have to handle it and clean it up.

LEMON: But Ron, why won't he talk about it? Why won't he come out and say, hey listen, you know, we have a vaccine out there but every day I need you to wear masks. I need you to do this. We need to, blah, blah, blah. We got to get the economy back on track. He is MIA, you don't really hear from him. Like he's given up.

BROWNSTEIN: Well, look. There are presumably personal and political reasons here. Personal, obviously as John has said, I mean, this is someone who has been, you know, self-absorbed from the outset who really kind of looks at issues from the lens of what can it do for me. And, you know, here he feels like his interest is in just stoking this grievance.

But look. From the beginning, I mean, the original sin of his handling of the pandemic was the desire to project normalcy at all costs no matter what the implications of that for public health and no matter how dangerous that was in terms of spreading the virus. And you continue to see Governors like DeSantis in Florida and Abbott in Texas under the pressure of that refusing to recalibrate their course in any way as the country buckles under this extraordinary surge.

So in one way personal but in another way it's political. I mean, he clearly has made the decision and convinced much of the Republican coalition that we can soldier through this even though these deaths now appear, feel especially unnecessary with there being light at the end of the tunnel in the presence of the vaccine.

LEMON: So, John, we're learning that states were told by the federal government that they will receive fewer Pfizer vaccine doses than initially promised. States are confused. Are there concerns about the government's command and control of the vaccine distribution?

HARWOOD: Well, there's good reason to be concerned about every aspect of the Trump administration's performance. Now, what the White House is saying about the state's complaints is that they're getting less -- fewer doses so far than they expected simply because the administration is holding back the second doses in the two dose regimen. So that they would appear to be getting half of what they thought but they will get the other half when the three weeks pass and the time comes for the second Pfizer vaccine.

If that's all it is, that's not much of a problem assuming that logistically they can execute that second shipment. But that's what the White House says. We haven't heard from all the states on this. And the fact that the states didn't know what the White House is telling us tonight would suggest that there is at minimum a communications problem.

LEMON: Gentlemen, thank you so much.

Tonight an FDA advisory panel recommending authorization of a second COVID-19 vaccine. I want to discuss that now with CNN medical analyst Dr. Jonathan Reiner and Dr. William Schaffner, professor of infectious diseases at Vanderbilt University. I have two of the best minds on to discuss this. I'm very happy about that. Good evening, gentlemen.

Dr. Schaffner the FDA plans to issue an emergency use authorization for that Moderna vaccine quickly. But it comes as the U.S. had its deadliest day of the pandemic. These vaccines really can't come soon enough.

WILLIAM SCHAFFNER, INFECTIOUS DISEASE SPECIALIST, VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER: Oh, you're exactly right. Everybody's eager for the vaccines to be in place locally so we can distribute them out. The Pfizer vaccine is in large institutions. You know, that's the one that has to be kept so very cold and managed very, very carefully to prevent a vaccine is less cold sensitive, heat sensitive, so it can be distributed more widely out into rural counties, smaller institutions, pharmacies, doctors' offices.

There are a lot of people ready to roll up their sleeve, Don. We need to get started on this vaccination program just as quickly as possible. It's part of our institution, my medical center today. And we got off to a rousing start.

LEMON: Yes. Dr. Reiner I want to ask you, I want to get your take on some states raising concerns that they expect to get fewer doses of the vaccine than initially promised. Is this a red flag for some sort of -- is it going to have some sort of impact on, you know, what could happen, on how long before we get back to normal?

JONATHAN REINER, CNN MEDICAL ANALYST: Well, we heard from Pfizer this afternoon that they have no manufacturing problems and that they have a warehouse full of literally millions of doses of vaccine ready to go out as soon as the federal government tells them where to ship it.

[23:10:05]

There was another report this evening that states that really the confusion came from a new federal software system called Tiberius which was written by the big data company Palantir which was loaded with essentially the wrong data that led states to believe that they were getting more vaccine than they truly were. So this might all just be a big confusion. We have the vaccine. It'll probably get sorted out in the next several days.

LEMON: Dr. Schaffner, I want to talk about -- there is a new study that finds that Regeneron's antibody cocktail reduces a patient's viral load and it works best in patients whose immune response hadn't kicked in yet. This is what President Trump got. Is this encouraging?

SCHAFFNER: Well, we're going to be using this drug much more widely in the future. It is already being used fairly frequently. And if we could prevent the development of serious disease among people who are infected, if we could intervene early enough so that the disease does not get into its later phases, the ones that require hospitalization, that would be terrific. And those, we're using that drug in our medical center now for just that purpose.

LEMON: Dr. Reiner, we have turned to the expertise of you and Dr. Schaffner throughout this pandemic. This is some of what you've told us through this past year.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REINER: We've known for a long time that masks prevent transmission. If you look at photographs from the Spanish flu pandemic, 102 years ago, everyone in the street is wearing a mask.

SCHAFFNER: And with states opening up, and some of those states don't seem to have met all the criterion, phase one, that's been laid out in the national plan, we're of course worried that this coronavirus which cleverly knows how to be transmitted from person to person will have a field day as people get out and about and get close to each other and get a little more lax in their social distancing. And that will result in more people coming into the hospital I'm afraid.

But what I'm really afraid of is since it is now everywhere come fall I think it is going to spring up all over the country and I think this second wave that's coming in the fall will be worse than the first.

REINER: So why should his followers, you know, wear a mask? The president is not going to wear one. And that moronic stance will cost us a 250,000 Americans by thanksgiving.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Wow. Interesting. You guys know what you are talking about. We've now suddenly blown past a quarter million preventable deaths. What do people need to listen to now, Dr. Reiner?

REINER: I think they need to listen to their doctors. I think they need to listen to public health officials. Help is on the way. No one wants to be the last person to die of COVID. And you don't have to be. You need to mask up. You need to avoid crowds. You need to, what I call make your viral footprint as small as possible. You know, go to the store once a week rather than every single day.

These kinds of things. Stay out of trouble. Keep a mask on. You're going to get a vaccine in the next couple of months. And that's going to put your life right. So, if you can just do that, we can get through this. But I think on a nationwide basis, I don't see how we don't shut down. There are too many deaths now. Hospitals are too packed. We are going to have to do some shutdowns.

LEMON: Wow. Really.

REINER: It has to happen.

LEMON: Dr. Schaffner? I'll give you the last word. What do you say? Do you agree with that?

SCHAFFNER: Well, I'm certainly worried about it. And I'd like to reformulate it a little bit and reach out to all those men out there who think wearing a mask is unmanly. On the contrary you're the protector. You're the protector of your family, your loved ones, your wife, your children, your neighbors. People with whom you worship. If you wear the mask you will protect them. That is a very manly thing to do.

LEMON: I so appreciate having both of you on. And I mean, it is just -- we just went back through the entire year and I was just -- everything you were right on, right on. We are so fortunate to have both of you. Thank you so much. I'll see you soon.

HARWOOD: Thank you, Don.

LEMON: Joe Biden is choosing a diverse cabinet that looks like America but what will they do about the climate crisis that threatens everybody in this country and the world especially people of color? (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: The President-Elect Joe Biden announcing more members of his history making cabinet New Mexico Congresswoman Deb Haaland is his pick for interior secretary to be the first Native American cabinet secretary and Michael Regan to head the EPA. He would be the first black man to head that agency.

So, what do these choices mean for his policy goals on climate? And is the President-Elect living up to his promise to build a cabinet that looks like America?

Joining me now to discuss, CNN's chief climate correspondent Mr. Bill Weir and CNN political commentator Karen Finney. Good to see you both of you. Karen I see you all the time, you know I love you. Bill, I don't get to see you a lot. Where you been, brother? We miss seeing you.

BILL WEIR, CNN'S CHIEF CLIMATE CORRESPONDENT: Good to see you.

LEMON: Good evening to both of you. So, Bill, Biden going, you know, with a lot of picks who clearly understand the disproportionate effects brought on by environmental changes including Deb Haaland as interior secretary, Michael Regan, EPA head. What does this tell us about his approach to environmental justice?

[23:20:00]

WEIR: Well, Don, I mean, it is so interesting to see if you go to the environmental Twitter feeds after four years, it sort of outrage on a loop. There is pure giddiness. And it is hard to overstate the importance, the poignancy of Deb Haaland, who is a 35th generation New Mexico.

LEMON: Wow.

WEIR: He is put in charge of 1/5 of American land and a quarter of the carbon pollution that comes out of the United States comes out of this federal land. So the meaning of her, you know, this is a woman who lived without electricity, lived without running water. As so many Native Americans have experienced. And they are celebrating. There's about 2 million Native Americans now who have someone that looks like them wanting this old agency.

And then on the other pick Michael Regan what is really interesting about that is he has great bona fides, he is 44 years old, North Carolina top environmental official there. He brokered a big deal with duke energy got them to pay for the biggest coal ash cleanup in the country's history, worked under Clinton and George W. Bush at EPA but his name really didn't emerge until the last couple days, because what seemed to be the odds on favorite Mary Nichols who was the long time sort of climate czar in California.

Bunch of environmental groups came forward and said we oppose her pick because she is not sensitive to the needs of environmental justice. The cap and trade scheme doesn't work for communities, fence line communities, where corporations can basically buy offsets and just keep polluting.

And she says we're still suffering. And you've ignored us for 10 years as we've tried to raise this so they wrote to Biden and I think it really set the transition back and that's how they took a look at Regan.

LEMON: Yes. Listen, Karen, not many people can say they are 35th generation. I mean, that is pretty awesome. Biden's cabinet has several historic firsts. Are you encouraged by what you're seeing?

KAREN FINNEY, CNN/MSNBC POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Absolutely. I mean, I have to say I was really hoping that Deb Haaland for example would be named to the cabinet. I mean, you know, representation matters. We've talked about this before, Don. Think about the legacy. I mean, slavery we've talked about slavery and racial injustice in this country, but think about the injustices that have been done generation after generation to Native Americans in this country and to now have someone who is, you know, native American, 35th generation New Mexican.

LEMON: Wow.

FINNEY: Running such an important agency. And being at key decision- making tables. You know, again, one of the things that is so important about the representation and the diversity of experiences and backgrounds, you know, different folks here have experienced both local governments, state governments, at the federal level dealing with these issues and each of them bring their experience, their lived experience.

Their diverse American stories to the table around the table to help make decisions about the future of our country and to undo so much environmental damage that was done under the Trump administration.

LEMON: Well, I mean, I got to say, if we can just put the picture back up of the folks so far. I mean, you should just look at the screen. Look at that. I mean it really is reflective of America, what this country actually looks like. It is such, Bill, I think you said it, it's such really the opposite of what we saw during the last administration.

I've got to say, Bill, I've been watching you for a long time, watching you go around the country, watching you talk to people suffering the most from climate issues. What are communities of color and indigenous people hoping to see change here?

WEIR: A seat at the table, Don. You know, distant white guys have been making decisions for a lot of these communities for a couple hundred years and so to have a position of authority where entire fates and futures of land and water and wildlife can be taken into account especially after four years in which Donald Trump really turned even the words environmental protection agency into an oxymoron. He appointed people, men who spent their careers suing the EPA on behalf of coal and oil producers.

And so we knew that he had promised to run on climate, we knew we are going to see a 180, but it is just really sort of interesting to see the reactions to these picks too. You have got Jen Granholm, who we know here at CNN Department of Energy. He could have gone with a more traditional pick there, but her bona fides in terms of pre- transportation and she is a good communicator the way Pete Buttigieg is at the Department of Transportation and sort of reminding people that all of these things are connected.

These different cabinet posts, climate touches all of them. You know, it is not a menu item. It's the whole restaurant. And the economy and public health, foreign policy. All of that depends on a livable planet. And of course in this moment of reckoning now after the summer of Black Lives Matter protests, after you see that COVID affects communities of color disproportionately because they've been breathing dirty air, you know, America was built, a lot of it, by dumping our pollution on the poor side of town.

[23:25:17]

And it is long overdue that somebody can come to the table who has lived in those communities. And knows what it's like and knows the hidden costs of the choices we all make.

LEMON: Karen, what did you want to say?

FINNEY: I was just going to say, let's also add that this climate team, this environmental team also represents a 180 we believe in science. Science is real. Climate change is real. Climate science is real. If you didn't believe, you know, here in Washington where it's been 39 degrees one day and 70 the next for the last couple of weeks.

LEMON: A nor'easter.

(LAUGHTER)

FINNEY: But it says this is real. And this is about the now and our future. And this is also a team of people, I mean, Jennifer Granholm, someone who is also, you know, backed by labor and who understands what it takes in terms of, you know, creating clean energy jobs. That can stay here in America. So, it also says we have got to face the facts in terms of clean energy and the future that we want for our country and the jobs we need to create and the seriousness with which we need to approach these issues.

LEMON: Bill, I got to run, but I can't let you jump in because I got to ask you this question. So what is Key West going to do on New Year's Eve without you?

(LAUGHTER)

WEIR: Sushi is going to do a virtual drop in high heeled shoes, maybe.

LEMON: So you're going to join us? Are you going to join us, right? OK.

WEIR: I will be on New Year's Eve although I won't be in Key West. I won't be in the (inaudible), I have something very special planned. LEMON: All right. We have got something very special. I know, look.

Anderson and Andy always do, but we've got something. You have got something. We're not going to tell. Its suspense, folks. You got to tune in. All right. Thank you both. I'll see you soon.

The coronavirus is surging reaching levels we have never seen before and it could get a lot worse with the holidays. How to keep yourself safe just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[23:30:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: These are the darkest days yet of the pandemic. With only a week until Christmas, millions of people expected to travel for the holidays, and experts are warning that we could see another surge in cases.

And there are already cautionary tales. Today, the county health department in Henderson, North Carolina confirming 75 cases of coronavirus linked to a holiday celebration at a local church.

And this week, we learned a small-town Georgia couple dressed as Santa and Mrs. Claus mingled with dozens of children only to test positive days later.

Remember the warnings before Thanksgiving? Lots of people still travelled away and we got a surge because of it. Travelled anyway, I should say, and we got a surge because of it.

So, is there such a thing as a safe holiday gathering this year?

Let's discuss now with Joe Allen, assistant professor of Exposure Assessment Science at Harvard and the author of "Healthy Buildings." Also, Dr. Cornelia Griggs, pediatric surgeon at Massachusetts General Hospital.

I was just commenting in the break, we love having both of you on because you know so much. So thank you for joining.

Dr. Griggs, I must start with you. We are so close to having vaccines widely distributed, but the next two months could see things get worse, get really much worse. What is the best way for people to stay safe this holiday season?

CORNELIA GRIGGS, PEDIATRIC SURGEON, MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL HOSPITAL: You know, it's such an important inflection point in the pandemic at this stage because we're seeing a lot of really hopeful, optimistic imagery of health care workers getting their vaccines. But it is right at this point where if people are not vigilant and lose steam that we're going see a surge upon surge with the holidays.

We already know that Americans gathered for Thanksgiving and millions are planning to travel for Christmas, but I hate to be a total Grinch. It just means you have to keep your gathering as small as possible. Avoid eating together. Bring your own food, bring your own drink, and keep everything to a minimum. Do whatever you can on screen.

LEMON: Do people call you a Grinch who stole Christmas?

(LAUGHTER)

GRIGGS: They probably will after this. It won't bother me --

LEMON: Yeah.

GRIGGS: -- even if it prevents one person from getting the virus.

LEMON: Yeah. What you are saying is actually very, very, very important. You are exactly right. So, Joe, for Americans in many parts of the country, it is too cold this time of year to gather together outside, right? If people are going to be together this Christmas, is there a safe way to do it indoors?

JOE ALLEN, AUTHOR, ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF EXPOSURE ASSESSMENT SCIENCE, HARVARD: Yeah. Thanks for having me back on, Don. So first and foremost, we definitely have to try and stay out of this wave. And so ideally, I'll reiterate what was just said. Only gather this holiday with those you live with if you can.

But if you are going to get together with people, there are a couple things you can do. First, try to do this outdoors. Now, I know that doesn't work in a lot of areas of the country particularly where I am, we just had a big snowstorm.

But if you are going to be indoors, just be mindful and aware that as people talk and breathe, we emit aerosols that can build up indoors. And our homes don't really breathe all that well. In fact, you only get half an air change per hour in a typical U.S. home.

That means it can take several hours to dilute or dissipate any aerosols, respiratory aerosols, there is someone infectious, that they release into the home. It can take several hours to clear that out. So, it is really critical. You want to open your windows. Even an inch or two will help.

[23:35:00]

ALLEN: For those in the cold climates, an inch or two will work. If you can't do that, a good substitute is a portable air cleaner --

LEMON: Mm-hmm.

ALLEN: -- with a HEPA filter. And last, I would recommend mask wearing for all times when you are not actively eating or drinking.

LEMON: Mm-hmm. But none of it is fool proof except for not gathering together, correct?

ALLEN: Yeah, that's right. I mean, there is no such thing as zero risk. My preference would be and what I'm doing is we're having just our immediate family, the people I live with. We're going to keep it real small this year.

LEMON: Mm-hmm.

ALLEN: That's ideal. But we know an abstinence only message doesn't always work. So if people are going to get together, we want to give them some tools and tips for how to reduce risk.

LEMON: I'm with you. Let me ask you one more thing before I get back to the good doctor here. It's not just family gatherings, right? Malls this time of year are mobbed with holiday shoppers. You know, supermarkets, people, I got to get my food on, I got to do this, I got to make the turkey and all that. Should people be shopping online this year? How risky are stores right now?

ALLEN: Yes, so I'd say the same thing. You want to look for -- they don't have to be high risk, but what is going to happen around the holidays as we know is there is going to be last-minute mad dash rush, same with the grocery stores.

So what I would do absolutely, of course, wear a mask, but if it looks crowded, that is your first indication that it is not going to be so good.

Look, only go to a place if you can keep your distance. But if there are a lot of people in there, one thing you won't know is whether or not there is enough air being brought in. But what is guaranteed is that there are a lot of people in there and it looks crowded, there is not going to be enough air per person being delivered into that space. That is a cue that is a place you don't want to go into.

LEMON: OK. Dr. Griggs, back to you. Dr. Fauci isn't spending Christmas with his family for the first time in 30 years and says he is worried that coronavirus spread will be worse than it was over Thanksgiving.

He's been accused of wanting to ruin Christmas for asking people to be safe. So listen, you are in good company. So, what do you say to people who don't want to give up Christmas with family from out of town?

GRIGGS: I mean Americans have been through so much. People across the world have been through so much. I understand how desperately people feel they want to see and hug their family members.

But the really insidious thing about this virus is that you are likely in this holiday season to get COVID from somebody that you trust and love when you let your guard down, when you're not wearing a mask, when you give them a hug and a kiss.

That is the truly devastating thing. And we're going to wind up with horrible, horrible numbers of people in the hospital in January and beyond.

LEMON: Well, I mean, you can look at it this way, because you can't get together, that means you don't have to buy Christmas presents.

(LAUGHTER) GRIGGS: Lean into whatever you hated about the holidays.

LEMON: I think this is a good year actually, considering what so many people are dealing with, it is a good year not to buy Christmas presents and take that money and help someone else, if you can spare it, right?

GRIGGS: Absolutely.

LEMON: It is a good lesson to learn, right? It's not about buying presents. It is about the spirit of Christmas. Thank you. And the spirit of the holidays. Thank you so much. I appreciate both of you. I will see you soon. Be safe.

ALLEN: Thank you.

LEMON: Medical experts and health workers trying to fight vaccine skepticism. One hospital administrator choosing to get a shot to show leadership to staffers who clean COVID rooms despite concerns from his own family.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[23:40:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Good news in the battle against COVID-19. An FDA advisory panel is recommending authorization of a second vaccine. This one made by Moderna. Distribution of the Pfizer vaccine is well under way this week starting with frontline medical workers and hospital personnel.

I want to bring in now -- you have to listen to this person -- Roy Dunlap. Roy Dunlap is a director of Environmental Services at Howard University Hospital in Washington, and he got the vaccine. So we're so happy that he's here. Mr. Dunlap, thank you for joining us. Congratulations on getting the vaccine.

ROY DUNLAP, RECEIVED COVID VACCINE, DIRECTOR OF ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES, HOWARD UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL: Thank you. Thank you, Don. Thank you for having me.

LEMON: So, what was it like to have it? I mean, do you have any side effects or anything?

DUNLAP: Just the 48 hours since I got the vaccine, there is just a little soreness on my arm. So instead of sleeping on my right side, I slept on my left side. So, that's about the only thing so far.

LEMON: Oh, I got the flu, I got a flu shot a couple months ago, my arm was sore. You'll be all right. So, listen, Roy, your family was skeptical in all seriousness, even worried about you getting the vaccine.

DUNLAP: Right.

LEMON: Why were they concerned?

DUNLAP: Well, for one, you know, I told my wife at the last minute, let me just say that. I knew I was getting the vaccine two weeks ago when my CEO said that she was going to get it. So I made up my mind at that point that I was going to get it.

LEMON: You didn't tell them?

DUNLAP: So the night before -- huh?

LEMON: You didn't tell them?

DUNLAP: Excuse me? I'm sorry. I didn't tell them until the night before. So --

(LAUGHTER)

DUNLAP: -- the night before, we were having dinner and, you know, we sit around the table, we did bring things to the table that we want to discuss -- school, work, et cetera. So, I told my wife. I said, listen, baby, I'm going to get the vaccine tomorrow.

[23:45:00]

DUNLAP: And I look across to my son and my son's eyebrows raised like oh, no.

(LAUGHTER)

DUNLAP: And my wife, she just looked at me and she says, you are going to get it tomorrow, you're just now telling me? Why do you need to get it? Why come do you need to get it? Why can't you let somebody else do it? Why can't you wait to see what are the side effects? Your family needs you.

And I looked in her eyes and I said, baby, quite frankly, I need to do this. I need to be a leader. I need to be a leader to my staff, you know, because I oversee the Environmental Services Department, which does the cleaning, the cleanup for COVID-19.

So, a lot of my staff members are exposed to COVID-19 first hand.

And then my staff members, a lot of my staff members got COVID-19. We have lost 10 staff members that had it. So it was very important to be the leader, to take the vaccine to start combatting this COVID-19 virus.

LEMON: Couple things there. I know your wife was mad when she gave you the why come. She is like --

(LAUGHTER)

LEMON: She was mad, right?

DUNLAP: Yes, she was.

LEMON: I like what you said that you and your family, you sit around and you bring things to the table for dinner.

DUNLAP: Right.

LEMON: You bring up things that you want to talk about. That is fantastic.

DUNLAP: Right.

LEMON: But also, it's fantastic that you're setting an example for the people who work with you and people --

DUNLAP: Right.

LEMON: -- who are concerned and really fearful of getting the vaccine because -- and sometimes for good reason because of the history of this country.

DUNLAP: Right.

LEMON: They need to see an example.

DUNLAP: Right. And like you said, you know, I also want to be an example to the community, as well. Like you said, our history with viruses in America has not been good.

LEMON: Mm-hmm.

DUNLAP: So I want to show black and brown people, Latino and blacks, that this virus is the beginning stages of bringing this pandemic down and going back to normal. I want everything to return to normal. So, the economy is all messed up. This is the fastest way to get back to the economy and get back to a way of life, a normal way of life.

LEMON: Well, let me tell you something. I think you left out something. You're not telling people. Your arm is not hurting from that shot. Your arm is hurting because you're sleeping on the couch or in the dog house. That's why.

(LAUGHTER)

DUNLAP: I think my wife punched me in my sleep, too.

(LAUGHTER)

LEMON: I like you. I like you, Roy. You're a good man. Roy Dunlap from Washington, D.C. Hey, thank you, brother. Merry Christmas to you and your family. Be well, OK?

DUNLAP: OK. Thank you. It is a pleasure to be on your show. Thank you, sir.

LEMON: It is a pleasure to have you and have people in the world like you. Thank you so much.

So make sure you join me. I am going to be with Dr. Sanjay Gupta. Wow, that is big. I am big time now, seriously. It is tomorrow night at 10:00 for a new town hall. It is called "The Color of COVID: The Vaccines." We are going to speak with Dr. Anthony Fauci and a surgeon general, Jerome Adams, about vaccine skepticism in communities of color and how to boost confidence.

A worsening pandemic, a massive hack on the U.S. government, Americans struggling to make ends meet. It is all real, but you might not know about it, if you watch Fox News.

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[23:50:00]

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LEMON: So, take this, everyone. How are the crises facing the country being handled over at Fox News? Well, I want to start with Laura Ingraham. She is equating advice on taking precautions this holiday season with that Fox News canard of a so-called war on Christmas.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LAURA INGRAHAM, FOX NEWS HOST: Christmas is meant to be spent with your family, not isolated and locked down. They are going to keep us locked down with all these rules because it's working for them. You are not going to get your freedom back until you demand it. There are a lot of choices for this naughty list. Yeah, the naughty list could --

UNKNOWN: Yes, there is.

INGRAHAM: The naught list could be longer than the good list.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: I don't know what she's talking about. There is no national lockdown and the argument that your freedom is being taken away doesn't really hold water. Large gatherings are not advised due to the high risk of spreading COVID.

And there is Sean Hannity, playing to his audience of one, and that's, of course, President Trump, going off last night, once again, on false claims of election fraud and blaming it all on Democrats.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEAN HANNITY, FOX NEWS HOST: They don't care about the weeks of vote counting, the reliance on mail-in ballots. They once told us were not accurate and rife for fraud. The mistreatment of election observers in every state, the election laws changed in the middle of the game.

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LEMON: Same thing every night, the fake news, Fox, CNN, CNN, Fox, whatever. Every night, it's the exact same thing. Stoking the flames of doubt, right? Is it any wonder that millions of Republicans don't trust the election results? But I save the best for last, and it's Tucker Carlson. He is outraged, outraged that the incoming first lady, Jill Biden, uses the title of doctor. She is a doctor in education. He didn't just mock her for using doctor when she is not an M.D., but he mocked her dissertation.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TUCKER CARLSON, FOX NEWS HOST: Dr. Jill needs reading glasses. Either that or she's borderline illiterate.

[23:55:02]

CARLSON: There are typos everywhere, including in the first graph of the introduction. Dr. Jill can't write. She can't really think clearly, either.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: So, that's bad enough. But tonight, it got worse. And they might want to have some of those real, medical doctors on, if they care so much about the field of medicine because rather than educating his audience about the vaccine, the Fox and Tucker Carlson, went on to run about Twitter censorship, social control, hyped up a report of one adverse reaction to Alaska, and said people should respond nervously to the vaccine news.

Just remember what Fox News lawyers said about Tucker Carlson in court during a recent lawsuit. The judge in that case agreed with them, and wrote this. Fox persuasively argues that, given Mr. Carlson's reputation, any reasonable viewer arrives with an appropriate amount of skepticism about the statements he makes.

We report. You decide. Thanks for watching. Our coverage continues.

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