WEBVTT 00:02.166 --> 00:04.433 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80% JUDY WOODRUFF: President-elect Biden spoke today, as we reported, in Delaware. He addressed 00:04.433 --> 00:09.233 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% the pandemic surge and the relief package ahead of the holiday. 00:09.233 --> 00:13.333 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% Yamiche Alcindor was at the event. And she joins us now from Wilmington. 00:13.333 --> 00:15.333 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% So, hello, Yamiche. 00:15.333 --> 00:20.100 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% Tell us about what -- more about what the president-elect had to say in these days leading 00:21.466 --> 00:25.400 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% up to Christmas. He had a pretty dire warning, didn't he? 00:25.400 --> 00:28.100 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% YAMICHE ALCINDOR: That's right. 00:28.100 --> 00:33.100 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% President-elect Joe Biden really issued a stark warning to Americans, as, of course, 00:35.166 --> 00:38.500 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% 320,000 Americans have now died from the coronavirus pandemic. He said that Americans are going 00:40.533 --> 00:43.666 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% to need to steel their spines and be ready, because he said the darkest days are ahead 00:43.666 --> 00:45.766 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% of us, not behind us. 00:45.766 --> 00:49.666 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% That, of course, is remarkable, thinking about all the things people lived through in 2020. 00:49.666 --> 00:53.066 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% But he said, I'm going to give it to you straight. I'm going to tell you the truth about this. 00:53.066 --> 00:56.700 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% He said, look, the vaccine, the COVID vaccine, is great, it's promising. We're hoping to 00:56.700 --> 01:01.033 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80% get it to as many Americans as possible, but he said the vaccine is not going to stop people 01:01.033 --> 01:03.000 align:left position:30% line:89% size:60% from dying. 01:03.000 --> 01:05.200 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% And he was making, of course, that contrast because President Trump has downplayed the 01:05.200 --> 01:09.633 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70% coronavirus pandemic, has been accused of spreading disinformation about the pandemic, 01:09.633 --> 01:12.766 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% so that was Joe Biden in some ways separating himself from the administration that he's 01:12.766 --> 01:14.966 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% going to be taking over from. 01:14.966 --> 01:19.133 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70% He also said that he's willing and wanting to work with Congress to try to get more COVID 01:19.133 --> 01:23.400 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80% relief done. Of course, we have been covering this all week, with Lisa giving us the play-by-play. 01:23.400 --> 01:26.966 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% And he said that he -- once he comes into office, he wants to see a new bill. He says 01:26.966 --> 01:29.033 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% that this is really just a down payment. 01:29.033 --> 01:32.900 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% I should remind people that, a few weeks ago, Joe Biden told me that -- when I was questioning 01:32.900 --> 01:37.900 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% him, that he wanted to see billions of new dollars poured into the economy, not trillions, 01:38.500 --> 01:39.933 align:left position:30% line:89% size:60% but billions. 01:39.933 --> 01:41.600 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% So, we have to keep watching what exactly he does. 01:41.600 --> 01:45.033 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% JUDY WOODRUFF: Different subject, Yamiche. 01:45.033 --> 01:50.000 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% He addressed the reported, suspected hack by the Russians of U.S. government agencies, 01:52.200 --> 01:56.966 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% private companies. What are we learning, what are you learning about how he plans to respond 01:56.966 --> 01:59.033 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% himself to all this? 01:59.033 --> 02:03.433 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70% YAMICHE ALCINDOR: Well, president-elect Biden really left this squarely in the fault of 02:05.366 --> 02:08.400 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% President Trump. He said this happened under President Trump's watch. He said that these 02:08.400 --> 02:13.400 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% hackers that look like they are Russian hackers - - experts say that -- that they are really 02:14.800 --> 02:17.266 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% people who caught the United States off-guard and unprepared. 02:17.266 --> 02:21.666 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% He said that President Trump, while he's still in office for these 20-odd days left, that 02:21.666 --> 02:25.200 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% he really needs to do something about this. He also said that he pledged he would get 02:25.200 --> 02:28.600 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% ready and get the country and the government more protected. 02:28.600 --> 02:33.266 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% I questioned him specifically, can you ensure Americans that these government agencies that 02:33.266 --> 02:37.200 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% were targeted, including the Department of Homeland Security and State Department, will 02:37.200 --> 02:41.100 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% they be safe when you are president? And he said, Judy, "I cannot." 02:41.100 --> 02:45.033 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80% That in some ways is a really remarkable statement, thinking about the fact that there's so much 02:45.033 --> 02:49.733 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% at stake and that experts have said that we're not sure we will know whether or not Russia 02:49.733 --> 02:53.633 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% is continuing to be in those networks and whether or not we will be able to remove them 02:53.633 --> 02:57.733 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% in a quick time period or if it is going to take years to do so. 02:57.733 --> 03:02.700 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80% JUDY WOODRUFF: Now, more broadly, Yamiche, we are expecting the president-elect to announce 03:04.733 --> 03:09.100 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% more of his picks for his Cabinet this week, including for secretary of education. 03:09.100 --> 03:10.800 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% What are you hearing about all that? 03:10.800 --> 03:13.400 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% YAMICHE ALCINDOR: That's right. 03:13.400 --> 03:17.666 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80% The Biden administration, the Biden transition team, they're continuing to make picks, continuing 03:19.666 --> 03:21.733 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% to do the work, even though, I should say, president-elect Biden said today they're not 03:21.733 --> 03:25.466 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% getting all the cooperation they want to, especially when it comes to the Defense Department, 03:25.466 --> 03:27.566 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% as well as other pockets of the government. 03:27.566 --> 03:31.800 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% That being said, we know that president-elect Biden is expected to pick Miguel Cardona. 03:31.800 --> 03:35.900 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% And I want to put up for people a little bit about his background. He's a Puerto Rican 03:35.900 --> 03:40.900 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80% education official. He was Connecticut's education commissioner. He was also a former public 03:43.266 --> 03:45.366 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80% school teacher and principal. This is a -- he's seen as a lifelong champion for public school, 03:45.366 --> 03:48.866 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% which is much different than Betsy DeVos, the current education secretary. 03:48.866 --> 03:53.866 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% Also, he has pushed for schools to reopen during COVID. Now, people who are allies of 03:55.866 --> 03:58.233 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% Cardona say that he's someone who's really going to be trying to turn the U.S. government 03:58.233 --> 04:01.933 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80% and the Education Department back to supporting public schools. There are a lot of critics 04:01.933 --> 04:06.466 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% of Betsy DeVos, the current education secretary, who say she was focused too much on school 04:06.466 --> 04:10.666 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% choice, focused too much on the private sector, and not doing enough to really help public 04:10.666 --> 04:12.833 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% schools, especially during the pandemic. 04:12.833 --> 04:16.833 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70% I also think it's very interesting that he is pressing for schools to be reopened during 04:16.833 --> 04:20.633 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% the pandemic. He's saying, essentially, that there are too many students, too many children 04:20.633 --> 04:22.600 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% who are being left behind in the middle of the pandemic. 04:22.600 --> 04:26.933 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% This is, in some ways, a controversial idea. But there are, of course, people who want 04:26.933 --> 04:30.966 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% to see more students in schools and others of course, who say it's just not safe. 04:30.966 --> 04:35.966 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% JUDY WOODRUFF: And finally, Yamiche, turning to President Trump, he is continuing to push 04:37.800 --> 04:42.333 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% these unfounded claims of widespread fraud in the election that led to his defeat. 04:44.366 --> 04:48.266 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% But, today, we see two of his prominent allies in the media backing away from that. What 04:50.866 --> 04:53.366 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% have you learned about what's happened here? 04:53.366 --> 04:56.533 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% YAMICHE ALCINDOR: This is pretty remarkable. 04:56.533 --> 05:01.533 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% We saw really unusual walk-backs from FOX News, as well as Newsmax, which is a smaller 05:03.466 --> 05:06.400 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% conservative network. They both backed away from reporting that they were doing that was, 05:06.400 --> 05:11.133 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80% in some ways, insinuating that voting machines, somehow, the votes may have been changed because 05:11.133 --> 05:13.233 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% of those machines. 05:13.233 --> 05:17.133 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% What we saw were two companies then threaten those networks with legal action, saying that 05:19.133 --> 05:22.700 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% you are essentially lying about our companies. We then saw FOX News and Newsmax say, in fact, 05:25.133 --> 05:27.000 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80% that there is no evidence that voting machines have been changed or that there was any sort 05:27.000 --> 05:29.133 align:left position:30% line:89% size:60% of fraud there. 05:29.133 --> 05:31.800 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% It's really important, because President Trump has continued to make the case, even though 05:31.800 --> 05:35.900 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% there's no evidence, even though he has lost in court case after court case, he continues 05:35.900 --> 05:39.466 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% to make the case that these voting machines were messed with and that that's -- somehow, 05:39.466 --> 05:41.600 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% that's the reason why he lost the 2020 election. 05:41.600 --> 05:45.500 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% So, in some ways, we're seeing these media outlets back away from the president's claims. 05:45.500 --> 05:48.833 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% I also think it's notable because there are allies of the president who tell me, as well 05:48.833 --> 05:52.933 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% as other reporters, that they are increasingly worried about the fact that the president 05:52.933 --> 05:56.900 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% wants to go through even more means to try to take back this election, thinking about 05:56.900 --> 06:01.100 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% putting in a special counsel to oversee election fraud and other means. 06:01.100 --> 06:04.933 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80% There are a lot of people who are very worried about the president's actions. He hasn't taken 06:04.933 --> 06:08.833 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% those actions yet. But this -- these media companies walking that back, as well as the 06:08.833 --> 06:12.200 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% president continuing to really say things that could be very scary, tells us where we 06:12.200 --> 06:15.766 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% are in this moment, where the president now has about 29 days left in office. 06:15.766 --> 06:20.766 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% JUDY WOODRUFF: Well, it sounds like this threat of legal action had something to do with what 06:22.800 --> 06:24.666 align:left position:30% line:89% size:60% happened. 06:24.666 --> 06:28.633 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% Yamiche Alcindor reporting again on the outgoing president and the incoming one. 06:28.633 --> 06:29.500 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% Thank you, Yamiche.