james clyburn. house majority whip. if it wasn't for him, joe biden wouldn't be raising his right hand on that bible january 20th. we'll have more after this. ♪ sanctuary music (kids laughing) (dog barking) ♪ sanctuary music it's the final days of the wish list sales event sign and drive off in a new lincoln with zero down, zero due at signing, and a complimentary first month's payment. >> neil: all right. they're still bringing out the big guns for the georgia primary run-off. let's go to jonathan serrie. who showed up today? >> we have late-breaking information to tell you about. the secretary state of georgia has said that he sent out 8,000 letters to georgia residents that have recently submitted official change of address forms with the u.s. postal service for out of state addresses. warning them that if they have established residence in another state, that voting in georgia is a felony and that they will be prosecuted. now, this comes as there's some active campaigning going on in this state. vice president-e

and congressman james clyburn is doing something about it. today he subpoenaed documents from the secretary of health and human services alex azar and the director of the cdc, robert redfield. he said, the select subcommittee's investigation has revealed that efforts to interfere with scientific work at cdc were far more extensive and dangerous than previously known. documents show that over a period of four months, as coronavirus cases and deaths rose around the country, the trump administration appointees attempted to alter or block at least 13 scientific reports related to the virus. 13 scientific reports related to the virus. joining us now is congressman james clyburn, the third ranking democrat in the house of representatives. congressman, good to see you again. one day you and i will talk about good things but that is not it, now. you are calling for a 9/11 style commission to examine the trump administration's handling of this. because less went wrong in 9/11 than this did. that was at least good people who didn't do the right thing i

the chairman of of that committee, congressman james clyburn, is going to join us ahead tonight. stay with us. is going to join s ahead tonight. stay with us heart failure causes nearly two hospitalizations every minute. understanding how to talk to your doctor about treatment options is key. today, we are redefining how we do things. we find new ways of speaking, so you're never out of touch. it's seeing someone's face that comforts us, no matter where. when those around us know us, they can show us just how much they care. the first steps of checking in, the smallest moments can end up being everything. there's resources that can inform us, and that spark can make a difference. when we use it to improve things, then that change can last within us. when we understand what's possible, we won't settle for less. the best thing we can be is striving to be at our best. managing heart failure starts now with understanding. call today or go online to understandheartfailure.com for a free heart failure handbook. they have businesses to grow customers to care for lives to get home to the

joining us now, south carolina congressman james clyburn. he also serves of course as house majority whip. he's chairman of the house select committee on the coronavirus crisis. mr. chairman, thank you so much for being here tonight. it's nice to see you. >> thank you very much for having me. it's good to be here. >> let me ask a little bit of the origin story here. paul alexander is brought in as a scientific adviser to another trump appointee, who has no science or health background, who is brought in as a spokesperson for the agency and who immediately starts, from all reports, setting about trying to change what the cdc is recommending and finding in terms of its science. do we know where they got this guy or on what basis he was brought in to literally try to overall all the scientists of the cdc? >> i have no idea. all i know is that he was a political appointee who seemed to be hellbent on getting around, driving through, or just simply ignoring all of the advice coming from the scientists. and when we had a career scientist to state

and even james clyburn, influential democrat james clyburn says he can think of ten black people who are qualified for every single cabinet post. so there you go. >> which is amazing, and it's great. >> thank you. >> no one can say that people appointed aren't qualified. >> that's true. >> ana navarro has taken christmas to an entirely new level at her house. >> i see. >> thank you. thank you, guys. i'll see you soon. be well. >>> while the pandemic rages, what is the white house doing, throwing crowded holiday parties with maxless guests while millions suffer from this virus? that as the president is praising qanon during a white house meeting. want to eliminate odors without heavy, overwhelming scents? we get it. introducing febreze light. it eliminates odors... with no heavy perfumes... in light scents you'll love. new febreze light. ♪ i got it all from you ♪ i'm always pushing through ♪ i know we'll make it to the finish line ♪ ♪ i know you're waiting on the other side ♪ ♪ i'm like you on-demand glucose monitoring. because they're always on. another life-changing te

congressman had james clyburn. coming up, voters are turning out in record numbers for the run-off elections in georgia that will decide the balance of power in the united states senate. that is despite republican efforts to make voting difficult in that state. will the early voting enthusiasm be enough for democrats to take one or both of the seats up for grabs on january 5th. that is next. introducing letsgetchecked health testing you do at home. know your health. know yourself. order now at letsgetchecked dot com since you're heading off to dad... i just got a zerowater. but we've always used brita. it's two stage-filter... doesn't compare to zerowater's 5-stage. this meter shows how much stuff, or dissolved solids, gets left behind. our tap water is 220. brita? 110... seriously? but zerowater- let me guess. zero? yup, that's how i know it is the purest-tasting water. i need to find the receipt for that. oh yeah, you do. skip to cold relief fast. alka-seltzer plus power max gels. with 25% more concentrated power

james clyburn, the third ranking democrat on the house on where that stands. and the latest from mitch mcconnell moments ago. >>> later in the show alarming new details on the suspected russian cyber attack targeting u.s. agencies including apparently the one that maintains america's nukes. why homeland security is now warning of a grave risk to the country's infrastructure. reth n. so to help you remember that liberty mutual customizes your home insurance, here's one that'll really take you back. wow! what'd you get, ryan? it's customized home insurance from liberty mutual! what does it do bud? it customizes our home insurance so we only pay for what we need! and what did you get, mike? i got a bike. only pay for what you need. ♪ liberty. liberty. liberty. liberty. ♪ to fight wrinkles? it's what i use! neutrogena®. the #1 retinol brand used most by dermatologists. rapid wrinkle repair® visibly smooths fine lines in 1 week. deep wrinkles in 4. so you can kiss wrinkles... and other wrinkle creams goodbye! rapid wrinkle repair®. pair with our most concent

even james clyburn, and he said, he should think, he could think of ten black people who are qualified for every single cabinet post. so, there you go. >> which is amazing and it's great. >> thank you. >> -- the people getting apoint -- >> we to do up the christmas game. because ana has taken christmas to a new level in her house. >> i see. >> thank you. >> thank you, guys i will see you soon. be well. >> while the pandemic rages, what is a white house doing. >>> this this will be a somber holiday for so many american families. covid cases surging and hospitalizations in a record high, the death toll in the u.s., staggering, millions out of work. desperate to feed families and yet, it's party time at the white house. here is tom foreman. >> amid the cheers and unmasked smiles and the grinning vips or at least kid rock. you would think there's no pandemic on pennsylvania avenue. according to reports from daily mail.com. >> it's been an amazing four years we are trying to do another four years, otherwise i will see you in four years. >> indeed the white house has more than a dozen hol da

james clyburn of south carolina, appreciate it. the fact that mcconnell took so long the congratulate biden, maybe it would be laughable if it hadn't enabled president trump's ongoing assault on democracy. which, by the way, mcconnell is hardly rebuking. how do you feel tonight on where things stand? >> thank you very much for having me, anderson. you know, when i saw 126 of my colleagues sign on to a brief that asked the supreme court of the united states to install an autocracy -- that was what they were asking -- to in some way invalidate the voters in four states and allow us to put into place an autocrat, that to me should have been what woke mcconnell up. maybe it did. i'm pleased to see him come to this conclusion, but it should not have been this hard. i have no idea why it is that he and so many of the others on the other side of the aisle have lost faith in the process that made this country what it is today. so i welcome him to the real world and hopefully -- >> a found it terrifying that attorney generals general, repub

yes, i recognize, of course, that james clyburn is a long-standing politician from south carolina. he is black. and i don't -- you know, i'm sure that he recognizes what the political landscape is like in south carolina, but if we're loong at the bigger picture, they're going to cost themselves the senate race in georgia if the case that they're making is that we're going to try to lean more towards republican than making it clear to people that unless they turn folks out for ose senate seats in georgia, you're n going to have access to the things that you need, like healthcare and all these other things. so, if they embrace a more centrist or republican agenda, then the takeaway from folks is going to be, again, that it doesn't matter whether they turn out to vote or not. so i think it's just, like, the complete opposite. and the fact that the focus in the immediate aftermath of the election, when we are stl dealing with the situation of a president who does not acknowledge the election results, we've got him stoking violence among white supremacists who are threatening violence a

i'll tell you congressman james clyburn is going to be joining my colleague ali velshi in the next hour to come. stay with us. i in the next hour to come. stay with us alka-seltzer plus power max gels. with 25% more concentrated power. oh, what a relief it is! so fast! get new charmin ultra strong. getting clean? it just cleans better, so your family can use less. hello clean bottom! enjoy the go with charmin. think you need to buy expensive skincare products [♪] to see dramatic results? try olay skin care. just one jar of micro-sculpting cream has the hydrating power of 5 jars of a prestige cream, which helps plump skin cells and visibly smooth wrinkles. while new olay retinol24... provides visibly smoother, brighter skin. for dramatic skincare results, try olay. and now receive 25% off your purchase at olay.com brand power. helping you buy better. here. the need for food. shelter. compassion. this year, it just happens to be greater. more families than ever are facing poverty. if you need help, please reach out. if you can give help, please reach within. ♪ >>> just re-upping the s

i'll tell you, the congressman, james clyburn, will be joining ali velshi in "the last word" next hour. stay with us. n "the last word" next hour. stay with us want to sell the best burger in every zip code? add an employee. or ten... then easily and automatically pay your team and file payroll taxes. that means... world domination! or just the west side. run payroll in less than five minutes with intuit quickbooks. every minute. understanding how to talk to your doctor about treatment options is key. today, we are redefining how we do things. we find new ways of speaking, so you're never out of touch. it's seeing someone's face that comforts us, no matter where. when those around us know us, they can show us just how much they care. the first steps of checking in, the smallest moments can end up being everything. there's resources that can inform us, and that spark can make a difference. when we use it to improve things, then that change can last within us. when we understand what's possible, we won't settle for less. the best thing we can be is striving to be at our best. managing he

redfield is denying the allegations from democratic representative james clyburn, the head of the committee overseeing the government's response to the pandemic. clyburn says a senior cdc manager testified that she was instructed to delete an email from health and human services senior adviser dr. paul alexander. she said the email asks the cdc to change or rescind information in a report about the effect of the virus on children. she also said she believed redfield ordered the email to be deleted. >> would never tell somebody to delete an email. what i did tell people, i instructed the cdc to ignore dr. alexander's comments and didn't need to reply to his email. >> clyburn also said the administration has not responded fully to requests for documents and information relating to possible interference. >>> "usa today" says a man believed to be the longest serving nonviolent marijuana crime inmate in the u.s. was released from a florida prison. 71-year-old richard delisi walked out of the prison yesterday after serving 31 years. in 1989, he was sentenced to 90 years for selling marijuana, eve

clyburn likened to fund the police to burn baby burn in 1960 s. civil rights slogan that cliburn claims lost the movement a lot of support back then we were very concerned when these slogans came out about defund the police we talked about how that slogan could undermine the black lives matter movement just as burn baby burn destroyed our movement back in the sixty's define the police is killing our party and we've got to stop it it seems like the democrats are far from united on how to play politics in fact alexandria kazuo cortez who barack obama even mentioned as a good new blood addition to the party has said that making people feel uncomfortable is more important than inclusive slogans the thing that critics of activists don't get is that they tried playing the polite language policy game and only did was make them easy to ignore it wasn't until they meet folks uncomfortable that there was traction to do anything even if it was in their food and she's not the only one to take issue with obama's moderate stance we lose people in the hands of p

james clyburn the chairman of the swearing-in. unveiled a four cochairs, gretchen witmer, eric garner said he, leasable -- whitmer, ericchen garcetti, and lisa blunt. canada will get up to 249 thousand doses of the coronavirus vaccine developed by pfizer before the end of the year. prime minister justin trudeau said today the vaccine should be approved by canadian health officials as soon as thursday. -- trudeauter to had come under criticism by opposition parties for saying canadians will not be among the first forgetting the vaccine because the first doses will likely go to citizens of the countries where they are made. the u.s. is slapping new sanctions on 14 chinese officials over there crackdown on dissent in hong kong. the measures freeze assets and ban travel, part of president trump's effort to pile pressure on jie zheng paying and the ccp -- xi jinping and the ccp in his final weeks in office. president elect biden says he plans to keep up pressure. would've edge or bond is stepping down a day after his ruling liberal par

he has picked james clyburn for the chairman of the january 20 swearingen. the inaugural will also in vail for cochairs, michigan governor gretchen whitmer, los angeles mayor garcetti, congresswoman lisa blunt rochester and louisiana congressman cedric richmond. the pandemic is expected to keep the inauguration far smaller than previous years. states including new york and nevada used outdated federal estimates during their planning for covid-19 vaccine supplies. the department of health and human services says states showed many more doses available along with 15 million doses of the moderna shot. an fda panel will meet thursday to review the pfizer vaccine safety and effectiveness in a final step before emergency use authorization is approved. there are new indications that italy's coronavirus outbreak is slowing down. health officials reported the lowest daily new cases today since october 20. italy may get its first 3.4 million doses of the pfizer vaccine. david: things with covid are bad and may will get much worse as we heard over the weekend from dr.

. >>> i'm joined by james clyburn of south carolina. the house majority whip. good evening. how are you? >> i'm just fine. good evening. >> a lot of work is done, a lot to work to be done. when you hear about people at the white house talking about martial law and seizing the machines, in light of all that is happening, what goes through your mind? >> well, you know, i have been wondering for some time now what it is that these members, who are displaying such low regard for the electoral process, as well as the legislative process. we have been working for some time now to get relief to the american people. not to stimulate the economy. too many people are suffering from a lack of food on the table. their rent is due. their mortgage is overdue. we're trying to get relief to the american people. and here they are, running around, talking about whether or not they're going to disrupt the proceedings of the house on the 6th when we count the electoral votes. these things just don't make sense to me. i don't know why they will allow themselves to be caught up in the fantasy wor

. >> democrats in south carolina, james clyburn has a new op ed arguing that runoffs suppress black representation. here's a part of what he said. he said, if the candidate who got the most votes in the november 3rd u.s. senate special election in georgia, we would be preparing to swear in the reverend raphael warnock. he's in a runoff with a candidate who finished 7 points behind him and people think the 19th century is ancient history. georgia runoff laws have their roots in the jim crow era. is it time to get rid of them? >> absolutely. we know the architect of the current runoff law did it precisely to undermine the utility of black voters in elections. sadly for georgia this racist system continues, and i think the republicans this year were hoist by their own pitard. they found david perdue forced into a runoff that is in danger of losing. what we're looking at is where do we stand so we can start to right size our democracy. we are a republic that practices representative democracy. we ask people to show up, go to their ballot boxes and say who they want. we're using them to use peachvote.c

but a single endorsement of james clyburn that essentially pulled the biden campaign out of the ditch and put them on the road to the nomination. and at that point that campaign was out of money, it was not at all equipped that was a completely primary endeavor. and the reason they could rebuild itself, not only for normal general election but one conducted in this environment is such an extraordinary story. and i hope it will be good books written about this. because the discipline that campaign showed. there is a lot of talk about texas they sent kamala harris down to texas. but they knew there was a lot of states they needed to win mostly in the upper midwest and they really kept the focus where they knew they needed to win. and they want those states and they got a couple of bonus states like georgia and arizona and florida. but they did what they needed to do but as they begin to build the team for the presidency, presidency, those that are picked for the key jobs are breaking a lot of glass ceilings coming to gender and race but at the same time these are all coming with the dee

you know, abby, the house majority whip james clyburn joined me. i asked him about these threats to a peaceful transfer of hour here in the united states. listen to what he told me. >> the american people must come to understand that this kind of a threat will destroy the fabric that has been holding this country together for oh so many years. that's serious business. >> that's a very stark warning coming in from the whip there. what do you think? >> yeah, i think objectively, he is absolutely right. look, the one thing that kind of keeps the united states as being a beacon of democracy in the world has been our ability to transfer power from one person to the next peacefully every four years or every eight years if that person is reelected, and to do that without these wild claims based in complete invented fallacy of fraud or the likes you typically might see in countries where their democracies are struggling or where their democracies are frankly, nonexistent at all. it is at the core of american democracy. this is something that doesn't seem t

the house majority whip james clyburn says this. >> this is an attempt to overthrow our government. you may not call it that but this is an attempted coup. ickup. the season of spoiling is here. petsmart. the only thing a disaster can't destroy is hope. donate now at redcross.org see yourself. welcome back to the mirror. and know you're not alone because this is not just a mirror. it's an unstoppable community. come on jessie one more. it's a race across time zones. come on you two, lets go. a gift for the whole family. so join in now and see your best self in the mirror. tonight... i'll be eating roasted cauliflower tacos with spicy chipotle sauce. [doorbell chimes] thank you. [puck scores] oooow yeah!! i wasn't ready! you want cheese to go with that whine?? >>> so what does this devastating blow with the supreme court for trump? let's discuss. good evening. so just today, the president was pandering to the court to overturn the election. it didn't happen. did he think they owed him one or something? >> i think we saw the president telegraph for a few months, he thought the supreme

>> harris: of course they did and james clyburn, by the way helped deliver the black vote that got the president-elect through primary process, right? he said this and representative, blue dog democrat in texas stop using that phrase defund the police. you are not helping in districts. we love the police and certain things. don't say that. come up with other ways. yes, these are people of color. of course they went too far with the slogan. i mean, but look at the pushback. you have ilhan omar. you have alexandria ocasio-cortez come at those two congresswomen i think it will sw everybody something up on the screen in a moment. i don't want to steal that to make that go a different direction for you, but look, all of this matters because remember joe biden said this is his party now. i don't hear his voice as loudly as i hear the voices of the other people who say it is their party. the progressives. and particularly on this issue. >> kennedy: and you hear the former president weighing in. harley, it wasn't a huge surprise to hear joe manchin say defund my in response to aoc and they hav

. >> i want to listen to something that congressman james clyburn said tonight. he represents a district in south carolina where through his whole life he has seen attempts at voter suppression and at attempts basically to devalue voters and votes. let's listen to what he said about what he is seeing now. >> i never thought i would see the day that duly elected people will be so shallow in their thinking to try and overturn an election. you talking about a difference of 7 million votes. anyplace else in the world that would be recognized as a landslide victory for whoever got the votes. for them to fly in the face of that, they're really trying to invite insurrection. >> secretary benson, where do you see yourself in the flow of history? do you feel a connection to what you're having to deal with this year, to what others struggling for getting all votes recognized in the past in this country have been struggling for? >> yes, certainly. i mean, i started my career in montgomery, alabama. investigating hate groups and hate crimes throughout the country. it was the

. >> lisa: you have people like house majority web james clyburn that said the defund the police rhetoric was was possible for democrats losing so badly down valid. why haven't democrats learn their lesson? >> jessica: i think the democrats that won the races have learned their lessons. joe biden set from the get-go i haven't had any intention of defunding the police. nobody wants it, especially communities where the police a are. the highest approval rating for police in areas where there's more crime. that makes a tremendous amount of sense. i don't see that from people in positions of power. you don't have any tape of nancy pelosi saying defund the police. it's a far left trope and i did hurt us in those races. i would encourage everyone to listen to abigail spanberger who barely won reelection talking about how discussions of socialism and defunding the police hurt her in her own race and jim was lost because of it. i think it's incredibly harmful because it isn't true and it's not a democratic policy. >> lisa: not making the police target by saying we want to police the police? is th

we are joined by a top member of the house leadership james clyburn of south carolina as the mantle whip and chair of biden's inaugural committee. thank you for joining us. the house conservatives are egging the president on now and urging him not to concede and fight this out beyond the electoral college and go into the house floor. how seriously should these threats to a peaceful transfer of power here in the united states be taken? >> thank you very much for having me, wolf. we have to take all of this stuff seriously. i used to teach history. i still study history almost daily. and i can tell you that there are some genuine threats to this fragile democracy of ours. we have seen that play out now for the last four years and it's now being put on steroids. and so any time this kind of invitation that this president is giving to people around the country and that comes to the floor of the house, it's serious. i don't think it will prevail. but it could rile up people out there who are fragile in their thinking. and some of them could very well be pushed to do and say things as the offi

congressman james clyburn, leader. thank you so much for being here. we wish you a happy holiday, thank you. >>> meanwhile, while both democratic senate candidates are fending off attacks right is taking aim at reverend warnock over his faith. >> you see this warnock fellow. who's coming down here and disguising himself as a moderate pastor from the south. if you look at him really what he believes, he is a radical. he wants to defund police. he's all about abortion. he doesn't represent what real americans believe. >> huh? i wonder what this particular guy thinks institutes a real american. i'm sure it will come to me. we have seen real life physical attacks on black churches. vandalized. reportedly by a group of proud boy thugs. ripped signs off the churches ask set them on fire. reminiscent of cross burnings. the pastor of the church wrote it mattered not that the land was ours. that the sign was ours. the mythology that motivated the perpetrators on saturday night was the under belly of the american narrative. that white men can employ violence it

. >> james clyburn told cnn, quote, i think of at least ten black vote that is qualify for every single one of the kacabin positions that joe biden has filled so part. are you satisfied with the number of black voices in joe biden's cabinet? >> there's many more seats to fill. i'm optimistic. you should know that the congressional black caucus, we have a special task force that's working and meeting with the administration on a weekly basis and so i was very excited to see ambassador linda thomas-greenfield's point and cecelia rose. but i believe there's many more positions and i hope to see more african-americans in those positions at the highest level. >> so far, biden has filled two of the so-called big four cabinet positions. anthony blinken for secretary of state, janet yellen as treasury secretary. he has yet to pick his attorney general or defense secretary. do you think he needs to dominate a black american for at least one of those roles? >> yes, i think it would be great if he did and for defense secretary there's two individuals that the congressional black caucus would like

we now have james clyburn and his committee talking to senior-cdc officials, who were like, oh, yeah, they told me to delete skeevy e-mails. you should know about that because what they told me to do, that's illegal. you have also got cdc scientists showing up again. instead of being muzzled, they are turning up, talking to reporters, talking to advisory committees. and all of a sudden, their guidance is suddenly getting less stupid and more clear. finally, cdc is like, yeah, when you're not in your house, wear a mask. they wouldn't let us say that before, but trump's on his way out. we're just saying it. you can see the cdc becoming the gold-standard public-health agency it's supposed to be, once again. and it's all happened, over the course of this week. >> it's revenge of the nerds, right? like, all of the science-related agencies are back, baby. and they're like, we're going to fight this virus. he is on the way out. evict him, already. and let's get this going. i think that's a great answer. unfortunately, on this show, i get to always win this game. so i am going to overrule one

edward: house minority whip james clyburn reflecting questions on eric swalwell's ties with a suspected chinese spy. joining me michael pillsbury, hutson institute on chinese strategy. advised president trump on chinese trade deal that was made. michael, swalwell met fang fang in 2011. does this show how far ahead the chinese are working to get this influence? >> yes. they have a pattern. not just congressman swalwell. they have a pattern making what they call early investments in people, hoping it will pay off much later. they have been quite successful. large parts of our country still think china is our best friend. they think china has no ill intentions toward us. so the eric swalwell investment seems to have paid off in the sense he as a congressman never spoken out against china i don't think in any way. this is quite a coup for the chinese. quite a plus for them. edward: do you think we'll find more of this type of thing where they're trying to target these young politicians and groom them almost as they get older? >> yes, but it is not just young politicians. i think they don't

i am joined now by democratic congressman, james clyburn, of south carolina. good evening, congressman clyburn, how are you? >> i'm just fine. good evening. >> a lot of work that was done, and a lot of work still ahead, it seems. when you hear who is at the white house, these days, and they are talking about things like martial law and seizing voting machines. and plans to even try to disrupt the congress finalizing the results, on january 6th. in light of all that's happening, what -- what goes through your mind? >> well, you know, i have been wondering, for some time now, why it is that these members are displaying such low regard for the electoral process. as well as, the legislative process. we have been working, for some time now, trying to get relief to the american people. not to stimulate the economy. too many people are suffering from a lack of food on the table. their rent is due. their mortgage is overdue. and we are trying to get relief to the american people. and here they are, running around, talking about whether or not they're going to disrupt

today the chairman of the house select committee on the coronavirus james clyburn released a memo showing political interference in the national coronavirus response. the report says that top trump administration officials repeatedly communicated about pursuing a dangerous herd immunity strategy as far back as june 2020. the trump administration was aware its policies would not only fail to stop the spread of the virus but would lead to an increase in cases. quote, there is no other way, we need to establish herd, and it only comes about allowing the nonhigh risk groups to expose themselves to the virus. the memo also includes an e-mail from an hhs senior adviser that urged colleagues to suppress scientific information about the risk posed by the virus to minority communities that he admitted was very accurate out of concern it would be used against the president. i'm joined by dr. bernard ashby, miami based cardiologist and florida state lead for the committee to protect medicare. and the dean of the brown university school of public health. to you first. this is the memo for those of yo

house minority whip james clyburn said i can think of at least ten black folks who qualify for every one of the cabinet positions that biden has filled so far. are you satisfied with the number of black voices in biden's cabinet? >> well, i certainly know that the decisions haven't been finished. there's many more seats to fill, so i'm optimistic. you should know that the congressional black caucus, we have a special task force that is working and meeting with the administration on a weekly basis. so, i was very excited to see ambassador linda thomas-greenfield's appointment and sicilia ross. i believe there are more positions and i certainly hope to see more african-americans in those positions at the highest level. >> so far biden has filled two of the big four cabinet positions. anthony blinking, janet yellen, both white. he has yet to pick his attorney general or defense secretary, which are the other twoings potentials. do you think he needs to nominate a black american for at least one of those roles? >> yes, i think it would be great if he did. and for defense secretary, there

the highest ranking african-american member of congress james clyburn is asking congress to support that waiver. he said the experience of general austin is needed. he has experience in logistics and president-elect biden said he is key to help distribute the vaccine next year. >> thank you, jeff zelenzeleny, in delaware. let's back to the breaking news that hunter biden is announcing he is under federal investigation for his taxes. let's discuss, abby. hunter biden's taxes under investigation by the u.s. attorney's office in delaware. he says that he has handled his affairs legally and appropriately hunter biden says. now, obviously, you heard evan perez talking about the investigation, about money laundering and money from china, a whole number of incidents taking place, including a very expensive gem that he received. what do you make of this all and will this cast a shadow over the transition and the biden presidency? >> well, i think the first thing that really strikes out at me is one of the things that evan said which is that the justice department actually did follow its own guid

james clyburn of south carolina. many others. >> tomi: of all the ridiculous things the democrats pushed over the years the defund the police movement has to be the most ridiculous. for those saying the democrats didn't push this, if you are siding with b.l.m., the official goal to defund the police you are supporting the movement to redund if police. we are seeing the horrible devastation that that causes. i also message to the minneapolis city council and the other city councils in seattle and portland and else where that want to defund the police department i suggest they suit up and go out there and maybe they should plus the thuggery, the crime and devastation that they have fed for months on end. the officers on a daily basis are demonized and demoralized and defunded but they're supposed to go out with the meager resources they have left to clean up the mess encourage and egged on by the left for a summer that lead in to the fall and doesn't seem to be ending anytime soon. it's ridiculous. they will reap what

as you know, tom, the house majority whip, james clyburn, joined me here in the situation room, earlier this week. i asked him about these republican efforts to deny the results of the election. he said, and i am quoting him, this kind of a threat could, very well, in his words, destroy the fabric that has been holding this country together for so many years. do you share his concern? >> yeah. you know, wolf, if -- blessedly, we've got this wonderful news from the fda on the vaccine, which you have talked about. but, i -- and that deserves top billing on your show and top billing in "the new york times," of course. but, beyond that, i wish we'd turn the whole front page of our newspaper. all of, you know, your news, tonight, to this. to calling these people out. to -- to -- to shaming them. not that they have any shame. this is so important. this is so dangerous. you don't play with democracy. you can drop it. you can break it. and if you do, it's gone. the -- the -- the level of cynicism, here, by ted cruz, by mitch mcconnell, by this complete knuckle-head attorney general from texas.

. >> house majority whip james clyburn told cnn, quote, i can think of at least ten black folks that qualify for every single one, unquote, of the cabinet positions biden has filled so far. are you satisfied with the number of black voices in biden's cabinet? >> well, i certainly know that the decisions haven't been finished. there is many more seats to fill, and so i'm optimistic. you should nope the congressional black caucus we have a special task force that is working and meeting with the administration on a weekly basis. and so i was very excited to see ambassador leaninda thomas greenfield in that post. >> so far, biden has filled two of the called big four cabinet positions, anthony blinken for secretary of state and janet yellen as treasure secretary. both of them are white. he has yet to pick his attorney general or defense secretary which are the other two positions of the big four. do you think he needs to nominate a black american for at least one of those roles? >> yes, i think it would be great if he did and for defense secretary, there is two individuals that the congr

joining me now is house majority whip democratic congressman james clyburn, he is now the chair of president-elect joe biden's inaugural committee. congressman clyburn, thanks so much for being with us. you had expressed your concern quite publicly about african-american representation at the senior levels of the biden cabinet, so how does the nomination of general austin address that concern? >> well, thank you very much for having me. it is exactly what i think needed to be done. as you know, the military is about 40% minority. i think the kinds of experiences that general austin has had are the kind of experiences that needed to be put to play. so much of what we do in our governmental process is sometimes skewed because people have not had the kind of experiences that are necessary in order to have the compassion and the empathy that is needed for our brave men and women serving in the armed services. so i think general austin has those experiences and i think this is a great appointment. i raised the issues i raised because this was a historic election and i think that i wanted to see this ad

. >> that was house majority whip james clyburn telling nbc's chuck todd how the nation's handling of the coronavirus pandemic may need further investigation, possibly in the form of a 9/11 style commission. that staggering number, 300,000 americans now dead, the highest death toll in the world, by far, prompting many to ask, what went wrong? former nebraska senator bob kerry joins me now. senator, welcome in, thank you for being with us, we appreciate this. and senator, we wanted to talk to you specifically because you are a member of the 9/11 commission, do you agree with representative clyburn? >> i do. but one of the things you have to remember about the 9/11 commission, it existed, it was created as a consequence of pressure that the families of the victims of 9/11 put on congress. congress had done its own report. the families didn't trust it. and they put pressure on congress to write language that created a commission with subpoena powers, and the resources necessary, to produce an answer to the question, what happened. the second thing is, the commission was selected and it w

. >> i was talking to james clyburn last night who wants a 9/11-style commission into the government's involvement with the cdc and virus stuff, where there's evidence they were lying to the american people. that we know. but more seriously, do we need some sort of a commission or investigation so that a president can't do this? we have tested our institution and we have found some weaknesses, we have found some tracks? >> i think that's an understatement. we found more than weaknesses and cracks in our institutions. there needs to be reform and at a minimum joe biden needs to appoint some kind of investigation, even if it's bipartisan, quote/unquote, and i would agree with glenn and others on this network who say they should be prosecuted for their role in the covid deaths. there has been some reporting that joe biden wants to look forward and not back. it might be too political to go after some of this stuff. i think that's a huge mistake. barack obama tried that in 2009. he didn't want to -- it bottles up that anger and resentment. i would argue barack obama's failure to go after so

south carolina congressmember james clyburn has ordered health and human servicesecretary alex azar and cdc director robert redfield to turn over documents to congress by december 30. clyburn says an investigation by the select subcommittee on the coronavirus crisis found white house political interference hindered the u.s. response to the covid-19 pandemic far more extensively than previously known. the united kingdom has become increasingly cut off from the outside world since prime minister boris johnson set a new variant of coronavirus sweeping this country was 70% more contagious. more than 40 countries have temporarily suspended some or all travel from the u.k., and british grocery stores are warning of food shortages as delivery trucks piled up onhe fridge side of the channel tunnel separating britain from the european continent. some observers have give her the crisis to what the u.k. may face if a no-deal brexit is allowed to proceed after the new year. researchers say it is not clear whether the new coronavirus variant is in ct more contagious and it may have been coacted beca

clyburn is at work on another side of this crisis. he oversees the administration's covid response, and today congressman clyburn issued subpoenas to the trump health and human services secretary, alex azar, and to cdc director robert redfield. they each have until next week, till december 30th, to produce documents that could shed light on the trump administration's political interference at the cdc. now, in making the announcement about these subpoenas today, congressman clyburn also detailed even more efforts by trump political appointees to alter or block scientific work at cdc. in particular, he outlined meddling into the agent se flagship scientific publication, the mmwr. mmwrs really are the gold standard public health documents. they're the best in the world. they're cited for years and decades after they are issued because they are unimpeachable. they were. we now know that over the course of this pandemic, they've corrupted them too. trump appointees have tried to, at least, suppress or alter more than a dozen of these repor