Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Newsroom
Omicron Variant Feeds Rapid Rise In U.S. Cases; Airlines Cancel Hundreds Of Flights Due To Staffing Shortages; American's Scrambling To Get COVID-19 Tests; NYC Scales Back New Year's Eve Times Square Celebration; Trump Ally Sues Jan 6 Committee To Block Financial Record Access; Top Media Moments Of 2021; NASA Launches Most Powerful Space Telescope Ever. Aired 11a-12p ET
Aired December 25, 2021 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:00:26]
BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: You are live in the CNN NEWSROOM.
Welcome. I'm Boris Sanchez in for Fredricka Whitfield. Merry Christmas. Feliz Navidad.
Thank you so much for joining me.
Christmas, of course, is a time to spend with family and friends and yet for many Americans the coronavirus is once again disrupting holiday plans, largely thanks to a surge in the omicron variant.
The U.S. now averaging nearly 180,000 cases a day. Thankfully hospitalizations have not seen that kind of rapid rise. They're up only 3 percent in the last week.
Still some of the nation's largest cities are breaking records in case numbers. New York setting a new high with 44,000 new cases reported on Friday alone. In Los Angeles, new cases tripled in the last week.
The surge is making a mess of holiday travel, too, with several major airlines cancelling hundreds of flights this morning because of staffing shortages.
That's where we start at one of the nation's busiest airports, one of the world's busiest airports in Atlanta with CNN's Nadia Romero.
Nadia, what is the situation like for travelers right now?
NADIA ROMERO, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Boris. You hear a lot of people saying merry Christmas, but there are a lot of grinches out there right now because their flights have been canceled.
And they were so excited to get home to see their loved ones. Not going to happen for a lot of people who were hoping to travel for the first time really since the pandemic.
So if you look at the numbers, we're talking about more than a thousand flights canceled today, tomorrow, throughout this Christmas weekend.
And we just had an update on more cancellations coming from some of the airlines. Delta Airlines, almost 300 flights canceled today so far. More than 200 for United, more than 100 for JetBlue. And those numbers keep jumping up every time we check back.
Some people here at the airport, you can see them coming in behind me -- it's pretty clear here. I mea when you think back to Thanksgiving, we had pre-pandemic records for TSA as people who just had to go out and see folks, see their family members, loved ones for Thanksgiving.
A very different story on Christmas morning here at the airport. Barely a wait at TSA precheck cleared, barely a line to get your bags check in because so many flights have been canceled.
But for some traveler, they knew about these cancellations since Wednesday, earlier in the week, with Delta cancelling 250 flights because of the weather. But of course, as Boris mentioned, the biggest impact here is the coronavirus, it's the omicron variant that is spreading rapidly and affecting flight crews.
I spoke with one man who said that he's flying to Paris to see his family. He hasn't seen them since December, 2019. Borders are open, nothing was going to stop him from going to see his family.
There's another woman we spoke with, her name is Roberta. And she says she's on her way to New York to see her family, it's a surprise. Listen to her concerns as she travels.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTA MACFARLANE, TRAVELING TO NEW YORK: Christmas, you know, you want to be with your family, stuff like that. And COVID messed up everything. Because I tell you, New York got hit real bad.
So, you know, I moved here during that time so it was a little shaky. So now I'm going back for the first time. (INAUDIBLE) really annoying
You want to see everybody. And then even when you live near people, you still don't want o go because you're not sure. And I had COVID. So I know. It's real -- you can't move. It's different.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMERO: Yes. So she says she's on her way back to New York to surprise her familiar.
I spoke with another woman leaving Atlanta to Baltimore. Her name was Megan Williams. She's going to see her grandson for the first time ever. He's four years old. She wasn't able to see him before COVID. Then of course, with the pandemic she didn't want to get him sick.
So now she's going to see her grandson. She said, she can't imagine how it will feel to hold him for the first time. That Boris, is why so many people are risking traveling right now even though we're still very much in the midst of this pandemic, Boris. SANCHEZ: Yes, this was supposed to be a Christmas without COVID, or at least with less COVID and yet we're facing a surge.
Nadia Romero from Atlanta, Merry Christmas and thank for the reporting.
So as the omicron variant spreads, having access to a COVID test can have life-altering consequences. But getting your hands on one has become a real challenge.
CNN's Brian Todd has more.
[11:04:51]
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): From California to D.C., the lines of people waiting to get free COVID tests, many of them unable to buy test kits in stores, are now extending around city blocks. And to say patience is wearing thin is putting it mildly.
NEISHA BLANDIN, IN LINE FOR COVID TEST IN WASHINGTON D.C.: Very frustrated. I've been looking for a test about all week actually, for a few days now. All of the CVSs near me are out. They don't expect to get any until Friday.
TODD: The demand for test kits is so high that CVS, Walmart, Amazon and Walgreens are limiting the number of at-home COVID test kits customers can buy. But many simply can't find them at all.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We searched around on CVS, on Walgreens, on all the (INAUDIBLE). Everything is full because of the holidays.
TODD: Compounding the problem, at this point, many people are confused over what kind of COVID test to get.
MEAGAN WOOD, IN LINE FOR COVID-19 TEST IN WASHINGTON D.C.: So it's kind of just confusing on what's actually correct and what I need to get to be able to go home for Christmas, see my family and all that stuff.
DR. MEGAN RANNEY, CNN MEDICAL ANALYST: There's three big categories of tests. And within each of those categories there are, of course, a bunch of different manufacturers, a bunch of different ways to even do the tests. It's all awfully complicated for the average American to figure out.
TODD: Over-the-counter at-home tests from these manufacturers are now authorized by the FDA. Experts say they all work well.
DR. MICHAEL MINA, CHIEF SCIENCE OFFICER, EMED: In general, for the purposes that most people are using tests today, which is to ask, am I a risk to others around me, the rapid tests you can pick up on the shelf tend to perform very, very well for that use.
TODD: There are three basic categories of tests. There are laboratory PCR tests. PCR standing for polymerase chain reaction. Experts say those are the most accurate, more expensive tests done in labs which amplify the virus' genetic material that may be in your system.
Experts say the PCR test is what you want if you want to figure out whether to go back to the office or travel.
There are also rapid antigen tests which people can conduct at home, which are cheaper and can return results in as little as 15 minutes.
DR. RANNEY: The antigen test, that rapid at-home test is the right thing to do if you want a rapid, time-sensitive assessment of whether or not you are infectious right before you go into a gathering.
TODD: And there are antibody tests which can indicate if you have some protection from a previous COVID-19 infection or vaccine. One expert says, no matter what kind of test you want to take, because of the test kit shortage, it's important to make your test count.
If you have just one test available --
DR. MINA: If you feel symptoms, come on, don't use the test right away. Assume you are positive and isolate and quarantine. Use the test on day two or day three.
TODD (on camera): Another key piece of advice we're getting from experts as we head to more holiday gatherings, they say if you've got a test at home and you're going to or are hosting a holiday gathering, take the test as close in time to the gathering that you can. Not one or two days before not a few hours before but maybe 20 to 30 minutes before the gathering, so you can get the most accurate gauge of what to do.
Expert say we're going to have to ride this out for probably one or two more months before more tests are widely available for everyone.
Brian Todd, CNN -- Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SANCHEZ: Thanks to Brian for that reporting.
Let's discuss all things COVID with Dr. Steven McDonald. He's an emergency medical physician at Columbia University Irving Medical Center.
Good morning, Dr. McDonald. Thanks for sharing part of your Christmas with us.
I'm curious what your thoughts are on the state of testing. We're nearly two years into this and availability is still a major issue. How big of a problem is that?
DR. STEVEN MCDONALD, EMERGENCY MEDICAL PHYSICAN, COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY IRVING MEDICAL CENTER: Of course. I mean it's really representative of what is going on with the broader economy, right. You have a huge increase in demand and a relative diminutive supply. And this is also not unforeseen.
The Biden administration received a proposal that they should really up testing for the holiday season and unfortunately it has (ph) done that. So we really are in a crunch.
What I can tell you is people are so desperate in New York as they're coming to the emergency room for testing, which please, please, do not do that. We're already kind of under water with COVID patients.
It's an unfortunate situation. I wish we could have done better.
SANCHEZ: Doctor, I wanted to ask you about specifically what you're seeing in the emergency room right now because though cases have really surged, hospitalizations have been relatively steady.
I'm wondering what you're actually seeing day to day, and whether it still remains that most of the patients that you're seeing are unvaccinated.
MCDONALD: Yes. So I want to emphasize, this is really not March 2020. It is different this time around. Many of the patients I'm seeing who have COVID have been vaccinated, some have had a booster, and those patients tend to not be so sick.
Unfortunately, the patients that we're seeing who are still getting quite sick, still requiring an ICU level of care tend to be those who are unvaccinated or those who are immunocompromised or pregnant. So, you know, Those are the groups that really, really I encourage to get vaccinated and protect themselves as this omicron variant spikes.
[11:09:58]
SANCHEZ: Doctor, as far as New Year's Eve celebrations go in New York City, there was some questions as to whether they might be canceled given the surge in the omicron variant. Mayor Bill de Blasio opting for changing some of the guidelines: requiring proof of vaccination, masks, and limiting the amount of time that folks can spend in Times Square. I'm wondering if you think those new restrictions are enough to stop a super spreader event.
MCDONALD: So, you know, you're never going to stop a super spreader event when people are gathering and this is so transmissible.
That said, you know, I want to emphasize again, this isn't March 2020. Many people, especially people going to this event are going to be vaccinated, even boosted. And so there's good reason to believe the individuals there will be protected. And then also, it's outdoors, which we still have good reason to believe that transmissibility is much lower in outdoor events.
So you know, I'm glad we're not cancelling everything and that human life kind of gets to go one. And I think the precautions being taken are reasonable ones.
SANCHEZ: Yes. I did want to ask you about CDC guidance for healthcare workers who test positive for COVID. The amount of time that they have to spend in quarantine, in isolation has shortened. It's gone from ten days to seven. The CDC says that this guidance is for healthcare workers only and not the general public.
I've spoken with doctors recently, though, that that should change, because if people are under different restrictions than healthcare workers, they might avoid getting tested in order to avoid quarantine. Do you think this guidance should be applied more broadly?
DR. MCDONALD: So, it's a little too early to say. Even with the ten- day guideline, there are still going to be some people who are infectious even if they had no symptoms after that 10 days.
So it's an imperfect guideline to begin with. I think we're seeing it shortened in part because we're anticipating a huge stress on the healthcare system. And so this is really more a reflection of how do we get healthcare workers working rather than how do we protect people. You know, it would be dangerous for me to be seeing an immunocompromised patient if I were out of quarantine early.
I know one hospital -- not mine -- has actively discouraged its workforce from getting tested, because they can't afford to lose more people. You know, this maybe more of a labor market issue than an actual patient and COVID issue.
SANCHEZ: That's really fascinating and it speaks to the strain on the healthcare system.
I'm wondering how you and your staff are coping given that we didn't really expect to be here almost two years into this pandemic.
DR. MCDONAL: It's definitely a strain. I would be lying to you if I said I weren't a little bit burned out by this. That said, I am hopeful in that the data coming out of the U.K. and out of South Africa showing that these patients infected with omicron are much less likely to be hospitalized and much less likely to be severely ill.
And so that alone is giving me a little bit of faith that 2022 will be a meaningfully different year.
SANCHEZ: Yes. As you emphasized several times today, it's very different than, you know, March or January of this year. And that is good news.
Still important to be vigilant and be careful. We appreciate you spreading the message. We appreciate your expertise as well and for giving us some time on this Christmas day.
Dr. Steven McDonald, thanks so much.
DR. MCDONALD: Thank you. Merry Christmas.
SANCHEZ: Of course.
Still ahead, with coronavirus surging, this is a pivotal moment for President Biden. How his administration is working to get the virus under control. Plus there's new video of the January 6th insurrection that's just
released, showing some of the most violent confrontations yet from that day. How this new footage might impact the work of the House Select Committee, when we come back.
[11:13:37]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: We're following several new developments in the investigation into the January 6th insurrection, the Justice Department just releasing some of the longest footage yet of a confrontation that day in a Capitol tunnel.
This is three hours of graphic videos showing officers being assaulted as the mob tried to break through and enter the building.
It comes as a Trump spokesman, Taylor Budowich is now suing the House Select Committee investigating the riot. Budowich is part of a growing number of Trump's allies following in the former president's footsteps, suing to challenge the panel investigation.
CNN's Jessica Schneider has the details.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TAYLOR BUDOWICH, TRUMP ALLY: Who won the election on the 3rd? Who won the election on the 3rd? Donald Trump.
I was the person who came up with the January 6th idea.
JESSICA SCHNEIDER, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Reporter: Trump allies have spent the past year repeatedly questioning the 2020 election and the House Select Committee's investigation into the deadly insurrection January 6th.
BUDOWICH: This evidence actually exonerates me and there's evidence actually that's going to exonerate President Donald J. Trump.
SCHNEIDER: And now they're taking another page from Trump's playing -- suing to stop the committee from getting access to their records and testimony.
The former president has filed his own lawsuit that is now making its way through the courts, trying to stop the National Archives from handing over hundreds of pages of documents including White House visitor and call logs and drafts and speeches and handwritten notes.
In recent weeks, more lawsuits have poured in, from Trump's chief of staff Mark Meadows, Trump's first national security adviser Michael Flynn, John Eastman the conservative lawyer who wrote a memo detailing how VP Mike Pence could interrupt the certification of the election results, Alex Jones the far right-wing media pundit, Cleta Mitchell an election official for Trump, Ali Alexander, one of the planners of the Stop the Steal rally, and a handful of other rally organizers. All have sued to stop the committee or to stop phone companies from turning over their records to the committee.
A judge in Flynn's case just denied a request to immediately step in and block a subpoena for his testimony and any request for his phone records as his case moves forward.
MARK MEADOWS, FORMER TRUMP CHIEF OF STAFF: The foundation is not based on a legislative purpose.
SCHNEIDER: Mark Meadows is challenging the basic premise of the committee and others have followed his lead. In Meadows' suit, his lawyers write, "The Select Committee acts absent any ballot legislative power and threatens to violate long-standing principles of executive privilege and immunity that are of constitutional origin and dimension."
Meadows handed over thousands of records to the committee. But when he refused to meet with them, the House voted to refer hem for possible prosecution for criminal contempt of congress.
MEADOWS: But truly the executive privilege that Donald Trump has claimed is his to waive, it's not mine to waive, it's not Congress' to waive. And that's why we filed the lawsuit to hopefully get the courts to weigh in.
SCHNEIDER: Democrats are pledging that their probe won't be impeded, stressing that hundreds of witnesses have already cooperated even as a handful fight in court.
REP. JASON CROW (D-CO): We won't stop fighting for democracy. We won't stop fighting for rule of law. We're not going to back down. We won't be intimidated. We're going to keep going.
SCHNEIDER (on camera): The committee's efforts are being slowed down in some cases by these lawsuits, but some of the people filing them have already cooperated with the committee to some extent.
[11:19:52]
SCHNEIDER: Mark Meadows did turn over thousands of pages of texts and records, as did Ali Alexander who also met with the committee.
Jessica Schneider, CNN -- Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SANCHEZ: Jessica, thank you for that report.
Just in, an armed intruder was arrested at Windsor Castle this morning where the Queen is celebrating Christmas. We'll bring you the latest, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: Here's some news just in to CNN.
An armed intruder has been arrested on the grounds of Windsor Castle where Queen Elizabeth and her family are spending the Christmas holiday. Police say they have a 19-year-old man from Southampton in custody.
The Queen is celebrating Christmas at Windsor Castle instead of her usual trip to Sandringham because of the omicron surge in the U.K. You'll remember she had some health difficulties just a few months ago.
Clearly an unexpected intruder at Windsor Castle. News is he has been apprehended.
Back in the states, President Biden says the isolation period for most Americans who test positive for COVID-19 will, at least for now, remain at ten days. That's despite the CDC loosening the period to just a week for health care workers who are asymptomatic.
The news comes as the White House announced that the travel restrictions on eight southern African countries will be lifted this New Year's eve.
Let's get straight to the White House and CNN's Jeremy Diamond who is live for us this morning. Jeremy, what is the latest from the administration?
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, listen. You heard President Biden just a few days ago defending his administration's response to the coronavirus and particularly this omicron surge.
[11:24:50]
DIAMOND: But he did acknowledge some shortcomings and those short shortcomings were apparent on Christmas Eve as you saw people lining up -- in lines for hours to try and get a coronavirus test ahead of the holidays.
It is very clear that this administration was not able to meet the demand for testing driven by this omicron surge and by the holiday rush.
But President Biden has announced his plan to purchase 500 million rapid at-home tests which will be distributed to Americans who request them beginning next month.
Then you saw the CDC also taking the step as it relates to health care workers to reduce that isolation period from 10 days to 7 days. But the president yesterday saying that at least for now, the recommendation that he's gotten from his public health officials is not to change that isolation period for Americans at large.
That is something that we know has been under discussion though, and could potential change down the road. But in an acknowledgement of how widespread the omicron variant is now in the United States, President Biden yesterday moving to -- begin to remove the restrictions on travel from southern Africa.
Those restrictions will fall on December 31st. That was for South Africa and seven other neighboring countries. Of course, that's where the omicron variant was first detected in South Africa.
But going forward there's a lot that President Biden is going to need to do to reassure Americans that this omicron surge is under control.
The only silver lining so far is that omicron appears to carry less severe disease. And while we have seen the rate of cases double over the last couple of weeks, we have not seen the same kind of increase in hospitalizations, Boris.
SANCHEZ: Jeremy Diamond reporting from the White House, thank you so much.
Here with us to discuss is CNN political analyst Julian Zelizer. He's a historian and professor at Princeton University.
Julian, I want to start with playing some sound from President Biden's interview with ABC News, discussing the omicron variant. Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAVID MUIR, ABC NEWS ANCHOR: The vice president said in recent days that you didn't see delta coming. You didn't see omicron coming. How did you get it wrong?
JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: How did we get it wrong? Nobody saw it coming. Nobody in the whole world, who saw it coming?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: Julian, to say that nobody saw it coming, doctors have been warning that variants were likely going to be common in the United States because of lagging vaccination rates. What's your reaction to the president saying he didn't see this coming?
JULIAN ZELIZER, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Yes, that won't satisfy many people. I think the president has to be straight, direct and realistic about what science has been teaching us.
And we knew variants were coming. There's been many warnings that we need more testing, and that we need to spread vaccinations, not just here but overseas. So the president doesn't sound, in that case, as if he's on top of what's going on.
SANCHEZ: And looking more broadly at history, given that we're going into the midterm election, I'm fairly certain that officials at the White House would rather be focusing on the Build Back Better Act or, you know, the innovation legislation that they were trying to pass for the United States to better compete with China.
And yet they're stuck sort of dealing with this lagging pandemic that hasn't totally gone away. Going into 2022 and midterms that, as you know, Democrats will be challenged to maintain power in Congress in.
What do you think the Biden administration should most focus on? Is it COVID? Is it trying to pass some of these bills? What do you think? ZELIZER: Look, without solving COVID or containing it, nothing else will really work. It's the issue of our day. It's the crisis of our times.
So there's steps that he needs to take such as increasing access to cheap or free testing that needs to be a priority. If voters are not feeling confident and secure, he won't get the political capital he needs to try to restart his Build Back Better Bill or to diminish the kind of damage that Democrats might face in the 2022 midterm.
So COVID is the priority. This is the crisis in which he was elected. And this is where he has to devote his resources right now.
SANCHEZ: President Biden though saying that he hasn't given up on Build Back Better and that there may still be a path with getting Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia on board with some of the specific items that he objects to in the larger legislation.
Given that President Biden and Joe Manchin have become very close over the last few months, a lot of meetings at the White House between the two do you see a path for Democrats to pass that legislation, given the gap between the more progressive wing and the moderates like Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona?
[11:29:49]
ZELIZER: It's very difficult. But I think many Democrats feel that the senator has not been negotiating in good faith. And it's unclear what the ask really is at this point.
Look, President Biden can lean on him. He can offer more resources for West Virginia. He could appeal to the senator's ego and say, you were the ultimately the deal maker, if this works out.
But in the end it might just be that the Democrats are going to need bigger majorities to work around Senator Manchin rather than trying to change him.
SANCHEZ: Julian, I also want to ask you quickly about former president Donald Trump. In an interview with "The Daily Wire" and Candace Owens, he recently pushed back on anti-vax claims that people like Owens has been proliferating online. Nonsense about the vaccines causing harm in large scale.
From your perspective, why do you think former president Trump made that pivot to sort of be more defensive and more vocal in his defense of the vaccines now when he could have been months ago and potentially saved lives, convincing some of his followers to get vaccinated when many of them are hesitant?
ZELIZER: Look, I don't know why he's changing. If it's political ambitions, or if it's a sense that this might in fact be one of the biggest accomplishments of his legacy, meaning helping in the production of the vaccines. But it is an important moment to hear from him to fight against that other element of his presidency fueling the conspiracy theories and fueling the anti-vax sentiment. Him pushing back could be helpful to Biden and to the country at this
point in increasing the rates of vaccination.
SANCHEZ: And finally some of the bigger fireworks I think as we get closer to the midterm elections of next year are going to be in Republican primary races. Donald Trump vowing that he's going to try to primary candidates put forth by, you know, the establishment the Mitch McConnells of the world.
What races, or perhaps more broadly, what are you going to be watching for when it comes to these primary races on the Republican side as we get into the spring and summer of 2022?
ZELIZER: Well, I think there's not much difference between the establishment and Trump. And I think his endorsements are going to generally have a lot of sway. The question is, does he subvert his own parties? Do his endorsements in swing states ultimately help Democrats be victorious? That's what we're looking for at this point.
SANCHEZ: Republicans historically do have momentum going into this election. We'll see if his endorsements may cost them some of that momentum.
Julian Zelizer, as always, appreciate the expertise. Thanks for sharing part of your Christmas with us.
ZELIZER: Thanks for having me. Happy holidays.
SANCHEZ: Of course.
Still ahead, from COVID to cancel culture, the major network shake-ups to major royal family bombshells -- it's been quite a year for media.
We're going to take look back at some of the top moments from 2021 after a quick break. Stay with CNN.
[11:32:49]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: It would be an understatement to say that there's been a flurry of major media moments this year from never-ending debates about cancel culture to the drama with the royal family, of course, the continuing crackdown on global press freedom. And all of this happening amid the backdrop of a global pandemic.
CNN's Brian Stelter counts down the top 10 media stories of 2021.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRIAN STELTER, CNN CHIEF MEDIA CORRESPONDENT: 2021, the year the media and the world tried to get back to normal.
The pandemic is now a subject of scripted dramas and movies helping us process it. But it's not over yet and some things have changed forever. So here are our top ten media stories of the year.
Number 10: De-platforming Donald Trump. Twitter permanently banning the president just days after the Capitol insurrection, while Facebook gave him a time-out.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Our breaking news this hour, Facebook says former president Donald Trump will not be allowed back on its platforms until at least January 7th, 2023.
STELTER: While Trump cries censorship, social media CEOs are just trying to figure out where to draw the line.
Number 9: TV news turnover. Chris Cuomo out at CNN after text messages showed how he helped his governor brother fight sexual harassment allegations. Now both Cuomos are out of jobs.
Soon the 9:00 p.m. timeslot at MSNBC is in for a change to with Rachel Maddow renewing her contract but expanding into documentaries and preparing to leave her daily hour.
MSNBC also needs to replace Brian Williams who signed off in December with a warning.
BRIAN WILLIAMS, MSNBC HOST: For the first time in my 62 years, my biggest worry is for my country.
STELTER: And over at Fox, a very different departure. Lou Dobbs ousted without explanation but it happened 24 hours after he was named in a defamation lawsuit.
At the end of the year Chris Wallace announced he was leaving Fox on his own terms. He is joining CNN and its forthcoming streaming system.
Number 8: Oprah's bombshell interview with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. The revelations shook the royal family with the Duchess of Sussex the family's quote, "concerns" about Baby Archie's skin color.
She said she felt so alone, she contemplated suicide.
MEGHAN MARKLE, DUCHESS OF SUSSEX: I just didn't want to be alive anymore.
STELTER: Fall out from the interview rippled across the media. And when a co-anchor called out Piers Morgan for his anti-Meghan rant, he stormed off the set of his British morning show.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You continue to trash her.
PIERS MORGAN, TV HOST: OK. I'm done this.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, no, no. Sorry, no. Didn't know what that --
MORGAN: Pretty good (INAUDIBLE) not mine, sir.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, no, no, no. I'm being -- MORGAN: Sorry, can't do this.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is absolutely diabolical behavior.
STELTER: He then left the network.
As for Harry and Meghan, they are now making podcasts and TV shows which leads me to --
Number 7: The streaming wars. Hollywood giants are trying to get even bigger, investing more and more in streaming series to keep you subscribed.
Streaming is the focus of AT&T's deal to spin off Warner Media including CNN and combine it with Discovery. If ok'd by regulators, the new stand-alone company will take mid shape in mid-2022 going head to head with Netflix and Disney.
In 2021, shows like "Squid Game" and "Ted Lasso" won attention and awards. And studios kept experimenting by putting movies like "Black Widow" both on streaming and in theaters at the same time. When Disney did that, Scarlett Johansson shocked Hollywood by suing for breach of contract, showing that the rules are being rewritten every day.
Number 6: Daring reporting from Afghanistan, as the Taliban encroached on Kabul and the U.S. withdrawal turned chaotic, reporters became the eyes and ears of the world.
CLARISSA WARD, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: They just told me to stand to the side because I'm a woman.
STELTER: CNN's Clarissa Ward documented the Taliban's takeover despite all the uncertainty and earned praise from fellow journalists.
[11:39:57]
STELTER: Behind the scenes more (ph) than hundreds of others worked to evacuate endangered reporters, assistants, drivers and other Afghans who worked with Western media. The local reporters who remain there face a hostile climate.
Which brings me to -- Number 5: the continuing crackdown on global press freedom.
In Hong Kong, police raided a pro-democracy newspaper in June, arresting top editors. A month before that, this incident shocked the world. A dissident Belarusian journalist arrested after his commercial flight was forced down in essentially a state-sponsored hijacking.
DON LEMON, CNN HOST: Have we seen anything like this before?
RICHARD QUEST, CNN HOST: No, is the short answer.
STELTER: Countries around the world are rolling back the rights of reporters in sometimes brazen ways. The Committee to Protect Journalists says a record high number of reporters are behind bars now with China being the worst jailer.
Number 4: the woke wars. It's an awakening over racial and social injustice to some but an overreaction to others. Is it cancel culture or consequence culture? And whatever its called, has it gone too far?
These debates raged across media all year.
JOE ROGAN, RADIO HOST: Either we'll eventually get to straight white men are not allowed to talk.
BILL MAHER, TV HOST: This is called a purge. It's a mentality that belongs in Stalin's Russia.
TUCKER CARLSON, FOX NEWS HOST: Cancelling Dr. Seuss isn't stupid. It's intentional.
STELTER: Of course, Dr. Seuss wasn't canceled. His legacy company simply decided to stop publishing a few titles that had racist imagery.
But free speech issues are real. And alternatives are emerging for people who want to bypass (INAUDIBLE) book publishers, newspapers and other gatekeepers. Writers are flocking to Substack and launching newsletters -- a new model that brings fresh debates over free speech.
Number 3: January 6th denialism. The big lie about trump winning the election led to the big deny. Desperate attempts to erase the violent reality of the riot.
CARLSON: You see people walking around and taking pictures. They don't look like terrorists, they look like tourists.
STELTER: That's Fox's highest rated star trying to rewrite history. While commentators stoked conspiracy theories right-wing media barely covers the real news about the insurrections aftermath. Or the new efforts to subvert democracy at the state level.
What we are losing in America is a sense of shared reality. But the big lie may cost its crusaders.
JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Breaking just a short time ago, Fox facing a $1.6 billion lawsuit, accused of spreading election lies.
STELTER: And that was just the beginning. Two voting tech companies have filed multiple defamation suits against Fox News and other networks. And a series of blockbuster books continue to reveal what really happened during Trump's final days in the White House.
Number 2: The Facebook reckoning. A whistle-blower was heard around the world, first with the Facebook Files, a series of "Wall Street Journal" stories based on leaks from inside Facebook.
Then the source Frances Haugen stepped forward.
FRANCES HAUGEN, FACEBOOK WHISTLE BLOWER: I believe Facebook's products harm children, stoke division, and weaken our democracy. The company's leadership knows how to make Facebook and Instagram safer, but won't make the necessary changes because they have put their astronomical profits before people.
STELTER: Haugen alleged that the company's own research showed its platforms can be toxic for children and society writ large but the company failed to take action.
CEO Mark Zuckerberg pushed back. Saying many of her claims didn't make sense. But Haugen gave new momentum to governments that want to rein in social media. Anti-social media was a through line for the entire year bringing us to the number 1 media story of 2021.
The vaccine disinformation divide. Reliable info about COVID-19 vaccines helped people get vaxed and protected, but anti-vax lies and distortions went viral, from Facebook to Fox in ways that worsened the pandemic's terrible toll.
The right-wing media machine took conspiracy theories from the fringes and moved them to the mainstream.
PEARSON SHARP, OAN HOST: The radical, left wing fanatics who are bent on forcing each and every American to get themselves injected with an experimental, unproven drug.
STELTER: Fox News demonized Dr. Anthony Fauci.
LARA LOGAN, FOX NEWS HOST: This is what people say to me. That he doesn't represent science to them. He represents Joseph Mengele.
STELTER: And the anti-science rhetoric cost lives. Several right-wing radio hosts who resisted vaccines died of COVID. TV stars who claim to respect their audience actually put them at risk.
Big tech platforms said they tried to clean up the garbage, but the vaccine divide is a sad reflection of a choose your own news culture.
It's incumbent on everyone to choose carefully.
Brian Stelter, CNN -- New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
[11:44:52]
SANCHEZ: Thanks, Brian.
Coming up, going into the deepest depths of the unknown. NASA just launching their most powerful space telescope built to date hoping to unlock some of the greatest mysteries of the universe.
We've got details for you, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: So NASA got a huge Christmas gift this morning when it successfully launched its most powerful space telescope ever. Watch this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And lift off. Lift off from a tropical rain forest to the edge of time itself, James Webb begins a voyage back to the birth of the universe.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: The launch of the James Webb telescope was more than 20 years in the making involving thousands of scientists, multiple countries. And with some luck, it could change the way we see the universe.
CNN space correspondent Kristin Fisher is covering the launch for us.
Kristin, This mission is really only beginning. It's going to be six months before we see any images or data from the telescope.
KRISTIN FISHER, CNN SPACE CORRESPONDENT: Yes. And this launch, I mean first of all, what an incredible moment this had to have been for the thousands of scientists and engineers who have spent, you know, some of them have been on this project for more than 20 years.
So the fact that there was a successful launch today, that is just an incredible start. But yes, it's going to take six months before we get those first images. And what comes next is what NASA calls the 29 days on edge.
Boris, if you ever covered some of those Rovers landing on Mars, you'll know that they go through that 7 minutes of terror when the ground loses communications with the Rover.
[11:49:56]
FISHER: Well with Webb, you get 29 days on edge. And so this is when the telescope is going to literally be unfolding kind of like an origami in space as it travels about a million miles away from earth to its final resting place for the time being, which called Lagrange.2 and so that is where it is going to try to look back in time and try to see the very first light that was ever emitted in the universe.
And perhaps you then, you know, try to answer some of the big questions that we all want to know which is, of course, you know, are we alone in the universe. So some really big questions that Webb is trying to answer.
And Boris today, a successful first step in its journey to a very far away point from earth.
SANCHEZ: Very far away place. Yes. And the way that it is described, the technology is really impressive. It is sort of like a time machine in some ways.
So I'm curious about the delays on this mission. It took a long time to get off the ground. What did it take to get to this point? FISHER: Well, it is an engineering marvel, right. I mean nothing like
this has ever been built before. But it was dealt with some -- it had to deal with some very terrestrial setbacks, right. It had -- there was a point in time where people didn't know if Congress would continue funding it because it was $9 billion over budget.
It was delayed by ten years due to various technical issues. And then just simply getting the telescope to the launch pad in French Guiana in South America I mean Boris, think of it as this. This is a $10 billion telescope.
And so part of the -- one of the contingency plans that they had to at least talk about was what if there were perhaps some pirates that tried to steal the telescope as it was on this ship to French Guiana? So that's just one of the many hurdles that the Webb space telescope has had to deal with on its journey into space.
SANCHEZ: Pirates.
FISHER: I know, right. You have to deal with --
SANCHEZ: Unexpected.
FISHER: -- politics, you have to deal with, you know, budget shortfalls but I bet a lot of people on the program didn't think they'd have to be worried about pirates.
SANCHEZ: Pirates, and now the 29 days or so as you noted of silence, a long time to hold your breath.
Kristin Fisher, thanks so much for the reporting as always.
FISHER: Yes.
Thanks, Boris.
SANCHEZ: Of course.
And in this week's "Impact Your World", NFL legend Warrick Dunn has made it his business to help single parents turn their houses into homes. Here's his story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WARRICK DUNN, NFL PLAYER: I just remember sitting in a lock room because Dungy, just listening to him, just talk to all of the rookies about, you guys want to get involved, and give back and those things.
And it just came up with my mom. She's working off duty, guys ambushed her and it's to open fire at a police car. My mom lost her life. She was never able to realize her dream of home ownership.
I just saw the way that she, you know, just cared about people and how she wanted her community to be better.
House for Holidays is where we go and we assist a single parent family who's becoming a first time home owner. We give them $5,000 down payment and we fully furnish their home, for food, furniture, linens, (INAUDIBLE) TVs, computers, all the way down to the toothbrush.
First we were just focused on really just helping families get into homes. The more I really learned (INAUDIBLE) to get in the business of giving people potential to break their cycle of poverty. And with that is financial literacy, health and wellness, education attainment and work force development and entrepreneurship.
KIA SAVAGE LEWIS, FIRST TIME HOMEOWNER: They set the foundation, for me up unto that point of survival, was my thinking process.
DUNN: The goal IS I hope we can go out of business. And when I say that, it's no one else needs housing.
[11:53:41]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(MUSIC)
SANCHEZ: That's the Duchess of Cambridge and Tom Walker performing the song "For Those Who Can't Be Here" at Westminster Abbey for their Christmas celebration.
Meghan and Harry the Duke and Duchess of Sussex also got into the Christmas spirit, sharing the first picture of their daughter, Lilibet Diana as part of their holiday card this year.
Meantime Queen Elizabeth in her Christmas message today, remembered her late husband, Prince Philip, who passed away this year.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
QUEEN ELIZABETH II, GREAT BRITAIN: Christmas can be hard for those who have lost loved ones. This year especially I understand why. But for me in the months since the death of my beloved Philip, I have drawn great comfort from the warmth and affection of the many tributes to his life and work from around the country, the commonwealth, and the world.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: Notably there was an armed intruder arrested at Windsor Castle. No apparent harm done though he was apprehended.
The Queen also used her Christmas message to urge people to come together around her Platinum Jubilee.
So this is a really powerful video that you should take a moment to watch. It's new body camera video that captures deputies in Kentucky finding and rescuing two infants in a bathtub after their home was destroyed and they were swept up in a deadly tornado outbreak earlier this month.
Watch this. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We got the -- I think a 15-month old. Central, can you send us med center.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There you go.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh my God.
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There you go.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is she ok?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Good. No cuts on the leg.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: It's just incredible. You can hear the faint cry of one of the children as deputies discover them. The grandmother says that as the tornado approached, she put them in the tub for safety with a blanket, a pillow and a bible.
[11:59:49]
SANCHEZ: The children were just 15 months old and three months old. One had to be taken to the hospital for a head injury, but they are both alive and apparently doing better.
From one incredible story to another, a TSA officer saving a baby's life.
