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Coronavirus Pandemic; Flying Safely Over The Holidays As Omicron Surges; Archbishop Desmond Tutu Has Died At Age 90; Omicron Impact Dims U.S. Economic Forecasts For 2022; Hearing Set for Trucker Sentenced To 110 Years For Deadly Crash; Top 10 Entertainment Stories Of 2021. Aired 2-3p ET
Aired December 26, 2021 - 14:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:00:24]
JESSICA DEAN, CNN HOST: Hi, everyone. And thanks so much for joining me. I'm Jessica Dean in Washington, in this weekend for Fredericka Whitfield.
And we begin this hour with concern growing about the rapid spread of the coronavirus. The omicron variant fueling a new surge. The U.S. now seeing daily cases not seen since January, and as cases spread, so does the demand for tests.
Americans are facing a shortage of at-home kits. In Miami, like many other parts of the country, people are spending this day after Christmas waiting in long lines to get tested for COVID.
The White House is facing increase criticism over its handling of the testing situation. Dr. Anthony Fauci saying this today.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, WHITE HOUSE CHIEF MEDICAL ADVISOR: We should be using testing much more extensively than we have, even in a situation where you have people who are vaccinated or boosted. But the situation where you have such a high demand, a conflation of events, omicron stirring people to get appropriately concerned and wanting to get tested as well as the fact of the run on tests during the holiday season.
We've obviously got to do better. I mean, I think things will improve greatly as we get into January but that doesn't help us today and tomorrow.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DEAN: This morning, two cruise ships returned to Florida after several passengers and crew members all fully vaccinate tested positive for COVID.
And it's not just cruise ships dealing with COVID. We just learned more than 800 flights have already been cancelled today as airlines now deal with staffing shortages.
CNN's Nadia Romero is in Atlanta with more.
And Nadia, this day after Christmas, typically one of the busiest travel days of the year. What does it look like right now?
NADIA ROMERO, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Jessica, a lot busier right now than this time just yesterday. Yesterday it felt like a ghost town here at Hartsfield Jackson Airport. Today though we're seeing a lot more activity, a lot more traffic, the parking lots are all filled up right now. You can hear the beeping and the whistling behind me from the officers trying to keep that traffic moving.
One of the Lyft drivers I spoke to said it's pretty simple. A lot of companies gave their employees Friday off to celebrate the holiday but tomorrow, Monday it's back to work. So you see people frantically trying to make their flights.
Unfortunately, though, we see almost 900 flights cancelled today. Another 2,400 delayed just today alone. But if you look at this entire Christmas holiday weekend, we're talking almost 6,000 flights that have been cancelled and that makes a big impact on so many travelers.
We know that so much of that has been linked to the omicron variant that has been spreading rapidly with COVID cases being seen all across the country. And that is why the TSA, part of the reason why they say they are seeing fewer people being screened through TSA. About 800,000 fewer people this time period, so Christmas day compared to the last -- last year with this -- excuse me, pre-pandemic levels so 2019.
So we're seeing fewer people travel which really doesn't speak to what we saw on Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving was, I don't know, insanity. How would you describe it? There were people on top of people. The lines for TSA. And even if TSA pre-check and clear were wrapped around many security of the security checkpoints here at the airport for Thanksgiving. Christmas a much different story.
But we talked to some travelers who were lucky enough to have their flights not be delayed and cancelled. They wanted to go out and see their families. Many of them say they haven't seen their families since before COVID. But they were still taking those safety precautions. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We've been vaccinated, and I've been boosted. He's been fully vaccinated and so has my entire family. And the only person in our family that's not vaccinated has decided to stay home because we've got some immunocompromised people at home that we don't want to risk exposing them to anything.
So, yes. That's what we're doing and we're wearing our mask on the airplane. So I think we should be ok.
(END VIDEO CLIP) ROMERO: And that's what I've heard from a lot of people talking with them over this weekend about why they are traveling. They want to see family. They want to do it safely but people were very proud to share with me that they had been vaccinated, boosted and even having their kids vaccinated so they could take this trip knowing about this omicron variant and knowing that we're still very much within this pandemic, Jessica.
DEAN: We certainly are. And people, of course, too desperate to see those family and friends.
Nadia Romero, thanks so much for your reporting. We appreciate it.
[14:04:49]
DEAN: As the omicron variant surges nationwide, frustrated Americans are scrambling to get tested before they travel. But experts say there are ways to stay safe on planes if you're traveling this holiday season.
CNN's Brian Todd has more on that.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): From LAX to Atlanta Hartsfield, America's airports are jam-packed. Some passengers worried about take together skies about the omicron variant surge.
G.F. GRANT, TRAVELER AT HARTSFIELD JACKSON AIRPORT: I don't like the fact that the planes are all full. It was squashed down when I came out here from California, squashed in. And I anticipate the same thing going home.
TODD: With some 20 million people estimated to be flying this holiday season in the U.S. health experts are urging passengers to take new precautions to avoid contracting the omicron variant.
GAVIN MACGREGOR SKINNER, SENIOR DIRECTOR, GLOBAL BIORISK ADVISORY COUNCIL: It's all about staying away from people you don't know, strangers. You don't know whether they've got the virus or not.
TODD: Are surgical masks still the best ones to wear on planes?
PROF. SHELDON JACOBSON, PUBLIC HEALTH DATA EXPERT, UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT URBANA-CHAMPAIGN: The entire flying experience requires protection and using K-95s and N-95s is the gold standard right now that people should be considering and investing in.
TODD: Experts advised us to use layers of protection on flights, not just masks but face shields, too, especially on longer flights. Given the higher transmissibility of the omicron variant, should passengers avoid taking masks off completely, even to eat or drink during a flight?
DR. CARLOS DEL RIO,EXECUTIVE ASSOCIATE DEAN, EMORY UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE: Don't take it off at any time, to take it off eating or, you know, taking it off to have a drink. Not worth doing that.
TODD: But if you do have a drink, experts say, try to sip through a straw with your mask still on. We caught up with Biorisk analyst Gavin MacGregor-Skinner as he'd just gotten off a series of intercontinental flights lasting 30 hours and asked him a key question.
What about seating? Is a window seat the best option for protection from droplets?
MACGREGOR-SKINNER: If you can sit on the window seat and not move for whatever duration of flight it is, then you've got less likelihood, less risk of being in contact with those people that are moving up and down the aisle. And that's where it's safer.
TODD: Health experts tell us, we can't expect the airlines to go back to their policies of putting fewer people on flights so there can be more spacing but if they can, passengers should still sit at least six feet away from others inside the cabin.
Still, one analyst says being inside the cabin in flight isn't as dangerous as many might think because of the sophisticated air filtration systems inside passenger planes. The riskiest places he says, the terminals.
JACOBSON: The real risk is when you're waiting to board the plane, when you're in -- when you're on the checking in. When you're getting off the plane where people are congregating, people are tired. People are fatigued wearing the mask and it easily comes off their face. They want to get something to drink or eat. Very vulnerable times.
TODD (on camera): One expert told us passengers should interact with airline personnel about COVID safety. Ask them questions as you board a plane or beforehand. Questions like when was the last time they fully cleaned the plane and whether the plane has certain safety features like HEPA filters.
Brian Todd, CNN at Reagan National Airport.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
DEAN: So much good information there. Let's talk more about all of it. We've got Dr. Carlos del Rio with us. He's the executive associate dean at Emory University School of Medicine.
Doctor, great to see you. We even saw you in that story just then talking about airplane safety. And honestly, you were answering a question I've wondered a lot as I've flown. Is it worth it if you're really thirsty and want some water to pull the mask down. And you said at this point try to keep it on the whole flight, right?
DR. CARLOS DEL RIO: Absolutely, Jessica. I mean, I know it's hard, but if -- you know, your flight is less than two hours, less than three hours you can probably go without having a drink. And if you have a drink, you know, use a straw and put the straw through the mask, but you know, I've been wearing during this omicron surge -- I have traveled but I'm wearing double protection. I'm wearing the KN-95 and on top of it a surgical mask and I'm not taking it off.
I think it's not worth for a drink, for a snack to take off your mask. And you have to be protected. You really don't want to get infected. And unfortunately this strain, this virus is incredibly infectious and you can get infected if you're not careful all the time.
DEAN: Right. And it's been interesting to hear, you know, some of the situations that may not have not been as risky because of omicron's contagious factor. They are inherently more risky now like sipping a drink of water on a plane it sounds like.
DR. DEL RIO: Well, to me this is just a different ball game, right. The strain is not the previous strain. This is not the same virus, but it's still a virus that we know how it's transmitted. It's transmitted respiratory. It's transmitted through air droplets. And we have to protect it from that.
It's very -- you know, it's very important also to make sure that everybody you're gathering with is healthy, nobody is saying well, I've just got a cold. I have some symptoms.
And ideally if you have access to testing, you know, get tested. Don't get together with family or friends that you haven't been around especially if everybody is traveling without testing people because the last thing you want to do is create an outbreak.
DEAN: Sure. And to that end, how soon after arriving to your destination do you think people should be -- should consider getting tested once they have arrived to where they are going?
DR. DEL RIO: You know, what I've been doing in the past and what I usually do is 48 hours after arrival I get tested with omicron because of the short incubation period of two to three days.
[14:09:53]
DR. DEL RIO: I also test myself like if I'm going to get together with family and friends. I went to see my mom who is, you know, 87-year-old and immunosuppressed.
I tested myself 24 hours before seeing her and I tested myself right before I went into her house literally in the car as I walked into the house as a way, again, to ensure that I was double tested before I went into the house and prevent, you know, inadvertently infecting my mother.
DEAN: Sure. And testing though continues to be a struggle for so many Americans. We've seen these long lines of people wrapping around buildings trying to get their hands on a either test or an at-home test. What is your advice to people if they think they may be sick and they can't get a test and also if they are going to see someone and can't get a test? And it's probably a different advice for the different situations.
DR. DEL RIO: Well, correct. First of all, let me just say that in general the testing situation in our country right now is a mess, it's a disaster. We have way over demand to the supply. We have whether it's, you know, a test you get at, you know, at a testing site in any city where you may stand in line for two hours or try to get a rapid test.
I knew I was going do a holiday trip. I bought my rapid test back in early November, early November when really nobody was buying them and they were readily available but if I wanted to do this the week before I traveled I would've not been able to find them.
So there's not enough testing out there. We need to get more testing. They also need to be cheaper, right. I mean paying $20 to $25 for two tests is just simply too much for most Americans. We should be able to get this under $5, ideally for free during an emergency.
And, you know, so if you have symptoms and you cannot get tested stay home. Isolate from the entire family. If you have symptoms, don't go visit family and friends. If you want to gather together, and you cannot have this testing, make sure everybody is vaccinated and boosted. And if somebody is immunosuppressed they shouldn't come to the event.
And again, do things outside rather than inside. The more you have ventilation, the better it is. And if you cannot, you know, if it's going to be too cold outside, at least open the windows when you're gathering. And don't have it with a lot of people. Don't sing, don't scream, you know, and try to keep your mask on most of the time unless you're going to be eating.
DEAN: Right. It is nice that at least at this point we know so much more than we did in say, you know, early 2020 when we were still figuring out, you know, how not -- how it's spread and all of that.
Dr. Fauci spoke about the spread of the omicron variant this morning. Let's listen to what he had to say.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DR. FAUCI: They are seeing less of a severity in the form of manifestations by hospitalizations. The issue that we don't want to get complacent about, John, is that when you have such a high volume of new infections it might override a real diminution in severity so that if you have many, many, many more people with a less level of severity, that might kind of neutralize the positive effect of having less severity when you have so many more people. And we're particularly worried about those who are in that unvaccinated class.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DEAN: And Doctor, are you concerned that people may be hearing, well, omicron is not showing to be as severe as you're vaccinated, that they may become complacent, or are you concerned about anyone becoming complacent as we kind of learn before about this variant?
DR. DEL RIO: Yes, absolutely. I'm concerned about people become complacent. But I totally agree with Dr. Fauci. I mean, you know, you're 30 years old, you may say well, if I get infected, nothing is going to happen. I've already been vaccinated, been boosted. If I get infected it's gong to be like a bad cold.
Yes, that may be the case but the reality is if you're over the age of 60, if you're, you know, immunosuppressed, even if you've been vaccinated and boosted this could still be pretty serious. And the number of people infected is going to drive hospitalizations up.
The other thing that I'm very concerned about Jessica is not -- at this point in time it's not the overwhelming of hospitals because of patients with COVID. It's the under staffing of hospitals because health care workers are calling in sick because they are getting infected.
And those health care workers who are getting together with families, who are getting to be complacent going to bars (ph) and are getting infected are not being able to go to work. and that impacts the care not only of patients with COVID but of any (INAUDIBLE) in the hospital at this point in time.
DEAN: Right. Right. It's just such a complex issue. Dr. Carlos del Rio, thanks so much for your insight. We appreciate it.
DR. DEL RIO: Delighted to be with you.
DEAN: Thanks.
Still ahead, the fate of President Biden's economic agenda is in jeopardy, but some Democrats still remain hopeful there is a pathway to passing some version of the Build Back Better Act. We're going to discuss that ahead.
Plus, nearly 5 million people are supporting a call for clemency for a truck driver sentenced to 110 years following a fatal crash. And now a district attorney is stepping in. We've got details on that ahead.
[14:14:36]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
DEAN: Archbishop Desmond Tutu, a towering figure in the anti-apartheid movement in South Africa has died. The Nobel prize wining, Anglican cleric was 90 years old. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said this today, quote, "A man of extraordinary intellect, integrity and invincibility against the forces of apartheid. He was also tender and vulnerable in his compassion for those who had suffered oppression, injustice and violence under apartheid and oppressed and downtrodden people around the world.
CNN's Robyn Curnow looks back at his historic life and legacy.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ROBYN CURNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): While inmate (ph) Nelson Mandela was the face of South Africa's liberation struggle, Archbishop Desmond Tutu was its the voice.
ARCHBISHOP DESMOND TUTU: To say to you, continue in the struggle. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
TUTU: Continue in the struggle to make South Africa rich (ph).
CURNOW: When he won the Nobel Peace prize IN 1984, the anti-apartheid movement was under attack. The minority government had banned the African National Congress and imprisoned its leaders. It was the clergy led by tutu that stepped in to fill the void.
A decade later, the struggle paid off when South Africa held its very first democratic election in 1994.
(on camera) For you in your life, what do you think has been the greatest thing you've ever done?
TUTU: Well, I -- I say to people my happiest moment was when I was told I'm a father for the first time, when our son was born. I was on cloud nine. A close second to that is 1994 when I was standing on the balcony of the city hall overlooking the grand parade and introducing Nelson Mandela to the crowd, to South Africa, to the world.
[14:19:44]
TUTU: Ladies and gentlemen, friends, fellow South Africans, I ask you welcome our brand new president (INAUDIBLE), Nelson Mandela.
I actually said to God, "God, I don't mind if I die now."
CURNOW: As a new democracy took hold in South Africa, Tutu was again called on to lead. In 1995 President Nelson Mandela appointed him as chair of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in front of the nation desperate to heal. A man never afraid to speak his mind, wasn't afraid to show his emotion either.
GRACA MACHEL, "THE ELDERS": He is a person whose life was always dedicated to others. And I think that has (INAUDIBLE) also in knowing how to connect to different kind of people, different status, but he connected very, very, very well.
TUTU: We owe our freedom to extraordinary people.
CURNOW: In 2007 he joined a group of prominent world leaders called "The Elders". Their mission, focusing the world's attention on all forms of injustices.
(on camera): Any regrets, sir?
TUTU: Being maybe too abrasive, and because I was right, so easily becoming self-righteous.
CURNOW: For you to say that --
TUTU: Yes. You know, we knew we were right, but it was so easy for us to turn and you get to feel you're better than your opponent. But you aren't. They are all God's children. CURNOW (voice over): Tutu officially retired from public life in 2010
but remained in the public eye, a man unafraid of criticism and threats from an apartheid government. Before his 80th birthday celebration in 2011 Tutu lashed out at the South African government for denying the Dalai Lama a visa.
TUTU: One day we will are start praying for the defeat of the ANC government. You are disgraceful. I want to warn you. You are behaving in a way that's totally at variance with the things for which we stood.
CURNOW: The country's moral compass with a voice to match.
TUTU: That in the last day when he shall come again --
[14:22:45]
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
DEAN: As the omicron variant continues to drive a surge in COVID cases all across the country, concerns are mounting about the impact this latest wave of the pandemic will have on the U.S. economy.
With the president's Build Back Better plan, a key part of his economic agenda now in jeopardy, Democrats say they're still working to sway Senator Joe Manchin to support the bill and they're even considering scaling that package back or trying to pass various pieces of that legislation as stand-alones.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SENATOR BEN CARDIN (D-MD): That's a strategy decision being negotiated. We are open to a way to reach the finish line. We want to make it as comprehensive as possible because the needs are just there.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DEAN: With me now is Mark Zandi. He's the chief economist from Moody's Analytics. Mark, great to see you. Thanks so much for joining us this afternoon.
You guys recently downgraded the U.S. economic forecast for the first quarter of 2022 due to omicron. If the president and Congress can't get that $2 trillion spending plan through, what do you think that means for America's, I guess you could call it a still recovering economy as we head into 2022?
MARK ZANDI, CHIEF ECONOMIST, MOODY'S ANALYTICS: Yes. It will still continue to recover but just at a slower rate, Jessica. So if Build Back Better doesn't get through in any form then that will cut about a half a percentage point from gross in this calendar year -- the coming calendar year, calendar year 2022.
And they will do some damage at the start of the year because a big part of the Build Back Better if agenda is the child tax credit and that expires at the end of this year, and so folks, the families with children that are getting that tax credit won't get that money early next here and that will hurt.
And of course, as you said, this combined with omicron means that the growth into next year will be weaker than previously anticipated. Of course, there's a lot of script to be written. We have to see how this all plays out in Washington with the virus.
But you know, if we don't get that Build Back Better agenda, we'll be slower in 2022.
DEAN: And you mentioned the child tax credit, and a big part of those enhancements is that these families were getting them in monthly payments instead of at a lump son when they did their taxes which allowed them, the theory was to build that it -- essentially to their monthly income.
Did you all find that they were spinning that and putting it back into the economy as opposed to saving it or doing something else with that money?
ZANDI: Well, all of the above Jessica, yes. Some have been saved. Some have been used to repay debt. But a fair share of it was being spent, a lot of this money goes to lower income households, lower middle income households and they don't have the same kind of savings or cash cushions high income households do.
So they get cash, if they get some extra money in their bank account which the child tax credit was doing then yes, they'll spend it on something to support growth.
And if they don't get it, if the check stops coming, the money stops coming in January, then that will have an impact on spending and on broader economic growth.
DEAN: And so keeping with this Build Back Better plan, obviously the big tax credit is a big piece of it, but there are parts of that bill that it sounds like Congress may try to pass as stand alone at this point. As it stands Joe Manchin is not voting for what is currently written.
From an economic perspective, from your perspective, which parts of the legislation do you think are critical or most useful in pushing the economy forward?
Well, child tax credit is really key. I think also the help with elder care is also very important. There's a lot in there on housing, you know. We do have a very severe shortage of affordable homes.
And so people are struggling to find homes that are close to their work.
[14:29:56]
ZANDI: Those things are really important to helping people get back into the workforce, lifting labor force participation, particularly again by lower income workers, minority groups, female workers where participation rates are low.
[14:30:12]
So, that not only helps the economy in the near term and long term. The health care, the education, minority groups, female participation. Minority groups, female participation. It also helps the economy in the near term and long term. The health care, the education, they pay benefits over longer periods of time than there was a fair amount of money in the build back better for climate risk mitigation, really climate change and that pays dividends over the longer run.
So in my mind, the build back better was really -- is really important not only in terms of near-term growth but more importantly in terms of long-term economic growth.
DEAN: And I want to get to student loans in one quick sending. A quick follow-up is we've heard from Senator Manchin and others. They are very concerned about inflation, pumping more money into the economy. Based on what you're telling me, this would not lead to that kind of inflation they believe it will?
ZANDI: Yeah, that's right. There's a lot of reasons why one might like the legislation or not like the legislation. I get that. But inflation is really not one of those issues. It's neither here nor there.
Doesn't really affect -- this bill will not affect inflation to any significant degree. So, inflation shouldn't be the reason why you don't.
DEAN: All right. So, student loans, President Biden also this week announced he's going to extend that pause on federal student loan payments until May 1st. And he cited the COVID crisis.
What impact does that have for young people still paying off their college education and also, too, there's been talk about student loan forgiveness just wiping it clean. How would that affect the economy?
ZANDI: Yeah, well, it is a lot of money for a lot of these student loan borrowers. You add it all up, it's about $5 billion in savings per month. Now they're ultimately going to have to pay it back but it gives them a cash cushion in where we're experiencing, you know, problems related to the pandemic and now with the omicron wave probably going to do some damage as we move into next year, delaying the restart of payments is probably a good idea.
It helps to cushion omicron and if Build Back Better gets passed it helps cushion that as well. It's a good idea and it will help a lot of younger, lower income students who are really, you know, struggling to kind of manage through. In terms of debt forgiveness, you know, there's already a lot of debt forgiveness in the program and, of course, you have to be paying for an extended period of time.
Payments have to be a certain -- above a certain percentage of our income. You know, if you are in public service you get some debt forgiveness. Those are all very good things and I think they could be increased or expanded. But wholesale, widespread debt forgiveness, that feels tough to me. Particularly if you only have an answer for the next question is, what about the kids that are coming up now? What are they going to do? You know, how are they going to finance their education. It's not an easy problem to solve and I don't think that we can broad blanket that forgiveness is the answer.
DEAN: All right. Mike Zandi, we'll leave it there. Thanks so much. We appreciate it.
ZANDI: Sure. Thank you.
DEAN: And a quick programming note for you. "Just Call Out My Name" airing next Sunday, January 2nd, at 9:00 pm. Right here on CNN and here's a quick preview.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANNOUNCER: Friends, collaborators, legends, the music shaped a generation. They came together for the tour of a lifetime.
(SINGING)
ANNOUNCER: James Taylor.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: His songs were amazing, his voice was amazing and his demeanor.
JAMES TAYLOR, SINGER: Hee-haw.
ANNOUNCER: And Carole King.
TAYLOR: Carole King, one of the greatest songwriters of all time. I asked her to be a part of my band.
Forty years have passed since the first time we played.
CAROLE KING, SINGER: I loved every experience we have had together.
(SINGING)
ANNOUNCER: "Just Call Out My Name", Sunday, January 2nd, at 9:00 on CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:37:24]
DEAN: A status hearing is scheduled for tomorrow in the case of a truck driver who was sentenced to 110 years in prison for an interstate crash that killed four people in 2019. The severity of that sentence has sparked calls for a review and millions of people have signed a petition. The driver told investigators he was driving 85 miles per hour when his brakes failed. And he crashed causing a 28-car pile-up.
CNN's Lucy Kafanov is following the developments for us.
Lucy, what's the latest with all of this?
LUCY KAFANOV, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Jessica. The district attorney is asking the court to reconsider that lengthy 110-year prison sentence for Rogel Aguilera-Mederos, potentially reducing it to just 20 or 30 years. What's important to note is they are not looking to overturn the conviction.
In a statement, the D.A. Alexis King said that Mederos made, quote, multiple active choices that resulted in the death of four people and serious injuries to others, adding that the shorter sentence, quote, reflects an appropriate outcome for that conduct.
Now at issue are these mandatory minimum sentencing laws in Colorado that require sentences to be served consecutively, rather than concurrently which is how the 26-year-old truck driver, the now-26- year-old truck driver nearly more than a century behind bars. A sentence twice as long as some murder convicts. Even the judge who issued that sentence said afterwards, quote, if I had the discretion it would not be my sentence.
Some Colorado lawmakers calling for legal reforms. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ALEX VALCEZ, COLORADO STATE REPRESENTATIVE: Our system here at this building has created a situation where a judge at their own discretion who doesn't want to issue a sentence has had to issue that sentence. What we hope to achieve is reforms. That's what this is all about. We have to reform a system that is creating a situation where we are creating more victims of our justice system. We have to do that now.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAFANOV: Now, Mederos himself was very emotional during this sentencing saying that he never intended to hurt anyone. There were nearly 5 million signatures asking Colorado Governor Jared Polis to issue a clemency or to shorten the sentence. Kim Kardashian even got involved questioning these mandatory minimum sentencing laws.
Meanwhile, Governor Polis' office tells CNN that they are reviewing the clemency request -- Jessica.
DEAN: All right. Lucy Kafanov for us, thanks for that update.
From incredible comebacks to the "Jeopardy" host in jeopardy to Alec Baldwin at the center of a Hollywood tragedy, it's been a whirlwind year in the world of entertainment. Up next, we're going to take a look back at the top stories of 2021.
[14:40:00]
But first 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 LEGEND: Everyone deserves a home. Home is where the heart is.
I just remember sitting in a locker room with Coach Dungy just listen to him talk to all the rookies about, you guys want to get involved and give back and those things, then it just came up my mom. She was working and they opened fire.
My mom lost her life. I saw the way that she just cared about people and how she wanted her community to be better. Homes for Holidays is where we go and we assist single parent family who has become a first time homeowner. We give them $5,000 down payment and fully furnish their homes with food, appliances, TVs, computers, all down to the toothbrush. We were focused on helping families get into homes.
The more I really learned, we wanted 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 workforce development, entrepreneurship.
KIA SAVAGE LEWIS, FIRST TIME HOMEOWNER: Set the foundation for me up until that point, survival was my thinking process.
DUNN: The goal is I hope we can go out of business. When I say that, it's no one else needs housing.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:45:08]
DEAN: Whether it was binge-watching a show, a quiet movie night or evening filled with music and close friends, the entertainment world provided a welcome respite as we tried to navigate another difficult year. But the industry that helped us escape suffered some tragic lows in 2021 and Stephanie Elam has this year's top moments.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): From Adele's giant return --
(MUSIC)
ELAM: To "Jeopardy's" host in jeopardy.
MIKE RICHARDS, FORMER "JEOPARDY" HOST: Players, here's the clue.
ELAM: And Alec Baldwin at the center of a Hollywood tragedy. Here's a look at the top entertainment stories of 2021.
Number 10 -- the Kim and Kanye split. KIM KARDASHIAN, REALITY TV STAR: I want to be happy.
ELAM: After seven years of marriage, Kim Kardashian filed for divorce from rapper Kanye West.
KARDASHIAN: I deserve someone that can go support his every move and follow him all over the place and move to Wyoming. I can't do that.
ELAM: It began with Kanye's elaborate proposal in a rented baseball stadium. Parts of the 2014 wedding airing on E's "Keeping Up with the Kardashians".
The split also airing on the show.
KARDASHIAN: I feel like a (EXPLETIVE DELETED) loser.
ELAM: Which like Kanye, ended its run this year after l4 years.
Number nine --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A shocker when it comes to best actor.
ELAM: Anthony Hopkins wins best actor for "The Father" stunning Oscar producers who were sure the late Chadwick Boseman would win, they moved the best actor category to the end of the show.
ANTHONY HOPKINS, ACTOR: They did not expect this.
ELAM: Hopkins wasn't on hand leaving the critically panned telecast to end abruptly and Hopkins to honor Boseman later on social media.
HOPKINS: I want to pay tribute to Chadwick Boseman who was taken from us far too early.
ELAM: Number eight -- the Astroworld concert stampede.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I've never been in such chaos. Like so unorganized and so many people like slamming into me.
ELAM: One of the year's top news stories also rocking the entertainment world.
TRAVIS SCOTT, RAPPER: I could just never imagine the severity of the situation.
ELAM: With Astroworld headliner Travis Scott and concert promoters facing scrutiny for not stopping the show as the crowd surged, killing ten.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I could feel myself losing the ability to breathe.
ELAM: Scott said he wasn't aware of major problems during the show, and denied legal liability in response to scores of lawsuits against him. But the tragedy has the industry considering change.
SCOTT: I definitely want to step in to figure out how can we fix this in the future.
ELAM: Number seven -- a Grammy boycott.
The Weekend calls the Grammys corrupt after his smash album "After Hours" is shut out of the nominations. Not even his hit single "Blinding Light" was honored. The Grammy said the omission wasn't intentional and later dumped controversial nominating committees that govern the final nominees, relying on a popular vote among the recording academy.
BECKY ANDERSON, CNN HOST: History-making night for Beyonce, Taylor Swift.
ELAM: The show went on where women reigned supreme. With Beyonce nabbing her 28th Grammy, a record for a female artist.
Number six, the return of Adele --
(MUSIC)
ELAM: Her album "30" becomes the fastest selling album of the year, besting every other title in just three days.
VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN HOST: I think all day people are going -- that's all you're going to hear
ELAM: After a six-year absence, fans can't get enough of Adele.
As roughly 10 million people tuned in to her CBS special which included a concert and an Oprah interview.
ADELE, SINGER: I'm nearing my goal of like finding my happiness.
ELAM: And if that weren't enough, Adele announced a 2022 Vegas residency, becoming the hottest ticket on the strip.
Number five -- the "Jeopardy" host controversy.
After a high-profile search for Alex Trebek's replacement --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Welcome to "Jeopardy".
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A fun final "Jeopardy".
ELAM: -- "Jeopardy" hired its own executive producer.
JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Who is Mike Richards? The answer to the question is no longer the host of "Jeopardy."
ELAM: But then Mike Richards' past incidents from another show and comments on a podcast resurfaced. Richards stepped down and apologized.
But the backlash continued. And less than two weeks later, he gave up his executive producer role and left the show.
Number four -- "The Squid Game" phenomenon.
[14:50:02]
The South Korean series swept the globe becoming Netflix's biggest series ever at launch.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The plot? Hundreds of people heavily in debt enter a game to win a huge pile of cash. The down side, if the contestants lose a game, they're killed on the spot.
ELAM: Netflix says "Squid Game" was viewed by 111 million accounts in less than a month. And fan re-creations like this one in the United Arab Emirates proved the show has worldwide appeal.
From BTS to parasite -- and now "Squid Game", the South Korean influence on entertainment seems here to stay.
Number three -- the box office bounces back. Behind powerhouses like "Spider-Man No Way Home", "Shang-Chi" and "No Time to Die", the box office emerges from the pandemic topping $20 billion worldwide.
In North America, theaters doubled their hall over 2020 passing $4 billion. Still way behind $11.4 billion from 2019 but it came with growing pains, as studios used streaming platforms to pick up the slack.
ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: "Black Widow" biting back today.
ELAM: Scarlett Johansson sued Disney for releasing "Black Widow" on Disney Plus, the same day as theaters, alleging it would cut into her profits. Disney said it had no merit, both sides eventually settled.
Number two, the Alec Baldwin movie set shooting. The star discharged a prop gun on the set of his new Mexico Western "Rust" killing a cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and injuring the director.
ALEC BALDWIN, ACTOR: She was my friend. The day I arrived in Santa Fe, I took her to dinner.
ELAM: Hollywood and movie fans were stunned left to wonder how this could happen on a fictional set.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think there was complacency on this set, and I think there are safety issues that need to be addressed by the industry.
ELAM: As authorities investigate, speculation swelled.
BALDWIN: I let go of the hammer, bang, the gun goes off.
ELAM: Baldwin sat down with ABC in a dramatic interview professing his innocence and fueling the drama over what went wrong.
BALDWIN: The gun was supposed to be empty. I was told I was handed an empty gun.
ELAM: And the number one entertainment story of 2020 --
CROWD: Free Britney. When do we want it? Now!
ELAM: The "Free Britney Movement" and the end of Britney Spears' life in a conservatorship.
BRITNEY SPEARS, POP STAR: Just grateful, honestly, for each day.
ELAM: The pop star had been living a restrained life since 2008, under the tight control of her father through a conservatorship.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She was so open and vulnerable. How we treated her was disgusting.
ELAM: But a "New York Times" documentary energized the Free Britney Movement and put a spotlight on the courtroom.
Fans rallied outside the L.A. courthouse until the moment they have been waiting for.
Later, Spears thanked her fans and shared what life feels like as a free Britney.
BRITNEY: Owning an ATM card, getting cash for the first time, being able to buy candles. It's little things for us women but it makes a huge difference.
ELAM: And many wonder if Britney will do a sit-down interview which might make our list next year. We'll be covering all the top stories, of course.
From Hollywood, I'm Stephanie Elam.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERICAL BREAK)
[14:57:07]
DEAN: Now to a very special gift this holiday season. We would like you to meet Evette. She's the newest American girl doll and is making history as one of the first biracial dolls, helping give many more boys and girls a chance to be seen.
CNN's Rene Marsh has the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MISHA LAUFENBERG, 8 YEARS OLD: I like her eyes and her freckles and her hair.
RENE MARSH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Misha is an 8-year-old from Wisconsin who loves playing with dolls.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Show me your dolls.
MARSH: Especially this doll, Evette. It's one of the first biracial American girl dolls on the market.
DIONE LAUFENBERG, MOTHER OF TWO: I asked her when she does go to a normal store, what is the majority of the dolls that she sees versus Evette and just kind of explaining to her now that a lot of the brands that she envoys are now having a wider range of dolls that look like everyone.
MARSH: It's representation that Misha's mother didn't have as a kid growing up in the Midwest.
D. LAUFENBERG: You didn't see dolls with brown skin. You didn't see a lot of curly-haired dolls. They all were kind of the typical blondes or brown hair.
MARSH: American Girl approached children's author Sharon Dennis Wyeth with an idea for a story to accompany Evette.
SHARON DENNIS WYETH, AUTHOR, "THE RIVER AND ME": My editor, she emailed me and said we're interested in having -- creating a bi-racial doll. She will be an environmentalist.
MARSH: Wyeth grew up in an interracial family in Anacostia neighborhood of Washington, D.C.
WYETH: I wanted to incorporate the theme of racial identity because for me, that was something that I had been exploring I think unconsciously almost from the time I was able to talk.
MARSH: For over three decades, Wyeth made it her mission to feature children of color in her stories.
WYETH: I think all children should be able to read books where they can see themselves reflected in some way in the book and the same with toys, the same with dolls with somebody like Evette.
MARSH: She hopes her books provide a safe space for otherwise difficult conversations.
WYETH: It's a medium for sharing things that trouble us. It's a medium for discussing things with parents perhaps. Parents might look at them and say let's talk about this together.
I'm very, very happy that Evette, my darling Evette, is going to make kids happy and make them feel like, hey, there's somebody who has a family like mine, somebody who has a family like mine, an interracial family.
MARSH: Rene Marsh, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
DEAN: Hi, everyone. Thanks so much for joining me this afternoon. I'm Jessica Dean in Washington in this weekend for Fredericka Whitfield.
Anxiety is nothing new during the holidays. But now with the rapid spread of the coronavirus, health officials are worried about where we maybe headed.
