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Long Lines for Covid Testing Persist as New Cases Soar; Forecast: $4 Gas Could Be Here by Memorial Day; Home Prices Up 19.1 Percent in October Compared to 2020; Second Time Capsule Found at Former Site of Robert E. Lee Statue; Top 10 Political Stories of 2021. Aired 3:30-4p ET

Aired December 28, 2021 - 15:30   ET

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

[15:30:00]

LEYLA SANTIAGO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's a 50 percent increase that they're seeing here. So, that, yes, that means long lines. Lines that are anywhere from three to five hours depending at what time of day you come to get a test. Listen to what some of the folks that had to wait in line told us.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's way more chaotic now. Everybody is freaking out, but that's like the same thing that happened right before the first shutdown, you know. Like everybody's like going everywhere about it, but.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How would you compare it?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There is a spot right by my house where I would go. It would take less than five minutes. I would just walk there and that's it. And now the line extends until like the next street. It's crazy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANTIAGO: And so, as a result of this increase in demand, today Miami Dade County opened two new sites for testing. And that's for on-site testing. Let's talk about those take-home rapid test kits. Miami-Dade County distributed 152,000 kits over a two-day period. But they are all out now and they say they have an additional request into the department of health for more -- Alisyn.

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN HOST: OK. Leyla Santiago, thank you for that update from Miami.

Well, gas prices are heading down, but what will 2022 bring? We'll take a look at the predictions.

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[15:35:00]

CAMEROTA: Americans getting some recent relief at the pump, but a new report says the lower prices will not last. The GasBuddy website predicts $4 per gallon in some places by memorial day. CNN business reporter Matt Egan joins me now. Matt, I thought you promised that gas prices were coming down.

MATT EGAN, CNN BUSINESS REPORTER: Well, Alisyn, they have come down. I'm not sure if it was a promise, but they have come down.

CAMEROTA: OK. Predicted.

EGAN: That's for two big reasons, one the president released those barrels from the strategic petroleum receive. And the bigger impact has been the Omicron surge which has sent oil prices lower. Unfortunately, GasBuddy -- which is an app that tracks fuel prices and demand -- they're saying that this is not going to last. And the prices are going to go up next spring.

They see the average price in the United States hitting about 3.50 a gallon in March and going up to around 3.79 in May. That means that we could be flirting with $4 gas just as millions of Americans hit the road for Memorial Day weekend. And this is really for three big factors.

One, demand is really strong as the economy rebounds from COVID. Two, supply has consistently failed to keep up. And then there's been these refinery shutdowns and that has limited the production of gasoline.

So, if you put all that together, that's why GasBuddy is calling for an average of 3.41 in 2022. That would be up from around $3 this year. Now the good news is that GasBuddy is not calling for $4 gas all year. They actually think that prices are going come down during the second half of next year. And that a year from now, we could be talking about $3 gasoline.

Others, they have an even more positive outlook, though. The Energy Department's research arm, they think that we could be looking at $2.88 a gallon for next year on average. That would be some relief. Citi Group warned its clients that they should brace for a radical drop in prices.

Alisyn, these are, of course, all just forecasts. And we have learned in recent months that it is very hard to accurately forecast anything in today's economy.

CAMEROTA: Thank you for cautioning me on that forecast. So, tell us about this new report about home prices. What are the trends here?

EGAN: Well, the trends are that the housing market still remains pretty hot. Home prices in October were up by 19.1 percent from the year before. That's according to the Case-Shiller Home Price Index. Now this is the second straight month where we have seen prices slow down. Those price gains decelerate, but they're decelerating from really high levels. This is the fourth highest rating since the index began tracking the home prices 34 years ago. The top four readings all occurred this year.

The top four readings all occurred this year. This is truly a historic housing boom. And we have a chart that visualizes this. And you can see that last decade home price gains were pretty calm. It was modest gains. But prices really exploded during COVID. And that's for a few factors.

One, borrowing costs are historically low. And two, there's so much demand right now for housing and there's very, very limited supply. There's arguably never been a better time to sell. But, Alisyn, this is also creating some real headaches for home buyers, particularly first-time home buyers and people who are relocating.

CAMEROTA: Absolutely. That graph is incredible to look at what the prices have done over the past decade or more. Thanks so much, Matt.

EGAN: Thank you.

CAMEROTA: OK. So, historians got a pleasant surprise when they opened a time capsule. This time capsule was found under where a Robert E. Lee statue once stood. So, we'll tell you what was inside.

[15:40:00]

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CAMEROTA: A conservation crew in Richmond, Virginia just cracked open a time capsule. The 36-pound copper box was found in the pedestal that recently held up a statue of Robert E. Lee. CNN's Suzanne Malveaux joins me now. So, Suzanne, what was in the box?

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: So, this is the deal. Right, Alisyn. What they found about this was the process. So, they actually had historical and archaeological experts from Virginia who went through opening this box with us in realtime -- we discovered it. So, it wasn't like a museum with their little pin and a note, you know, kind of a sterile environment.

But opening it up and you had these experts. It lasted about a 2 1/2- hour process or so. These experts with gloves going through very meticulously with their special instruments holding up what they had discovered. And what they had anticipated and hoped for was there is one final photo of -- a lasting photo in the whole world of Abraham Lincoln's casket.

[15:45:00]

They did not find that. They had hoped that maybe it would have been in the time capsule. But here's what they did find, Alisyn. They found instead -- this was a printed image from an 1865 edition of "Harper's Weekly" showing a figure weeping over the grave of Lincoln.

They also showed and demonstrated, the governor was livestreaming this, tweeting this as well over the course of the afternoon, but they had several different books and pamphlets. They had the Chamber of Commerce reports. They had a commemorative ribbon and book mark. They had these Civil War bullets and special coins. One from 1853, an eagle on one side. They said a female figure on the other. Another coin with a Native American on one side. A pamphlet called "The Immigrants Friend."

These are the kinds of things that they actually discovered. And what was fascinating about this, Alisyn, was that this was official. Like this was the 1887 official time capsule that had been in the newspapers back in the day. And so, they knew it existed in the pedestal of that monument. What they didn't realize was that this was just last week, last Wednesday.

There was another time capsule that was put in as well, and that was just from the construction workers who decided they were going to throw in their own thing. And so, that was last week. We had actually seen coming out of that were -- it was an 1875 Almanac. You had a book that had the word "Love" written on it and a coin that was taped to the book as well as a cloth envelope. So, these were the kinds of things that they'll be taking a closer look at to see and study and preserve.

And one of the things that we have noted -- and it was back in September when the Robert E. Lee statue did come down. It was a focal point of social justice protests and so they took that statue down. And this was about 12 tons or so, Lee on the horse. But it was the pedestal after that was removed that revealed some of these things and became a point of interest. And that's when you had these cranes taking apart these big blocks of stone and trying to uncover what they would discover. And so, these are just some of the things that they are really excited about taking back and seeing what they mean.

CAMEROTA: Suzanne, it is so cool just to think about what the workers then wanted us to see in 2021. So, thanks so much for bringing us that.

MALVEAUX: Can you imagine? I mean, we've all done time capsules. So, I mean, you can only imagine later what those who come after us think about our time.

CAMEROTA: Absolutely. It's really cool. Suzanne, thank you. And NEWSROOM will be right back.

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CAMEROTA: This just in to CNN, former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo will not face criminal charges over misconduct allegations in Westchester County. The district attorney there declining to pursue charges following what she calls a thorough investigation into allegations of inappropriate conduct made by two women. Prosecutors determined that the allegations were credible but say they could not pursue charges due to statutory requirements. CNN has reached out for comment but has not yet received a response.

Well, 2021 has been a political roller coaster. CNN's Jim Acosta takes a look back at the top political stories of 2021.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JIM ACOSTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The top ten political stories of 2021 make this past year feel more like a decade.

Starting at number ten. Pandemic paralysis as medical experts stressed vaccines and boosters as the best way of preventing COVID-19, disinformation and lies about these lifesaving shots, continued to spread as well, misleading millions of Americans.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm sure you've seen the pictures all over the Internet of people who have had these shots and now they're magnetized. And put a key on their forehead it sticks. They can put spoons and forks over them and they could stick.

ACOSTA: Of course, that's utter nonsense. So, get vaccinated.

At number nine, the Republican Party at war with itself over its leader, disgraced ex-President Donald Trump and his big lie that he won the 2020 election.

DONALD TRUMP, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We're not forgetting 2022. Most corrupt election.

REP. ADAM KINZINGER (R-IL): It's the truth the president caused this. The president is unfit and the president is unwell.

NEIL CAVUTO, FOX NEWS HOST: If Donald Trump were the 2024 nominee, would you support him?

REP. LIZ CHENEY (R-WY): I would not.

REP. MATT GAETZ (R-FL): You can send Liz Cheney home, back home to Washington, D.C.

ACOSTA: At number eight, Democrats had their own issues.

ANDREW CUOMO, FORMER NEW YORK GOVERNOR: Given the circumstances, the best way I can help now is if I step aside.

ACOSTA: Facing multiple allegations of sexual harassment, which he denied, Governor Andrew Cuomo of New York resigns.

GLENN YOUNGKIN (R-VA), GOVERNOR-ELECT: Virginia, we won this thing!

ACOSTA: Glenn Youngkin, a Republican, wins the governor's race in Virginia.

DON LEMON, CNN HOST: A big night for Republicans and a major -- quite frankly, a major wake-up call for Democrats.

[15:55:00]

ACOSTA: And Gavin Newsom, Democratic California in California, successfully fights off a recall there.

GOV. GAVIN NEWSOM (D), CALIFORNIA: Thank you to 40 million Americans, 40 million Californians. Thank you for rejecting this recall.

ACOSTA: Number seven, messy withdrawal from Afghanistan. The Biden administration scrambles to evacuate American citizens and tens of thousands of Afghans from the country ahead of an August 31st deadline.

Thirteen U.S. service members and more than 170 Afghans are killed in terrorist attacks outside Kabul's airport in the chaotic end to America's longest war.

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: It's time to end the forever war. Thank you all for listening. May God protect our troops.

ACOSTA: At number six, the big lie gives birth to an amateurish audit of the 2020 election results in Arizona which ends up confirming what Americans already knew -- Joe Biden won Arizona.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The ballots that were provided to us to count in the coliseum very accurately correlates with the official canvass numbers.

ACOSTA: As new GOP driven restrictive voting laws crop up in statehouses across the country.

GOV. RON DESANTIS (R), FLORIDA: And so, I'm going to sign it right here. It's going to take effect. Florida, your vote counts.

ACOSTA: Number five, President Biden and his team try to show Democrats can deliver with big legislative victories first on COVID relief and then infrastructure. But the question remains, can his Build Back Better social spending plan, pass through the Senate?

At number four, double trouble for the GOP in Georgia as Republicans lose two Senate runoff races in January.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Jon Ossoff, the Democratic candidate in Georgia, he is defeating David Perdue, the Republican candidate.

ACOSTA: GOP insiders blamed Trump grumbling that his election lies backfired.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He is hereby acquitted of the charge.

ACOSTA: Trump becomes the first American president to be impeached for a second time, this time for inciting the insurrection at the Capitol. Once again Republicans stand in the way of a conviction.

BLITZER: Democrats falling short of the 67 votes needed to convict Trump. This is the second time Donald Trump has been acquitted of an impeachment trial in the U.S. Senate.

ACOSTA: At number two, an event that would normally land at the top of any list of big political stories, the inauguration of a new president.

BIDEN: To serve, protect, and defend --

JOHN ROBERTS, SUPREME COURT CHIEF JUSTICE: The Constitution of the United States. BIDEN: The Constitution of the United States.

ACOSTA: But it was far from a typical transfer of power as Trump tried to scheme his way into staying in office, pressuring state officials like Georgia's secretary of state.

DONALD TRUMP, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: So, look, all I want to do is this. I just want to find 11,780 votes, which is one more than we have, because we won the state.

ACOSTA: The number one story of 2021 -- American democracy under attack. January 6th, the insurrection.

TRUMP: We fight like hell and if you don't fight like hell, you're not going to have a country anymore.

ACOSTA: In one last ditch attempt to halt the Biden presidency, a violent mob of Trump supporters and members of far-right groups stormed the Capitol, some chanting they want to kill the vice president.

CROWD: Hang Mike Pence! Hang Mike Pence!

ACOSTA: Rioters clashed with police. Eventually, they smashed their way inside, sending lawmakers running for cover.

A Trump supporter is shot dead by a police officer as she and others attempt to breach the speakers' lobby inside the Capitol. First responders are beat within the American flag and sprayed with the chemicals. As night falls on a shameful scene, a symbol of American democracy is left battered.

In the melee, Capitol police officer, Brian Sicknick was assaulted by chemical spray. He suffered strokes and died the next day.

Haunted by January 6th, a handful of other officers later die by suicide and the trials of the insurrectionists begin.

True to form, Trump went on to lie about what happened at the Capitol. He never showed remorse, never apologized for what he did. Trump has so far escaped any accountability. Instead, he's been emboldened by Republicans who have largely adopted his lies as their own.

His lap dogs in conservative media and his disciples in Congress now echo his toxic rhetoric. The political violence Trump and his allies unleashed is now the subject of an investigation by the January 6th House Select Committee. That probe and its findings may well alter the political landscape for 2022 and beyond.

Jim Acosta, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CAMEROTA: 2021. What can we say? Other than, bring on 2022. And you can do that with Don Lemon and me in New Orleans. And also, these guys. Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen. They'll be here in New York. So, join all of us for a very festive CNN New Year's Eve. It's going to start Friday at 8:00 p.m. Eastern only here on CNN. I will also see you tomorrow. And "THE LEAD" with Jake Tapper starts right now.

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