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World Welcoming 2022 Amid COVID-19 Explosion; Experts Say Vaccines Are Keeping Hospitalizations Down; Thousands Flee Flames In Boulder County; Biden-Putin High-Stakes Phone Call; Archbishop Desmond Tutu Lying In State For Second Day; U.S. Hits Record Average 355,000+ New COVID-19 Cases Per Day; Company Hopes To End U.S. Reliance On Imported PPE; Colorado Gunman's Books Detailed Victims' Exact Names, Places Of Rampage; Cities Scale Back New Year's Eve Celebrations. Aired 3-4a ET

Aired December 31, 2021 - 03:00   ET

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

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PAULA NEWTON, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): And a warm welcome to our viewers here in the United States and all around the world, I'm Paula Newton.

Ahead here on CNN NEWSROOM, new year, same pandemic. As countries prepare to ring in 2022, coronavirus cases surge, putting a damper on festivities. We are live in Beijing and Paris.

New details about President Biden's phone call with Vladimir Putin, the warning Biden gave the Russian president.

Plus, thousands of Colorado residents forced out of their homes because of wildfires. When the state can expect a reprieve.

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NEWTON: Cities right around the globe are getting ready to bring in the new year. But for many, the crowds and confetti have been pushed aside, as an explosion of new COVID infections takes hold on several continents.

Preparations are, though, underway at this hour for the balloon drop in New York's Times Square just as the state announced a new record -- pardon me -- 74,000 cases. Celebrations have already been scaled back, with masks and vaccinations required.

The seven-day average of cases, right around the world, has broken yet another record at nearly 1.2 million infections. The U.S. has set a third straight record, meantime, with average daily cases topping 355,000.

But here's the thing, Johns Hopkins reports close to 650,000 cases on Thursday alone. And we do want to point out that, of course, that number could be inflated somewhat because of the lag in reporting over this holiday season. Now this map right here gives you a sense of how fast it is spreading.

Most states, now, are showing a 50 percent increase or more in cases in the past week, compared to the previous week. All but five, you see them there, are reporting some type of an increase.

And meantime, another troubling development: more children are spending time in the hospital with COVID than at any other time since the start of the pandemic. Close to 400 now admitted every day. CNN's Tom Foreman begins our coverage.

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TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): With the pandemic clocking unprecedented numbers of infections, the FDA is expected to OK booster shots of the Pfizer vaccine soon for 12- to 15-year olds.

The CDC has intensified its warning against cruise ship travel, amid dozens of outbreaks and health officials are advising caution onshore, too.

DR. JONATHAN REINER, CNN MEDICAL ANALYST: I would not eat in a restaurant now without a mask. I would absolutely not go into a bar. If you go into a bar now, you are very likely to get COVID-19, whether you are vaccinated or not. If you are unvaccinated and you go into a bar, you will come out of it infected.

FOREMAN (voice-over): As predicted, the surge is not hitting everyone equally.

DR. ROCHELLE WALENSKY, CDC DIRECTOR: If you are unvaccinated, you are 10 times more likely to be a case and 20 times more likely to be a fatality.

DR. LEE SAVIO BEERS, PRESIDENT, AMERICAN ACADEMY OF PEDIATRICS: We are still getting the data but what we are hearing from hospitals really across the nation and this is very consistent, is that the vast majority of the children who are being admitted are unvaccinated.

FOREMAN (voice-over): So many people are being affected, many states are reporting near record highs. Maryland hospital officials are calling for a limited emergency declaration.

In New York City, the fire department has so many out sick, they are reminding people to call 9-1-1 only in true emergencies. And everywhere, the drumbeat for more testing is growing louder, especially with schools reopening next week.

RANDI WEINGARTEN, PRESIDENT, AMERICAN FEDERATION OF TEACHERS: Testing, testing, testing, testing all the time. So this is what I think we have to do and you are seeing this in New York, in D.C., you are seeing this in as many places as we can.

FOREMAN (voice-over): In the meantime, two new reports indicate a booster shot of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine significantly lowers the risk of severe illness from the Omicron variant. And health officials are pleading, no matter which vaccine you choose, make sure you follow through with all the recommended doses and then get a booster, too.

SYRA MADAD, NYC HEALTH + HOSPITALS: That's where so many of us are echoing, go ahead and make sure that you get vaccinated if you haven't gotten your first or second dose and getting a booster dose. That's really what's going to protect you right now.

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FOREMAN: Many health experts say the majority of Americans who have received their vaccinations are the very reason that there aren't more hospitalizations during this gigantic surge. And they've been relatively low.

But there is still plenty of them and that's a big burden on hospital staffs everywhere, that have already been fighting this pandemic for a very long time -- Tom Foreman, CNN, Washington.

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NEWTON: And in the meantime, Canada's most populous province, Ontario, will start offering a fourth COVID vaccine dose to its most vulnerable residents. Health officials say it will come just three months, and that's significant, after the third dose. And it will include people in long-term care homes and retirement homes.

Ontario is also stopping free tests for all residents, reserving them instead for symptomatic high-risk residents only.

And now, we turn to Europe, where a growing list of European countries are reporting their highest daily COVID case counts ever. CNN's Jim Bittermann is standing by live for us in Paris.

But we begin with Steven Jiang in Beijing, with new details about the 13 million people under lockdown in the Chinese city of Xi'an.

Steve, you've been telling us about this for several days. And now apparently the strict lockdown is really getting too restrictive, in the sense that they apparently have problems even with food supplies?

STEVEN JIANG, CNN SENIOR PRODUCER, BEIJING BUREAU: That's right. This is what the authorities have acknowledged. In terms of the severe impact of their increasingly harsh lockdown measures, on the daily survival of the city's population, remember for days we've been talking about there is this growing sense of frustration, anger from local residents about the lack of access to groceries and medicines.

There is also this growing problem of people's inability to seek medical attention, for all non-COVID related issues, including pregnant women, for example, who need to go to the hospital.

That's why, increasingly, we are seeing officials and state media as well really emphasizing, authorities redoubling their efforts to improve the supply and distribution of this kind of daily necessity items, by deploying shipments from other provinces.

But also coordinating delivery within Xi'an, they have dedicated hundreds of local officials to these tasks. Also they set up more than 1,600 chat groups on social media platforms to improve communication between local officials and citizens, again, to ensure availability and distribution of these groceries and medicines.

But still we've also seen people, who had previously aired their grievances online, being targeted or attacked by trolls, who say they should have not really made their personal suffering public, because that could smear China's image. So there is this effort to contain the virus but also to control the narrative, probably not surprisingly, both intensifying in Xi'an -- Paula?

NEWTON: It bears repeating that few can even imagine the kind of strict lockdown that those Chinese cities have been under, on and off, for the past 2 years now.

Jim, to you now, in Paris. We are ending 2021 on a somber note, I'll remind you that is the way we ended 2020 as well, although we did have the euphoria of the vaccines. All of that seems to be gone now. And if you look at, just take one European country, the one you are in, France. More restrictions, right?

And now even masks outdoors, in Paris.

How is everyone responding to this?

JIM BITTERMANN, CNN SR. INTL. CORRESPONDENT: Well, I'll tell you, I guess one of the best summaries was a newspaper headline this morning that said, "This year, celebration rhymes with resignation," basically, people are resigned to this.

I checked out on the streets this morning, just looking out and about. I would say 2 out of 3 people are respecting the mask mandate, which is now required. It means that people have to wear a mask in public and can be stopped by the police if they're not.

A good number of people planned, according to a survey, on staying at home tonight, about 63 percent. That's because celebrations have been canceled, fireworks have been canceled in Paris as well as the broader parts of France.

And a good deal of Europe is also under those kinds of restrictions. And people will have to be resigned to gathering in small numbers. Perhaps the most severe lockdown is taking place in Austria, where they are going to be closing down bars and restaurants two hours before midnight, Paula.

NEWTON: Certainly, as we said, a stark reminder that this pandemic is not over. Jim Bittermann for us in Paris, Steven Jiang in Beijing.

Now raging wildfires have forced thousands of people from their homes in the U.S. state of Colorado. The Marshall fire has burned at least 1,600 acres in Boulder County. Authorities say more than 500 homes have already been destroyed so far. At least 6 people are injured.

Now 2 hospitals in the area are already transferring patients. Inmates in one jail had to be removed as well. [03:10:00]

NEWTON: And residents throughout the state are now experiencing rolling blackouts to try and preserve the gas supply because of those fires. Dry conditions and hurricane-force winds are fueling the flames.

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NEWTON: Now Joe Biden and Vladimir Putin laid out their positions in a high-stakes phone call, just weeks before both sides hold diplomatic talks over the crisis in Ukraine. Details, just ahead.

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NEWTON: The Kremlin says it is satisfied with Thursday's high-stakes phone call between Vladimir Putin and Joe Biden. The White House describes the conversation, meantime, as serious and substantive, with President Biden again warning of dire economic consequences if Russia invades Ukraine.

President Putin apparently replied that sanctions would be, quote, "a colossal mistake."

For now, both sides have, in fact, agreed to keep talking. We get the latest now from CNN's Jeremy Diamond.

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JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, for the second time in a matter of weeks, President Biden and Russian president Vladimir Putin, getting on the phone together for a one-on-one conversation, focused particularly on those rising tensions between Russia and Ukraine.

The prospect, of course, of a war between those two countries looming over the 50 minute conversation between the two leaders that took place on Thursday. President Biden phoning in from his Wilmington, Delaware, home. A senior administration official telling us that the tone of the conversation was substantive and serious.

And the White House press secretary, Jen Psaki, making clear that President Biden urged Russia to de-escalate tensions with the Ukraine.

Quote, "He made clear that the United States and its allies and partners, will respond decisively if Russia further invades Ukraine."

She goes on to say that President Biden reiterated that substantive progress in these dialogues can occur only in an environment of de- escalation, rather than escalation. Ultimately, President Biden's main objective in this call was to once again make clear the stark choice that Russian president Vladimir Putin faces. That is to say that if he decides to move forward with this invasion, the U.S. will impose serious costs, significant economic and financial sanctions, but also a stepped up NATO military presence and increased U.S. assistance to U.S. allies at Russia's doorstep if, indeed, Russia chooses to move forward with this invasion.

On the other, hand the U.S. making clear and the president doing so in this conversation, that the U.S. is committed to meaningful diplomacy. Talks are set to take place between U.S. and Russian officials, beginning on January 10th.

And lastly, one thing that that senior official was not able to say, was what Vladimir Putin's intentions are following this call; instead, the U.S., rather than listening to those words and trying to judge his intentions, focus on Russian actions.

That's why we've seen stepped up U.S. surveillance missions, two U.S. spy planes flying over Eastern Ukraine this week, in just a matter of days-- Jeremy Diamond, CNN, traveling with the president, in Wilmington, Delaware.

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NEWTON: Joining us now from Moscow is Dmitri Trenin. He's director at the Carnegie Moscow Center.

Really good to have your insights on this. You had a really clear- headed view, as usual, from this. And you say that Putin is looking for two things, right?

A moratorium on NATO expansion, as Jeremy was just saying. In Russia's near abroad when it considers its near abroad and a commitment to not station intermediate range missiles in Europe.

And we both know that he's unlikely to get that in a formal declaration.

And so, what is the end game, do you believe, for Putin now?

He is calling the shots, right?

His troops are in Russian territory. He really is in no hurry to return them to base.

DMITRI TRENIN, CARNEGIE MOSCOW CENTER: Well, I think that Mr. Putin said that himself, very recently, that he has nowhere to retreat.

So, for him, the most important thing is to get some kind of a commitment from the United States' president that NATO enlargement, to include Ukraine or, for that matter, Georgia or any other part of the former Soviet Union, is off the table

[03:20:00] TRENIN: It's not going to happen. And second, that the United States will not move NATO's military infrastructure, particularly the missiles that can target Moscow from a close distance, to new territories close to Russia.

How this will be formalized is an issue for negotiations. Putin was talking about legally binding guarantees of non-expansion and non- membership. However, he also said that even treaties can be withdrawn from.

So basically we're talking about some form of a commitment, official commitment, by the United States not to do those two most important things from the Russian standpoint.

NEWTON: And yet we are probably as far away from that happening and you articulate so well what I hope the U.S. and NATO realize, right?

You say it directly, Ukraine is Putin's last stand. In his view, he has tolerated NATO enlargement now for two decades, it is his red line.

Do you think the Biden administration and NATO are working on that premise now?

TRENIN: Well, I think that they are. I also believe that the United States does not intend include the Ukraine into NATO, because the United States does not intend to defend Ukraine with force in case of a conflict, of a war with Russia.

And that's very much in the U.S. national security interest. I also do not believe that the United States has the intention of actually moving its medium range missiles all the way to the Russian border, to threaten Russia. That would be suicidal.

And it was stated by a Putin aide, just after this most recent call, that Russia would respond to those threats, should they happen, the way the United States would have responded to them, with clear references to the 1962 Cuban missile crisis.

NEWTON: Yes, it's funny; we all go to that point in history whenever we think of what's going on here and the brinkmanship. I don't have a lot of time left and I'm going to put you on the spot, because I don't know you mind at all.

Would you put money on the fact that there's absolutely no way Vladimir Putin will invade Ukraine, that this is a good negotiating, stand and that's what it is and will continue to be?

TRENIN: I don't think that for Putin this is about Ukraine. Ukraine is the last stand. It's not the stand between Moscow and Kiev. This is where Putin wants to stop NATO's enlargement and the movement of U.S. military infrastructure to Russia.

I don't think that the invasion, just for the sake of invading the country, annexing the country is in Putin's plan. NEWTON: And I know that the Biden administration is thinking, look,

let's make some quick work of what is a crisis and sometimes are some breakthroughs that can happen. But we have to leave it there now, Moscow Center director, Dmitri Trenin, thank you so much.

TRENIN: My pleasure. Thank you.

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NEWTON: Right now, at this hour, the body of late South African archbishop Desmond Tutu is lying in state for the second day and mourners are paying their respects a day before his funeral is held in Cape Town. That's where we now find our David McKenzie.

And these are really momentous days for so many in South Africa, despite COVID and Desmond Tutu's own wishes.

From what I've seen, David, people really are feeling a powerful pull to be able to come there and pay their respects.

DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Paula. You can see behind me this wall of remembrance, many personal notes left on notepads and cards, flowers and photographs of the late archbishop Desmond Tutu.

A very long line near me, stretching out through the gardens in Cape Town, of people coming for the second day of lying in state.

Earlier, his coffin was brought, a simple pine coffin, with a line of priests and sisters from the Anglican Church, paying their respects as well and family members. His widow shedding a tear as the coffin was brought into this cathedral, known as the people's cathedral.

Many people I'm speaking to today, Paula, are thinking of how South Africa has lost this moral voice, this leader in terms of the direction of this country. Never a politician but deeply involved in politics and ethics in this country.

And that's a question that I posed to the dean of the cathedral.

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MCKENZIE: The archbishop always was striving for a better South Africa.

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MCKENZIE: Has his wish been fulfilled?

REV. MICHAEL WEEDER, DEAN, ST. GEORGE'S CATHEDRAL: No, goodness is never complete. It's always a work in progress. He had moments of great disappointment and he expressed it on various platforms. But as has been pointed out, he also died of peace, knowing he is not the last of the prophets.

(END VIDEO CLIP) MCKENZIE: But certainly South Africa has lost a prophet. I spoke to a woman who came from 50 kilometers away, woke up early this morning, she said. She said she had to be here to pay her respects. She worries that South Africa in losing Desmond Tutu has lost one of the great last icons of the anti apartheid struggle.

Only could really be compared to Nelson Mandela in terms of his importance, at least in the public's eye. Here in this cathedral behind me, he would do sermons during the anti apartheid struggle, railing against the police.

Often there were riot police close to where I'm standing. Famously, in one case, pouring purple dye on all the protesters and then rounding them up and putting them in jails across the city.

And you've had the mountain here, Table Mountain, bathed in purple every night, because of the vestments that archbishop Desmond Tutu used to wear as he went out and fought the fight against apartheid. Now it's the final goodbyes from a grateful nation -- Paula?

NEWTON: Yes, it's important to remember the courage of him and his work in those early days. David McKenzie for us in Cape Town. Appreciate it.

I'm Paula Newton. For our international viewers, "DEFINING MOMENTS" is next. For everyone else, there is more news in a moment.

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NEWTON: (voice-over): Returning now to our top story, the unprecedented surge of COVID-19 infections right around the world.

Now several countries across Europe have reported another day of record-high COVID-19 cases. Portugal, Ireland, Greece, Spain, Italy and the U.K. are among the nations that saw their highest daily case count ever on Thursday.

And in the United States, meantime, average daily infections have set another record, with more than 355,000. Meanwhile, about 10 states are currently experiencing some of the highest hospitalization numbers of this entire pandemic.

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NEWTON: Dr. Michael Mina is the chief science officer for eMed.

Really good to have you here. You have been speaking to us for several months, in fact the better part of two years. Last November, you wrote -- and I quote -- in "Time" magazine, "We need a multi-pronged public health strategy that includes a national testing plan that utilizes widespread, frequent, rapid tests to stop the spread of the virus."

Nothing's changed, has it, Dr. Mina?

Why didn't this happen when people like you were calling for it?

DR. MICHAEL MINA, CHIEF SCIENCE OFFICER, EMED: It's a great question and we certainly took a vaccine-only approach for much of this year.

To give credit where credit's due, the last administration actually did do quite a good job at getting a head start on these tests. By the time that administration was leaving, there were almost 200 million rapid tests that had been distributed.

But then everything stalled.

And you know why?

I think there was this consistent feeling that if too much energy was placed onto tests or if people felt like they could test and know whether they were infectious in real time, that that would somehow cause them not to choose to also get vaccinated.

And that's a very dangerous thing, when you start pitting two very protective and useful public health tools against each other. It causes a lot of confusion.

NEWTON: Yes, especially when we've learned time and again that, with this virus, we need multiple layers and that's how we get to safety.

In that same article, you called these rapid tests "contagiousness tests" and that makes a lot of sense to a lay person like me. Yet we had Dr. Walensky from the CDC, backed up by Dr. Fauci in the last couple days, basically suggest that these tests are not effective and not accurate in telling people when they are infectious.

So give it to me straight, Doctor.

Do these tests work or don't they?

MINA: They certainly do. They both -- you know, they work very well. They work to tell you and answer the question, am I infectious?

They're very good at doing that. When they're positive, you should absolutely assume that you are infectious. And you should continue isolating.

It was difficult to watch the two of them, because they have been two of the greatest advocates for rapid testing. Especially Dr. Fauci has come out and said, you know, we should flood the streets with these tests.

He said that very proudly for over a year now. And I'm disheartened to see that when -- when the U.S. doesn't have the tests, that the response is to throw them under the bus rather than to own up to it and say, we're doing better.

And, in fact, the Biden administration is doing better now. So I've been a little bit surprised by the response.

NEWTON: There was some data that they were pointing to, some of it from the FDA, although, as I understand it, more research has to be done.

When you have seen the research done so far, specifically on Omicron, is it still effective in telling us if we have that variant or not?

MINA: Yes. These tests are still very effective at identifying Omicron, just as they were the other variants. It's still working very well. And the NIH is currently investigating this. All different nations are also investigating it.

And the U.K., for example, came out with their report, which showed, unequivocally, yes, that these tests are still identifying and detecting Omicron quite well.

NEWTON: OK. And another round; more than a year later, Doctor, spell it out again.

What would you like to see in the next few months, especially that, as we understand it, this new variant means that reinfection, even for those vaccinated and boosted, is still an issue?

How would you like to see tests used?

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MINA: What I would like to see tests used for now -- we've kind of passed the point where we can ask all Americans to test themselves twice a week, you know, every American, and really use it as an outbreak mitigation strategy in that way.

So what we have to do, now that we are faced with a position, where we do have a limited supply of tests, at least over the next few months, we need to use the tests very strategically.

Put them in the places where they will have the most benefit. Use them to take people out of isolation, because people who are currently in isolation are the highest risk people in our society for transmitting onwards.

It's a great use for the test. Use them, pre-position these tests in people's homes, who are at risk for severe disease.

So at the moment they start to feel a scratchy throat or some symptoms, they can use a test, have it done reliably in a reported way, so they can then get one of the Pfizer or Merck drugs, for example, delivered to their home and start on therapy, very effective therapy, that same day.

These are very strategic and useful approaches to how we can be using these tests as we move into 2022.

NEWTON: Yes, and I'm so glad that you pointed out the issue of therapeutics, right, because that's what's been heartbreaking as well. If you don't know immediately whether or not you have COVID, you certainly can't ask your doctor for the therapeutics.

OK, Dr. Michael Mina, we'll leave it there for now. We will be speaking to you again in 2022 and onwards and Happy New Year to you and yours.

MINA: Thank you very much.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NEWTON: Now the pandemic has cast an uncomfortable spotlight on the U.S. dependence of foreign imports. And it relies on overseas suppliers for everything from masks to medical gowns and hospital gloves.

You remember the scramble to try and get some of this stuff. But a factory in Illinois is among those hoping to change that. Scott McLean has been reporting on this.

There has been quite an effort to so-called onshore this critical PPE in the last 1.5 years.

Has there been much progress?

SCOTT MCLEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Paula. Yes, I've actually been really surprised to see just how many companies think they can make money making something as simple as a medical glove, which is worth literally only pennies but requires some extremely expensive machinery and some complex chemistry to actually get right.

Right now there are at least a dozen nitrile glove factories popping up across the United States. And all but one are starting from scratch. These companies are short on experience but they are not lacking in ambition.

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MCLEAN (voice-over): Literally hot off the production line, the very first hand molds being dipped in nitrile.

The result?

A reliable stream of medical grade gloves made in America. This is a big deal because, for decades, the U.S. has imported these gloves from cheap suppliers almost entirely in Asia. It took a pandemic to start to change that.

Businessman Dylan Ratigan says he felt compelled to act.

DYLAN RATIGAN, CEO, U.S. MEDICAL GLOVE COMPANY: We have just watched hundreds of thousands more, than a half-a-million Americans die and many of them for no reason. I think bad decisions have been made in American manufacturing, specifically for critical assets like class one medical devices.

The decision has been made to make sure that never happens again.

MCLEAN: When the pandemic exploded, the nitrile glove industry was plagued by price-gouging, fraud and scams. A CNN investigation found counterfeit, substandard or even dirty, used medical gloves being imported to the U.S. by the tens of millions.

(on camera): Pre-pandemic, there was only one nitrile glove producer in the U.S. in Fayette, Alabama but the company says it struggled to get even the U.S. government to buy its gloves because they cost around twice the price.

That's because around 10 percent of the world's medical gloves are made in China, 20 percent in Thailand and 65 percent in Malaysia, where the U.S. government only recently lifted an import ban on the world's largest producer, after finding evidence of forced labor earlier this year.

How do you compete with slave labor?

RATIGAN: The technology allows me to do it in a way that I can compete with even the dirtiest user of slave labor.

You want to be a customer of a slave labor company?

I don't.

MCLEAN: And you couldn't do it 30 years ago?

RATIGAN: You could never have done this 30 years ago, because the technology didn't exist. But the most important thing that you need to see is this.

MCLEAN (voice-over): Ratigan is a former cable news anchor and now CEO of the U.S. Medical Glove Company, committed to paying workers at least $25 per hour, plus health care coverage and plans for free on- site child care.

There are currently about 100 of them now assembling new lines and ovens using all American-made parts.

RATIGAN: And that is a critical distinction between this company and others.

MCLEAN: The start-up housed in a sprawling former Caterpillar factory is backed by a $63 million advanced purchase order from the U.S. government.

[03:40:00]

MCLEAN (voice-over): All told, Washington is spending $1.7 billion to help American companies manufacture PPE at home, after the pandemic exposed how dependent the U.S. is on foreign sources, which is a vulnerability in public health emergencies.

Another American start-up, USA Gloves outside Houston, was created by former importers who found it almost impossible to buy gloves from abroad. They don't have any government investment yet. But once the machines are finally up and running next month, they hope to turn a profit from private sales, even with higher prices than Asian brands.

ZISHAN MOMIN, CEO, USA GLOVES: And hospitals and clinics and even end users are willing to pay that slight premium, so that we're prepared for a future pandemic.

MCLEAN: It's still early days but experts say it is essential for the U.S. to make more of its PPE at home. The question is:

PRASHANT YADAV, CENTER FOR GLOBAL DEVELOPMENT: Whether people will remember this and be willing to pay that premium in the medium term or is this just a very short-term memory and soon people will go back to thinking about, who's my lowest-cost supplier? MCLEAN: That may ultimately be what determines the success or failure of these new enterprises, whether they're expensive experiments or the beginning of a new era that reduces America's dependence on factories on the other side of the world.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MCLEAN: At a time like this, no one is complaining about U.S. government investment in domestic PPE production. But no one we interviewed for this story thinks that is a viable long-term solution, either.

The medical supply chain expert you just heard from says that the government, instead, ought to be negotiating better trade deals, so that wages and standards, in places like China or Thailand or Malaysia, are comparable with wages and standards in the United States, so that American producers can actually compete on a level playing field -- Paula.

NEWTON: Yes, a lot of issues at work there and it does get quite complicated. Scott, thanks for checking that out for us.

Now police say he wrote all about it, even before this week's deadly shooting spree in the Denver area. Before the suspect went on his rampage, apparently he wrote books about it. We'll explain ahead.

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NEWTON: In Colorado, investigators say the suspect in Monday's shooting rampage in Denver left clear red flags. They say Lyndon McLeod gunned down five people and wounded several others before police killed him.

But according to investigators, he dropped clear hints about what he was going to do in books he had written. Omar Jimenez explains.

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OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Days after a deadly shooting spree across the Denver area Monday, the ongoing investigation moves from what happened to why.

CHIEF PAUL PAZEN, DENVER POLICE: This individual was known to law enforcement. He was on our radar. There were two previous investigations and neither of these investigations resulted in state or federal filings.

JIMENEZ: The shooter was Lyndon James McLeod, who police say targeted some of his victims and in a series of books foreshadowed parts of what happened. He wrote under a pseudonym but used the real names and places for some of his victims.

In one book, McLeod wrote about a character named Lyndon McLeod, specifically mentioning a condo building overlooking Cheesman Park in Denver and how, in his police gear, he would crash a man named Michael Swinyard's poker night and execute Michael for his betrayal and take everyone's cash.

The 67-year-old Michael Swinyard was killed in Monday's shooting at the same address. According to a memo from the building manager obtained by CNN, the shooter arrived at the building impersonating a police officer.

In another book, one character says, "Look, I killed Alicia Cardenas as well."

The 44-year-old Alicia Cardenas was among the first to be killed Monday. She was the owner of a tattoo shop.

ALFREDO CARDENAS, ALICIA'S FATHER: She was a real leader in her community. A lot of people looked to her for advice and information about tattooing. The world we're living in is just horrible.

JIMENEZ: In total, five people were killed in about an hour Monday, three of them worked at tattoo shops. The shootings spanned multiple locations, starting in Denver, before police tracked the gunman to nearby Lakewood, where he entered a hotel, shooting and killing 28- year-old Sarah Steck, who was working at the front desk.

Not long after, more shots fired, this time hitting Lakewood Police agent Ashley Ferris. But according to police, while on the ground wounded, she was able to return fire and kill the shooter.

JOHN ROMERO, LAKEWOOD POLICE SPOKESMAN: She was able to not only save others from this terrible tragedy but also neutralize the threat. I can't say enough about the courage and bravery shown by that Lakewood Police agent.

JIMENEZ: That police agent, Ashley Ferris, is expected to be OK and has been recovering at a local hospital. As for the investigation into why the shooter carried this out, police will also likely be looking at his social media, which included a wide array of extremist views on the roles of women, war, guns and more -- Omar Jimenez, CNN.

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NEWTON: The governor of Colorado, meantime, has reduced the prison sentence of a truck driver by literally a full century, from 110 years to 10. That truck driver was found guilty of multiple charges after an accident in 2019 led to a fiery 28-vehicle pileup that left four people dead. He told investigators the brakes of his tractor-trailer failed while

traveling 85 miles per hour. The case drew national attention, with celebrities calling for a lesser penalty and millions signing a petition, asking the governor to reduce the sentence.

And we will be right back with more news in a moment.

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NEWTON (voice-over): A sea goddess reigns supreme around new year's in Brazil. Hundreds of worshippers gather on the Copacabana Beach to pay tribute to the Afro-Brazilian sea queen, Yemanja.

They offer the deity flowers, letters and alcohol, hoping she will bless them. Even in the face of the rapid spread of the Omicron variant, some cities, including Rio de Janeiro, are planning to have some kind of New Year's Eve celebrations.

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NEWTON: CNN's Hala Gorani has more on how different cities around the world plan to celebrate 2022.

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HALA GORANI, CNN HOST (voice-over): The quick spread of the Omicron variant is putting a damper on New Year's Eve celebrations around the world.

While some smaller events are still taking place, it will be a grim start to another year of the coronavirus pandemic.

London mayor Sadiq Khan announced in a tweet last week that the annual event in Trafalgar Square is canceled, saying, "The safety of Londoners must come first."

Some 6,500 people were expected to attend. British prime minister Boris Johnson decided against tougher COVID restrictions but cautioned that people should be smart about how they ring in the new year.

BORIS JOHNSON, U.K. PRIME MINISTER: I think everybody should enjoy the new year but in a cautious and sensible way. Take a test, ventilation, think about others but, above all, get a booster.

GORANI (voice-over): In Paris, the traditional fireworks display over the Champs-Elysees has been called off and officials have implemented a mask wearing policy in outdoor public spaces starting Friday. And in Atlanta, the New Year's Eve Peach Drop has been canceled for

the third year in a row as positive cases are on the rise in Georgia's capital city.

But to the delight of many, the fireworks in Sydney will go on as scheduled. Attendees are strongly encouraged to be fully vaccinated and boosted.

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GORANI (voice-over): And an indoor mask mandate is also in effect for New South Wales for those over the age of 12.

In New York, workers are preparing the traditional Waterford crystal ball that will drop over Times Square. This year's event will be scaled back to about 15,000 people. There are usually about 60,000 revelers taking part.

After canceling its New Year's Eve celebrations earlier this month, Rio de Janeiro reversed course. There will be no outdoor concert this year but the world-famous fireworks on Copacabana Beach will go on. The city also announced precautionary measures to avoid mass gatherings.

And Dr. Anthony Fauci has some strong advice for those who do plan to attend large celebrations.

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DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, WHITE HOUSE CHIEF COVID-19 MEDICAL ADVISER: If your plans are to go to a 40 percent to 50 person New Year's Eve party with all the bells and whistles and everybody hugging and kissing and wishing each other a Happy New Year, I would strongly recommend that this year we do not do that.

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GORANI (voice-over): Many were hoping for a return to normalcy as we ring in the new year. But thanks to COVID, we will have to wait a little bit longer -- Hala Gorani, CNN.

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NEWTON: CNN will have a safe party for you. You'll want to stay with CNN as the world rings in 2022. Anderson Cooper and co-host Andy Cohen are live from New York's Times Square. Coverage begins at 8:00 pm in New York. That's 9:00 am New Year's Day in Hong Kong.

I am Paula Newton. I want to thank you for your company. I will be back with more CNN NEWSROOM in just a moment.