The Lead with Jake Tapper

Sources tell CNN the FDA will likely sign off on kids as young as 12 to be eligible for the Pfizer booster shot in a few days. This as the United States is quickly nearing a record number of children hospitalized with COVID-19.  Right now President Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin are talking on the phone ahead of a key meeting between the United States and Russia. Biden is urging Putin...

A New York federal court jury has found Ghislaine Maxwell guilty on five of six counts related to her role in Jeffrey Epstein's sexual abuse of minors. Maxwell, who now faces up to 65 years in prison, showed no reaction when the verdicts were read. CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said several areas of science backed their decision to shorten the isolation period for people who come into contact...

In one pediatric hospital, the number of kids testing positive for COVID-19 has increased by 1000% compared to the Delta surge. But does that necessarily mean serious illness for those kids? A pediatrician joins to explain if it means hospitalization or worse. If you are confused by the new CDC isolation guidance, you are hardly alone. Some health experts are bashing the CDC and the Biden administ...

Last week saw the highest seven-day average of new Covid-19 cases in the United States since January. President Biden said there is work to be done as he acknowledged what most Americans already know about testing inadequacies. The Omicron variant has now surpassed the Delta variant in daily cases.  At least 300,000 people in Brazil are dealing with flooding which has left entire communities under...

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A jury has found Kim Potter, the former Minnesota police officer who shot and killed Daunte Wright, guilty of first- and second-degree manslaughter. The maximum penalty for first-degree manslaughter predicated on reckless handling of a firearm is 15 years in prison. Merck's antiviral pill has become the second pill authorized by the FDA to treat Covid-19 as the Omicron variant is spoiling many hol...

The White House Coronavirus Task Force just finished meeting as cases surge and Omicron takes over. But, this afternoon, a possible game changing pill has been approved by the FDA. As Democratic Senator Joe Manchin faces criticism from his own party, there is a new, very public push by the country’s top Republican lawmaker for Manchin to switch sides. To learn more about how CNN protects listener...

President Biden rolled out a new battle plan against coronavirus as the Omicron variant becomes the dominant strain in the United States. The new initiative will make 500 million at-home tests available through the mail. President Biden further aimed to reassure vaccinated Americans saying they can still proceed with their holiday plans without fear of becoming seriously ill. To learn more about h...

The holiday season is looking grim as the nation sees coronavirus cases surge due to the spread of the Omicron variant. Dr. Anthony Fauci warns there will be some tough weeks and months ahead. Democrats are fuming over Senator Joe Manchin’s decision to torpedo the Build Back Better bill. Manchin blames staff in the White House while members of his own party continue their disapproval of his choice...

We now know whose phone sent that message to Mark Meadows suggesting state legislatures ignore the voters of three states while votes were still being counted. It turns out the phone belongs to a former member of Donald Trump’s cabinet. Former police officer Kim Potter, who has said she mistook her firearm for her taser when she fatally shot Daunte Wright during a traffic stop near Minneapolis, br...

The CDC vaccine advisers unanimously voted to recommend Americans should get the Moderna or the Pfizer vaccine because they say those two are safer than J&J’s. President Biden is set to meet with his coronavirus team to discuss the fast spreading Omicron variant as cases are surging across the United States and disruptions to everyday life are once again becoming reality. In the past week, at leas...

President Biden speaks live about the historic and heartbreaking tornado damage in Kentucky. The devastation is so extensive in some communities that residents still do not know how many lives were lost. The White House reports Biden amended the disaster declaration today for Kentucky, increasing the federal level of funding for emergency work.  A somber milestone is set as 800,000 Americans have...

Any moment the House of Representatives are expected to vote on holding Mark Meadows, Trump’s White House Chief of Staff, in contempt of Congress as they reveal the pain, danger, and hypocrisy happening during the Capitol riots. House select committee member Rep. Liz Cheney released new text messages obtained from Meadows that were sent to him while the Capitol was under siege. Even Fox News hosts...

Shocking images from Kentucky show extensive destruction caused by a series of tornadoes. One town was almost entirely demolished after tornadoes ripped through eight states and hundreds of miles as the scope of the devastation is only beginning to emerge. Kentucky’s Governor speaks live to provide updates on recovery efforts. Mark Meadows, Trump’s former Chief of Staff, allegedly sent an email sa...

Consumer prices rose 6.8% in November from the year prior, creating a major roadblock for the rest of President Biden’s economic agenda. The Supreme Court keeps the Texas abortion ban in place but gives opponents a small opening to stop it. The CDC reveals new details about the 43 people who contracted the Omicron variant of Covid in the U.S.  To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy,...

The FDA has authorized people ages 16 and 17 to receive a Pfizer/BioNTech booster shot for COVID-19. The jobs numbers are the strongest they have been since the year humans landed on the moon for the first time, but why aren’t the hard numbers matching the hard times so many are feeling? Daunte Wright’s girlfriend took the stand to testify in the trial of the then-officer who fired the fatal shot...

A jury in Chicago is now deliberating the case of Jussie Smollett, the "Empire" actor who was charged with six felony counts for allegedly staging a fake hate crime in January 2019 and falsely reporting it to police. If found guilty, Smollett could face up to three years in prison.  With approximately 72% of Americans vaccinated as the Omicron strain spreads, Pfizer announced new lab research whic...

U.S. intelligence leaders are growing more concered that Russia is planning another military invasion of Ukraine. According to the White House, Biden told Putin there will be “strong economic measures” if Russia invades Ukraine. Rep. Mike Turner of the House Intelligence Committee joins to discuss today’s call between President Biden and Vladimir Putin and what future between the U.S. and Russia w...

As COVID-19 cases surge, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced anyone who works in the big apple is required to get vaccinated. The parents of the accused Michigan school shooter are now on suicide watch as they face rare charges related to the massacre. The Attorney General of Michigan joins to discuss. Plus, with the U.S. fearing Russia is getting ready to invade Ukraine, a critical phone...

All eyes are on Ukraine as Russia stocks up on medical supplies and fuel along its border. Is Vladimir Putin planning to invade Ukraine? Biden speaks out to position how the United States would respond. The parents of the 15-year-old Michigan school shooting suspect, Ethan Crumbley, are missing after prosecutors announced charges against them. The Oakland County Sheriff telling CNN that all availa...

Senate Democrats may not yet have the votes to pass one of the party's top legislative priorities: the Build Back Better Act. Senator Kyrsten Sinema sits down with CNN to share her plans for negotiating the social spending bill and why her vote remains uncertain. President Biden announced a new strategy at combating Covid-19 this winter that does not involve lockdowns. The new approach includes ex...

The Supreme Court heard oral arguments today in a case to determine the fate of Roe v. Wade, the landmark decision in which the Supreme Court protected a pregnant woman's liberty to choose to have an abortion. This week, the nine justices will sit alone in a conference room and go over the case.  The United States' first confirmed case of the Omicron coronavirus variant has been identified in Cali...

20 nations have have now identified cases of the new coronavirus variant, “Omicron," which is already having an impact on the global economy. Top US public health experts lay out what we do and still do not know about this new strain as we learn details from the very first patients.  Former President Donald Trump’s Chief of Staff, Mark Meadows, is now cooperating with House insurrection investigat...

Americans are paying higher prices on everything from groceries to gasoline as inflation continues to rise. President Biden hosted a group of CEOs at the White House to discuss ways to make sure shelves are fully stocked and prices are reasonable as holiday shopping ramps up. Earlier today the President addressed the new coronavirus variant, "Omicron", saying this new strain first detected in Sout...

The jury has arrived at their verdict for the three men involved in the killing of Ahmaud Arbery: guilty. Crowds gathered outside the courthouse chanting Arbery's name, saying, "We've got justice." There were screams of relief and yelling when the first verdict was read.  A survey from the American Farm Bureau Federation states holiday meals will cost 14% more this year due to more Americans expec...