The Lead with Jake Tapper

With the U.S. averaging over 776,00 new Covid cases per day, the Surgeon General, Dr. Vivek Murthy warns the Omicron wave has not yet peaked. Dr. Peter Hotez, from the Texas Children's Hospital, joins to discuss early results from an Israeli study that shows a fourth dose of the Covid vaccine can increase antibodies. The FBI confirms it is investigating the hostage stand-off in which a 44-year-old...

There's a group of Russian operatives inside Ukraine and according to a U.S. intelligence official, those operatives are looking to create a false pretense for Vladimir Putin to give the orders for Russians to invade. National security adviser Jake Sullivan joins to discuss this awful development for President Biden. In a sign of how overwhelming the Omicron variant is, two of the country's larges...

The Department of Justice has filed the most serious charges yet related to the January 6th attack on the Capitol. The DOJ has arrested and charged the head of the far-right Oath Keepers with seditious conspiracy to use force to undermine the election and he is not alone.  The United States Supreme Court has blocked the Biden administration's nationwide vaccine and testing mandate for big business...

The United States may be turning a corner in the pandemic as coronavirus cases could be peaking in parts of the country. Today, Dr. Anthony Fauci and the acting FDA commissioner said Omicron is so efficient at spreading that almost everyone in the United States will at least be exposed to it.  The January 6th select committee is asking top House Republican Kevin McCarthy if he would like to volunt...

President Joe Biden delivered a major speech on voting rights while in Atlanta on Tuesday, expressing his frustration at Republicans who blocked voting rights legislation. Rep. Cori Bush joins to discuss Biden’s speech and if congress can pass election reform.  CDC director Dr. Rochelle Walensky and NIH director Dr. Anthony Fauci testified in the Senate today about the Biden administration's pande...

More and more hospitals are reaching capacity as the Omicron variant continues to surge across the nation. Some hospitals have even started to staff their facilities with the US military’s National Guard.  At least 8 kids are among the 17 killed with dozens more injured after a major fire impacted a Bronx apartment building. The blaze was caused by a malfunctioning electric space heater, the fire...

The Supreme Court's conservative majority on Friday appeared ready to reject a vaccine or testing requirement aimed at large businesses. Yet, in a separate challenge, some justices seemed more open to a vaccine mandate aimed at certain health care workers. Fewer jobs were added in December than in any other month in 2021. Sen. Chris Van Hollen joins to discuss the 3.9% unemployment rate and some g...

One year ago today, five people lost their lives during or immediately after the Capitol riot and the very democracy of the United States was attacked and shaken. Today, we look back on the events before, during, and after the insurrection to examine the state of far-right extremism in America. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad ch...

Backlash is growing as the CDC updates its isolation guidance causing only more bewilderment again. Why does this make it so much harder for businesses and schools to open? On the eve of the insurrection anniversary, the January 6th House select committee turns its attention to Trump’s former press secretary Stephanie Grisham. On the afternoon of January 6th, Grisham became the first Trump adminis...

Thousands are stuck and stranded on a busy Virginia interstate and some are with babies and dogs, no food or water, and are quickly running out of gas if they haven’t already. How did this happen?  The January 6th committee has released new text messages from Sean Hannity about the insurrection. The messages reveal Hannity was concerned about Trump’s strategy and conduct before, during, and after...

As kids return to class, there is mass confusion and anxiety from coast to coast about whether schools are going to open. Meanwhile, the number of children being hospitalized for coronavirus has almost tripled in some states since the beginning of December. Further, the FDA announced today they are recommending the Pfizer booster shot for teens ages 12 to 15. To learn more about how CNN protects l...

Medical experts are encouraging Americans to stay home tonight for New Years Eve. Hospitals are slammed and schools aren’t sure how to reopen safely. Will the new year look too much like the last one?  100-mile-per-hour winds are spreading flames across neighborhoods in Colorado. Hundreds of homes are burning in the blink of an eye. We may now know what started the sudden fires. To learn more abou...

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...