The Lead with Jake Tapper

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...

A jury has awarded more than $26 million in damages after finding the White nationalists who organized and participated in a violent 2017 rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, liable on a state conspiracy claim and other claims. The jury in the murder trial of Ahmaud Arbery began deliberating today on the charges facing Travis McMichael, his father Gregory McMichael and their co-defendant William "R...

The defense delivered their final arguments today in the trial of Gregory McMichael, Travis McMichael and William "Roddie" Bryan Jr., the three men charged with murder in the death of Ahmaud Arbery. Defense attorney Jason Sheffield filed for a mistrial over protests outside the courthouse.  The suspect in Sunday's fatal parade incident in Waukesha, Wisconsin has been identified at Darrell Brooks....

The jury handed in their verdict today in the Kyle Rittenhouse trial: not guilty on all five counts. President Biden later commented that he stands by the verdict and that he believes the United States jury system works.  The House passed President Biden’s $1.9 trillion Build Back Better Act which would expand social services for Americans, work to mitigate the climate crisis, and increase access...

The man who shot unarmed black jogger Ahmaud Arbery took the stand today as prosecutors tried to punch holes in his story. Travis McMichael, his father Gregory McMichael and their neighbor William Bryan Jr. face charges including malice and felony murder in the death of Arbery. New revelations are sparking scrutiny over a controversial document known as the Steele Dossier nearly five years after i...

Lawmakers on Capitol Hill passed a censure resolution largely along party lines for Republican congressman Paul Gosar of Arizona after he posted an anime video depicting him kill Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and attack President Biden. This will be the first time in more than ten years the House has taken this most severe form of punishment. Now, Gosar will be removed of his committee assignments...

President Biden wraps up the first stop of his infrastructure bill road tour in New Hampshire selling his legislative accomplishment. Chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus Rep. Pramila Jayapal joins to discuss how the infrastructure law will impact public transit and how Biden’s Build Back Better act will affect childcare, drug costs, and more. With the independent Congressional Budget Off...

CNN airs the closing arguments of the Kyle Rittenhouse trial live on the final day before the jury begins deliberations. The defense argued Kyle acted in self-defense, was not looking for trouble, and that his actions are protected under Wisconsin law.  President Biden signs his $1.2 trillion infrastructure package at the South Lawn of the White House with congressional members of both parties in...

A federal grand jury has indicted former Donald Trump adviser Steve Bannon for contempt of Congress, the Justice Department announced Friday. Bannon faces two charges: one count related to his refusal to appear for a deposition and another related to his refusal to produce documents. Bannon’s charges may push other Trump allies to appear before the January 6th committee to avoid similar charges. T...

The White House announced that recent inflation is not temporary and will likely continue through the start of 2022. With the cost of gas, food, and some commercial items continuing to inflate, passing the social safety net legislation may prove more difficult with moderate senators expressing economic concerns.  The trial of three men charged in the murder of Ahmaud Arbery began today in Glynn Co...

With consumer prices rising to levels unseen since 2008, Biden speaks live from Baltimore, Maryland about rising inflation concerns. Biden noted that his infrastructure bill will generate jobs as it addresses infrastructure issues within the country. How long will it take before the economy rebounds? Defendant Kyle Rittenhouse testified today giving his account of the night he fatally shot two peo...

The House committee investigating the deadly January 6th riots has subpoenaed 10 new Trump loyalists including Trump senior advisor Stephen Miller and former White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany. Testimony for this new group of Trump associates remains uncertain as the DOJ has yet to pursue criminal charges against Steve Bannon for failing to appear before the House.   New research shows t...

Police are in the early stages of a criminal investigation to determine what caused eight people, ages 14-27, to die when a crowd surged at a music festival in Houston, Texas on Friday. Dozens more were injured with concertgoers describing a chaotic scene of people being trampled. It could be weeks before the official cause of death is known for the victims.  Six new close Trump associates have be...

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi announces the House will vote tonight on Biden’s infrastructure bill. But, the back-and-fourth amongst congressional Democrats continues as six moderates are calling for the Congressional Budget Office to analyze the bill before the vote while progressives say the review of 17 Nobel prize-winning economists should have sufficed. Pelosi then announced her compromis...