We want to welcome our viewers in the United States and all around the world. This is a special Holiday Edition of new day. Happy new year happy new year that was the longest year of my life happy new year decade, millennia. Arent you glad 2020 is over . It was a year many of us would like to forget, as all of our lives remain upended and devastated by the pandemic. This morning, dr. Sanjay gupta breaks down the hopeful signs for 2021, as vaccinations kick into high gear. The new year will also bring a Seismic Shift in washington. In just 19 days, president elect joe biden, he will be inaugurated. In less than a week, well know which party will control the u. S. Senate. And what will be President Trumps influence on the Republican Party after he leaves office . Meanwhile, so Many Americans are struggling financially. So Christine Romans breaks down what you need to know heading into this new year. We have that and much more ahead on this special new years edition of new day. But first, lets get a check of your headlines at the news desk. Good morning and happy new year. Im alison kosik in new york. Finally, right, the world said goodbye and in most cases good riddance to 2020. The ball dropping in times square amid scant crowds. Celebrations here and around the world were very different from normal, muted due to the coronavirus. Toronto canceled all inperson celebrations, instead, providing athome revelers a light show at cn tower streamed live on youtube. Coronavirus still hitting grim levels to start the new year. Today in a matter of hours, the u. S. Will hit 20 million cases. More than any country by far. Thats also more people than the entire population of new york state. 3,419 americans died overnight, the fourth highest day ever. And the number of people hospitalized in the u. S. Also hitting a record for the fourth day in a row. Army and air force medical workers have arrived in california, where the state is dealing with a crippling number of patients. In los angeles, Public Health director says the surge is pushing hospitals to the brink of catastrophe. In atlanta, the Georgia World Congress center is beginning to take on overflow patients at a rebuilt field hospital. Cnns nick valencia is there live. Good morning, nick. What are you seeing . Yeah, good morning, allisiso. Already, unfortunately, a deadly start to this year, 2021. For a Third Straight day, we had more than 3,000 americans die as a result of this virus. On thursday, that number closer to 3,400. Also setting records in terms of hospitalizations with more than 125,000 americans remaining in the hospital as of this morning. Thats a record for a fourth straight day. Another grim milestone were expecting to hit later today as the u. S. Is expected to hit 20 million cases of the coronavirus since the start of the pandemic. It is just a really grim reminder that even though 2020 is behind us, this virus is raging on, with california it seems right now the center of the pandemic, specifically Los Angeles County. Where the mayor there, eric garcetti, telling residents that the darkest days are ahead. Earlier this week, we saw multiple hospitals in Los Angeles County report that they had limited access to oxygen. Theres also scores of front line workers that are now contracting the virus, as those cases, i say, surge in california. Here in georgia, they arent faring much better. In fact, things are getting so bad here, the governor is so concerned that hes opened up behind me the Georgia World Congress center as a field hospital. This is the third time since doing that in the last year this winter surge is really causing a concern here for the governor. Hes expecting the worst, theyre expecting to have about 60 beds here, overflow beds from those suffering from the virus and more records here. 5,000 people remaining hospitalized in georgia. The numbers just ticking up here, not just in georgia and california, but really all across the states. Alison . Its a new year, but definitely everybody bracing themselves for what january may bring. Nick valencia, thanks very much. President trump waking up at the white house this morning. The president returned from maralago thursday ahead of schedule. Hes beginning the new year right where he left off, spreading lies about the election. And cnn has learned at least 140 House Republicans plan to challenge joe bidens win next week. Cnns Boris Sanchez is live for us at the white house. Boris, what are you learning . Good morning and happy up in year, alison. Thats right. President trump skipping out on a planned gala at maralago last night, deciding to come back to the white house early. The president still fixated on this idea of overturning the 2020 election. The president not just celebrating the new year, but also celebrating missouri senator josh hawley on twitter. Hawley in recent days announcing that he planned top object to the certification of the Electoral College results when congress certifies that vote on january 6th. Heres the tweet from President Trump. He writes, america is proud of josh and the many others who are joining him. The usa cannot have fraudulent elections. Point of fact, there is zero evidence of widespread election fraud. But cnn is learning that up to 140 House Republicans are planning to go along with hawley and play into the president s infant s fantasies that there was election rigging by objecting to the result. One specific congressman, Louie Gohmert from texas, filing a lawsuit trying to force Vice President mike pence essentially to deny the Electoral College results from several states. Yesterday, we got a response from pences legal team. Here is one portion of that. They where, quote, a suit to establish that the Vice President has discretion over the count fimd against the Vice President is a walking legal contradiction. They go on, plaintiffs have presented this court with an emergency motion, raising a host of weighty legal issues about the matter in which the electoral votes for president are to be counted, but the plaintiff sued is not a proper vehicle for addressing those issues, because the plaintiffs have sued the wrong defendant. So the Vice President s legal defendant saying gohmert should take this case up with the house and the senate, not with the Vice President. We should point out, in recent days weve learned that the president himself sat down with Vice President pence to talk about the future. Unclear if this came up, exactly. But we have heard from sources here at the white house that the president has had a difficult time with aides discussing mike pences role on january 6th. The Vice President plays largely just a ceremonial role, overseeing the vote, not actually weighing in on whether to certify it or not. Alison . Interesting. We turned a calendar year, but the election for 2020 still not quite in the rearview. Boris sanchez, thanks so much. Joining me now, margaret talev, a cnn political analyst and politics and white house editor at axios. Good morning to you and happy new year. Good morning, alison, happy new year. Lets first lets get to whats happening in a few days. The two georgia runoffs will decide control of the u. S. And theres a lot of focus on that. Let me first dovetail to where Boris Sanchez left off, though. That have the 140 House Republicans, theyre voting to challenge bidens win on january 6th. What is the point of doing this . Do they have any leverage . Will this challenge go anywhere . No, its not going to go anywhere . At this point, only senator hawley has objected in the senate . And obviously, that decision was a huge frustration to a majority leader Mitch Mcconnell, because it forces the debate in the senate, but at this point, there is not the will in the house, which is controlled by democrats or in the senate, which is controlled by republicans. So this will delay the outcome. But it is not expected to change the legitimate Election Results in president elect joe biden isensati ascension to the presidency. So this is just a show, but will impact the Republican Party, splintering it even more. What does this say for the future of the gop . I think the future of the gop is obviously at a crossroads. You could say that the future of the Democratic Party is, too, but this is really in a different way. And what weve heard yesterday about majority leader mcconnells interactions with his own caucus, my colleague Jonathan Swann reporting that he has told his caucus that his vote on january 6th is going to be the most sequential vote that hes ever taken. And you think about everything Mitch Mcconnell has presided over and in some ways, like how unraveled he ever seems by anything, right . Hes been the steady ship, whether or not you agree with his policies, when it comes to everything from war to impeachment. And now you see him saying, this vote is the biggest deal that hell ever have to grapple with, as he has framed it internally, this has become this loyalty test between donald trump, whos still the most powerful figure in the Republican Party, and american democracy, as it exists. A and a real objection to this, anything sustained, to overturn the results of the election, would be a repudiation of american democracy, a massive test of american democracy. And part of the reason why you think you see these 140 House Republicans feeling comfortable pursuing the course that they may pursue, if that count ends up being right is because they know that this vote is not going to actually change anything. They know that joe biden will become the president on january 20th. And someone like senator hawley, you know, educated at stanford and at yale, a former state attorney general, he knows what the election law is, he knows that his objection cant stop the legitimate results of the election from making the next president , joe biden. Lets get back to Vice President mike pences role in this. His lawyers asked the federal judge to reject a request from Louie Gohmert that asks Vice President pence to ignore several key states when the Electoral College will certify next week. Do you think this comes as a disappointment to donald trump and his supporters . I think donald trump at this point understands where things stand. But every person who says no to him now is disappointing him. And for Vice President pence, this is the sort of, it wasnt me response. Hes saying, dont blame me, im just the Vice President. Im just supposed to show up and read what the part says. He really has two choices. He can be the one who fulfills the role on january the 6th or he can have somebody else do it. And we believe he will do it. But those are really his choices. And so it does set up an internal conflict and a conflict for pence if he wants to run for president at some point in the future. But this is the moment that were at. Lets quickly get to the georgia runoff, because, you know, this is going to be a big day, even monday, well be seeing the Vice President , the Vice President elect, joe biden, visiting there. Trump will be visiting there on monday. Talk to me about how high the stakes are here. Of course, the stakes are huge, because these two races will decide control of the u. S. Senate and democrats would have to flip both of these seats in order to take control. Even if they succeed, it will be a very marginal control of the center, the most conservative democrats and the most negotiatable republicans will hold an enormous amount of sway, but if democrats control the senate, it will have a major impact on nominations, on what legislation is heard on the floor, on what sort of policy shifts can be executed through the legislative process, rather than executive power. And for republicans and for mcconnell, it is sort of the ultimately test of whether they are able to separate themselves from trump and still move on. And switching gears now to a New York Times article that i was reading from today, where President Trump reportedly lashed out at Jared Kushner over covid testing, because covid testing, obviously getting underneath President Trumps skin. The report says in an august conversation, saying, i want to do what mexico does. They dont give you a test until you get to the emergency room and youre veterans hospitomiti. Clearly, hes focusing on his political future and less so hon on how the American Public is doing and how the virus is progressing. What do you think this was saying about his intentions here . I mean, its some extraordinary yearend reporting by the times, but to a big extent, it just illuminates what americans watched play out, which was the president really toggling between, you know, how to address and how much transparency to address the virus with. And, you know, whether to focus more on the economy or on peoples health. How to separate his own political interests from the National Interests of the country. They are just a little bit less than three weeks now left in this administration, and now the management of the vaccine of millions of Americans Health is going to fall to the next president , to joe biden. We are in Firm Transition mode now. And even, as you see, like senator perdue in georgia, having to selfquarantine, as youre seeing tragic deaths continue, a lot of this for President Trump is now in the rearview mirror. This is about the next administration having to take ownership of these massive problems that will continue for if months more. And of course, another massive problem that will be left to the Biden Administration is whats going to happen to support those who are unemployed in this country. Senate majority leader Mitch Mcconnell is refusing to budge on direct payments to americans, as senator Chuck Schumer offers separate votes on trumps demand. Where does the future of stimulus checks stand at this point . Reporter alison, it stands with the next administration. The reason why the stimulus checks were at 600 before President Trump tried to stop the process and reset it is because thats what the republicans in congress were willing to do. And for senator mcconnell, although the rhetoric publicly is about democrats and is about hes coined this notion of socialism for the rich and all this sort of stuff. To some extent, this is about ideological differences and some republicans feelings that 2,000 checks are too much or not focus nued enough, but this also about managing trump and mcconnell saying very clearly, he needs to be able to control his party in the senate, and not have trump, whether hes president or soon to be an expresident , kind of jumping in from the sidelines and mixing everything up at the last minute. Theres going to continue to be a real push for more injection of stimulus into the economy. In the incoming administration. And i think this is a dispute that will get relitigated, that Senate Republicans and Senate Democrats may negotiate over the terms of. But by attaching this section 230 to it. The notion of removing liability for social media companies, by attaching other measures to it, it ensures that it cant go anywhere in sort of this lastminute push. This is a debate thats going to continue under the Biden Administration with the new congress and again, which party is in control of the senate may have an impact on the size of those stimulus checks, but this debate is going to come back. Doesnt look like its going to be resolved in the waning hours of this congress, though. A debate will continue. But one thing is certain, americans continue to need support, even with the new administration taking over in a few weeks. Margaret talev, thanks so much. Cnn political analyst with. Happy new year again. Happy new year. The two georgia runoffs will decide control of the u. S. Senate. Be sure to watch special live coverage as Election Night in america continues beginning tuesday at 4 00 p. M. On cnn. We are entering the new year in the midst of the devastating coronavirus pandemic, but help is on the way as coronavirus vaccines are here. Dr. Sanjay gupta explains when we should expect life to start returning to normal, next. University of phoenix is awarding up to one Million Dollars in new scholarships through this month, because hope fuels opportunity. See what scholarship you qualify for at phoenix. Edu to give you the protein you need with less of the sugar you dont. [grunting noise] ill take that. Woohoo 30 grams of protein and 1 gram of sugar. Ensure max protein. With nutrients to support immune health. Smooth driving pays off. With allstate, the safer you drive the more you save. You never been in better hands. Allstate. Click or call for a quote today. I dont know a Single Person who is not happy to turn the page on 2020. Good riddance hopefully vaccines will make a major dent on the global coronavirus pandemic. Dr. Anthony fauci says average americans can expect to begin receiving vaccinations this spring. So joining us now is cnns chief medical correspondent, dr. Sanjay gupta. Sanjay, great to see you. Happy new year. Happy new year. Everybodys so hopeful that well be able to turn a page, but of course coronavirus has followed us into this new year. So how different do you think 2021 will be . I think its going to look a lot different. I guess its hard not to. 2020 was such a unique and tragic year, you know . I mean, weve all lived through this, physically, psychologically. These vaccines, i think, are theyre here. Theyre going to be more widely distributed. And it is incredibly hopeful, not just because of the vaccines, but i think also because of what they represent. I mean, you know, we are able to respond so quickly to this pandemic by creating something that typically takes years, if not decades to make, a vaccine. And theyre going to make a significant impact, but it takes a while, still. So by this time next year, i think were going to be in a very different position. The vaccines, the testing, things like that that will happen over these next few months here in 2021 will certainly change things a lot. But weve got to still hunker down for a few months more, as you see that light, it should make you want to redouble your efforts, i think. One of the few good things about 2020 is frankly you and the impact you had on educating sanjay, you were one of the few good things about 2020. And the impact you had on us and how you made us think about the pandemic. One of the impactful things you did were writing these essays as if treating the country as if it was your patient. Whats your prognosis for your count patient, the country, in 2021 . I think one of the things ive learned is that science cannot rescue us from ourselves. We can have these incredible breakthroughs and we will in vaccines and therapeutics and new forms of testing. It is really just remarkable to see. And i think we will be a different world as a result of the medical innovation that we have seen this year. But if we dont lean into the basic health practices, they make such a big difference. Even now, a hundred years after the great pandemic of 1918, the same things made the biggest difference, wearing masks, keeping distance, washing hands. We can talk about mrna vaccines and all of those things, but washing hands and wearing a mask makes as big a difference. It doesnt sound as neat or as fancy, but can make such a huge impact. And something i will now always remind my patients of. All right, sanjay, besides alisyn camerota, who are your Health Care Heroes . Well, alisyns way up there on the list, for sure. Not sure what ive done to earn that. Theres so many people that i interact with the hospital all the time who are taking care of these Covid Patients and, you know, we know now, after a year of reporting on this, that you go take care of Covid Patients, you worry as good as you are about personal protective equipment, you still worry that maybe you were exposed and that maybe you would take that virus hope home to your family and that would be the greatest tragedy in trying to do the right thing, you potentially put your family at risk. Its just a very hard psychology still for people to sort of think about. So i really have thought a lot about the people working in covid units, not just the doctors, but the nurses, the people who are cleaning these units. The people who have lived for this past year with that psychological thing in the back of their minds pip al. Also, as doctors and nurses, youre giving care. Its objective care. You give this medicine, you monitor these vital signs. But because of the pandemic, you also had to be this bridge of comfort because family members couldnt visit. The real heroes for me were the people who then at the end of a shift took the extra time to wrap their phone or their ipad in plastic, walk into the room, in full personal protective equipment and show someone who was in the in the hospital, very sick, their family members and allow them to have a conversation. And sometimes, those were last conversations. That really stuck with me, you know. And its obviously, psychologically, just so challenging. But the idea that people who just stepped up and over the line, so many times, to make sure that those last conversations could happen, are, i think, some of the truest heroes of this and showed us what real empathy and real compassion looks like in the middle of a pandemic. That is beautiful, sanjay. Theyre angels on earth. That is beautiful. Thank you for helping us think of them today. And for all you did for us the past year and im sure this coming year. Thank you, guys. Thanks for having me this year. I think the conversations i like to believe that the conversations we have had with the audience over this past year made a difference. You know, youve got to believe that if your a journalist. Well try to book you some for 2021. Hang in there. Keep the phone close by, sanjay. Thanks so much, sanjay. A critical week ahead for the incoming Biden Administration. Two runoff elections in georgia will decide the balance of power in the senate and the fate of joe bidens agenda. We discuss that, next. For every trip youve been dreaming of, expedia has millions of flexible booking options. Because the best trip is wherever we go together. Expedia has millions you downloaded the Td Ameritrade oh yeah,mobile app . Ake off. Yeah, actually im taking one last look at my dashboard before we board. And you have thinkorswim mobile so i can finish analyzing the risk on this position. You two are all set. Choose the app that fits your investing style. Is our most Holistic Weight Loss Program ever. You can choose any workout you want to fit with your time frame. There are a ton of zero point foods that i love. I never feel restricted. The new myww . Lose weight on us this winter get three months free lose see every yikes. Ter and even every awwwwwwww. Wait, where was i . Introducing self protection from xfinity. Designed to put you in control. With realtime notifications and a week of uninterrupted recording. All powered by reliable, secure wifi from xfinity. Gotta respect his determination. Its easy and affordable to get started. Get self protection for 10 a month. Welcome back to this special new years edition of new day. We have a lot to get to this half hour, including will the u. S. Economy recover in this new year . Christine romans tells us what to watch for as the pandemic continues to grip the United States. And president elect joe biden preparing to confront several massive crises when he takes office in just 19 days. But first, lets get a check of your headlines at the news desk. Good morning and happy new year. Im alison kosik in new york. The world looking forward to a brighter 2021 and bidding a notsofond farewell to 2020. In times square, the traditional ball drop came with a big difference. Police strongly urged people to stay away, so instead of walltowall revelers, crowds were thin and socially distanced. The crowds in wuhan, china, had special reason to celebrate the arrival of 2021. The central chinese city was ground zero for the start of the coronavirus pandemic that killed thousands and forced the city into a tight threemonths lockdown. Now lets head back to john berman and alisyn camerota. So in just 19 days, joe biden and Kamala Harris will be sworn in as president and Vice President of the United States. How will they change things when they take office . Which party will control the u. S. Senate . Just some of the questions that they will face. Joining us now, cnn chief political correspondent, dana bash, and cnns senior political reporter, niamalika henderson. Dana, lets start with you, with the biggest question that weve barely had a chance to focus on over the last several weeks. What changes, january 20th . Its always such a big deal when theres a shift of power, a shift of party in the white house. What do you think is the first biggest difference that well see . You know, its funny. Generally, were talking about issues and policy precipitations and things that matter a lot of to the american people. And those will be big, from economic precipitations that the Biden Administration will push forward to try to help the economy to, obviously, trying to keep pushing the vaccine and doing away with this pandemic. But i actually think the biggest thing is going to be tone because you cannot and we saw this for the past year or so, maybe a little bit less during the campaign between joe biden and donald trump, you cant think of two different human beings and thats a big part of why joe biden won. Because people dont want to Pay Attention to their president as much as they felt like they had to with donald trump. And theyre likely going to get that with the silence of joe bidens twitter feed. With the likely mundane, you know, situation going on in the white house. And that will likely be very welcome for people in 2021. Mundane has never sounded so good. I know exactly what youre talking about, dana. So, niamalika, if the democrats dont win these Georgia Senate runoffs, will bidens agenda be sort of blocked at every turn . Thats the big question, will this be essentially another obama turn, with minnesotch mccl being the master of doom, the master of no. That was his posture during most of those eight years when it came to president obama. Joe biden campaigned on saying that he had that Good Relationship with republicans, that he could work across the aisle. Some democrats didnt like that he campaigned in that way. But obviously, the vast majority of americans who voted in that election said they thought that was a good idea. So well see, well put that to the test, whether or not joe bidens friendship with Mitch Mcconnell makes a difference, if in fact he goes into the white house without a senate majority. Either way, even if democrats do win those two senate seats in georgia and thats a race thats coming up in the next couple of days, well know, even if they win, its still going to be a slim majority. You would have Vice President harris breaking a tie. So either way, if youre progressive and you think there will be some big ticket items that come out of this administration, this is going to be a centrist approach to policy and policy making with compromise at the heart of whatever joe biden does. You know, with the trump era, i said i was out of the predictions business, but im going to make an exception and say that we have understandably been focused on the senate, because there is a runoff, two runoffs. We dont know whos going to be in charge. And the senate always, when its razorthin, is a big deal. But i actually think the story is going to be much more in the house than anybody anticipated going into election day, because, as nia said, the democrats majority has gotten so much smaller, and therefore, nancy pelosi and other Democratic Leaders have very, very little wiggle room in how they can usually, you know, you all know this, in general, the rules are such in the house that you can pass a ham sandwich, if you want to. If youre in the majority. Im not so sure thats going to be the case, because not just of the fact that its a slim majority, but because of the nature of the new democratic caucus, so many more progressive who is beat longtime democratic incumbents and those who are not going to take compromise for an answer. Its a great point. We just dont know what its going to look like. Nancy pelosi in theory, these are her last two years in house leadership. In theory. In theory. You know, she once promised that he would get out after this term, but well see what happens there and well see how she handles it. We already know that this inauguration, 19 days from now, will be vastly different. Yes, joe biden will be sworn in at the capitol outdoors, but no balls, you know, none of the inaugural balls, none of the really big outdoor parades. None of the events that weve to expect over the years. And i wonder, nia, what impact you think that will have, in terms of democrats ability to celebrate the moment. Do you think it will feel less than . Whats interesting, i think much of the celebration youre going to see from democrats came when wolf blitzer said that president elect biden was the result of this election. And you saw people all over the country pour out into the street, banging pots and pans, dancing and all sorts of things, because of the sense of relief, the sense of joy that Many Americans had with that news from wolf blitzer, about the outcome of this election. So that will be that. And listen, whatever the inauguration looks like, it will look different. And our lives have looked different all this past year of 2020. So in some ways, i think americans are used to that. Theyre thinking about their safety, theyre thinking about their parents and grandparents safety, their kids safety. So that means that the kind of crowds that were used to in celebrations just wont happen. Well see what they do. We saw what happened with the dnc. It was virtual, it was kind of creative. It looked more like the kind of things we see on social media and tiktok and those sorts of things. So this is a new era and democrats in the country are, i think, getting used to it. Dana, i dont know if theres any way to sum up all of the political stories from 2020, to recap the year that has just been, that many refer to as sort of their worst year ever for a host of different reasons, so what stood out to you politically. You know, im going to go against the grain here and say that as as tumultuous as it was on the science front, on the economic front, which is the basics of society, kids not in school, people losing their jobs, all of those horrible, horrible things that defined and will always define 2020. On the politics front, what stands out to me is how stable it was. Because pretty much from the beginning of what was effectively the general election campaign, joe biden was up. And it didnt change. And that was related to the pandemic in a big way, but there were other reasons for it. And we didnt have the surprise that many expected because its 2020 and its donald trump and you always have surprises. So politically speaking, 2020 and frankly the whole 2020 campaign ended the way we expected it, which in itself is unexpected. I have to say, people forget, joe biden was in fifth place in the democratic race, fourth or fifth place, and three days later, he was the nominee. And i still dont know that the history has been written in a fulfilling way about that, about exactly how it happened. Im waiting. The pandemic kind of swallowed it all up, but theres so much interesting that happened over the last year, reported on by the both of you. Thanks so much for being with us, all 2020, and look forward to seeing you. Happy new year. Take care, guys. So millions of jobs gone, thousands of Small Businesses shuttered. Will the u. S. Economy recover from the pandemic in the new year . My nunormal fewer asthma attacks. Less oral steroids. Taking my treatment at home. Nucala is a oncemonthly addon injection for severe eosinophilic asthma. Not for sudden breathing problems. Allergic reactions can occur. Get help right away for swelling of face, mouth, tongue, or trouble breathing. Infections that can cause shingles have occurred. Dont stop steroids unless told by your doctor. Tell your doctor if you have a parasitic infection. May cause headache, injection site reactions, back pain, and fatigue. Ask your doctor about nucala at home. Find your nunormal with nucala. So its a new year, but millions of americans are heading into it would have a job and hurting financially. The pandemic wiped out a decade of job gains. So will the u. S. Economy recover this year . Cnn chief Business CorrespondentChristine Romans has a crystal ball. What does it look like . It says, yes, that 2020 will be better, you guys, by almost any measure. But its going to be a dark winter before we get there. Normally i sit with you and we start a new year with new resolutions, but really this year, were trying to get back to where we started. The economy down 9. 8 million jobs from february. And this chart really tells this story. Every month, we talk about the jobs added and hiring has pretty much flattened here, as the virus slows the economy again. And youve heard me talk about this scald kshaped recovery. People with a job, people with stock market investments, theyre doing great right now, theyre thriving, but lowwage workers and minorities are the ones bearing the brunt of the jobs and the income loss. You cant forget these images from 2020 within acro, across t. This is san antonio, but we saw this played out again and again, food banks with the unprecedented demand. The big question for me is will the lopsided nature of the pandemic reverse this year. We just dont know. A lot depends on precipitations from the Biden Administration and congress. But even people worried about inequality like bill gates, hes worried about inequality and that kshaped recovery, but he sees brighter days ahead. I think by summer, the job numbers and the economic numbers will be quite strong, because most things will be back to normal, you know, in the fall, i expect well be able to open all schools even with facetoface. Thats why facetoface, thats important. Thats why some of the banks are forecasting the economy will grow anywhere from 4 to almost 6 this year. Guys, that would be a huge improvement from this year. You can see, the economy, it collapsed in the second and the Third Quarter this year. Thats those big red lines. Bounced back again after that, but annual jobs growth, if it were to hit 6 , look, that would be the best since 1984. Also a year, john and al as you know alisyn, that we were bouncing back. So whats biden going to do to help it . Whats the biden agenda on the economy . Im really struck by the parallels. We didnt trust the banking system. We had lost faith in our institutions. This time, its different. Its a health and jobs crisis. Of course, the first order of business would be to get the virus under control. Thats what they say theyre going to do. President trump has said the economy and your 401 k would tank under a biden presidency, but even with bidens promises to raise taxes on investors and wealthy people, Corporate America expects a more stable relationship with the white house. I think joe biden is a steady hand. Theres not a if you are one of the people who was afraid that there was going to be rampant dysfunction, civil war, radicals on any side were going to take over. Joe biden is kind of not the type. So biden wants to raise taxes on rich people, roll back some of those 2017 Corporate Tax cuts. He wants to reward companies for bringing jobs and production back to the u. S. That would be a Corporate Tax rate of 28 , still better than where it was, you know, before tax reform in the Trump Administration. He wants tax breaks to return factories to the u. S. He wants the top personal tax rate to go back to 39. 6 , expand the child tax credit, restore the firsttime home buyers credit and vows not to raise taxes on anyone making less than 400k. What about the wild card of china . Joe bidens relationship with china. So much of the Trump Administration was just consumed by these trade wars with china. And with our allies, in some cases. The president elect, he told the New York Times he would not immediately remove those 25 tariffs that trump imposed on about half of trumps exports to the u. S. , but dont expect him to try to change chinas behavior alone. Hes expected to work with American Allies to work with china, instead of threatening americas allies at the same time and waging these multiple distracting trade wars, guys. Christine romans, thank you so much. Happy new year to you and your family. Happy new year to you. The Climate Crisis will be one of the most pressing issues that joe biden plans to tackle when he takes office. What are his plans for this massive challenge. Thats next. Find your rhythm. Your happy place. Find your breaking point. Then break it. Every emergenc gives you a potent blend of nutrients so you can emerge your best with emergenc. 2020s done a new era has begun so keep pushing forward. Because this is twenty twenty won make a different future start different at godaddy. Com unlike ordinary memory want supplementster . Neuriva has clinically proven ingredients that fuel 5 indicators of brain performance. Memory, focus, accuracy, learning, and concentration. Try our new gummies for 30 days and see the difference. Is now even more powerful. The stronger, lastslonger energizer max. A new administration with a new vision on the Climate Crisis is about to take over in washington. Its a key issue that president elect joe biden ran on during the campaign. Nothing gives me more hope for the future than seeing my five grandchildren challenge expectations. They see breakthroughs in technology we cant even yet imagine, but the only way theyre going to get a chance to fill all of that potential is we take drastic action right now to address the climate disaster facing the nation and our world. Though how does he plan to do it . Joining us now, cnn chief Climate Change correspondent, bill weir. Happy new year to you. So great to see you this morning. Its sort of an obvious question, but just how different will the Biden White House look from the Trump White House in terms of Climate Change . Its as different as two different planets, john. Happy new year to you. Yes, for the last four years, weve been living on planet trump where windmills cause cancer and kill all the birds and fossil fuels are a necessity for Economic Growth and Global Warming is not a problem. Anybody acknowledging the opposite of those things would be a stark departure. But joe biden seems to be going allin, much more than any candidates in american history. So, bill, one of the pledges that hes made is he biden pledges to achieve 100 Clean Energy Power sector by the year 2035. And also, reach net zero emissions, no later than 2050. So hes already appointed, as you know, john kerry, as climate envoy. Gena mccarthy as climate czar. So how realistic are those goals . They are hugely, hugely ambitious. It took us over a century in this country to lay out the modern transportation system. We have to these goals mean we have to rebuild that within a decade. And you dont see a lot of people running out the door today to get it done. Its a huge ambitious goal, but it just speaks to at least nibbling at the problem. The enormity of the problem. The difficulty is that in order to get elected, you have to make a lot of promises about fracking for natural gas, in order not to pull off fracking. Thats a big one. Because if you think about Carbon Dioxide as a blanket of average thickness around the earth, methane that comes from fracking is a blanket that is as thick as lebron james is as tall. Its cleaner than coal in the midterm, but much more damaging in the shortterm. Weve got to put a cap on this, whether you can convince Oil Field Workers to put in a career of capping, or geothermal. Those are ways to go. But so much of this, alisyn and john, depends on what happens in georgia. As weve seen, the congressional resistance to getting people just to wear masks in a pandemic is a heavy political lift. Imagine when we have to shift away from internal combustion engines and come up with new forms of cement and airplanes and housing and food chains. Its the biggest challenge humanity will ever tackle. One of the only Silver Linings of the pandemic has been that because of the shutdowns, there has been less traffic, less airplane travel. We see all of these images of clear water in the canals of venice, italy, for the first time in decades. And then, im sure you know this famous image now, the sidebyside of the pollution in new delhi. You know, one just sort of drenched in fog or smog, where you cant see anything, and clear skies on the right. So, you know, does this continue . Can we get some benefit out of this or was it a blip . It was such an insignificant blip, alisyn, you cant even put entit it into terms. The analogy i like to use, if you imagine a dog on a hot, sunny day and life on earth is the dog, its equated to about five minutes of shade. In the longterm, it does nothing for the health of this planet that is getting mohottery the minute. It hopefully did reconnect us in the natural world. City dwellers could see stars for the first time and saw some wildlife come out of the shadows. But one of the problems is the closetoground smog, smoke pollution that we get into our lungs and feel it in our eyes and you can taste it. Thats a problem. But its not automatically tied to Climate Change, which is all of this heat trapping pollution, this Carbon Dioxide, methane that goes into the air and its just turning up temperature, creating a much more unpredictable world. And if the pandemic has taught us anything, we dont want to live in an unpredictable world. We want to live in a world where flight schedules and broadway schedules and yankee games are guaranteed the way they used to be. But all of that goes away if a livable planet that were on is thrown out of balance. So the more people can connect the dots between every little decision in our lives and the ones that happen at the big corporate level leading up to these big, big huge problems, and the severity of the pain really comes down to what we all do collectively right now. 100 on all of it, except for the yankees, as far as im concerned, they can just disappear forever. They can live in smog forever the sox need somebody to play against. Thats fine. No, its always sunny over fenway. Bill weir, thank you so much for being with us. 2020 for you, i know, brought you many blessings, so we wish you many more in the coming years. Thank you, brother. All right. The United States obviously dealing with racial reckoning over the last year. Where does it all go from here . So welcome to our viewers in the United States and all around the world to a very special new years edition of new day. Happy new year, everyone. Happy new year yeah. I mean, it can only be better,