Fda about athome antigen tests, its a little confusing, the fda saying those tests are not as sensitive to detecting omicron, but the White House Team stressed the athome tests still offer, quote, an important use. Jeremy diamond joins me. Jeremy, i know you just spoke to the covid19 response director. What did he tell you . Reporter thats right, i asked at the Coronavirus Briefing specifically about the 500 million happen athome tests that the white house is set to ship to americans beginning next month. And the news that he gave me is that theyre still in the process of finalizing the contract to obtain those. But he says he does expect that contract to be completed late next week. Of course, that would be the end of the first week of january. Meaning that americans likely wont begin to see see the athome covid tests until end of january. He said the details are forthcoming still in terms exactly how the white house is going to finalize the Delivery Mechanism for those tests including that website that they have promised to get up where americans were request to get the athome tests sent to them for free. So were still waiting for a lot of details. Frankly, this speaks to the gap of time that exists now, continuing to exist, between the Testing Shortages over the holiday season. And when americans can finally expect to get the rapid athome coronavirus tests. And you mentioned that fda news that the tests may not be as sensitive to omicron. But still they dont see that changing their strategy. The white house doesnt see it changing their strategy as it relates to the use of the antigen tests. It can still detect omicron even if less sensitive. Its an important tool, of course, the pcr test remains the gold standard. And jeff zients tells me that the white house is looking to set up more Testing Sites including places like new york. Stressing in particular, the Testing Zwangs look the same around the country. There are places like new york and new jersey, facing Testing Shortages and thats where the federal government is targeting additional efforts to set up federally run testing centers. Alisyn. Jeremy diamond, thank you for that update. Meanwhile, washington, d. C. , the mayor there announced that all staff and students must show a negative covid test before returning to school next week. Pediatric hospitalizations continue to grow and many parents are wondering how to keep their kids from getting sick. So, to address this, the city has revamped its Covid Testing Policies to try to keep kids in school. Cnns Alexandra Field joins us now. Whats the new testing plan, alexandra. Hey, there, alisyn, the idea is to catch cases more quickly but also want to put kids in the class faster. The schools really are the safest place to be. The new testing plan aimed at keeping it that way. What theyre doing, theyre relying on athome test kits. They say theyll be given two kits per day for seven days to all the children in that classroom, in order to get back in the classroom, youll have to be asymptomatic and have two negative tests in a row and you can then return the next day. This is a balancing act. Were going to see School Districts across the country viewing this. To try and figure out how to identify the cases and take care of them through the testing mechanisms. On top of the rapid athome tests, theyre also going to be doubling the number of pcr tests that they perform until city schools as another layer of protection here. The mayor elect saying the schools are the safest places for the kids to be. And this just proves that the city is committed to keeping kids in the classroom, even amidst a surge that has led to a rising number of cases not just in adults, but, of course, children but also this rising number of hospitalizations, its something that the city is experiencing first hand. A fivefold increase in pediatric hospitalizations in new york city in just the last three weeks. Its alarming when parents hear that. But, alisyn, we also have to keep in mind, the number of children hospitalized. While its going up remains relatively small relative to the number of adults with covid. We also have to find out what their symptoms once hospitalized, how bad it is in that wave. Thank you for that. With me our two doctors on the front line, we have dr. Claudia ohioan, shes a pediatric Infectious Disease special and dr. David kimberlin at the university of alabama at birmingham. Thank you both for being here, dr. Hoyen, as we heard, millions of kids are scheduled to go back to school five days from now. Is that a good idea . At this point, as i think was just noted, theres a lot of variability around what different parts of the country are seeing. I know here in northeast ohio, were a little bit behind places like new york, new jersey, houston, in that we were still kind of getting over our delta surge, since we were the last to surge with delta. As we are now coming into this Omicron Variant surge. And so, i think that, again, we know how to keep children safe in school. We know that masking is effective. And if, you know, kids are symptomatic, of course, they should stay home. If theyve had an exposure. If youre able to do testing, again, there are many layers that we can add to keep children in school, as we move through the next few weeks. As we know, its not only the safest place, but its the place that they need to be. The last two years have really taken a toll on our children. And so, we all need to do what we can, whether thats getting vaccinated and making sure were masking. Here in ohio, the Ohio Childrens Hospital Association today actually sent a letter to the governor. And to all of the schools superintendents. You know, thanks those School Districts who are continuing to mask. And asking respectfully, that as we are bringing kids back to school in the middle of, you know, rising number of omicron here untiin ohio, that they als consider having masking in those schools. Yeah, i know a lot of places in ohio have dropped the mask mandates. Dr. Kimberlin, youre in alabama, do you think as you heard from dr. Hoyen, and alex field, saying schools are the safest place to be, with this rise, exponential rise in cases right now, do you think the schools are the safest places for kids to be . Well, much of what we know, obviously, is based on our prior experience. And omicron is brandnew. So, i think we have to start by recognizing that omicron is an entity that we will be learning a lot more about over these next handful of weeks. Now, that said, i think youve got to draw on the experiences youve had in the past. And we simply have seen over and over again that schools have been open safely with prior variants of the virus, and the original virus. And really spread within schools can reflect the broader spread within the community. But theyre not really the starting or hot spots for spreading within the community, generally speaking. So, thats point number one. Number two, we have a couple of really good studies right now, california and i believe illinois taking an approach of test to stay basically. So what you do there, similar to what new york is trying a variation on. And that is to be tested, if you test negative, youve had an exposure, you test negative, you test the next day. And you do that for a certain number of days and try to get people in the glass room and staying in the classroom. I agree with dr. Hoyen, you know, children have taken a beating with this virus and pandemic. And they need to get back in school. And they want to be back in school. Thats where we want them to be as well. I want to hear from both of you in terms of what youre seeing in the hospitals. You are son the front lines of covid cases in kids. And the ahead of the cdc dr. Rochelle walensky said Something Interesting this morning that got all of our attention, in terms of whether kids are showing up at the hospital because of their covid symptoms or because its an incidental pickup, once theyre at the hospital. So let me play that for you. This is a common time of year for children to be admitted in the hospital. And some of the things were seeing in the trends theyre not heading to the icu more often that we can tell. Many of them are actually coming in for another reason, that they happen to be tested when they come incidentally to have covid. And third and most importantly, most of those children are not yet vaccinated. Dr. Hoyen, does that track with what youre seeing . Yeah, i think in northeast ohio, were a little bit behind the curve in terms of what other places are seeing. So i think what were seeing still at our Childrens Hospital, and as we go through the next week, as dr. Kimberlin said, we will be learning a lot. We do have children in the hospitals simply for covid. We have children in our icus with covid. We do have a couple of kids who have incidentally tested positive. So it may be that start of the omicron that were seeing where kids may be relatively asymptomatic. But, again, its too early for us to know the exact course of what will happen in children. And well be keeping in contact with our colleagues around the country to be sure that were doing all we can to keep kids safe while were here. How about you, dr. Kimberlin . Well, across much of the south, our Delta Wave Reseeded by the end of october, beginning of november. Right. So, we had a pretty nice period of handful of weeks just after thanksgiving. Now in terms of cases, not necessarily hospitalizations, but our cases, its almost a vertical kind of line. So, really, its something that i anticipate will have a lag period. And well start seeing increased hospitalizations as well. Even if, even if omicron is a little less, or somewhat less severe, compared with delta as an example, it is so much more infectious. And therefore, so many more people are getting infected. Our Positivity Rates in our Emergency Room and our Childrens Hospital has increased sevenfold in two weeks. And so even if there are not as many being admitted, in terms of likelihood per person, you get such a large number, that youre going to have more people admitted. And so, were waiting for that, as dr. Hoyen said, were watching anxiously. Thats a nervous anxiousness, to see what comes. Dr. Hoyen, did you want to quickly add something . Yeah, i just was going to say to his point exactly, its as if were watching that train come down the tracks, i think i said this the other day and not trying you know, hoping it doesnt derail. Just the sheer number of children getting infected, even if a smaller percentage of those children get sick, it still could be very overwhelming for Childrens Hospitals. So, again, we wait anxiously. We prepare continuously. And we are ready for whatever comes our way. Well, were thinking of you, thanks so much to both of you. Dr. Hoyen, and dr. Kimberlin, for taking time to talk to us. Thank you. Thank you. All right. Some of former President Trumps Innercircusi Circle who have Dee January 6th Committee are popping up at maralago, details of who is staying there. A critical phone call, President Biden and President Putin are expected to speak tomorrow. Well go live on moscow on what to expect. And new details on that deadly Shooting Spree. Were learning more about the gunman and the five victims. Thats just ahead. Y for what you need. Wooo, yeaa, woooooo and, by switching you could even save 665 dollars. Hey tex, can someone else get a turn . Yeah, hang on, im about to break my own record. Yeah. Only pay for what you need. Liberty, liberty, liberty, liberty. President biden will hold a phone call with russian leader Vladimir Putin tomorrow. According to the white house, President Putin requested this call. And this comes as tension from the Ukraine Border remain very high. Earlier this week, russia announced it was withdrawing 10,000 troops from its border with ukraine. After weeks of Military Drills in the region. Cnns Nic Robertson is live for us in moscow. So, nic, what are you learning . Reporter well, very little from the kremlin. More from the white house, we do know from the pentagon as well that they did put up a spy plane over ukraine that would have given them oversight of what russia was doing with its troops along the border with ukraine. That was just in the past couple of days, perhaps an opportunity to see if russia had really pulled back the 10,000 troops. What were hearing from Administration Officials is that theyre not seeing any reduction of tensions by russia at the moment. Still the presence of russian troops, close to the border, with ukraine. And the appoint thats being made is that if russia really wants to engage and make progress in these talks there needs to be an atmosphere of deescalation. There needs to be very serious and concerted highlevel engagement. Now, the conversation that President Biden will have with President Putin is something that we will get a readout from both sides. But it will perhaps be in the days afterwards, is when as we found when they spoke about two or three weeks ago. That we got a more nuanced understanding of what had been said. And on that occasion, it was President Putin who said a few days later, that hed called President Biden out on where nato troops are, relative to russias border. And what we know from President Biden going into this, and what we know from white house officials at least going into this current round of talks is that nato has a backup plan. That if russia does invade ukraine, then nato is going to put more troops on the eastern border of europe. As a protective measure. Thats something that also is not going to sit particularly well with President Putin. Well see what comes of this phone call tomorrow. Nic robertson, thank you for explaining all of that. Well, instead of showing up for the January 6th Committee, some of President Trumps loyalists are showing up at maralago. Thats next. Tmobile is bringingng it all together for the holidays. Upgrade to the iphone 13 pro on us. Plus get a free year of apple tv plus. Only at tmobile. Liz, you nerd, cgh if youre in here shh i took mucinex dm for myhlegmy cough. What about robs dry cough . Works on that too, and lasts 12 hours. 12 hours . who studies that long . Mucinex dm relieves wet and dry coughs. Im Jonathan Lawson here to tell you about Life Insurance through the Colonial Penn program. If youre age 50 to 85, and looking to buy Life Insurance on a fixed budget, remember the three ps. What are the three ps . The three ps of Life Insurance on a fixed budget are price, price, and price. A price you can afford, a price that cant increase, and a price that fits your budget. Im 54, whats my price . You can get coverage for 9. 95 a month. Im 65 and take medications. Whats my price . 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[narrator] introducing the grubhub guarantee our promise to deliver the food you love on time, and give you the lowest price, or youll get 5 off your next order. How not to be a hero because thats the last thing they need you to be. You dont have to save the day. You just have to navigate the world so that a foster child isnt doing it solo. You just have to stand up for a kid who isnt fluent in bureaucracy, or maybe not in their own emotions. So show up, however you can, for the foster kids who need it most at helpfosterchildren. Com redistricting commissions in both virginia and michigan just finished redrawing their congressional maps last night. 25 states have now completed this process. But several legal challenges claim that any map drawn after the controversial 2020 census could discriminate against voters of color. Cnn justice correspondent Jessica Snyder is here. Jessica, what do we know about how the maps are being redrawn . Alisyn, in states like texas, north carolina, both sides are pointing fingers and it turns out that race is emerging as the flash point here. Republican legislatures are drawing some of these maps. And some lawmakers are speaking out saying theyve been sued in years past for factoring in race. So, now, many of those lawmakers claim theyre actually ignoring race redrawing the lines. Then you got the other side, democratic lawmakers, other advocates, theyre contending you can ignore the race. People dropping the legislative lines know where these general populations live, they say. So the allegation is they are factoring that in even if not admitting to it. And complicating matters here this is actually the first redistricting cycle since the Supreme Court eliminated the portion of the Voting Rights act, with a history of Racial Discrimination to get preapproval for their maps but now that requirement is gone and states are really moving forward with free rein over the maps. If states are unveiling their new maps with the 2020 census data, we saw the Justice Department suing the state of texas earlier this month. The doj saying that texas new maps discriminate against latinos and other minorities. And there are several other lawsuits in various states from private entities. Alisyn, this is really just the beginning. Well see major court battling queued up in key states, those will uncold and not even come to a final Decision Just before the next Election Cycle in 2022. A lot unfolding here, it will be a very litigious next few months, alisyn. Sounds like it. Jessica schneider thank you. We now know approximately when the January 6th Committee will make their findings public. The panel wants an interim report what it has learned by summer of 2022. With the final report likely out before midterm elections. Joining me now, sarah, many of the fervent loyalists are reching to cooperate. Tell us more. Its a balance be act to decide how to navigate the committee on a number of closest allies essentially dragging their feet or refusing to cooperate altogether, just on that calculation that its more important for them to stay in trumps good graces. Dan scavino, the famous dan scavino. Reporter and a consistent strategy emerging among some trump loyalists when it comes to january 6th. As the House Select Committee struggled in october to serve dan scavino with a subpoena. Scavino took to twitter, the dangerous way to avoid is a disgrace. Scavino who was eventually served hired a lawyer quietly engaged with the committee and still has not testified. His status is in limbo. His allegiance to trump is on full display. In a jaunt to maralago, a game to the world series in atlanta, October Rally until iowa. Hello, iowa, im thrilled to be back. Reporter where trump railed against the committee. The last new selection is the unselect committee. They have an unselect committee. Reporter and the committee with loyalists of trump allies playing up to january 6th, some loyalists like scavino are slow walking or snubbing the committee as he ponders a run for office. That is 100 of the calculation. What is the death grip on the Republican Party right now is the idea of trump running in 2024. And people not willing to risk losing their stature with them. Reporter roger stone pleads the fifth rather than answer the committees questions. I did my civic duty and i responded as required by law. Reporter as for stones last appearance in 2017, during the russia probe. The truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. Reporter he was convicted of lying and obstructing congress. Recently, trump posted about a maralago, donald trump is my first, second and third choice for 2024. For some wouldbe witness, the loyalty to trump comes at a higher price. The house had Contempt Charges for mark meadows now suing the committee. This is about donald trump and about actually going after him once again. Reporter despite meadows wishing to curry favor with trump, both with embarrassing allegations in meadows book and the fallout he gave the select committee before he stopped cooperating. If you think theyre going to give your country back without a fight your sadly mistaken. Reporter right wing trump ally steve bannon was charged with Criminal Contempt Of Congress after defying a committee subpoena. He pleaded not guilty. A have a previous engagement that i cant get out of. Peter, youre the mast early of the statement. You hear me talking youre going to be talking about. Reporter while bannons relationship with trump often runs hot and cold, bannon is still clear about his loyalty. Were going to hit the beach, they have the landing teams, beachhead teams, that nomenclature that they used when President Trump wins in 2024, or before. Roughly, the filed lawsuits gives an idea of the extent of the pushback the committee is getting. But i talked to a Committee Spokesperson who said theyre trying to have that on democracy. Alisyn, they feel confident theyll be able to do their work and put this report out. Sara murray, thank you for that. Well still ahead, its been a whirlwind year for the media. Were going to take a look at the top Media Stories from 2021. Also, we have a quick Programming Note for you, this sunday, carole king and james taylor are together for an unforgettable concert film just call out my name airs sunday at 9 00 p. M. On cnn. And heres a preview. Friends, collaborators, legends. Their music shaped a generation. They came together for the tour of a lifetime. And its too late baby now its too late james taylor. His songs were amazing. His voice is amazing and his demeanor. Carole king. Carole king, one of the greatest songwriters of all time asked to be part of my band. 40 years have passed since the first time we played. I learned every experience we had. You just call out my name and you know wherever i am ill come running just call out my name sunday at 9 00 on cnn. Yall heard it here. If you wanna be fresh, you gotta refresh, like subway®. Like the new baja steak jack tender, thickercut steak and. Wait sooo youre not coming out of retirement . Im just here because subway has so much new, they bought time in this Press Conference to talk about it. Im greg, im 68 years old. I do motivational speaking in addition to the substitute teaching. I honestly feel that thats my calling to give back to younger people. I think most adults will start realizing that they dont recall things as quickly as they used to or they dont remember things as vividly as they once did. Ive been taking prevagen for about three years now. People say to me periodically, man, youve got a memory like an elephant. Its really, really helped me tremendously. Prevagen. Healthier brain. Better life. Authorities say the gunman who went on a Shooting Spree in denver may have targeted some of the victims. And public records show that they previously owned a business at the same location as one of the shootings. Five people were killed and several others injured including a Police Officer. L lucy kafanov is joining me from denver. Thats right, mourning the loss of loved ones as the names of the victims come to light. The deadly Shooting Spree began after 5 00 p. M. Monday evening when two women were killed and a man was injured. Alicia cardenes, the owner of bo body piercing. And also killed alissa gunin maldonado. And jimmy maldonado. He worked as a piercer in the same tattoo shot. And the gunman shot Michael Swinyard in his residence. Then he fled to Lakewood A Suburb West of denver where police say he entered the lucky 13 Tattoo Parlor and shot Danny Scofield before going to the hyatt house and fatally shooting there 28yearold sarah steck. Afterwards, he was confronted with police. He exchanged fire with police, injuring a Lakewood Police agent. A Police Officer officer who also shot and killed him. She is expected to recover from her injuries. Now, business did identify the shooter as 47yearold lyndon james mcleod. The motive still unknown. As you point out, police say he appears to have targeted all of these victims. Take a listen. Based on what we know, it does appear that the offender was targeting specific people, in this case. The victims were known to the offender. Now, friends of some of the victims have launched a Gofundme Campaign to help the gunnmaldonado family. Her husband jimmy is in critical condition. They leave behind a son. That campaign has raised 130,000 so far. I should indicate that the records indicate that the gunman owned his own Tattoo Parlor. The address matches that as one of the locations where gunshots were fired monday but no one was killed there. This is obviously in the early stages of the investigation. Alisyn, were awaiting more details from the authorities. Lucy. Thank you. Still ahead, ages the u. S. Faces a surge in covid cases, the cdc issues new guidance and how the nfl is now responding. Over time, ive come to add a fourth be curious. Be curious about the world around us, and then go. Go with an open heart, and you will find inspiration anew. Viking. Exploring the world in comfort. Is now a good time for a flareup . Enough, crohns for adults with moderate to severe crohns or ulcerative colitis, stelara® can provide relief, and is the first approved medication to reduce inflammation on and below the surface of the intestine in uc. You, getting on that flight . Back off, uc stelara® may increase your risk of infections, some serious, and cancer. Before treatment, get tested for tb. Tell your doctor if you have an infection, flulike symptoms, sores, new skin growths, have had cancer, or if you need a vaccine. Pres, a rare, potentially fatal brain condition, may be possible. Some serious allergic reactions and Lung Inflammation can occur. Lasting remission can start with stelara®. Janssen can help you explore cost support options. Limu emu. Doug superpowers from a spider bite . I could use some help showing the world how Liberty Mutual customizes their Car Insurance so they only pay for what they need. gasps did it work . Only pay for what you need liberty. Liberty. Liberty. Liberty. Spiderman no way home in theaters December 17th [narrator] introducing the grubhub guarantee our promise to deliver the food you love on time, and give you the lowest price, or youll get 5 off your next order. The nfl will follow the updated guidance from the cdc and relax its Quarantine Rules for players who Test Positive for covid. The league has been forced to postpone several games as it reels from the covid surge. According to the league memo distributed to the teams and obtained by cnn, players who are asymptomatic will now have to isolate for five days, rather than ten. The new Quarantine Rule only applies to unvaccinated players. Those who are vaccinated can testout before the fiveday period is up. Well, 2021 was packed with huge Media Stories from rampant social media misinformation. To major tv news turnover. Cnn media correspondent Brian Stelter breaks down the topten Media Stories of the year. 2021, the year the media and the world tried to get back to normal. The pandemic is now a subject of scripted dramas and movies, helping us process it. But its not over yet. And some things have changed forever. So here are our topten Media Stories of the year. Number 10, deplatforming donald trump. Twitter permanently banning the president , just days after the capitol insurrection, while facebook gave him a timeout. Our Breaking News this hour, Facebook Says former President Donald Trump will not be allowed back on its platform until at least january 7th, 2023. While trump cried censorship, social media ceos are just trying to figure out where to draw the line. Number 9, tv news turnover, Chris Cuomo Out at cnn after Text Messages showed how he helped his governor brother fight sexual allegations both comos are out of jobs. And newsroom nbc, Rachel Madieu preparing to leave. And nbc replacing Brian Williams who signed off in december without a warning. For the first time in 62 years my biggest worry is for my country. Over at fox, a different departure, lou dodd out, after a defamation lawsuit. At the end of the year, Chris Wallace announced that hes leaving fox on his own terms. Number 8, oprahs Bombshell Interview with prince harry and meghan markle. With the duchess of sussex citing concerns about the babys skin color. I just cant want to be alive anymore. Fallout from the Interview Rippled across social media when a coworker called out piers morgan for his antimeagen rants he stormed off. You continued to trash her. No, no. Sorry. No, no see you later, sorry, cant do this. Absolutely diabolical behavior. He then left the network. As for harry and meagen, theyre making podcasts and tv shows which leads me to number 7, giants trying to get even bigger investing more in streaming to keep you subscribed. Streaming to spin off warnermedia including cnn and combine it with discovery. The newsstandalone company will take shape in mid2022 going head to head with netflix and disney. In 2021, squid games and ted Lasso Won Awards and putting movies like black widow both on streaming and theaters at the same. When disney did that, Scarlett Johansson shocked hollywood for breach of contract showing the rules are rewritten every day. Number 6, Daring Reporting from afghanistan, as the taliban approached on kabul, and the u. S. Withdrawal became chaotic reporters became the eyes and ears of the world. Just told me to stand aside because im a woman. Cnns arwa damon earned praise from fellow journalists. Behind the scenes, they worked to help endangered reporters and other afghans who worked with western media. The other reporters who remain there faced a hostile climate which brings me to number 5, the continuing crackdown on global press freedom. In hong kong, police raided a prodemocracy newspaper in june, arresting top editors. A month before a dissident belarusian journalist arrested after his flight was forced down in a statesponsored hijacking. Have we seen anything like this . No is the short answer. Countries Around The World are rolling back the rights of reporters and sometimes brazen ways. The Committee To Protect Journalists says a record high number of reporters are behind bars now with china being the worst jailer. Number four, the woke wars. Its an awakening over racial and social injustice to some Baun Overreaction to others. Is it cancel culture or consequence culture . And whatever its called, has it gone too far . These debates raged across media all year. It will eventually get to straight white men are not allowed to talk. This is called a purge. Its a mentality that belongs in stalins russia. Canceling dr. Seuss isnt stupid. Its intentional. Dr. Seuss wasnt canceled. His Legacy Company decided to stop publishing a few titles that had racist imagery. But free speech issues are real. And alternatives are emerging for people who want to bypass traditional book publishers, newspapers and other gatekeepers. Writers are flocking to substack and launching newsletters, a new model that brings fresh debates over free speech. January 6th denialism. The big lie about trump winning the election led to the big deny. Desperate attempts to resist. They dont like terrorists. They look like tourists. Thats foxs highest rated star while commentators stoked Conspiracy Theories, right wing media barely covers the real news about the insurrections aftermath. Or new efforts to subvert democracy at the state level. What were losing in america is a sense of shared reality, but the big lie may cost its crusaders. Breaking just a short time ago, fox facing a 1. 6 billion lawsuit accused of spreading election lies. And that was just the beginning. Two voting Tech Companies have Filtd Defamation Suits against fox news and other networks and a series of Blockbuster Books continue to reveal what really happened during trumps final days in the white house. Number two, the facebook reckoning. A whistleblower was heard Around The World, first through the facebook files. A series of Wall Street Journal files based on leaks from inside facebook. Then the source, Frances Haugen stepped forward. I believe facebooks products harm children, Stoke Division and weaken our democracy. The companys leadership knows how to make facebook and Instagram Saver but wont make the necessary changes because they have put their astronomical profits before people. Haugen alleged the companys own research showed its platforms can be toxic for children and society writ large. But with the company failing to take action, the Ceo Mark Zuckerberg pushed back saying many of her claims didnt make sense. But haugen gave new momentum to governments that want to rein in social media. Antisocial media was a through line for the entire year. Bringing us to the number one media story of 2021. The vaccine disinformation divide. Reliable info about covid19 vaccines helped people get vaxxed and protected. But antivax lies and distortions went viral from facebook to fox in ways that worsened the pandemics terrible toll. The right wing Media Machine took Conspiracy Theories from the fringes and moved them to the mainstream. Radical left wing fanatics bent on forcing each and every american to get themselves injected with an experimental, unproven drug. Reporter fox news demonized dr. Anthony fauci. This is what people say to me. That he doesnt represent science to them. He represents joseph mangala. And the antiscience rhetoric cost lives. Several right wing radio hosts who resisted vaccines died of covid. Tv stars who claimed to respect their audience actually put them at risk. Big tech platforms said they tried to clean up the garbage, but the Vaccine Divide is a sad reflection of a choose your own news culture. Its incumbent on everyone to choose carefully. Brian stelter, cnn, new york. Our thanks to brian for that. We have some new covid numbers just in to cnn. The state of new york is reporting a record high of 67,000 new covid19 cases. And hospitalizations are up close to 10 just in one day. So the governor, kathy hochul, says hospitalizations are down from this time, same time last year, but this spike is still concerning. Still ahead we do have some of the good stuff this holiday season. A fedex driver was able to see his family over christmas thanks to the people whose packages he delivers. We have that story next for you. burke this is why you want farmers claim forgiveness. [echoing] claim forgivenessness, your home premium wont go up just because of this. woman wow, thats something. burke you get a whole lot of something with farmers policy perks. [echoing] get a quote today. We are farmers. Bumpadum, bumbumbumbum i dont just play someone brainy on tv im an actual neuroscientist. And i love the Science Behind neuriva plus. Unlike ordinary memory supplements, neuriva plus fuels six key indicators of Brain Performance. 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