but is the russian president trying to de-escalate this cry us or rachet up tensions with the u.s.? live from cnn center, this is "cnn newsroom" with john vause. hello, everyone, and welcome to our viewers in the united states joining us on cnn international. around the world, the advice is mostly the same. the safest place to see in the new year will be at home surrounded by a small number of people. many cities, public celebrations have either been canceled or scaled back and will have tougher guidelines for revelers. hopes for partying like it was 2019 have been dashed. despite a record daily count of 74,000 new infections across new york state, the traditional ball drop in times square still scheduled to take place, but now, there are new restrictions, masks and proof of vaccination both mandatory. attendance will be kept at 15,000 and viewing areas off-limits until 3:00 p.m. the seven-day average of global infections is almost 1.2 million, the highest ever since the pandemic began. average daily cases in the u.s. have set a record for the third straight day. more than 355,000 thursday. and children, once thought to be immune from the worst of the coronavirus are now being admitted to hospital in the united states at a record rate of close to 400 every day. right now, at least ten u.s. states and the district of columbia are reporting some of their highest patient numbers since the pandemic started and the peak of this wave is yet to come. cnn's alexandra field now reports from new york. >> this is probably not the time to have big new year's celebrations, you know, really dial things back. >> reporter: a new year bringing in new covid records. as for the big party in new york's times square -- >> we're in the public health crisis of our lifetime. frankly, it should have been canceled. >> reporter: but this ball will drop, despite the highest numbers of new daily cases the city has ever seen and without ll cool j, who called off his performance after testing positive for covid. >> it's going to be outdoors, vaccination only, masks required, socially distanced. but we want to show that we're moving forward and we want to show the world that new york city is fighting our way through this. >> reporter: the city insisting it can party safely, even while navigating staffing shortages effecting ems, the fire department and the subway. >> staff shortages, it's a real issue at both -- from a pre-hospital standpoint, ems, and health care worker shortages. >> reporter: atlanta is canceling its new year's celebration, the peach drop. in washington, d.c., the smithsonian temporarily shutting down five of its museums. another thousand flights canceled today with airlines still crippled by staffing shortages. and -- jetblue announcing they're canceling nearly 1,300 flights through the middle of january. testing lines are still stunningly long. the pressure only rising for hospitals across the country. ten states and washington, d.c. are seeing some of the highest hospitalization numbers of the pandemic. in georgia, six major health systems report collectively seeing a 100% to 200% increase of covid-19 hospitalizations. unvaccinated adults remain the most likely to be hospitalized, but pediatric hospital admissions for covid are now at a record high. >> the vast majority of the children who are being admitted are unvaccinated. there are small numbers who are vaccinated, but the vast majority are unvaccinated, and so, being unvaccinated increases your risk for hospitalization significantly. >> reporter: 12 to 15-year-olds could become eligible for a booster shot as soon as next week, if the fda signs off, according to a person familiar with the agency's plan. that's the same time many students will be heading back to the classroom. after the holidays and amid a surge, the likes of which we've never seen. princeton university already announcing they're pushing back the return to campus by one week. and a new warning from the cdc for people to avoid cruise travel, despite their vaccination status. the cdc raising the risk level of cruising to a four, that's the highest level. they are citing an increase in cases aboard ships since omicron was first identified. in new york, alexandra field, cnn. >> dr. jorge rodriguez is a viral researcher, with us this hour from los angeles. good to see you. >> thank you, john, likewise. >> okay, so, let's start with covid and kids. in the united states, the secretary for health and human services, he spoke about the record number of children who are not only being infected but are also now being treated in hospital. here he is. >> we thought for the longest time our kids were safe, because they didn't seem to be catching the infection the same way. today, i think you're hearing the news. more and more of our children are not only contacting covid, but they're actually being hospitalized. this stuff is real. >> so, is it real enough now to authorize booster shots for kids 5 and older as well as those who are 12 to 15? >> absolutely it is. i think we need to stop differentiating between older humans and younger humans. the virus doesn't differentiate. they go after humans. so, anybody that has the right dna for the virus to attack will be attacked. therefore, everybody in the world as far as i'm concerned should eventually be vaccinated. we're just waiting to make sure that the vaccines are safe. but in essence, my answer to your question is, yes. >> we know that new year's eve celebrations are being scaled back, but in new york city, they will go on, the ball drop will happen, but there are updated guidelines. unvaccinated minors under the age of 5 must be accompanied by a vaccinated adult to enter the event. what's the sense in this? >> there is no sense to that. it's ridiculous. sometimes you just sit back and say, who the heck, you know, came up with that? sometimes we're right now just sort of kowtowing to the lowest common denominator and trying to please everybody and at the end of the day, we're helping nobody. so, i think that any parent who has a young child that has not been vaccinated should absolutely not go into such a large group of people. >> at this point, should the celebrations be canceled? >> you know, in my opinion, yes. i mean, have we not learned a lesson, john, over the last two years? every time we try to make an exception, every time we try to soften up the rules, we get bitten. we did it in july when we, the cdc prematurely said that it was already to take your mask off. there has to be a period of no progression of infections for us to feel safe. so, yes, i do think that, you know, those large celebrations should be canceled at this point. >> we know that now from health officials in south africa, confirming the worst of the omicron wave is over. also confirming it was less severe than delta and was over in a shorter period of time. most people hear that part of the equation and not a lot else, but it's important to listen to what you're about to hear. listen to this. >> we're actually at an all-time peak for covid hospitalizations and about half of them are children under 5. >> it's unlike anything we've ever seen. even at the peak of the prior surges of covid. what we're experiencing right now is an absolute overwhelming of the emergency departments throughout the washington, d.c. area. >> what we're seeing in the hospital today is the same thing we've seen at the beginning of every single surge. so, to hear that omicron is different and is not causing immense illness in people is not what we're seeing on the ground. >> that's just a small sample of what's happening across this country. and i get it, we're sick and tired of being sick and tired, but we have to confront reality. we can't ignore the virus. how do you convince people that this is, in fact, serious? >> well, john, i used to have sort of some gallows humor and saying that some people aren't going to believe it until they have to jump over dead bodies to get to the grocery store. and that's still high peeshley, but we're really not far from that. sure, this omicron may be m milder, but ten times more people are getting infected, therefore, ten times more people are probably going to be going, you know, to the hospital. quite honestly, i sit here tonight with you kind of dejected and hopeless and in shock for the first time in a long time. when i found out that yesterday there were almost half a million new cases in the united states, far surpassing anything and when you see the graves, they're going straight up like a rocket. i think soon we will be seeing millions of people getting infected on a daily basis. and the shame of it is that we have at our disposal something that can prevent athat and thos have vaccines. and due to politics or stubbornness or whatever, we're not taking eadvantage of that. but when history is written, they will be laughing and saying, you know what? they had the cure and the treatment at their fingertips and they didn't use it. and that is a deadly shame. >> at the very least. doctor, thank you so much and all the best in the new year, thank you, sir. >> thank you, sir. likewise. well, it was another day of record high covid infections for many european countries. uk, ireland, greece, spain, and italy among nations reporting their highest daily case count ever. we have the very latest now from london. >> reporter: amid skyrocketing infection rates and record-breaking case counts, britain's national health service says it is now on a war footing. it's preparing plans for a potential wave of omicron patients. the national health service officials saying there is no time to wait. preparations must go into place now. so, what are these preparations? well, there's going to be surge hubs built, these will be temporary stations at eight hospitals across england. each station should be able to accommodate up to 100 more covid patients. there's also more surge beds potentially as part of this plan, up to 4,000 additional beds, if the nhs needs it out of an abundance of caution for a potential wave of omicron patients. this comes as multiple european countries see massive skyrocketing surges in their countries that's causing new year's eve cancellations, of course, across the region. here in london, the fireworks will not take place this year. paris, also, not holding its firework fireworks. rome, berlin, multiple other cities canceling big new year's eve celebrations. and across regions, everyone being urged to be cautious about their plans on new year's eve. daily record of covid cases in portugal on thursday, but notably, compared to the same time last year, a much lower hospitalization rate. the government has decided to shorten its quarantine period for covid patients from ten to seven days. >> reporter: the lines for testing snake beyond the horizon. it's the holiday season, and extra care is paramount. >> translator: i decided to take the test to be safely with my family. >> reporter: residents like vitor get six free tests per month. the government-sponsored move is designed to keep a close eye on the coronavirus, but the extra vigilance didn't stop portugal from seeing a sudden surge in cases, raising fears of another deadly wave. this was the scene inside portuguese hospitals not long ago. christmas in 2020 brought a surge in covid infections. icus were overwhelmed for months and medical staff told us they were on the brink. >> translator: i don't even have words to say it. the deaf cult part is really working too many hours. >> reporter: a year later, the situation is dramatically different. cases are up but hospitalizations and fatalities are down. icus like the one we visited with beds to spare despite an omicron surge. this epidemiologist, who advised the government during the worst of the pandemic, credits vaccines. >> we are leading a life that is much more normal now than it was a year ago, and that was because of vaccinations. >> reporter: the campaign led by vice admiral took the country from worst to first. now nearly 90% of portugal is fully vaccinated and a quarter of the country has been given a third jab already. still, while some studies suggest omicron might be milder than other variants, he says some restrictions are necessary to keep the virus under control. >> when we apply a small percentage to a vast -- to a massive number of cases, we are going to end up with an amount of cases that could flood the hospitals. that's the real danger. >> reporter: for now, the government is taking a cautious approach, rejecting lockdowns but keeping most businesses open. a delicate balance between a return to the days of crowded icus or simply a return to normal. wildfires have forced thousands of people from their homes in the u.s. state of colorado. the fast-moving marshall fire has burned at least 1600 acres in boulder county. more than 500 homes have been destroyed so far and at least six people have been hurt. one hospital evacuated all patients. another began transferring patients, as well. dry conditions, hurricane-strength winds are fueling the flames, which is unusual for this time of year. >> well, i'll tell you, this has been very uncharacteristic for december. we've been talking about, i mean, everybody's been talking about just the crazy weather, the lack of snow and lack of moisture. unfortunately, this is one of the results that you see from this. the dry conditions. >> the national weather service is expecting heavy snow in the area in the coming hours. we'll have the very latest forecast later in the hour. still to come, joe biden and vladimir putin stake out their positions in a very lengthy phone call, just weeks before both sides are set to meet to discuss the ongoing crisis in ukraine. those details just ahead. and later, how different cities are planning to ring in the new year as coe videocases skyrocket. ♪ ♪ ♪ experience the power of sanctuary at 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with thursday's phone conversation between vladimir putin and joe biden. the white house says it was serious and substantive. the 50-minute long call, president biden again warned of dire economic consequences if russia invades ukraine. president putin apparently replied, that would be a colossal mistake. for now, both sides have agreed to keep talking. cnn's nick rob robertson has th latest. >> reporter: a kremlin spokesman said that the russian side was happy with the way that the call had gone, that the conversations were serious, they were constructive, he said that they felt that president biden had showed a willingness to understand the essence of russia's security proposals, that is, that ukraine cannot become a member of nato and that nato cannot put its troops or military hardware inside of ukraine. russia saying they feel like that message has landed. bau kremlin spokesman saying that putin was very clear that he understood the message from president biden that if russia doesn't de-escalate tensions at the moment, there could be serious economic, financial, and military consequences. now, president putin, from his perspective said that, well, if that's the case, this is a serious mistake by the united states, this would be a rupture in biliteral relations that would be felt for generations. so the russian president very clearly pushing back on president biden's point there about sanctions, if russia doesn't de-escalate. and on the point of de-escalating and removing russia's troops from close to the border with ukraine, the russian said, look, we're going to continue with our troops in the positions that they are, in the same way that the united states would behave if it was russian troops close to the border with the united states. so, you don't get the impression at all that the kremlin, that president putin, are backing down at the moment. they do feel that they've landed their message to a degree and they clearly are saying they understood president biden's message. it doesn't mean they're going to follow what he said, though. nic robertson, cnn, moscow. >> stephen piper is a former u.s. ambassador to ukraine, currently a research fellow at stanford university. ambassador piper, thank you for being with us. >> glad to be here. >> okay, so, this was an attempt, i mean, was it an attempt by putin to de-escalate the crisis over ukraine? if he wanted to do that, he could order a drawdown of russian troops from the border. instead, there is an increase of the military presence this month. so, is the phone call on the other hand the way -- there's a theory out there that putin wanted to size him up, see what his commitment is to ukraine before an invasion. how do you see it? >> well, i think there were a couple of things. what president putin was trying to do was basically trying to shape the conversations that will take place in about two weeks time. and the one bit of news is that the russians now have it confirmed that there will be three channels of communication. a u.s./russia channel, a nato/russia channel and then a broader conversation in the organization for security and cooperation in europe. but otherwise, it appears that mr. putin reiterated his positions and then president biden reiterated that if russia does use military force against ukraine, there will be significant economic sanctions, there will be more military as assistance to ukraine and nato will bolster its present near russia. president biden said, look, there's a conversation to be had here. the big question to my mind is, do the russians want to have that conversation, that they put down two draft agreements that have a lot of unacceptable el ements, but is that designed to illicit a rejection or an opening bid on what will be a fairly difficult negotiation? >> explain the significant of the three tracks of communication. >> right, well, the russians would like to have, basically a u.s./russia conversation. and the ideal kremlin world, the united states and russia would settle everything over the heads of the europeans and the ukrainians. and the white house has been very clear that that's not going to happen. the phrase you hear from white house officials is, nothing about you without you. so, if there's going to be a negotiation about ukraine, ukraine has to be at the table. and that's when you bring in the nato/russia conversation, that channel, which is to be on january 12th, that is a place for nato to voice its concerns about russia's behavior, there's a two-way dialogue. and then the organization for security and cooperation in europe brings everybody in and again, there's going to have to be a place for ukraine, a special place for ukraine at the table, if they're talking about some kind of settlement issues in terms of these broader european security questions that effect ukraine. >> we heard the conversation being described as serious and substantial, according to the kremlin, u.s. president said there were no plans of deploying offensive weapons in ukraine. and biden said this to u.s. reporters about the commitment to the ukraine. >> the idea that the united states is going to unilaterally use force to confront russia invading ukraine is not in the cards right now. >> for putin, he warned that tough economic sanctions in response to a russian invasion would be a colossal mistake. it seems that that is indicative of just how effective economic sanction shuns have been, despite what moscow has said and that seems to be one of the big developments of that, that really the economic sanctions have -- at least there's a fear of those economic sanctions. >> no, i think that was one of the more interesting things to come out of the conversation is, russia's now been under sanctions by the united states and europe going back to 2014 when it first seized cry mia and sparked the conflict in eastern ukraine. and for the last seven years, the russians say, we don't care about sanctions, they have no impact. you know, i think from what we've seen from the russian commentary today, they do care. and that may reflect a kremlin understanding that the sanctions that are being discussed between the united states and the european union that would kick in, if there's a new russian military assault on ukraine, would be much more painful for russia than the sanctions applied over the last seven or eight years. >> at least from the u.s. point of view, it seems like the white house position has not changed since this crisis began, since that video conference earlier this month between the two leaders. >> i think, yeah, i think you have president biden on the one hand -- it's a mixture of deterrents, by trying to emphasize to mr. putin there are real costs if you make that mistake of invading ukraine, but also holding out the possibility of a negotiation. and again, it gets down to the question, you know, these two draft agreements the russians tabled two weeks ago, are they intended as the opening bid in a negotiation or does the creme lip want to offer it on a take it or leave it basis? from some of the commentary you've seen today, both sides see some possibility for a real negotiation, but that's going to take place after some of the more unacceptable elements fall away. >> looking ahead to the talks just a few weeks away from now, if this is meant to shape those talks, what are you expect eck now from that high level meeting between russian and u.s. officials and nato officials, as well? >> well, i think you're going to see in the bilateral discussion, it will be talks. and the points will be made that one, it's important that russia de-escalate the military threat, before you get into serious negotiations, because no one really wants to negotiate when the russians have the gun pointed at the head of ukraine. and there can be some discussion of these questions when you get down to the hard bargain, the real negotiation, that's going to have to shift into a channel that's not just the united states and russia, because then you're talking about issues that effect ukrainian security, but also effect the security of all the european members of nato. and that's got to be a much more broader negotiation. and so i think that's how it starts. my guess is what we see the week of january 10, that's the beginning. if the russians, in fact, are prepared for negotiation, it could happen, but it's going to be, i think, a very difficult negotiation, because the sides are coming to it with very different interests. >> thank you so much for being with us, ambassador. >> thank you. we'll take a short break. when we come back, the party is on in dubai despite omicron. how the city is preparing for new year's eve celebrations. when it comes to autism, finding the right words can be tough. finding understanding doesn't have to be. together, we can create a kinder, more inclusive world for the millions of people on the autism spectrum. go to autismspeaks.org this is elodia. she's a recording artist. 1 of 10 million people that comcast has connected to affordable internet in the last 10 years. and this is emmanuel, a future recording artist, and one of the millions of students we're connecting throughout the next 10. through projectup, comcast is committing $1 billion so millions more students, past... and present, can continue to get the tools they need to build a future of unlimited possibilities. ♪ welcome back to our viewers here in the united states and around the world. you're watching "cnn newsroom," i'm john vause. well, depending where you are in the world will depend on how you see in this new year. in some places, omicron and delta be damned, they're carry on with new year's eve parties. but elsewhere, like london, they won't be celebrating with the traditional fireworks. but big ben will chime in the new year. 2022 begins much the same way as 2021 did, with skyhigh case numbers. at least ten u.s. states are reporting some of their highest hospitalizations since the pandemic began. cnn's hala gorani has more on how different cities around the world plan to celebrate 2022. >> reporter: the quick spread of the omicron variant is putting a damper on new year's eve celebrations around the world. while some smaller events are still taking place, it will be a grim start to another year of the coronavirus pandemic. london's mayor announced in a tweet last week that the annual event in trafalgar square is canceled, saying, "the safety of londoners must come first." some 6,500 people were expected to attend. british prime minister boris johnson decided against tougher covid restrictions, but cautioned that people should be smart about how they ring in the new year. >> i think everybody should enjoy new year, but in a cautious and sensible way. take a test, ventilation, think about others, but above all, get a booster. >> reporter: in paris, the traditional fireworks display over the champs-elysees has been called off. and officials have implemented a mask wearing policy in outdoor public spaces starting friday. and in atlanta, the new year's eve peach drop has been canceled for the third year in a row, as positive cases are on the rise in georgia's capital city. but to the delight of many, the fireworks in sydney will go on as scheduled. attendees are strongly encouraged to be fully vaccinated and boosted. and an indoor mask mandate is in effect in new south wales for those over the age of 12. in new york, workers are preparing the traditional waterford crystal ball that will drop over times square. this year's event will be scaled back to 15,000 people. there's usually about 60,000 revelers taking part. after canceling its new year's eve celebrations earlier this month, rio de janeiro reversed course. there will be no outdoor concert this year, but the world famous fireworks on copacabana beach will go on. the city also announced precautionary measures to avoid mass gatherings. and dr. anthony fauci has some strong advice for those who do plan to attend large celebrations. >> if your plans are to go to a 40 to 50-person new year's eve party with all the bells and whistles and everybody hugging and kissi ing and wishing each other a happy new year, i would strongly recommend that this year, we do not do that. >> reporter: many were hoping for a return to normalcy, as we ring in the new year, but thanks to covid, we will have to wait a little bit longer. hala gorani, cnn. dubai is still plans to celebrate in a very dubai kind of way, and that means record numbers of international tourists are expected to see in the new year and we report now on what health authorities there are doing to prevent the party from becoming a superspreader event. >> reporter: from bustling restaurants to packed beaches -- >> it looks like it's not even in the pandemic, although even is wearing a mask, but i feel like it's really like we are getting back to normal. >> reporter: while the omicron variant is shutting down countries around the world, record numbers of tourists and visitors are flocking to dubai in the united arab emirates. at the world's tallest building, teams prepare for the over the top fireworks and laser light show. dubai does nothing small. this year, new year's eve revelers will need to register via an app to gain access to view the show in downtown dubai. >> take a deep breath. >> reporter: spurred by one of the world's highest vaccination rates and strict government mandates, dubai has become a tourist go-to hot spot. >> we're here in the pandemic, it's a lot of people here, we know, but we are masked and we have a covid passport and all of that. ♪ >> reporter: according to the dubai department of tourism, international visitors reached over 1 million in october. hotels in dubai recorded a 16.8% surge in occupancy in the first ten months of 2021. the uae has reported that 99% of all those eligible for vaccines, anyone over 12, has received at least one dose. >> feel any pain? >> little bit. >> really surprised, because i see a lot of people here, so, i'm a little bit afraid to -- but let's hope not. >> reporter: hosting the world's expo has also been a draw to dubai this year. visits crossed the 6.3 million mark as of mid-december. but as the party continues in dubai -- as they say, the show must go on. out with the old, new with the new. please stay with cnn as the world rings in 2022. coverage begins at 8:00 p.m. in new york, that's 9:00 a.m. new year's day in hong kong. coming up here, the very messy breakup of taiwan and nicaragua now turning nasty, apparently headed to court. more in a moment. in the kind of work that i do, you are surrounded by people who are all younger than you. i had to get help somewhere along the e line to stay competetitive. i discovered prevagen. i started taking it and after a period of time, my memory improved. it was a game-changer for me. prevagen. healthier brain. better life. people 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taking a statin drug to reduce cholesterol? it can also deplete your coq10 levels. i recommend considering qunol coq10 along with your statin medication. the brand i trust is qunol. moving is a handful. no kidding! fortunately, xfinity makes moving easy. easy? -easy? switch your xfinity services to your new address online in about a minute. that was easy. i know, right? and even save with special offers just for movers. really? yep! so while you handle that, you can keep your internet and all those shows you love, and save money while you're at it with special offers just for movers at xfinity.com/moving. protesters clashed with security forces in sudan again on thursday. doctors say the troops used live rounds, shooting dead at least four people. others were wounded and tear gas was also fired at protesters in the capital. the military staged a coup in october until elections in 2023. protesters say that arrangement is just not working. >> translator: today, we are demonstrating for the fall of the military power and against the political agreement, which was supposed to stop the bloodshed, but unfortunately, there is still death and violence. it means that this agreement is not the right one. >> two media outlets say their offices were raided by troops from sudan and their staff was arrested and assaulted. a tv station says forces interrupted a live broadcast before detaining some of its employees. well, it's been quite the bitter situation. nicaragua recently dumping taiwan to re-establish relations with beijing. but breaking up, as they say, is hard to do. taiwan suing over assets and property illegally seized by the anynicaraguan government. cnn's mat rt rivers has more. >> reporter: well, it was earlier this month that nicaragua diplomatically recognized china. of course, china views taiwan as a breakaway province and countries around the world can only have formal diplomatic relations with either taiwan or china. the nicaraguan deciding to essentially switch sides here. but the taiwan government is now basically saying that the nicaraguan government is adding insult to injury, because of an announcement earlier this week. they made clear their intention that they would seize, or attempted to confiscate all of taiwan's former holdings, former properties in the country of nicaragua after taiwan diplomats were forced to leave the country due to the severing of these ties. taiwan now saying it will take legal action against the nicaraguan government for this decision and bso now only are they confiscating assets, they plan to hand them over to the government of china. taiwan said nicaragua was unlawfully exercising state power when it interfered in the legal transference of diplomatic uponerty. taiwan was trying to give some of this property to other groups in nicaragua. now, this tweet for you from the taiwan ministry of foreign affairs, in which it's written, "after the ortega regime ordered taiwan out of nicaragua, we sold the embassy to the archdiocese for $1. this charitable act was our good will to the people. but ortega seized the property and will gift it to the prc, or people's republican of china. this is unlawful and utterly disgusting." so, clearly, the taiwan government very upset over this decision to take what was formally taiwan's property and give it to china. insult added to injury after the severing of diplomatic ties between the two countries. matt rivers, cnn, mexico city. 2021 brought the u.s. everything from an assault on democracy toparalysis. the ten top stories in american politics when we return. you're a one-man stitchwork master. but your staffing plan needs to go up a size. you need to hire. i need indeed. indeed you do. indeed instant match instantly delivers quality candidates matching your job description. visit indeed.com/hire to support a strong immune system your body needs a routine. centrum helps your immune defenses every day, with vitamin c, d and zinc* season after season. ace your immune support with centrum. now with a new look! welcome back, everyone. 2022 might just be looking up, if predictions are true. the annual tradition took place at a ceremony in lima with indigenous religious leaders making their predictions. now, the first one, an economic crisis mainly in europe. an escalation of ukraine, but they say russia will not invade. instead, they see the easing of tensions will happen with an agreement ne goesh yated on good terms. they also see a spirit of unity in latin america. oh, my. and there was even more good news about world peace and covid. >> translator: we have performed a ritual to have peace in the whole world and so that the pandemic will end and withdraw from the world so that it does not continue to effect human becomes. the pandemic will end this year after taking -- we have determined it. >> so, let be it. n then they danced and chants, all to send good vibes to leaders around the world. they could use some good vibes. 2021 has been a decisive year for u.s. politics fred the attack on the capitol to the big lee, from pandemic misinformation to the pullout from afghanistan. cnn's jim acosta has a look back at the biggest stories ♪ ♪ >> reporter: the top ten political stories of 2021 make the past year feel more like a decade. starting at number 10. the pandemic paralysis, as medical experts say vaccines and boosters are the best way to prevent covid-19. disinformation continues to spread, as well, misleading millions of americans. >> i'm sure you've seen the pictures all over the internet of people who got the shots and are now magnetized. >> that's utter nonsense. >> reporter: number nine, the republican party at war with itself over its leader, donald trump, and that he won the 2020 election. >> most corrupt election. >> the president is unfit. and the president is unwell. >> if zdonald trump were the 204 nominee, would you support him if >> you can send liz cheney back home to washington, d.c. >> reporter: number eight, democrats have issues of their own. >> given the circumstances, the best way i can help now is if i step aside. >> reporter: facing multiple allegations of sexual harassment, governor cuomo of new york resigns. >> virginia, we won this thing! >> reporter: glenn youngkin wins the race for virginia governor. and gavin newsom fights off a recall there. >> thank you, to 40 million americans, 40 million californians. and thank you for reject thing recall. >> reporter: messy withdrawal from afghanistan. the biden administration scrambles to evacuate american citizens ahead of an august 31 deadline. 13 u.s. service members and 170 afghans are killed in terrorist attacks, in the chaotic end to america's longest war. >> it's time to end the forever war. thank you all for listening. may god protect our troops. >> reporter: number six, audit of the 2020 election results in arizona, which ends up confirming what americans knew. joe biden won arizona. >> the ballots that were provided to us to count in the coliseum accurately core late with the campus number. >> reporter: as gop voting laws crop up in statehouses across the country. >> i'm going to sign it right here. it's going to take effect. florida, your vote counts. >> reporter: number five, joe biden and his team try to show democrats can deliver, with big legislative vick tris, first on covid relief, then infrastructure. but the question remains, can his plan pass through the senate? number four, double trouble for the gop in georgia. as republicans lose two senate runoff races in january. >> jon ossoff is defeating david purdue, the republican candidate. >> reporter: gop insiders blame trump grumbling that his election claims backfired. >> here is acquitted of the charge. >> reporter: donald trump becomes the first president for being impeached for a second time. once again, republicans stand in the way of a conviction. >> democrats falling short of the 67 votes needed to convict trump. this is the second time donald trump has been acquitted in an impeachment trial in the u.s. senate. roim >> reporter: number two. the inauguration of a new president. >> preserve, protect, and defend -- >> the constitution of the united states. >> constitution of the united states. >> reporter: but it was far from a typical transfer of power. as donald trump pressured state officials. >> so look, all i want to do is this -- i just want to find 11 11,780 votes, which is one more than we have, because we won the state. >> reporter: number one story of 2021 -- american democracy under attack. january 6. >> we fight like hell. and if you don't fight like hell, you're not going to have a country any more. >> reporter: in one last attempt to halt the biden administration, trump supporters storm the capitol. >> usa! >> reporter: rioters clash with police. eventually they smash their way inside, sending lawmakers running for cover. >> everybody stay down. >> reporter: a trump supporter is shot down by a police officer as she and others attempt to breach the speaker's lobby inside the capitol. first responders are beaten with the american flag and sprayed with chemicals. as night falls, a symbol of american democracy is battered. police officer brian sicknick dies from a stroke. true to form, president trump went on to lie about what happened tat capitol. he never apologized for what he did. he's so far escaped accountability and emboldened by republicans who have adopted his lies as their open. -- their own. political violence, trump and allies unleashed is now the subject of an investigation. that probe and its findings may alter the political landscape for 2022 and beyond. jim acosta, cnn, washington. >> thank you for watching "cnn newsroom." i'm john vause. please stay with us. i'll be back with another hour of "cnn newsroom" after a short break. i think that you're gonna like. when you switch to mint now, you'll get three months of premium wireless free, on any plan, even unlimited. yes, you can't resist savings. one of my favorite supplements is qunol turmeric. turmeric helps with healthy joints and inflammation support. unlike regular turmeric supplements qunol's superior absorption helps me get the full benefits of turmeric. the brand i trust is qunol. coming up on "cnn newsroom," the world prepares to ring in the new year much like it did the last. sky high covid infections, celebrations scaled back or canceled and health officials are wanting a quiet night at home. vladamir putin and joe biden hold serious talks over ukraine. but is the russian president trying to deescalate this tricis or ratchet up tensions with the u.s.? and it's not exactly cold outside with record breaking heat, what happens whe