and statewide cases are up more than 80% since monday. >> we must learn to live with covid, adjust and pivot at the right time and we're doing that in new york and i'm extremely optimistic on how the city is going to respond. >> clearly new york and washington, d.c. are ahead of the curve but not by much. so expect in the next three to four weeks we'll see everybody hit with this. >> reporter: the risk of new year's eve celebrations becoming coast to coast superspreaders is for health experts terrifying. >> and i'm really worried that we're going to be in a tidal wave the admissions particularly for kids in the coming weeks. >> reporter: hospitals in many places are already flooded with patients. even as nurses and doctors fall ill prompting desperate measures. in new hampshire, yet another federal medical team, the department of defense deploying around the country for months, will arrive next week to help with the over load. in oklahoma, the national guard is barring unvaccinated members from joining in drills. in new jersey, princeton university will delay the return to class by one week, in alabama, auburn will require masks whether you're vaccinated or not as primary schools struggle to reopen in hopes that masks and testing and more will keep the virus at bay. >> i think parents have had enough of school closures due to poor policy so let's protect our students and our staff, let's keep our communities thriving. >> reporter: a glimmer of hope, studies on the omicron variant continue to suggest it may not be as lethal as delta. even as it spreads wildly. >> these numbers are very, very striking. but nonetheless, i am optimistic that most people who get this infection will not become critically ill. >> and you may still have your own problems with this if you have not travelled to where you want to be after the holidays. we've had thousands and thousands of flights, about 11,000 in a week canceled around the world because of this virus. now the faa said it may have enough people out sick with this latest wave that they may have to slow things down just to keep up with the demand for air travel out there. poppy, we hope that the people who are getting sick are not getting so dreadfully sick right now but the sheer numbers are just crushing systems coast to coast. >> testing our ability to keep functioning. >> absolutely. >> tom foreman, thank you so much. now let's go to texas. and a children's hospital that is overwhelmed as admissions keep rising. our migez marquez is there. fwl . >> reporter: we visited texas children's hospital, they are in full alert mode. they are preparing for whatever the omicron variant throws at them. they think they are fully prepared. this is the fourth wave. so they've had sadly a lot of practice at this. one number, i want to give you that puts everything in perspective here, in the last week the number of hospitalizations at texas children has risen four fold. that is a very worrying number for the staff there because they expect the worst is still ahead. here is how the chief pathologist said the omicron variant is spreading. >> this omicron variant has now reached a new level in terms of infection, in terms of contagiousness. it is now in the category of measles. the most highly transmissible virus or one of the most highly transmissible viruses known to mankind. we've been vaccinating against measles for a long time. we need to go the same thing with covid-19. >> one more concern on the immediate horizon, schools. kids going back to schools, that st starts here in texas next tuesday. it is of a particular concern in states like texas where the governor has banned mask mandates in public schools. they also believe that they are not at the peak of this current wave. they're fourth wave here in texas. they believe that those cases will continue to rise through mid-january, into february. the hospital said they are ready for whatever the omicron variant can throw at them. poppy. >> miguel mark edsez, thank you. joining me, dr. rainy, thank you so much for joining us as we head into the holiday weekend during this unprecedented spike in covid cases whax is your message to people who may be making the decision what am i going to do tonight? >> if you are planning to go out tonight, please get together with all small groups of people who you know are vaccinated and for whom you've been able to do a rapid antigen test. like that binax now prior to the get together. omicron is everywhere and even if you are vaccinated, it may not take you down and have you end up in the hospital, but it is still a miserable illness and the trouble with omicron is that it is not just about the individual right now, again if you are vaccinated and boosted you are likely to be just fine. but it is also about larger society and what i am so worried about over the next month or so is that our economy is going to shut down not because of policies from the federal government or from the state governments, but rather because so many of us are ill. >> you know, it's -- it's a very, very important balance, right. health, public health balance and a public need and economic balance. and you heard the mayor of new york city eric adam s address this by saying we need to deal with covid and he'll be at new york city to wonder why they are doing the ball drop. how do you find that balance between the two? >> i think it is a really difficult balance to create. we've been struggling with it throughout the pandemic. right, we're constantly trying to weigh the risks of covid versus the very real benefits of being out and about, seeing each other in person, getting back to work, getting back to school. here is the thing. if you are vaccinated and boosted, in general, this variant is not dangerous to you. but right now, in the midst of this surge, with the overwhelm of the health care systems, with the overwhelm of other essential systems such as the airline industry that you were just describing, we're going to see the same thing happen in food service, in transportation, right now is not the time to risk getting this even if it is mild. outdoor activities, great. small get-togethers, fine. we don't have to shut down like march 2020. the next month is going to be very difficult from an economic and social standpoint and as a health care worker it is going to be tough on those of us in the hospitals as we face unprecedented absences and increasing hospitalization counts. >> can you speak to that in your hospital right now? i mean, what is happening on that front? >> poppy, i cannot begin to describe how difficult it is in my hospital right now. we have shut down all surgeries except for acute emergencies because we don't have staff. we have turned areas of hospital that are not normally intensive care units into care units because we don't have enough icu beds, we've deployed nurses in other parts of the hospital like our cardiac cather tisation labs because we need more hands. we're asking for our governor to call up the national guard to help with some of our non-skilled tasks, things like transporting stretchers or providing security. we have so short staffed and so overwhelmed, it's worse than i saw it even last winter. >> yeah. wow. amazing to be and tragic to be in that situation now heading into year three of this. what about children? because we knee the record number of children being hospitalized with covid. one infectious disease professor warns a tidal wave of covid-19 hospitalizations especially in young children may be coming. do you agree with that prediction. >> i think it is true for those that are not vaccinated. there are five to 17-year-olds who are eligible for the vaccine and have not yet gotten it because of parental hesitation. they are at risk of hospitalizations and intensive care unit stays and god forbid death. the vaccines work but we know that covid was among the top ten causes of death for children in the united states last year. the same thing is going to happen with omicron. now every kid that catches omicron is not going to end up in the hospital. but if our kids aren't vaccinated and masked, it is a tough winter. >> doctor megan ranney thank you for joining us and our best to everyone at your hospital dealing with this circumstances. >> happy new year. >> just ahead, the january 6 committee is preparing for next phase of their probe. as we approach the one-year mark since the attack. also colorado governor jared polis will join me live with an update on the devastating wildfires that have forced thousands of people from their homes. this is "the situation room" special report. trelegy for copd. ♪ birds flyin' high ♪ ♪ you know how i feel ♪ (coughing) ♪ breeze driftin' on by ♪ ♪ you know how i feel ♪ copd may have gotten you here, but you decide what's next. start a new day with trelegy. ♪ ...feelin' good ♪ no once-daily copd medicine has the power to treat copd in as many ways as trelegy. with three medicines in one inhaler, trelegy helps people breathe easier and improves lung function. it also helps prevent future flare-ups. trelegy won't replace a rescue inhaler for sudden breathing problems. tell your doctor if you have a heart condition or high blood pressure before taking it. do not take trelegy more than prescribed. trelegy may increase your risk of thrush, pneumonia, and osteoporosis. call your doctor if worsened breathing, chest pain, mouth or tongue swelling, problems urinating, vision changes, or eye pain occur. take a stand and start a new day with trelegy. ask your doctor about once-daily trelegy. and save at trelegy.com. a must in your medicine cabinet! less sick days! cold coming on? zicam is the #1 cold shortening brand! highly recommend it! zifans love zicam's unique zinc formula. it shortens colds! zicam. zinc that cold! just six days from now the nation will mark a full year since the capitol riot and president trump is pressing on the fight to thwart the january 6 investigation. the battle now playing out potentially in the u.s. supreme court, we're joined by representative jason crowe, one of the last lawmakers to leave the house chamber where rioters stormed the billing. before we begin on that, our condolences to your state dealing with these awful unprecedented wildfires. you're governor gerald polis is joining us shortly. so i'm very sorry for that. >> yep, thank you, poppy. a tough 24 hours an my heart and -- go out to the families impacted and the entire congressional delegation working hard to make sure they get the resources they need, so thank you. >> of course. let's begin on the topic of the january 6 commission with president trump's appeal to the supreme court to block the committee's access to documents that were relevant and some of them from the day, january 6. do you believe that this is an issue that the court should take up? >> well it is unfortunate that had to get to the courts when you have a former president of the united states who doesn't want to respond to lawmaker subpoenas and hide information that the public and the congress has a right and an obligation to be able to review. it said a lot about the former president and about what they have to hide and what they are nervous about the public and congress seeing. but what is at stake here is making sure that the legislative branch that congress is a co- co-equal branch to the executive branch. that is what the founders envisions and that what the constitution states and with the document requests, will congress be respected in the way that our constitution demands it be. it is unfortunate that that is going to be litigated but it does look like some of that will have to go to the courts. >> i want to revisit this in the one year mark. this is a powerful image of you in the house chamber that day comforting your colleagues and i wonder when you look at this, do you worry that the longer this investigation goes, and there have been some successful delay tactics by some on the right, that some americans may grow numb to this? >> well, that is why we have to continue to tell the story. we're coming up on a year since this happened. it was a terrible day. i think we have to continue to remound folks this is a asaul on the people's house, an assault and this mob and these insurrectionists tried to stop the certification of their votes. everybody should be upset about that and it was a brutal assault on police officers, over 140 were beaten and several lost their lives and people would have tried to kill me and other members of congress had they broken through those doors. it was a terrible thing but we're not going stop telling that story and next week we'll have a series of events and a vigil to keep the memory of what happened alive and honoring those who gave their lives in defense of our democracy that day. >> if we could turn to afghanistan. of course you served our nation there. your colleague republican congressman peter meijer was on with jake tapper this week and was asked about the reunification of afghan children who were evacuated without their parents. and many of them, hundreds of them have not yet been reunified with their parents. listen to what he said when asked what more the biden administration needs to do on this front. >> announce a political will, have president biden make this a priority. again we have been working stwat department, with the department of homeland security, throughout the inner agency process on not just the evacuations that took place but the ongoing evacu evacuations that need to occur and they have been a stymying slow force at every turn and it all flows down from the fact that at the top, in the oval office with the president, there is no sense of urgency, there is no sense ever compassion or concern for those that were left behind and until that changes, we're going to continue to see the delayed drawn out and frankly deadly process that we've seen so far. >> i wonder if you agree with him? >> well, peter is a friend of mine and he's a fellow member of the honoring our promises working group after the decision to end our combat operations. we knew that evacuating our partners and vulnerable aftghan was going to be really important task. so peter and i have worked on that. agree with him on many things. i disagree with him on others. agree that the process has been slow. that it is complicated and there has been bureaucracy that was bogged down and i continue to join with him and others, a bipartisan coalition to push the administration to speed that process, expedite it and to do everything possible to get our partners out. at the same time, i recognize that this is a complicated issue. there are a lot of people within the administration who are working really hard, who want to do this just as much as we do, and have friends there too, that this is not an abstraction for, that these are people that they knew and worked with for years that are fighting hard just like we are. so i think there is a lot of will in the administration to get this done. we have to continue to push. >> congressman jason crow, thank you very much and wishing you a happy and healthy new year. >> happy new year to you. coming up, communities in colorado devastated after sudden wildfires tear across the state. governor jared polis will join me next. this is "the situation room" special report. ready to turn your dreams into plans and your actions into achievements? 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[cheering] that was awesome. and, the hits won't quit, with peacock premium included at no additional cost. all that entertainment built in. xfinity. a way better way to watch. how not to be a hero: because that's the last thing they need you to be. you don't have to save the day. you just have to navigate the world so that a foster child isn't doing it solo. you just have to stand up for a kid who isn't 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 breaking news. president biden has approved a major disaster declaration for the state of colorado after devastating wildfires engulfed parts of the state destroying no more than 500 homes. le let's begin with natasha chen on the ground with more. >> reporter: winds up to 105 miles an hour fueled catastrophic fires that blasted through two colorado communities thursday. >> i would estimate it is going to be at least 500 homes, would you not be surprised if it is a thousand. >> reporter: now just as 2021 is coming to an end, thousands of people in superior and louisville, colorado, have lost everything. >> we're on a group text, do we leave and stay, what is everybody doing, everybody is rushing around with their phones taking videos of their home and inside just in case. >> reporter: the full scope of the devastation is becoming clear from the air. >> we just witnessed incredible devastation around the town and then also witnessed houses just exploding right before our eyes. >> reporter: the fire spread rapidly over more than 6,000 acres, before 35,000 people have just hours and in some cases just minutes to evacuate. >> it was like a tornado. >> it looked like something i've only seen on apocalyptic. >> it runs on topography and winds and where there is shrubs and toler grasses where it entered neighborhoods and took out a block and left everything around it standing. there is an entire community that is completely wiped out. that is just smoking holes in the ground. >> reporter: one resident looking back at the home she left behind said the winds physically through me back as she rounds up her cats and a few possessions and vaccinated. she said a trash can flew into her car as she drove away. the cause of the fire is unknown. no one saw it coming. >> i grew up in louisiana and i've seen hurricanes, nothing like this. >> reporter: not shoppers fleeing the local costco. >> i remember a little boy on the way out said it is a fire drill and i said yes, it is. >> reporter: and according to one resident, not even the first responders on scene. >> the thing that struck me was the fear in the police officer's face who were trying to get traffic going. they were legitimately scared. >> reporter: and this snow that we're seeing now is what residents tell me they really wish they could have seen yesterday as they were frantically trying to evacuate. some really emotional stories about trying to decide what to take with them, one family telling me that they had to drive to two and a half hours just for a quarter mile, sometimes over sidewalks and through yards just to escape, poppy. >> natasha chen, we appreciate your reporting on the ground. and let me now bring in colorado governor jared polis. and we're so sorry for what your state is enduring right now. i know you just had a call with the president. what did you say to him and what support did he offer to your state? >> well, we appreciate the nation, all of the positive thoughts, the prayers that are coming in from all over. there is still some families that don't know if they have a home to return to yet and we still have not yet confirmed any fatalities, let us hope this is a new years miracle and that no one dies. the president called this morning right after i landed. i've been up in helicopter, recognizance mission and we had a good conversation for about 10, 15 minutes and he offered all of the help that the federal government could provide. they have already activated the pre-approval process to get some of the funds muoving for debris removal. the fire itself is out. there is still a few smoldered flames but we're covered by a blanket of snow and we are grateful and now it is a matter of surveying the damage. >> the mayor of superior, colorado, just told me on the show, reitier afting what you said, not aware of any fatalities but he's concerned because of the limit the amount of time that some families had to flee their homes. do you share his concerns, that you just may not know yet? >> yeah, in this kind of situation, you would expect dozens of fatalities. many had five minutes to flee. it would be remarkable if there aren't any. we hear about people reporting others missing. there is no missing folks wie'r trying to identify but there couldn't be a charred body that is later discovered. but we're holding up hopes at the very least, mass fatalities were avoided with a well done evacuation supported by the local sheriff, later on in the eng evening and today our national guard have also provided assist on on road closures and rerouting. >> remarkable first responders all around. let's hope the fatality number stays at zero. i do want to turn to something else making news out of your office and that is to a case that really has garnered national attention of the truck driver, rog el maduro who was sentenced to 110 years, you just last night shortened that sentence to n years. valerie roberts young is one of the victims of the crash and wrote a letter asking you not to get involved and she joined me on cnn this week. here is part of what she told me. >> he could have got off the road, he could have taken -- and wasn't one runoff, that he passed, it was several. he did nothing. he choose to hit traffic. >> i do wander who you say that to her and other victims who believed that you shouldn't have gotten involved, that he deserved a longer sentence. >> well he certainly deserves to be punished for the errors he made and that -- when you make errors on the road, you don't -- it is not out of malicious intent. but nevertheless, we do punish that and when you look at others involved with reckless driving, this sentence of ten years is more consistent with that than 110 years which is more than you get when you go in and deliberately try to murder someone and succeed. the judge himself said it didn't make any sengs and he was compelling to do that due to mandatory sentencing. what we did in our office and we said let's look at these reckless driving and deaths that occur and how do we in our state punish them. and we really saw that ten years was in that range. really towards the highest end of that range. we saw sentences from zero to deferred sentence up to 10, 12 and even 15 years. so we went with one of the higher range. he's serve his time and pay his debt to society and i hope that he will tried to heal with the families of the people that were effected. >> and before you go, governor, you bring up the mandatory minimum sentencing which is what the judge said tied their hands in this. i think this really begs the bigger question of, what needs to happen to those mandatory minimum laws in your state? >> yeah, so hopefully this will lead to renewed interest in reforming those. when you have an outcome like 110 years, it shouldn't fall to a governor to fix that. there should be a way to address that through the system, through the law. i think there is now renewed interest with republicans and democrats in our legislature in trying to rationalize those sentences. so you do the crime and you do the time and we've consistently across the system and you don't see one person getting a much worse sentence for the same crime that somebody gets a slap on the hand for. it is not right to the victims of the crimes to see one perpetrator get a slap on the hand and another serve a longer sentence. we need uniformity and reasonable punishment. >> well governor jared polis, i appreciate you being here tonight and again all of our thoughts are with your state this evening. >> thank you for the good thoughts. >> of course. just ahead, reflecting on the life of the legendary actress betty white who showed the world the power of comedy with compassion. liz, you nerd, cough if you're in here! shh! i took mucinex dm for my phlegmy cough. what about rob's dry cough? works on that too, and lasts 12 hours. 12 hours?! who studies that long? mucinex dm relieves wet and dry coughs. feeling sluggish or weighed down? it could be a sign that your digestive system isn't working at it's best taking metamucil everyday can help. metamucil psyllium fiber, gels to trap and remove the waste that weighs you down. it also helps lower cholesterol and slows sugar absorption to promote healthy blood sugar levels. so you can feel lighter and more energetic metamucil. support your daily digestive health. and try metamucil fiber thins. a great tasting and easy way to start your day. we do have breaking news tonight on the passing an entertainment legend. betty white has died at age 99 weeks before her 100th birthday. she gave us so many smiles. stephanie elum has a look back at her remarkable career. ♪ sfw >> reporter: betty white's career began in the teens and by the 20s she had her own daily talk show a. head of the times, she cofounded her own production company in 1952. she worked on a variety of television and film projects over the years before turning a 1973 guest appearance on the mary tyler moore show in a permanent role. white was a scene stealer as the man hungry sue ann nivens. >> i think a man should wreak with masculinity. >> reporter: her second role was on "the golden girls" as rose neyland. >> and they attacked chickens. she didn't call me chicken, she called me peacock. >> you look more like a chicken when your angry. your neck seems to -- >> with the golden girls, i got to play with those silly ladies every week. so that -- and i loved rose neyland. she was positive and she was -- she wasn't the sharpest knife in the drawer but she wasn't dumb. she was just terminally naive. >> off screen, white married three times. she called her third husband tv host allen ludden the love of her life. they were together almost 20 years before he died off stomach cancer in 1981. >> and you never re married. >> no. when you have the best, who needs the rest. >> reporter: she was a long time advocate for animal welfare and called television her hobby and animals her work. yet her hobby kept her busy. white's talents as an actress and comedienne were well into her senior years. in 2010 white became the oldest person ever to host "saturday night live" at the age of 88. >> you know what is an accomplishment, staying awake on the toilet. >> reporter: the show earned huge ratings and white her 7th emmy. later that year she took on another role on tv land's "hot in cleveland". >> i thought you weren't coming. >> but i ran out of vodka and i thought i would come over here. >> reporter: in her 90s white was at popular as ever with several on going film and television projects. >> how lucky could a 90-year-old broad be. i have no idea. and i'm still working. >> reporter: love her for warm smile and wit and off color humor, white didn't miss a beat when asked if there were any hollywood projects she would still like to do. >> i answer that question with robert redford. no, i think i've been lucky enough to do just about -- so much that if i start complaining about anything under the sun, throw me out of the business. >> what a life. that was our stephanie elum reporting. thank you very much for that. let's get more on the life of betty white with wendy malic, her co-star on "hot in cleveland." thank you for being with us. >> oh, your welcome. >> so what is your favorite memory of her? >> it is hard to say. i believe you meet people for a reason and they come into your life and when i met betty i was on the verge of my 60th birthday and she was on the verge of her 90s and without her i don't think i would have made that leap into my last act with nearly as much grace and humor. she just was the ideal role model. for so many of us. and i got to spend every day with her and she really was everything you would imagine her to be. she just had the biggest heart and was so generous, so kind, so funny. and we shared an enormous love for animals which bonded us in a whole other area. >> well here is a clip for our viewers of the two of you together in "hot in cleveland." let's watch. >> this is everything except quitting alcohol. >> so how far in are you? >> oh, eight hours, maybe 20, my watch might be upside down. >> what was it like working with her on that show? >> right, i mean you get betty to break it was a really good day. an extra good day. she was the best audience as well as being hilariously funny herself. and when you were doing that little piece on her before i came on, she did have a crush on robert redford, like an enormous one that she never met and i was at a fundraiser for return to freedom rescue group and bob was there and i told him about betty and i said she has such a crush on you, she didn't want to meet you she'd be too freaked out and i called her and she didn't believe it was him and she ended up hanging up on us and later rued the fact that she doesn't get a chance to talk to him. but she was like a little girl and she could blush in a moment's notice. but truly the love of her life has been allen. she was just wild about him and every time she talked about him her eyes would sparkle and it was only 20 years and she wished she had more but she wasn't someone to dwell on the things that made her sad. she found something new to pour herself into. mostly animal related or work, which she loved and that was a passion. >> what a life. what a life, what a she had. and now we know she hung up on robert redford. so there is that. >> yeah. >> thank you for sharing these memories. we're sorry for your loss but so glad she was in the world. >> we are so lucky to have her and may we live so fully and to so long and in such an amazing way. she will not be forgotten, that is for sure. >> they will not. thank you very much. happy new year. >> bye-bye. coming up, president biden warns vladimir putin of consequences if russia makes a move on ukraine. don't trust the process. 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obviously the signature build back better bill is passed, we have no even if big chunks will pass. how big of a deal is that, not only for the president but his party heading into the new year. >> well it is certainly disappointing, this protacted batting over the last several months has been bruising for democrats, for president biden. but it would be a mistake to say that the president is ending this year without any legislative policy victories. earlier this year, democrats all alone passed the american rescue plan and frankly that bill had a lot of policy provisions that democrats have been championing for years. they were able to get that across the finish line with pandemic relief. and then of course the bipartisan infrastructure package, that addresses roads and bridges and broadband. so a huge, i think a learning effort for this administration in its first year. remember, president biden only in the presidency a year, they will have to take into 2022 in order to get i think 85%, 85% of their domestic agenda that is in the build back better bill finished with. but still, they are able to end this year with some pretty significant accomplishment. >> kirsten, we start the new year with record-breaking covid cases. it is hard to believe that we are, but it is where we are. and renewed legitimate frustration over lack of available tests. what do you think the administration needs to do to reassure the public, both from a public health perspective and a political perspective, we've got this, we have a handle on this? >> well, you know, they can't get it in a time machine and go back and have the tests that they should have had. which i think was extremely frustrating to a lot of americans and with the vice president saying they basically were surprised by this happening and so i think moving forward they can't afford to have this happen again. and it shouldn't be a surprise that new variants appear and that we should probably anticipate that another one will appear and be prepared for it and if one doesn't appear and we have tests and we don't need them, that would be wonderful. so i think that they really, they really can't have this happen again because i say the two biggest things that americans are looking to the president for right now are how is the economy going, and how is he handled the pandemic. >> what is so interesting, to kirsten's point is that they're so connected. i mean politically he can't shut down the economy and he has to be able to help people in every way possible to help keep the economy going. which is so reliant on availability of testing. >> yeah. and i think that this issue of testing, it seems to have caught the administration by surprise. >> yeah. >> they were very critical, president biden when he was running for the presidency, very critical of the former administration on where they were with testing. now that they are on the driver's seat i wonder if he has different thoughts about how difficult it is to get these tests out to the american people. but, you know, one of the reasons that president biden was elected is because he didn't, unlike the former president, he didn't poke fun at masks or suggest that it was a sign of weakness when you wear them. he has always taken this seriously. so i think that the administration hoping that in the new year that we turn the curve, but no, absolutely, we can't return to widespread lockdowns, that would be grossly unpopular. >> kirsten final thought on this administration as they turn a page heading into the new year? >> well, i do think when they come back that the biggest thing for the president is going to be trying to figure out a way to get build back better, to put some life into that, whether it is in the form that it was in when joe manchin shot it down or in a way that they break it up into smaller pieces but then they have to get republican support or is there possibly a deal that can be reached with joe manchin, which it seems like was put on the table. so i think that will be probably the number one thing that he's focused on in addition to the economy and inflation and the pandemic. >> no slow start to the new year, that is for sure. keir powers and thank you and congrats on your book and eva mcken. >> thank you. >> i can't wait to read it. thank you very much. we have more news ahead, new york city famous new year's eve party carries on with a scaled back representation as covid cases surge nationwide. i've lost, like, 28 pounds. you look great! wow. i love that my clothes fit better. but i just love ice cream a little bit more than that. the new ww personalpoints program is particular to you. so what kind of foods do you like? avocado. ice cream. sandwiches. no food is off limits. when can i start? start the new year with three months free. join today at ww.com. hurry, offer ends january 3rd. 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[echoing] get a quote today. ♪ we are farmers. bum-pa-dum, bum-bum-bum-bum ♪ we are just over five hours away from the ball drop in new york city. officially marking a brand-new year. joining us live from where it is all going to happen, times square cnn entertainment reporter khloe. and you look amazing. let me just say that. >> reporter: thank you so much, poppy. well this is my first time in times square for new year's eve and i am here in front of people from all over the world who are so excited to be here tonight. we have so many cool celebrities joining us tonight. we have katy perry on our cnn show. kris jenner, the matriarch is calling in, we have david arquette and patti labelle and patty la pone and from earth wind and fire it is going to be an awesome night. i'll still trying to come up with any new year's resolution by i have a few and i've never had a new york city hot dog before and i'm thinking tonight is the night. >> oh, my gosh, goifld, get on that. have a great time on that. and thanks to everyone for joining me. note to our viewers stay to cnn for coverage live from times square at 8:00 p.m. eastern right here on cnn. it is been a long time, a lot of waiting, uncertainty, anxiety, but we are back. it's time to look at the whole year of wild news unhinged politics and music and movie and sports and more, more, more with our guest, comedian flame mon role and john berman and doany

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