zerlina maxwell, host of "zerlina" on peacock, ayman mohyeldin, host of msnbc's "ayman," and elise jordan, republican strategist. let's go right to the first revvie award, the ridicu-list. these are the events that i still can't believe happened in a year as bizarre as 2021. here are few of my picks to get us started. facebook goes meta. stuck in the suez. and trump: the blog. facebook's name change. the social network found itself under fire from the right and the left over user privacy and rampant misinformation, and mark zuckerberg decides the solution is to rebrand the company to meta. i don't know exactly what the metaverse is, but i'm guessing it has something to do with having your head in the clouds. or how about that ship that got stuck for days in the suez canal? disrupting trade routes all over the world, it seemed like a random event back in march, but little did we know it was a preview of global shipping tie-ups and even a shortage of christmas trees this holiday season. and finally, donald trump's short lived blog. the former president touted a site as a beacon of freedom after he got kicked off facebook and twitter. but shut it down less than a month later when it got less traffic than a petfinder.com. now, trump has a new social media project that claims to have a billion dollars in capital and congressman devin nunes as its ceo of this company. you know, i'll be saving it -- a spot on my 2022 riducu-list, but zerlina, what do you got? >> so, it was very recently, rev, but on november 19th, for a grand total of 85 whole minutes, kamala harris was the first woman president of the united states of america, and so for 85 women -- 85 minutes, women, you know, were texting each other, saying, we have a woman president for the first time ever, but it was because president biden was obviously undergoing a procedure. he was getting a colonoscopy, and that was just a little bit too much for me, rev. i can't hold it together when i think about the fact that america got its first woman president in that context. >> ayman. >> i don't even know where to begin but i was going to say, for me, i'm thinking back to january 6th. that has to be the narrative that has come out of there and the way it has been perpetuated throughout this past year, i've been investigating it and i'm telling you, that lie is spreading more and more and the threat it's posing to our democracy with people believing absolutely insane conspiracy theories is just -- it's scary, and i think if we were talking about any other group in the world that had to deal with this kind of radicalization as an ideology, it would be alarming. >> even though serious, it is ridiculous at the same time, makes the ridicu-list. >> just for a fun story, i thought it was pretty funny all of the people that president obama had to disinvite from his birthday party. i'm sure you made the cut still because you're pretty cool, but a lot of really famous, important people just, you know, they didn't quite get to go to the birthday party of the year. >> well, you made the cut at the revvies this year, so both of us made a cut. okay, now to the revvie for the worst republican moments in 2021. there are too many to count. but i've managed to narrow my list down to these low lights, reframing the january 6th riot, dissing the cheneys, and kyle the intern. now, i have to start with the january 6th insurrection. ayman, you already went there, but i have to go back there. 147 lawmakers witnessed firsthand the chaos and violence of that day and still voted to overturn the election. since then, some of those same lawmakers have tried to reframe the event as some kind of unscheduled capitol tour or even a heroic act of protest. the vast majority of americans aren't buying it. our second worst moment is the gop's cancellation of liz cheney. regular watchers of the show know i'm no fan of the wyoming congresswoman's politics, or of her father, former vice president dick cheney. still, i was stunned how quickly republicans were willing to cast aside a political dynasty in service to trump's big lie about the election. last but not least is the full-on republican embrace of kyle rittenhouse. i will admit i'm still coming to terms with his acquittal, but even if you see the case differently, i'm not quite sure what makes rittenhouse qualified to serve as a congressional intern, a position he's been offered by several republican lawmakers. perhaps in the case of florida congressman matt gaetz, he's hoping rittenhouse can help him find a few good defense lawyers of his own. elise, what should we add to the list? >> for the gop, i mean. >> how much time we got? >> yeah, how much time? we have so many. i think, really, the covid antics, just not taking covid seriously, and you see so many lawmakers who are, you know, they're still refusing to get a vaccination and their fines go up and up and up in the halls of congress, and then just the message that that sends to americans, to have this chorus of doubt about whether you should still get vaccinated and whether it's necessary. it's harmed the health and wellbeing of our entire country. >> i've got to find out how they're collecting these fines. are they deducting it out of the salaries? you made me think about something. we need to find out if these fines are being paid. >> right? good idea. >> i'm going to have to go with lauren boebert on this one with her -- not only is she spreading islamaphobia with her account of what did not happen but the fact that she's actually lying and making up a story from scratch and then trying to fund raise on it, for me, i think it's just one of the lowest moments because it tells you what the gop has sunk to. they're using hate to try to raise money. they're perpetuating lies after lies, even when they're speaking behind closed doors in these fundraisers to their constituents and they're doing it by dividing the country, not by bringing the country together. >> you talk about intentional islamaphobia. to make up a situation that never happened and then throw in your islamaphobia. >> she's so mean that she imagines this, but she isn't even -- she doesn't even have the courage to do -- throw the insult and the racism in real life so it's just pitiful. what a wimp. >> swrerl? what you got? >> well, i think that -- my worst political moment on the republican side has to be any republican who, with a straight face, still says they care about life. in a year where abortion rights are at stake, we have had 780,000 americans pass away from covid-19. they're spreading misinformation. they support the death penalty. they do not care about life, so that overall for me is my worst republican moment, rev. >> all right. now, what about the second impeachment of donald trump? and the passing of voter suppression laws all over the country. >> well, look, i couldn't imagine a scenario in which there would be not one but two impeachments within a year of the same president who only had one term, rev. he had more impeachments than terms in office. and i think that the voter suppression laws are clearly a response to the demographic shift in the country towards a majority non-white electorate. republicans are reacting in a particular way, and a lot of ways, donald trump represents the past that they want to go back to, but the demographics are here. they're coming. so, strap in. republicans, i suppose. >> any addition to that? because not only do you have the new laws, the gerrymandering, the elimination of certain congressional seats. you're from georgia. i mean, we're going to lose one congressional seat there that could cost lucy mcbath to have to go up against a democrat. >> for me, listen, you know, i spent a little time overseas and when i look back at america and i see what's happening, there's a very strong anti-democratic movement in this country and to zerlina's point, it's not just about the gerrymandering and what's happening in the politics of the world. think about the supreme court. you've got three justices on the supreme court making decisions about half of the population of this country, the women in this country. three of them elected by a president who did not have a popular mandate to make those appointments. and when you combine the number of constituents by the republicans who voted to confirm these three supreme court justices, they don't even represent the majority of this country. so we literally now have minority rule in this country where the minority of the population, whether it's through president trump, whether it's through the senators who represent republican states, appointing these justices, making decisions for the majority of the country. doesn't sound very democratic to me. >> no, i think, elise, that we can argue that the -- i mean, we, the numbers are the numbers are the numbers. he was not popularly -- he did not win the popular vote. and he got three seats on the supreme court. i mean, ayman is right. this is scary. and then you've got a lot of republicans, according to polls, the majority of registered republicans believing that he was robbed of the election. and i'm sure they're waiting on santa claus to come down the chimney, even though they may not even have a chimney. >> it makes me worried for 2022 and 2024 because trump has been so effective at eroding trust in our democratic process, and the fairness and integrity of our elections. and just to look at what happened specifically this year with the abortion supreme court case you cited, now, that is coming from mississippi where it has been pushed by the mississippi gop. the state, my home state, might have the worst -- the highest infant mortality, the highest maternal mortality, if you care about life, is that a case that you're going to pay millions of dollars to get to the supreme court, or could that money be better spent on the men and women in your state? >> absolutely. >> so it's just a microcosm of the problems in this country when it comes to ceremonial politics that is a bunch of pomp and circumstance and might rile up a base but isn't actually helping the men and women who need to be helped. >> you're the kind of republican i can invite to the revvies. we're just getting started. much more to come. do not go anywhere. as we go to break, a look back at some of the funniest late-night jokes from 2021. >> there's a new tell-all book about president trump. there's a new one now. written by his former press secretary, stephanie grisham, and it's full of weird revelations, like apparently, back in 2019, trump's secret trip to the hospital was so that he could get a colonoscopy. the colonoscopy was no big deal. they only found three polyps and rudy giuliani. they only found three polyps and rudy giuliani. napoleon was born and raised to conquer. but he was just kind of over it, you know. watching prime video he realized he should follow his dreams. so he ordered a microphone with prime next day delivery. now the only thing he cared about conquering was his audience. prime changes everything. everything you've seen me do was made possible by what you don't see. cause when you're not looking, i go to work. ♪♪ strength isn't a given. it's grown. it's earned and tested. ♪♪ we all have the strength to see what's possible. it's up to us to unlock it. tonal. be your strongest. ♪♪ >> announcer: welcome back to the 2021 revvie awards from rockefeller center. here's your host, al sharpton. >> welcome back to all of you at home. i'm here with our panel, zerlina maxwell, ayman mohyeldin, and elise jordan. we talked about some of the worst moments in 2021 earlier. now, let's highlight some of the best. time now to discuss the best moments in political and social activism. my short list, congresswoman cori bush shares her story. remembering george floyd. and workers flex their muscle. now, i want to give a shoutout to a friend of the show, congresswoman cori bush of missouri, who created a genuine moment back in may when she shared her own personal experiences of racism while she was pregnant. during a hearing on black maternal mortality, in the middle of a pandemic, there was hit black and brown communities especially hard, it was a powerful reminder we must do much more to make our healthcare system equitable for all. i was also moved this year by the outpouring of support on the first year anniversary of george floyd's death. it came just a few weeks after derek chauvin's conviction in floyd's murder, which provided a bit of closure and justice for floyd's family, but we still have much more to do on police reform across this country. and lastly, i want to recognize the many american workers who stood up for their rights this year. last month, john deere workers, able to secure a landmark deal after going on strike for more than a month. capping off a year where we saw a real uptick in organized labor activity, even in nonunion businesses. workers were able to use newfound leverage to lobby successfully for more pay, better treatment, and additional benefits. ayman, your take. >> i'm keeping an eye overseas and for me it's all the people speaking up about what's going on in china. and you had my man ennis canter from the boston celtics, become an american citizen, going after the chinese government for what it's done, definitely out front when you look at some of the other nba players who have not been as critical and outspoken of what china is doing on human rights but you had the wta, the women's tennis association more recently with the questions surrounding this chinese tennis player and her disappearance and allegations of sexual harassment. they've withdrawn all of the tennis tournaments from china. >> yeah. >> and for me, i think that's what we kind of expect from our sports community and our sports leaders. they don't have to be political, but when something is so egregious, they speak up for it. we see that happen in this country and when we see it happen overseas, we should celebrate. so they get the award from me. >> absolutely. >> and the wta is standing up for their lady, for peng shuai, i believe, is how you pronounce her name, and that's admirable. you shouldn't just let a regime do what -- i mean, whatever kind of pressure they're putting on her and putting her in hiding and she doesn't have freedom of speech now, and it's just wrong, and i also am going to stay international. what happened in afghanistan this year, and it was so depressing to watch the u.s. government's failed response to evacuate our afghan allies who worked beside us for 20 years in afghanistan. but i've been really inspired by so many men and women, privately, former veterans, people in the national security space, who have stepped up to fill the void that the u.s. government isn't filling and to keep their promises to our allies and to help them reach safety in other countries. >> and a quick shoutout to kim kardashian for getting out the afghan women's soccer team. she took care of that. they needed to get out of that country and she stepped in and she does good work and here's an example of where she managed to get all these young ladies to safety to the united kingdom. so good on her. >> i will give you that. zerlina? >> i would say generation z climate activists. i think generation z gets a lot of flak from the millennials and the older generations for being too sensitive, but i have to say that it's not a hypothetical for them. this climate disaster is going to hit them, you know, basically when they're 40, and so they're not waiting for us to fix it. they are speaking -- raising their voices and speaking loud and clear about the urgent need for climate action, and they should be commended for that. >> you know, i also want to mention two other stories. that time when a few of the tulsa race massacre survivors gathered on the 100th anniversary, and of course those 100 faith leaders who joined me in brunswick, georgia, to fight for justice. i wanted to mention those too. ayman? >> yeah, no doubt about it. we're in a moment of national reckoning in this country with what is happening with the push for social justice, and what you did in georgia, for me, again, you know, i spent my high school years in georgia, to see where georgia is coming right now on that front, people becoming more active, people feeling that their voice is finally being heard, stepping up, coming to the defense of ahmaud arbery's family and seeing that the wheel of justice spin in their favor. >> and answering when, in fact, a lawyer had challenged me being in the courtroom. >> exactly. showing up. >> saying, i don't want no more black pastors and he ended up getting 300. i thought it was a good move. >> that's a great multiplying effect. >> and it really offsets, elise, that the evangelicals on the right try to paint the left as being nonreligious, just secular people, and there are a lot of that, but there are people that are very religious and very committed, and zerlina and i still go to church and are faithful. i preach. zerlina claps her hands. we have more of the revvies coming up for you and more lighthearted moments from the year. be right back. >> president biden today signed the bipartisan infrastructure bill into law, and i think it's good that he's finally taking action against the dilapidated and crumbling approval rating. the senate on saturday passed president biden's $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package, which includes a $1,400 stimulus check, so go out and buy yourself something nice like november's rent. you could email an urgent question to lisa in marketing. and a follow up. and a “did you see my email?” text. orrrr... you could see her status in slack. and give lisa a break while you find someone online who can help. slack. where the future works. i'm so glad we're finally on vacation. yeah, and kayak made it so easy - searching hundreds of travel 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nation's" 11th annual revvies. i'm here with our panel, and we're turning the page to the best political books of the year. the nominees are "peril," by bob woodward and robert costa. there were many tell-all books this year about the trump administration, but none did a better job of capturing the frantic final days of his presidency, including detailing how alarmed our top military officials were about trump's attempt to hold power. and the book i could not put down was "the reckoning: america's trauma and finding a way to heal" by mary l. trump. it took a book by trump's niece to remind us that our politics isn't all about the former guy. from the pandemic to our racial awakening, america has been through a lot in the past few years, and it's time to mend. and lastly, i would be remiss if i didn't mention "the righteous troublemakers: untold stories of social justice in america" by the reverend alfred sharpton, which i'm sure we can all agree would make a great stocking suffer. elise, any other books you'd like to add to the list? >> it was just such a year. i think about "peril," what struck me is just how intense the days around january 6th, and you know, robert costa is one of our colleagues at the network, and if anything, he's such a straightforward, level reporter, and what really struck me about the reporting in the book is just how dramatic they portray it and how serious they realize the threat was to democracy as they recounted and pieced together that day. so, there was just so much fantastic reporting like that this year that we can be really grateful that journalists are pursuing the highest of their craft. >> and the amazing thing about the woodward/costa book is you thought you heard everything, you saw everything, you knew everything, and they gave us things that we just had to say, wow. i mean, even though you and i, ayman and zerlina do this, there were things in there we had not even heard of. >> yeah, no, absolutely. i think that book and what it revealed and the fact when general mark milley was on the hill and he testified and then there was that moment, i think, with senator blackburn asks him, did you speak to bob woodward about the book and he says, yes. for me, it shows you the access that bob woodward and robert costa had when they were getting the details, so you know it's legit when he's saying there were concerns, genuinely within the u.s. military about what was happening around january 6th and what they had to signal to our chinese. but i want to say one thing about a book that's not a popular one. mark meadows. how about him trying to sell his book by calling his own book fake news when he came forward and said that president trump had covid before that first debate and then when he had to -- when the president came down on him and said, that's fake news, mark meadows's new approach to trying to sell his book is, don't try to buy my book. it's fake news. >> that's his new promotion. >> that's his promotional strategy. maybe that's how you sell books nowadays. >> we've got zerlina. we have elise agreeing with me on woodward-costa. we have ayman bringing us fake news. what sayeth thou, zerlina? >> i actually have two. one is tarana burke's book, "unbound." it's a memoir but it really speaks to a lot of the different things that have happened not just in the last year but also going back to 2017, and i think that it's an amazing memoir and testament to the context of this moment. another one i would add is "both and" by huma abedin because for so many years, people talked about her, and now she's actually the one speaking, and she has a lot of lessons to impart, being up close and working for hillary clinton for so long. >> i also want your quick opinion on two other books. there is nothing for you here, by fiona hill. ayman? >> i thought it was a very revealing book because again, this is a woman who was at the center of the impeachment of donald trump, just based on everything she had witnessed. and the fact that she talked about her own personal journey, a woman who had served both administrations, and sometimes we lose sight of that in this country, when you think of the civil servants that we have and how politicized we've become that we forget there are very decent people, some who are born overseas, some who have come from rags to riches, who heard a calling to serve, and for me, her story reveals that. it reveals that there are still good people and we need good people to be in these positions, because when you get somebody like donald trump, if you don't have good people in government, they're the people that saved us, you know, from falling down that road of authoritarianism. if you don't have good people who are going to be able to call out our world leaders and certainly american politicians, we are doomed as a country, quite honestly. >> elise, let me bring in the second book i wanted to mention. "landslide: the final days of the trump presidency" by michael wolff. >> you know, i just can't take michael wolff all that seriously. given that so much of his reporting was beautiful on the page, but the details quibbling around the edges when i feel that the trump presidency had so much factual ridiculousness that there's no need to ever make anything a slightly more swoop of a story, but that said, it's just, you know, we're going to be reliving the drama, the terror, the comedy of the trump presidency for so many years and still, our mouths are just going to be wide open with how crazy it really was on the inside. >> no, that is certain. let's move on to a "politics nation" favorite. the alfred c. sharpton blueberry pie achievement award. every year, we look around and ask, who has the most blueberry pie on their face? this year, i nominate the state of texas for its many contributions to our national political dysfunctions, including one of the most draconian voter suppression bills in the country. an abortion ban with a bounty system. and a refusal to expand medicaid or fix their crumbling electric grid. and if i may have any pie left over, i'll send it along to ron desantis in florida and maybe one extra slice should go to congress member marjorie taylor greene and matt gaetz. ayman, how about you? who else should get a slice? >> it's got to go to kevin mccarthy for me because this is a guy who's watching all of this play out, but he is singularly focused on power. everyone has told him the republicans are going to win next year, and he is tuned out any sense of moral righteousness because all he cares about is becoming speaker of the house. so, if marjorie taylor greene wants to stand up there and say something that's crazy, she can do it. if lauren boebert wants to stand up there and lie and say things that are crazy, she can do it. if people in his own caucus want to stand up there and say the election was stolen, he's not going to stand in their way because at the end of the day he wants everyone to think that next year, if the republicans manage to win, whether it's through redistricting and gerrymandering and whatever, he wants to be speaker of the house. he'll make that deal with anybody. >> even though he was the one on the phone screaming -- >> call off the insurrection. >> telling donald trump to call off the insurrection. and now he's reversed himself. >> exactly. >> it's one thing when you reverse everybody else, you want to be speaker. it's -- he contradicts himself. >> and then he went down to mar-a-lago and kissed the ring after january 6th. first thing he does. >> that is a guy that should have blueberry pie on his face. >> there's not enough blueberry pie in the world for him. >> zerlina, who should i be giving some slices to? >> so, i think that the main blueberry pie is anybody that put forward these covid vaccine conspiracy theories or suggested that you shouldn't get the vaccine or that you should bathe your child in a dirt bath or take ivermectin for your covid, and i think unfortunately a lot of those people are dealing with the real and serious consequences of those choices, but i also laugh because if you want to take ivermectin, go ahead. but it's not going to help you with your covid-19. the extra slice, though, is related to yours, rev, and that goes to governor greg abbott who promised to find all of the rapists on the streets of texas and i would just like to check in and see if he was able to find all of those rapists who are out on the streets somewhere so that it could justify his position on no exceptions for rape and incest in their abortion law. that is blatantly unconstitutional, by the way. >> elise? >> you know, i would have to give a piece of pie to andrew cuomo. he really had a terrible year and just why did he have to extend our pain and suffering for so long? and you know, he also deserves a slice of pie for that horrible book that he spent so much time working on, on the taxpayers' dime, so that can, you know, also be one of the worst books of the year about how he solved the pandemic. yeah, so, good riddance, i think, and merry christmas and happy new year. >> any more ideas, ayman? >> tucker carlson, maybe, if we're trying to suggest that the january 6th insurrection was a false flag operation, promoting white supremacy, nationalism. >> you're talking about his book or him in general? what was interesting is -- >> his empire. >> his book, his first chapter in the book was, he printed an old story he had written in "esquire" about going with me to africa, and you know, it was a satire kind of story, but i don't think a lot of his viewers ever thought that he actually would travel and write some stuff in there was complimentary, some, of course, was tongue in cheek, but i thought it was very interesting. but i called my agent. i don't get any -- >> any of his royalties? >> for being mentioned in the book. >> for me, if you got to look at what he's done this year, and advancing the white nationalism agenda in this country, i think it's dangerous. >> oh, no, there's no joking about what carlson has done. >> yeah. >> okay, stay with us. we still have plenty to cover. but now, let's take a quick moment to admire my sweat band game. i mean, yes, even the madness of 2021 didn't stop me from getting my daily predawn workouts. remember, get your body right to get your mind right. >> announcer: the 11th annual revvie awards will be right back. first psoriasis, then psoriatic arthritis. it was really holding me back. standing up... ...even walking was tough. my joints hurt. i was afraid things were going to get worse. i was always hiding, and that's just not me. not being there for my family, that hurt. woooo! i had to do something. i started cosentyx®. i'm feeling good. watch me. cosentyx helps people with psoriatic arthritis move, look, and feel better. it targets more than just joint pain and treats the multiple symptoms like joint swelling and tenderness, back pain, helps clear skin and helps stop further joint damage. don't use if you're allergic to cosentyx. before starting, get checked for tuberculosis. an increased risk of infections—some serious —and the lowered ability to fight them may occur. tell your doctor about an infection or symptoms or if you've had a vaccine or plan to. tell your doctor if your crohn's disease symptoms develop or worsen. serious allergic reactions may occur. it's good to be moving on. watch me. move, look, and feel better. ask your rheumatologist about cosentyx. finally. our honeymoon. it took awhile, but at least we got a great deal on our hotel with kayak. i was afraid we wouldn't go.. with our divorce and.... great divorce guys. yeah... search 100s of travel sites at once. kayak. search one and done. ♪♪ thank you for joining us for our end of the year celebration and look back on the year that was in politics. my distinguished panel is here with us, zerlina maxwell, host of "zerlina" on peacock. ayman mohyeldin, host of "ayman" on msnbc. and elise jordan, republican strategist. up next, the courage and cowardice awards. my heroes and zeros for 2021. for my profile in courage, eugene goodman, capitol police officer who lured insurrectionists away from the senate areas where lawmakers were hiding. if it wasn't for officer goodman's quick thinking, january 6th might have turned out very differently. and the cowardice i have minority -- house minority leader, kevin mccarthy. he not only continues to lick the boots of the former president donald trump, after his crazed supporters attacked mccarthy's workplace on january 6th, but who has stubbornly refused to hold members of his own caucus, such as congresswoman lauren boebert and marjorie taylor greene accountable for their hateful rhetoric. and speaking of courage, i also want to mention the 12 jurors of the trial -- in the trial of the killers of ahmaud arbery, especially those 11 white men and women from rural georgia who simply did the right thing. voting, knowing they're going to live in that town, they voted where the case and evidence brought them. zerlina, who are your profiles in cowardice? and courage? >> so, i'll start with courage. there were a number of different people across industries that talked about trauma and mental health this year, rev. we had simone biles and naomi osaka in sports and we also had the instagram live from common congresswoman alexandria ocasio-cortez about the trauma she experienced as a survivor of sexual assault on january 6th and i think it's important for public figures who look like they have it all together to be open about these struggles so that people know they're not alone. cowardice, i have to concur with you. it's kevin mccarthy. if he can't stand up to these folks in his own party, how are you going to lead that party? leadership starts with actually leading, not following the fringes of your party. >> ayman? >> all right, so, for courage, i'm going to keep it in the realm of law and order, keith ellison and the way he prosecuted derek chauvin because when this trial began or when this case began, there were a lot of questions as to whether or not minneapolis was going to be able to do the right thing and bring the right charges and if you remember, he stepped in and was able to kind of bring that all on track and get the conviction of derek chauvin, which was a very important moment for this country. so, i think that is real leadership and courage. >> and his team did an excellent job. >> all the way down. >> one of the things i have to say, because as you know, i worked very closely with the family of george floyd and all the protests, is that he -- keith ellison stepped in but then he stepped back and let his team, hannah blackwell, who had never done a criminal case, take the front. so he wasn't trying to hog the spotlight. that showed me a lot of courage. >> exactly. that, for me, is leadership and character, because he knew what the right thing to do was, and he didn't try to hog it for political purposes or the spotlight. you think of somebody like kevin mccarthy. he would have probably hijacked everything and would have been front and center there trying to take credit for every step of the way. for me. but in terms of cowardice, i'm going to have to go back to the ahmaud arbery case and the three men who killed ahmaud arbery because that's quintessential cowardice. you see this young man in your neighborhood, and what do you do? you shoot him dead. and justice worked in this particular case. we have long way to go. i think it is the epitome of cowardice to see what these men did in extinguishing the life of this young man. >> elise? >> for courage, i have to say the women in afghanistan who are staying and who are fighting for their rights, and there are just so many brave women activists who took to the streets, and they said, taliban, you're not going to take our rights, and the courage to do that, knowing the repression that is to come and the evilness and the brutality of the regime is just really breathtaking, and then for cowardice, i would say ghislaine maxwell on trial for her alleged crimes and that she can sit there and try to, you know, use a defense that discredits women who are alleging abuse is just utter cowardice, because she doesn't want to spend her life behind bars, and let's hope that justice is served. >> it's very interesting because there were so many examples this year of where you could have shown courage and where you could have shown cowardice and i think it was very revealing who showed up where. i mean, zerlina, when you start the year with an insurrection, it's not hard to see who was on what side here, but people that you would have expected that would show a little courage, flipped on themselves, zerlina. it was unbelievable. >> it was unbelievable, but it's still happening, rev. that's what i think we need to understand. that insurrection we saw on january 6th is ongoing. and so, the ideas and the lies are still being told and it's important. we can't forget what happened that day because we never had an insurrection. >> and we can't forget what has not happened because even though i will always remember being in the courtroom with the family of george floyd and hearing those -- the verdict and after hearing a lot of verdicts that went the other way, how ecstatic we were, and then i was blessed also to be sitting with the mother and father in the verdict of arbery. we still end it here with no voting rights bill, no george floyd bill. so, you get moments, but that doesn't mean that we've gotten everything that we want in the movement. stay with us. coming up, my panel looks into their crystal balls to predict what will happen in 2022. don't go anywhere. >> senator mitch mcconnell, seen here watching a child get into a stranger's van, denounced corporations opposing georgia's new voting laws, saying that they should, quote, stay out of politics. coincidentally, stay out of politics is also georgia's new rule for black people. former president donald trump also released a statement urging his followers to boycott coca-cola, which is surprising because i would have guessed don junior would have the problem with coke. i've always been running. to meetings. errands. now i'm running for me. i've always dreamed of seeing the world. but i'm not chasing my dream anymore. i made a financial plan to live it every day. ♪ at northwestern mutual, our version of financial planning helps you live your dreams today. find a northwestern mutual advisor at nm.com i'm so glad we're finally on vacation. yeah, and kayak made it so easy - searching hundreds of travel sites to find us a great flight. my ears still won't pop after the flight but i don't even care.... what? 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(gong rings) - this is joe. (combative yelling) he used to have bad breath. now, he uses a capful of therabreath fresh breath oral rinse to keep his breath smelling great, all day long. (combative yelling) therabreath, it's a better mouthwash. at walmart, target and other fine stores. welcome to the beat. i am ari melber. great to be with you in this holiday season. a special report on civil rights, policing and calls for change after another big year where this has been on so many minds. we also go inside the biden white house. i want to show you what we found with field reporting even in the pandemic era. and my interview with the ceo who took google public, eric schmidt. he has some tough words for zuckerberg on social media and democracy plus what he sees ahead in the world of artificial intelligence. at the end of the year, sometimes worth reflecting on the big things. we're getting into all that. we begin with the biggest story in the