The Lead with Jake Tapper

Medical experts are encouraging Americans to stay home tonight for New Years Eve. Hospitals are slammed and schools aren’t sure how to reopen safely. Will the new year look too much like the last one?  100-mile-per-hour winds are spreading flames across neighborhoods in Colorado. Hundreds of homes are burning in the blink of an eye. We may now know what started the sudden fires. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

31 Dec 202140min

Sources tell CNN the FDA will likely sign off on kids as young as 12 to be eligible for the Pfizer booster shot in a few days. This as the United States is quickly nearing a record number of children hospitalized with COVID-19.  Right now President Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin are talking on the phone ahead of a key meeting between the United States and Russia. Biden is urging Putin to take steps to de-escalate tensions on Russia’s border with Ukraine, warning of dire economic consequences should Putin invade. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

31 Dec 20211h 18min

A New York federal court jury has found Ghislaine Maxwell guilty on five of six counts related to her role in Jeffrey Epstein's sexual abuse of minors. Maxwell, who now faces up to 65 years in prison, showed no reaction when the verdicts were read. CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said several areas of science backed their decision to shorten the isolation period for people who come into contact with the coronavirus. She admitted the changes were partially driven by Americans being fed up and refusing to follow the longer guidelines in place. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

30 Dec 20211h 29min

In one pediatric hospital, the number of kids testing positive for COVID-19 has increased by 1000% compared to the Delta surge. But does that necessarily mean serious illness for those kids? A pediatrician joins to explain if it means hospitalization or worse. If you are confused by the new CDC isolation guidance, you are hardly alone. Some health experts are bashing the CDC and the Biden administration about what they say is really driving the changes.  To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

29 Dec 20211h 18min

Last week saw the highest seven-day average of new Covid-19 cases in the United States since January. President Biden said there is work to be done as he acknowledged what most Americans already know about testing inadequacies. The Omicron variant has now surpassed the Delta variant in daily cases.  At least 300,000 people in Brazil are dealing with flooding which has left entire communities under water and has killed at least 17 people. The floods have already affected nearly 40 cities in the region. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

28 Dec 20211h 18min

There is no new episode of the The Lead showcast. If you haven’t already, please check out CNN’s other podcasts and showcasts at cnn.com/audio. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

25 Dec 20211min

A jury has found Kim Potter, the former Minnesota police officer who shot and killed Daunte Wright, guilty of first- and second-degree manslaughter. The maximum penalty for first-degree manslaughter predicated on reckless handling of a firearm is 15 years in prison. Merck's antiviral pill has become the second pill authorized by the FDA to treat Covid-19 as the Omicron variant is spoiling many holiday gatherings.  New analysis by the United Kingdom's Health Security Agency adds to the growing evidence that the risk of being admitted to the hospital for Covid-19 due to the Omicron variant appears lower than the risk because of Delta. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

24 Dec 202140min

The White House Coronavirus Task Force just finished meeting as cases surge and Omicron takes over. But, this afternoon, a possible game changing pill has been approved by the FDA. As Democratic Senator Joe Manchin faces criticism from his own party, there is a new, very public push by the country’s top Republican lawmaker for Manchin to switch sides. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

23 Dec 202141min