Anderson Cooper 360

The Delta variant continues to spread in the United States but CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky says the Omicron variant is "increasing rapidly" and expected "to become the dominant strain” in the coming weeks. New York state just reported its highest single-day Covid-19 case count since the beginning of the pandemic. Dr. Francis Collins is the director of the National Institutes of Health. He joins AC360 to discuss what people can expect in the coming weeks and months. 

Plus, sources tell CNN members of the January 6 committee investigating the attack on the Capitol believe that former Texas Governor and Trump Energy Secretary Rick Perry was the author of a text message to then-White House chief of staff Mark Meadows the day after the 2020 election pushing “strategy” to undermine the results. Democratic Rep. Pete Aguilar is a member of that committee. He tells Anderson Cooper he thinks it’s “more important” to understand the White House chief of staff was “entertaining text messages” like these about “overturning the elections.”

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President Joe Biden sent a grim warning that a “winter of severe illness and death” is ahead for the unvaccinated as the U.S. sees a sharp increase in Covid cases from both the Delta and Omicron variants. New York City’s positivity rate doubled in just four days with a medical adviser to the mayor saying “we’ve never seen this before.” Dr. Leana Wen is an emergency room physician and the former Baltimore health commissioner. She tells Anderson Cooper she urges people to be “extremely cautious” when gathering for the holidays. 

Plus, a judge is allowing a major defamation case against Fox News to move forward after it was found the network’s coverage of election fraud after the 2020 election may have been inaccurate. CNN Chief Legal Analyst and former federal prosecutor Jeffrey Toobin joins AC360 to discuss the win by Dominion Voting and says “it’s a very big deal but it’s not a surprise.”

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Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, says there’s “no doubt” that fully vaccinated people will have breakthrough infections from the Omicron Covid variant. A study from the National Institutes of Health shows a third dose of Moderna’s Covid-19 vaccine offers protection against the variant that’s 20 times better than the antibody of just two doses. CNN’s Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta tells Anderson Cooper just how important boosters are in the fight against both Delta and Omicron variants.

Plus, President Joe Biden visited Kentucky to assess the damage from the deadly tornadoes and storms that devastated the area last weekend. Multiple states are in the path of another intense storm system moving from the Rockies into the Plains that is producing tornadoes and damaging winds. CNN Meteorologist Tom Sater gives AC360 an update on the severe weather and what states are in the path.

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The House is expected to vote on whether to hold former Trump White House chief of staff Mark Meadows in contempt of Congress after he stopped cooperating with the January 6 committee investigating the attack on the Capitol. Dustin Stockton is a conservative activist and helped promote rallies leading up to January 6. He was subpoenaed by the committee and has been cooperating. He tells Anderson Cooper why he decided to comply with the subpoena. 

Plus, the Omicron variant of coronavirus has been found in at least 32 states and Dr. Anthony Fauci says it’s likely to become the dominant strain in the U.S. Michael Osterholm is the director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota. He joins AC360 to discuss the recent surge in Covid-19 cases in the U.S. and says we’re witnessing a war between the “Delta variant and Omicron variant as to who’s going to become the king of the viral hill.”

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Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear says the death toll now stands at 74 and 109 people are still unaccounted for after tornadoes tore through the state. Indianapolis Fire Department Division Chief Thomas Neal came to Kentucky to help and is leading the search and rescue efforts. He tells Anderson Cooper he has “high confidence” everyone is accounted for at a candle factory that was devastated by the tornado. 

Plus, the January 6 committee investigating the attack on the Capitol unanimously voted to hold former President Trump’s chief of staff Mark Meadows in contempt of Congress after he stopped cooperating. Rep. Zoe Lofgren is a member of the committee. She joins AC360 to discuss why she voted to hold her former colleague in contempt.  

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The CDC says most of the known Omicron variant cases in the U.S. have yielded mild symptoms and most had been vaccinated. The country is approaching 800,000 Covid-19 deaths, a number infectious disease expert Michael Osterholm predicted the country would reach in 18-months, back in April 2020. Osterholm is the director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota. He tells Anderson Cooper he thinks the number of coronavirus cases will “increase substantially” for at least the “next six to ten weeks.” 

Plus, the Supreme Court left a Texas abortion law in place that bans the procedure after around six weeks of pregnancy. The justices did say abortion providers have the right to challenge the law in federal court. Wendy Davis is a former Democratic Texas state senator who blocked a 2013 anti-abortion bill in the state during a 13-hour filibuster. She joins AC360 to discuss the Supreme Court’s decision.

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After deliberating for more than nine hours over two days, a jury found Jussie Smollett guilty of five counts of disorderly conduct for making false reports to police that he was a victim of a hate crime in January 2019. Paul Callan is a criminal defense attorney and joins AC360 to discuss the verdict. 

Plus, an appeals court rejected former President Trump’s effort to keep documents from the January 6 committee. Noah Feldman is a professor at Harvard Law School and was a witness for the prosecution in the first impeachment of the former President. He tells Anderson Cooper whether he thinks the Supreme Court will take up this case.

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Former Trump White House chief of staff Mark Meadows is suing the House select committee investigating the January 6 attack on the Capitol and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Meadows is asking a federal court to block the enforcement of two subpoenas as the committee has signaled it would pursue a criminal contempt referral against him because of his refusal to sit for a deposition. Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff is a member of the committee. He tells AC360 he thinks it’s a “very superficial filing” and it’s meant to “obstruct and stall.” 

Plus, former Vice President Mike Pence was in New Hampshire where he made a number of stops to talk to voters. CNN National Correspondent Randi Kaye tracked him down to ask a question many are wondering: if Donald Trump runs for president in 2024, will he still run? She joins AC360 to let us know his answer.

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The House select committee investigating the January 6 attack on the Capitol has formally subpoenaed the phone records for more than 100 people, including the former President’s one-time chief of staff Mark Meadows, who has stopped cooperating with the committee. Former Deputy FBI Director Andrew McCabe tells Anderson Cooper what kind of impact they could potentially have on the investigation. 

Plus, in a new book by Meadows, it is revealed then-President Trump’s blood oxygen level dipped to a “dangerously low level” hours after he announced he had tested positive for Covid-19 back in October 2020. Dr. Craig Spencer contracted Ebola in 2014 after treating patients in West Africa and then-citizen Trump called him a “very selfish person” after he returned to New York. He is now the director of Global Health in Emergency Medicine at Columbia University Medical Center. Dr. Spencer joins AC360 to discuss just how sick he thinks the former President really was.

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Marc Short, the former chief of staff to Vice President Mike Pence, is cooperating with the January 6 committee. Short remains one of Pence’s closest advisers and is a firsthand witness to many critical events the committee is investigating. Bob Woodward is an associate editor at the Washington Post and the co-author of the book “Peril.” He joins AC360 to discuss Short’s cooperation and says it “opens a big door.” 

Plus, Michigan authorities executed a search warrant at the home of the man accused of helping the alleged school shooter’s parents. CNN Correspondent Adrienne Broaddus gives Anderson Cooper an update on the investigation.

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