We've got much more coming up on the successful landing of the Perseverance rover on the surface of Mars, including checking in with a JPL engineer on the mission ahead for Perseverance, as it settles into its new Martian surroundings.

But first on In Depth: we will take a close look at the reasons behind the precipitous drop in coronavirus cases and infection rates seen in the United States and around the world since not much has changed in the short term.

And we're talking vaccines--giving only one dose of Pfizer's, and perhaps giving two doses of the new Johnson & Johnson shot.

Congressman Adam Schiff will on today's program, talking Mars and the ambitious immigration reform legislation that was introduced in Congress today.

And bad news for Americans: thanks to a horrible 2020, we are all--on average--expected to lose a year of life expectancy.

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Whatever your opinions are on Rush Limbaugh --and there is no shortage of opinions -- it's undeniable that he fundamentally changed modern radio.......and conservative media. We'll look at the life and legacy of the most hated --and the most loved-- man in radio, Rush Limbaugh.

The Pentagon reportedly held up the promotion of two women to four-star generals, out of fear that former President Trump would object to elevating women -- we'll go In Depth on that.

And don't look now, but there's yet another new coronavirus variant.

Texas, covered in ice and snow, is trying to get its electricity grid back on its feet. Where did the failures occur, and are our power grids built to withstand the extremes of climate change?

And Rhode Island is one of the only places in the country that has managed to keep its schools up and running for in-class education throughout the pandemic. How did they do it? 

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FEMA has entered the picture as far as COVID vaccinations in Southern California, and in the long run, that's a good thing! But in the short term, there's now a confusing gauntlet people have to navigate to get their shots: depending on your city or county, your age or profession, depending on preexisting conditions you have.........are you eligible? We'll try to figure it out.

The deep freeze, ice and snow that's blanketed about two-thirds of the country will likely slow down all vaccine deliveries and distributions for the next few days.

And this is scary news for parents: that COVID-linked inflammation syndrome that was seen in some young children.........those cases are picking up, and the kids are turning up sicker.

We're going to Melbourne, Australia.....a city roughly the same size as Los Angeles......which has taken a polar opposite approach to lockdowns.

And continuing on our trip around the world: we'll go to Rhode Island and talk with their education commissioner on how they've managed to keep schools open. Through the pandemic.

Finally: we'll talk with an epidemiologist who says that until we've vaccinated most of the world's population, this pandemic won't end.

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It's been a year of confusing messaging, conflicting directions and bumbled programs for the state of California during this pandemic; and the vaccine rollout process is proving to be more of the same.

In Depth has repeatedly reached out to Governor Newsom himself, his health and human services secretary, state public health officials --- and pretty much anyone and everyone associated with pandemic response --- but it's been weeks since they've agreed to talk. So we're looking for alternative ideas, and we're going to get some from the former Mayor of San Diego ... who's running for governor -- In Depth with Kevin Faulconer, coming up.

Will we ever get to COVID zero? Probably not. There's a growing belief among scientists that COVID is here to stay, so we'll talk about that.

Why is the state contracting with an insurance company to help speed up vaccinations? And are we messing up the data on just how many doses have been administered? If you're noticing a theme today, you're right.

And... former President Donald Trump's team offers up the defense ... relatively short one ... at the impeachment trial.

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Infections and hospitalizations from COVID-19 are finally heading in the right direction, DOWN. It's the perfect window of opportunity to mash the gas pedal on our vaccination efforts and get as many people inoculated as quickly as possible....

But .... here in the city of Los Angeles, mass vaccination sites will be closed for the next two days -- we don't have enough doses to keep them open.

So, we keep waiting for the pace to pick up, but it's not happening yet: where are the supply bottlenecks, where was the breakdown, and how do we turn it around? We'll go In Depth.

One more on vaccines: how were weed delivery drivers given higher priority than teachers?! We'll look at why getting teachers vaccinated has been such a struggle.

The Senate impeachment trial of Donald Trump will likely wrap up by the weekend, and it sure looks like Senate Republicans will be sticking by the former president.

And if new COVID variants start spreading quickly in certain states, are domestic travel restrictions a realistic option?

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If you could go to a concert or a club to watch a band or DJ.......would you? If concert venues could only let in a small crowd, would it be worth it? New York state is allowing venues to reopen, but is the risk worth the reward?? We'll go In Depth.

Two new vaccine stories that go hand-in-hand: first, it's increasingly likely that COVID vaccinations will have to be a yearly occurrence. Then, a new poll finds that almost 1-in-3 Americans will refuse to be vaccinated, citing safety concerns.

With that kind of refusal rate, will we ever truly snuff out the pandemic?

The great mask debate continues -- to double up or not? Today, new guidance from the CDC ... no matter what you're wearing, make sure it's a good snug fit.

Democrats at the impeachment trial string together speeches and Tweets from former President Trump, arguing a months-long campaign riled up supporters.

And the Dallas Mavericks stopped playing the national anthem before their games........until the NBA stepped in.

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The second impeachment trial of former president Donald Trump is underway in the U.S. Senate, which just a month ago was the scene of a rampaging mob. But with Republicans still apparently unwilling to hold Mr. Trump to account, is this kind of a pointless proceeding? We'll go In Depth.

One positive side effect of a miserable year-long pandemic: rents are sliding in cities like New York, San Francisco and right here in Los Angeles. So how can you get your own rent down?

And there are now at least 3-dozen cases of a rare blood disorder linked to COVID vaccines -- they're incredibly rare but potentially deadly.

Alarming development when it comes to the security of our infrastructure: hackers managed to get into a water treatment plant in Florida and almost poisoned supply. 

Kamala Harris is less than a month into her new job as VP, and so far she seems glued to the side of President Biden -- but is a larger portfolio coming her way?

And remembering Mary Wilson, a founding member of The Supremes.

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With the pace of vaccinations picking up in recent weeks, you all might be feeling a cautious sense of optimism. But don't get too comfortable yet:

The South Africa variant of COVID is proving to be particularly troublesome when it comes to vaccines already in circulation; meanwhile, the UK variant of the virus, is spreading rapidly here in the U.S. So we'll go In Depth on all of it.

And what if you've been vaccinated........time for a house party? Big group gatherings? Not quite -- we'll explain.  

It was a Super Bowl that fit with an odd year........did it feel a little off? 

What's the real reason Lou Dobbs was let go by Fox. It doesn't look like it was ratings. Or advertisers.

And what do you do when your favorite sports team signs a very talented player.......who comes with controversy? We'll look at the case of Trevor Bauer and the Dodgers.

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The pattern should be familiar: when the first surge of COVID infections started to ease around late May and elements of society began to reopen, we all went a little nuts over Memorial Day weekend......leading to the summer surge.

As summer turned to Fall, things calmed down. Then: holiday gatherings .... leading to what has been, to date, the worst surge in infections, hospitalizations and deaths.

We're going to go In Depth on how this pattern keeps repeating itself, but this time there are new variants of the virus that could make this cycle even deadlier.

Now, we will -- we promise -- pivot to some optimism: Johnson & Johnson's COVID vaccine candidate seeking approval from the FDA.

We will preview Impeachment, The Sequel as the Senate gets ready to try former President Trump next week.

We'll look ahead to the pandemic Super Bowl, which will be the most unusual Big Game in recent memory.

And we'll look back at the incredible life and legacy of actor Christopher Plummer, who died today at age 91.

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Heavy metal is awesome at a rock concert; heavy metals in baby food, not awesome. A congressional committee found high levels of toxic metals in some baby foods, so we'll go In Depth with the committee chairman.

Stop us if you heard this before: California public health officials are rethinking how they're distributing COVID vaccinations. The tiered system by ages might soon be out, going to eligibility based on health vulnerabilities.

And new research out of Great Britain, care of Israel, shows that just one shot of Pfizer's COVID vaccine might do the trick for building immunity.

The Green River Killer is of the most prolific serial killers in history -- and he will likely be getting his COVID vaccination in Washington State this week, probably much earlier than you or me.

House impeachment managers call a provocative witness to testify.

And the tragic story of a high school football player who lost his battle with leukemia, while uniting his teammates and classmates behind him.

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