Deadline. The government would also be forced to shut down on monday and eviction protections will expire on new years eve if the president does not act. Cnns Sarah Westwood joins us now. Sarah, President Trumps 2,000 proposal is getting a new key endorsement from senator Lindsey Graham, just days after he initially opposed it. So why the flip flop to saying 600 is no longer adequate . Reporter why, fred, is the Million Dollar question here. Its one republicans themselves are still trying to answer. Because the 600 amount for individual checks is what the white house brought to congressional leaders and said this is what we want to see in the bill. So when republicans, like Lindsey Graham, voted for that bill earlier this week, they believed they were doing so with the backing of the white house. Trump came out and opposed the amount for the individual stimulus checks after that bill had already passed both chambers of congress with a vetoproof majority, putting republicans right now in a really difficult spot. Many gop lawmakers were kind of hoping this would blow over and the president wouldnt bring his opposition to the level of a veto threat. But its really unclear at this moment what the white house plans to do. I want to read you what senator graham tweeted after he came off the golf course with President Trump, because its really the First Insight what weve had into the president s mindset as he engages in this flip flop. After spending some time with President Trump today, i am convinced he is more determined than ever to increase stimulus payments to 2,000 per person and challenge section 230 big tech liability protection. Now, both of those demands are ones that congress has overwhelmingly rejected, the latter of the section 230 big tech protections. That was rejected when lawmakers refused to put a repeal of section 230 in the defense spending bill. Trump already vetoed that. And the other demand for the higher stimulus checks, that hangs in the balance as the bill sits at maralago. Unclear if the president will put his signature on it. We asked the whus wiite house we be signing or vetoing, still no direction from those around the president. But as you mentioned, there are key deadlines associated with this bill, including today, the expiration of those enhanced Unemployment Benefits for millions of americans. On monday the 28th, as if this wasnt complicated enough, the governor wi government will run out of money, so were looking at the prospect of a Government Shutdown in two days, and then on the 31st, the Eviction Moratorium will expire if the president doesnt put his signature on this legislation. So a lot riding on this and were still waiting to hear what the white house might do when it comes to this bill, fred. Sarah westwood there in florida, keep us posted on that. Appreciate that. Let me bring in virginia congressman, a democratic and member of the house ways and means committee, and house cochair of the joint economic committee. Good to see you. Merry christmas. Boy, it is not a Merry Christmas for so Many Americans really being hit from all angles of bad stuff. So if you could, help me tackle this bill and the president , whether hes going to read it, sign it, veto it, and your district is one that is filled with a number of government workers right outside of the Nations Capital and they could likely be furloughed on monday if the president doesnt sign this bill to keep the government funded. What are your concerns and worries . It is a perfect storm. Theres so many complicated things going on. There is a nice glide path out of this. If the president would sign the bill today, which is both the covid relief package, 900 billion, and 1. 4 billion to keep the government running for the rest of the income year, through september 30th, thats a great first step. That means the Unemployment Insurance which runs out today get to keep it and it also means that we keep all 12 weeks of the 300 Unemployment Insurance. That ran out last july 31st. And if its not signed today, that we lose one full week. It doesnt get added on in march. And the way forward is if he signs this, on monday the house will take up his 2,000 check, direct check, which weve been for all along. And i think well pass it in the house. We were less optimistic that Mitch Mcconnell would take it up. But if senator Lindsey Graham says lets do it in the senate, that could pass the senate, too. All right. So somewhere down the line you may be hopeful about this 2,000 figure. But really in the end what is your thought about why this is happening . The president had ample opportunities to be involved and so many of your colleagues have said he has not been. And now, you know, on this hour and on this eve of all of these deadlines, he would place this demand of 2,000. Do you believe the president s objective is to get the 2,000 for americans or is the president s objective simply to disrupt and cause more hardship . There are not compatible. I dont think hes trying to cause hardship, but he is naturally a great disrupter. But i think he wants the 2,000. He think he was always eager to have another check with his name on it going out to the American People, even if its just his last gasp as president or if he wants to come back in four years, it wont be a bad thing to have said my last act as president was to give you 2,000. We think its needed to lift so many people out of poverty. Theres like 11 Million People who arent going to be able to make their rent payments in january. It also means more republicans nancy pelosi was negotiating with secretary mnuchin all along and it wasnt clear that the president really was paying attention because he had a lot of other things going on. The president hard and fast on this 2,000. You heard from my colleague, Sarah Westwood, that republican senator Lindsey Graham is now calling on congress to increase direct stimulus payments to 2,000. What about the other republicans, and namely Mitch Mcconnell . Is the president going to be persuasive enough in these few hours before deadlines are met to be able to negotiate a 2,000 payment to americans . I suspect not in the senate. Certainly in the house, yes, we will do it on monday. Im pretty confident about that. But the senate requires 60 votes so hes got to move Something Like 12 senators to the 2,000. I dont know whether the president can do that. I would like him to be able to override his defense veto. I dont know what mood that will put him in. And we may have to pass another continuing resolution sometime late on monday night, which the senate would take up tuesday just to keep the government open if President Trump doesnt sign the big bill today. Are you hopeful that the president would sign today, that even though hes not getting his 2,000 offer for americans that because so much more is at stake i mean, its a domino effect of so many other things, that will be in trouble as well, that he is likely to sign it . Are you optimistic . I am optimistic. I cant imagine that what he wants as his final set of acts is to shut down the government and deny all these benefits to people that are deeply in need. And he can have his cake and eat it, too. We can pass the big bill today, fund the government, do covid relief and still have another chance to pass the 2,000 on monday. So congressman, how do you summarize what 2020 has been like for you and your constituents as we now move ahead to 2021 . How do you reflect and then how do you help people also remain hopeful . Well, i think its been an incredibly difficult year for almost every american. Our grandparents who may have lived through world war ii or the Great Depression might imagine, remember worse. But its been with 330,000 deaths, with all of us afraid, but i do think that next year is going to be a lot better. The first two vaccines, pfizer and moderna, seem to work really well. Im optimistic that as Anthony Fauci says that by september the football stadiums will be full, by may or june well be beginning to get life back to normal. And then as the Service Industry comes back, specifically the restaurants, were likely to see 4 and 5 Economic Growth next year. All right. I think we have a lot more deaths to come in the next couple of weeks, sadly. Right. Its bittersweet. The immediate forecast is very dire, but it is nice to be able to remain hopeful and i think people will try to be hopeful with you for 2021 and beyond. Thank you very much. Virginia congressman don beyer. Appreciate it. A new strain of the coronavirus in the uk is rapidly spanning across the globe. Will the new screening help protect americans . Plus, an explosion in downtown nashville with a warning from a loudspeaker just moments before the blast. Were live next. On the subway® app did i just get picked off by Deion Sanders . You sure did now in the app, get a free footlong when you buy two. Because its footlong season™ and through the woods this Holiday Season. Remember, safe drivers save 40 with allstate. Saving is easy when youre in good hands. Call a local agent, or 1800allstate for a quote today. Investigators are calling an explosion in nashville an intentional bombing. An rv parked on a downtown street exploded, damaging several buildings. We also now have sound, a recording that warned people near the rv to evacuate. Evacuate now. If you can hear this message, evacuate now. If you can hear this message, evacuate now. Natasha chen joining us live from nashville. What is the latest on the investigation . Reporter fred, its still a very active scene. Thats why were all the way back here on 2nd avenue where the blast happened, but the perimeter is set up several blocks away from us. You can see police cars there flashing their lights and blocking off with tape. Theres actually a curfew right now to keep people away from this area. That started the afternoon of christmas day. That will go into sunday afternoon. It means that some of the residents who live right by where the explosion happened, the people who heard the first gunshots, called 911 and then heard the ominous recorded message from the rv. They evacuated when this happened and they really havent been able to go back in. Heres one witness who told cnn just how terrifying those moments were. Today were starting to look for our animals. I was not able to get my cat out. I barely made it out myself. There was glass everywhere, there was large objects, there was wood, there was stuff to climb over and i was unable to get my cat. Today weve got a Little Organization together of people that are going to be going to take a walkthrough and were going to see what is left and if theyre okay. Reporter and the reason that we are seeing three people hospitalized, three civilians with nonlifethreatening injuries and we havent heard of worse injuries or deaths is because city Officials Say the great work by six officers who responded to the scene, helped people stay away from the area and evacuate. I think we have the photos of those six officers who, each of them, you know, most of them really havent been on the force for that many years with Metro Nashville pd. One of them having 11 years of service with the department. But these are folks obviously working christmas morning, got the call and really helped to save a lot of lives. Now, the police chief last night did confirm that tissue which they believe belongs to human remains was found at the scene. I asked where that might have been found, if it could be potentially related to someone perhaps in the rv. The police chief said its too early to answer those questions right now. Those human remains are with the medical Examiners Office to do some more investigation, keeping in mind that there is a lot of debris there thats scattered about and its going to take some time to comb through and investigate, fred. And every little piece of evidence they uncover is going to be potentially impactful in their investigation. Natasha chen, thank you so much, in nashville. Next, experts blast the cdcs new testing requirements for travelers after a new strain of coronavirus is discovered in the uk. Why experts warn the new requirements are like a, quote, chain link fence to keep out a mosquito. E 2 system, a continuous glucose monitor, you can check your glucose with a painless, onesecond scan. And now with optional alarms, you can choose to be notified if you go too high or too low. And for those who qualify, the freestyle libre 2 system is now covered by medicare. Ask your doctor for a prescription. You can do it without fingersticks. Learn more at freestyle libre 2 dot u. S. Finding the right words can be tough. N it comes to autism, finding understanding doesnt have to be. We can create a kinder, more inclusive world for the millions of people on the autism spectrum. Go to autismspeaks. Org. The tsa says it screened more than 600,000 travelers passing through security checkpoints on christmas day. Nearly 850,000 were screened on christmas eve. Holiday travel, again, raising concerns the u. S. Is weeks away from another surge in covid19 cases. Cnns alison kosik joining us now. Three weeks after the thanksgiving holiday, we saw a devastating spike and there are expectations that the spike could be returning after this Christmas Holiday and new years celebrations. Reporter you are right about that. We are coming off of the holiday, it is a holiday weekend, but the coronavirus obviously not giving us any break any time soon. Were seeing cases spike from new york to california, and now theres this travel requirement looking to keep a more infectious variant of the virus from coming here to the u. S. But even dr. Anthony fauci believes that variant could already be here. Starting monday in the uk, all passengers must have a negative covid19 test within three days of boarding a flight to the u. S. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo praised the decision by the cdc for passengers to be tested who are flying from the uk. Testing people for covid19 before they get on planes is common sense. We cannot repeat the mistakes of the past and we must continue to do everything we can to keep new yorkers and americans safe, cuomo said in the statement friday. The centers for Disease Control and prevention announced the new testing requirements for travelers, but research by the agencys own scientists shows the rule may only have a small impact on the spread of the uk strain of the coronavirus. According to researchers on the covid19 response team, testing three days before a flight might reduce the risk of spreading the virus by just 5 to 9 . Pfizer and moderna are testing to see whether their vaccines work against the new variant, which thus far has not been detected in the u. S. Southern california is grappling with surging covid19 hospitalizations and deaths as the state passes another grim milestone, reporting more than 300 new covid deaths for a Third Straight day. In los angeles county, a person dies every ten minutes from covid19, the countys Public Health director says. I think people dont think coronavirus will happen to them. They think coronavirus will happen to another family. But there is no safety other than the Public Health measures that we have been preaching from the mountaintops. Reporter as christmas comes to an end and we head into the new year, experts say the safest way to celebrate is at home with the people you live with or online with friends and family. For those that host a new years sell br celebration, the cdc suggests staying outside, limiting the number of guests, wearing and making extra masks available, and keeping background music low to avoid shouting. Weve just seen the amplification events and thats what happened at the end of this year in the u. S. We had thanksgiving, we had labor day, we had halloween, and each one of those events brought lots of people together and just gave the virus more fuel to move through the population. So christmas is going to do a similar thing. Reporter and in the days leading up to christmas, the tsa says more than 1 Million People passed through security checkpoints at airports across the country. Thats stoking concerns from Health Experts that we could see yet another spike in coronavirus cases on top of the number of cases we already have now. Fredricka. Alison kosik in new york, thank you so much. I want to discuss this further with an emergency medicine physician and medical director at Baylor College of medicine. Good to see you and happy holidays. Hi, fred, happy holidays. Its not that happy, its pretty scary, isnt it . And now weve got talk of this new variant of this covid19. We now know that it has moved from the uk to france, spain. Pfizers ceo says he is optimistic that his companys vaccine will work against it. Are you optimistic as well . I am pretty optimistic. Fred, vaccines mutate by nature. Thats what theyre designed to do. So theres no surprise that we found this new variant in the uk. As a matter of fact, back in april there was a variant of coronavirus discovered in india that people thought could potentially hamper the race to develop a vaccine and that hasnt proved to be true. Vaccine experts and virologists are not worried about this new variant, and heres why. The vaccines that have been developed thus far attack multiple different places on the spike protein of the coronavirus, so a change in one small space of that protein isnt going to render our vaccines completely useless. Its going to take a lot of genetic diversity for that to happen. I like your optimism. So now because of this new variant, the cdc has just issued some new testing requirements for people coming into the u. S. From the uk, but then there are some Health Experts who are comparing these requirements to, and im quoting now, a chain link fence to keep out a mosquito. What do you think about this . Well, i think the new requirements depend on what the cdc is trying to protect against. It makes sense that for any place thats experiencing a regional spike in cases that we put new measures in place. But if theyre trying to make sure that the virus isnt imported to the United States, these measures are going to have no effect on that whatsoever. Were hearing from the new variant was discovered back in the uk back in september, actually, and as of right now almost twothirds of the cases in london are due to this new variant. The cdc requirements dont take place until monday. Until that time, there have been thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of people that have travelled into the us from the us. So theres a high probability that the new variant is already in the United States and we just dont know. I understand why you say its already spread. So this more contagious variant, what do you understand makes it so transmissible . Well, again, fred, because of the nature of vaccines, they mutate in order to become more transmissible. Theyre trying to cause disease. Theyre trying to infect humans. So as certain strains discover better ways to do that, those move faster and as they replicate, sometimes there are mistakes in the dna and rna sequencing and thats causing the new variants and strains. Were thinking theyre potentially more transmissible, but that hasnt been officially decided upon just yet. We still have a lot more data to collect. On the vaccines, more than a million in the u. S. Have received their first vaccine dose with new reporting any side effects. You got your shot, right . Your first of what will be two. How did it go, how do you feel . And there you are with your video presentation of your experience. So what do we need to know about your experience . My experience actually was fantastic. I had to give my nurse kudos after i got my shot, because it hurt a lot less than my flu vaccine. There have been a lot of people that have been skeptical about getting this vaccine. The only side effects that i experienced was a little bit of arm soreness, so i am very, very happy to say that today i am vaccinated. I cant wait to get my second dose of the vaccine so that i can be fully protected. And then depending on which vaccine you got, are you about 28 days out or less than for your second . I got my first dose of vaccine on december 15th, so 21 days from that will be the first week of january when i should be expecting my second dose. Good luck. Dr. Bicette, thank you so much for being with us and happy holidays. A nation in crisis, covid relief checks for americans on hold. Hospitals overwhelmed and there was an intentional explosion in downtown nashville, tennessee. So where is the president on all of this . The new myww is our most Holistic Program ever. You get more of what you need to help you lose weight more simplicity with whats in your fridge . Which suggests meals based on what you have. More motivation with ondemand workout classes. 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At ts best plan includes hbo max so you can stream wonder woman 1984 the exact same day it premieres in theaters, at no extra cost. President trump to hold off signing a desperately needed covid relief bill that would help millions facing a financial crisis. As he waits on signing the bill, the president spent the morning tweeting more about his ub substantiated Election Fraud and complaining that First Lady Melania Trump hadnt been featured on the cover of a magazine. Joining me is the former director of the nixon president ial library. So good to see you, tim, and happy holidays, happy new year upcoming. Boy, theres a lot to tackle here. The president has been silent for the past few weeks, really, on covid, on the relief bill, he has talked a lot and tweeted about the Election Fraud that he maintains. But how do you assess this here . And then on the heels of pardoning more than 40 . Well, first of all, happy holidays, fred, and Merry Christmas to all. The president stopped being the president in all but one sense after election day. I mean, he kept being the losing candidate. But president stopped talking to us about covid, he mentioned the vaccines, but only as a way of giving himself a pat on the back. Weve heard nothing from him on russias cyberattack, and weve heard nothing from him about the bomb in downtown nashville. So with the exception of pardons, this president has stopped being president and has just been an unhappy losing candidate. And that just shows selfishness. Right now the American People need the covid relief bill. He would like americans to receive 2,000 each, which is a great idea, push for it. Dont just tweet about it. Go and talk to mcconnell. Talk to pelosi. Get these people together in one room. Hes not doing that. Its a show for him. Hes on an i still matter tour and thats about it. You wrote in the atlantic, while these pardons that the president has just carried out recently, you said they are disturbing, but theyre hardly novel. So weve seen it before with some president s, but not of this magnitude. Right. Look, there are bad pardons associated with some of our modern president s, but were talking about unique moments. Rough back of the envelope calculation, i find about at least 25 of President Trumps pardons have gone to tax cheats, have gone to people engaged in fraud, people who have done dirty tricks in campaigns, or people who have obstructed justice in one or two different ways. That is a pattern of showing quote unquote mercy to cheats that weve never seen on this scale before. As i said, some president s have had bad pardons. The famous mark rich pardon by bill clinton. The iran contra pardons. John f. Kennedys pardon of a cheat who had worked for harry s. Truman. Those have happened, but never on this kind of scale. Its as if donald trump is retaliating against the entire Justice Department and the entire Justice System. Retaliating against the entire Justice System in your view, but at the same time, rewarding those who have been loyal, perhaps thats how hes interpreting these people. You call them cheats, but these people, especially as it relates to the russia investigation, they showed their loyalty to the president. They didnt using the words of the president , they didnt rat him out, so hes rewarding them. Think about this. Most everyone plays by the rules. They may hurt at times. It may make you angry. But you play by the rules. You play by the rules as an ordinary citizen, and were all ordinary citizens, you play by the rules if you participate in professional sports. Donald trump is rewarding people who didnt play by the rules because he doesnt like to play by the rules. He doesnt like to play by the rules of the constitution. Right now he would like to be reelected even though the votes arent there. That in contrast of what he says, hes the law and order president. Hes the my law and disorder. Thats his presidency. Tim, how do you assess the legacy of this president . Because while in the end he is saying 2,000 for americans, perhaps he is trying to cement what he would hope to be a legacy to show hes fighting for the people in the midst of this pandemic. But in the totality of four years and his actions in these last couple of months post his defeat, what has he cemented about his legacy in your view . He launched an assault on our institutions and on our constitution. He decided to divide us. He had an opportunity to unite us as a sort of nonpolitical leader. He could have united us. He decided to go awol on the worst Public Health crisis in a century. I think his legacy are the deaths that didnt have to happen as a result of covid, its the economic despair that this country is suffering because the federal government didnt want to work with states as they could have. Its the fact that we are were not respected anymore around the world. Were not feared, were not respected. In fact, were laughed at. And its the fact that were a more divided country. His response to the issue of Racial Injustice was insensitive this summer and he furthered the pain and suffering and anger in this country. Thats his legacy. Thank you so much. Good to see you. Happy new year. Happy new year, fred. Thank you. Onto the incoming biden administration, were hearing more names of possible nominees of positions in president elect joe bidens cabinet. Rebecca buck is in washington for us with the latest. What do you have . Reporter good morning, fred, or good afternoon almost. The Biden Cabinet is filling up quickly. The vast majority of these positions have been filled, but there are a number, roughly half a dozen significant positions that were going to be looking for over the coming days and weeks as biden is set to make those announcements in early january, according to him and his campaign. One of the big ones that we will be watching is his attorney general. This, of course, a significant position in any administration, but biden says that hes particularly focused on it because he wants to restore credibility to the department of justice after the Trump Administration. Democrats, of course, believe that trump has used the doj for his own political and personal purposes, biden saying he wants to turn a page with the department of justice and his pick for attorney general. So what do we know about this very significant pick . Well, as i said, timeline were looking at potentially early january for an announcement from the biden transition, and we have a few frontrunners as well. The first is former alabama senator doug jones. Hes a loyalist to biden and a longtime ally of the president elect, someone who biden would trust very much on a personal relationship sort of level. Were also looking at judge garland, who of course was named by president obama to serve on the Supreme Court, but then never got a hearing from senate republicans, so that nomination fizzled. So these will be the two frontrunners that were keeping an eye on for this position. Were also looking at some of these other roles, labor secretary, commerce secretary, are among those nominations biden has yet to make or announce. And then one thing to note of significance here is we dont know yet whether plans or democrats will control the senate when it comes time to confirm these nominees of bidens and biden says that hes not letting that influence his process of selecting these people. Hes picking the people he wants and hell see where the chips fall, fred. Hence why i guess were going to be hearing about that early january, because its january 5th, which is when the Runoff Election for those two u. S. Senate races in georgia take place that could certainly change the balance or maintain the balance in the u. S. Senate. Thanks so much. Appreciate it. Straight ahead, concerns about covid put an end to the season for one of the countrys best Womens Basketball teams. Looking to save money this Holiday Season . Look at allstate. Drivers who switched saved, averaged 718 dollars. Saving is easy when youre in good hands. Call a local agent, or 1800allstate for a quote today. Covid19 continues to battle the world of sports. On friday, Duke UniversitysWomens BasketballTeam Announced it will cancel the remainder of its season due to concerns over the health and safety of its players. Meanwhile, after the nba postponed the Houston Rockets game against Oklahoma City due to covid issues, the big question is will the rockets face off against portland tonight. Cnns sports anchor coy wire is in atlanta. Hey, there, fred. Has of right now the rockets blazers game in portland is scheduled to go on tonight. Their game wednesday was called off because they didnt have the required eight players available to play. James harden is slotted to go just days after being fined 50,000 for breaking nba protocol by attending a party on monday indoors and without a mask. He was cleared after testing negative every day since. And while harden will play, houston still has six players unavailable due to positive coronavirus tests and contact tracing, including fellow stars john wall and demarkes cousins. Also, a huge saturday of nfl. Three games today, all of them with playoff implications. Headlined by the raiders and dolphins in prime maim, miami is 95 and on the cusp of making the playoffs, setting up a showdown against the afc east champion, Buffalo Bills in the regular season finale. The raiders are fighting for their playoff lives, needing a win tonight and next week to have a chance to make the postseason. Tom brady and the bucs will push for the number five spot which will put them in line to play a 68 Washington Team instead of the seahawks. And in one of the most bizarre hei headlines in this season, the cardinals host the 49ers today, but theyve been using the Cardinals Stadium to play their home games for the last month due to a ban on Contact Sports in santa clara county. Ive talked with 49ers players who say it will feel like a house divided for some today. Big game as the cardinals are one game up on the bears for the seventh and final playoff seed. Thank you so much. This year has been like an endless road trip for a lot of people. From impeachment to the coronavirus, President Trumps final year in the white house has like none other. The 2020 highs and lows in washington politics next. I got uh sausage you can do better, steve get a freshly made footlong, from subway® you can even order on the subway® app did i just get picked off by Deion Sanders . You sure did now in the app, get a free footlong when you buy two. Because its footlong season™ finding the right words can be tough. N it comes to autism, finding understanding doesnt have to be. Together, we can create a kinder, more inclusive world for the millions of people on the autism spectrum. Go to autismspeaks. Org experience the wonders of at nizuc resort spa, where paradise is personal. Nizuc is a world to discover unto itself, day or night, indoors or out. Something wonderful awaits. Help the world believe in holiday magic. Thing and this year was harder than ever. And yet, somehow, you all found a way to pull it off. Its not about the toys or the ornaments but about coming together. Santa, santa, youre on mute just wanted to say thanks. Thanks for believing. Experience the wonders of at nizuc resort spa, where paradise is personal. Nizuc is a world to discover unto itself, day or night, indoors or out. Something wonderful awaits. voover sixtyfour thousand whepets supported. The love, good things happen. Over twentyfive hundred wishes granted. Over two million meals provided. Over four hundred National Parks protected. In fact, subaru and our retailers will have proudly donated over two hundred Million Dollars to national and Hometown Charities through the subaru share the love event. vo get 0 for 63 months and subaru will donate 250 dollars to charity. 2020 has been dominated by at least two things, politics and the pandemic. Cnns abby phillip has a look at washingtons most unforgettable moments. 2020 was a president ial Election Year for the history books. An unpredictable democratic primary a pandemic, and a president refusing to concede. Here are washingtons most unforgettable stories of 2020. A brazen assassination within days of the new year. Iran is vowing harsh revenge of the the u. S. Killed its top general, qassem soleimani. Reporter the operation carried out after an order from a president under siege in a different way. The clerk will call the roll. Reporter President Trump had already become one of just three u. S. President s ever to be impeached. And during his election fight under a cloud. Twothirds of the u. S. Senate vote to convict, he will be removed. Reporter a quiet killer already arrived on american shores. The fastspreading coronavirus confirmed in the United States. Reporter by late january, trump moved to establish a white house covid19 task force and to suspend travel to and from china. Foreign nationals who have traveled in china will be denied entry into the United States. Reporter meanwhile, for the democrats, a crowded kraerm contest was winnowing down in the frigid flat lands of iowa. But caucus night would end with a cliff hanger. Reporter right now 0 of the precincts have reported the results. Reporter trump was quickly acquitted. The 2020 president ial race already under way in earnest, but assumed frontrunner former Vice President joe biden languished at the back. Until a key endorsement from South Carolina congressman jim clyburn helped to turn the tide. Cnn projects joe biden is the winner in South Carolina. Weve seen in a 72hour period joe biden going from being a joke to a juggernaut. Reporter as Bernie Sanders plotted his land stand, the reality of covid19 hit. Anderson, it is the first time weve heard of a Campaign Event being canceled due to coronavirus concerns. We were just hearing from the Deputy Campaign manager that they are also canceling their rally here in cleveland tonight. Reporter the next day, a Rare Oval Office address as the threat of the virus became impossible to ignore. Training had to be halted for 15 minutes so as to prevent a free fall. Reporter the nba overnight suspending its entire season. Reporter President Trump continued to doubt the severity of the virus, second guessing the science. And pushing unfounded cures culminating in this unforgettable moment. He later claimed was sarcasm. Ive seen the disinfectant when it knocks it out in one minute. Is there a way we can do Something Like that by injection inside or almost a cleaning . Reporter as most of the nation grappled with shutdowns and the push to contain the virus, the country erupted in protests over Racial Injustice and into flames. Black lives matter reporter President Trump seizing the moment. I will deploy a United States military and quickly solve the problem. Reporter a president with a penchant for drama staging his own dramatic march. Now hes standing there looking around after what was an undignified approach to the church. Reporter after months of isolation in the white house, the president eager to escape hatches a plan to return to the campaign trail. The event in oklahoma is unbelievable. The crowds are unbelievable. They havent seen anything like it. Reporter but those expectations didnt become reality. This event has fallen well short of the trump campaigns own expectations. Ive been watching in space all afternoon. It is virtually empty. Reporter back in wilmington, delaware, the democratic primary came to a quiet, virtual end. Cnn is projecting joe biden now has the number of delegates needed to officially secure the democratic president ial nomination. Reporter and democrats and the nation lose a civil rights hero. I, like so Many Americans, owe a great debt to john lewis. Reporter after a drawnout primary fight and in a year of racial strife, biden chose to make history with his Vice President ial pick. Your next Vice President of the United States, kamala harris. Reporter as both Political Parties barreled toward election day with their virtual conventions, a sudden loss of another icon, ruth bader ginsburg, set off a political earthquake within weeks of election day. Thank you very much. Reporter in days, trump selected Amy Coney Barrett as ginsburgs replacement, an ideological opposite, announcing his pick in a rose garden ceremony designed to evoke another scene from another era that would take on a different significance. The president of the United States now confirming to the world that he and the first lady of the United States have both tested positive. The announcement of the formal nomination of judge Amy Coney Barrett seems to have been a superspreader event. Reporter despite multiple republican senators testing positive for covid19, the senate moved quickly to confirm barrett, solidifying a 63 conservative majority and reshaping the Supreme Court for generations. By Election Night a Record Number of americans cast their ballot by mail or in person. But it would be days before a result would be clear. Cnn projects joseph r. Biden jr. Is elected the 46th president of the United States. Reporter the election was over for everyone but President Trump and many of his supporters. The Trump Administration is still refusing to say that joe biden is president elect. Reporter as biden moved forward building a diverse cabinet, President Trump launched a failed bid to overturn the results of the election and moved to purge disloyal officials. The president fired a key official at the department of homeland security. Supreme Court Moments ago speaking and flatout rejecting President Trumps lastditch effort to steal the election from joe biden. The jig is up. The president of the United States has no other recourse. Reporter on monday, december 14th, the Electoral College met to make bidens victory official. Though democrats nationwide lost seats in the house and control of the senate, now hinges on two january runoffs. Reporter in the last days of the year, a chaotic president issuing and threatening vetoes and announcing controversial pardons. The president uses his final days in office to throw washington into turmoil. 24 hours after pardoning corrupt congressman medicaid scamers and war criminals, the president is at it again, this time the big three are his disgraced campaign chair, paul manafort, his operative roger stone, and real estate tycoon, charles kushner. Reporter american democracy ended the year intact, but damaged. Good evening, my fellow americans. Reporter there will be a new president leading a divided nation. In 2021, can anything restore americans shaken in our democratic process and institutions . Abby phillip, cnn, washington. What a year indeed its been. Say so long, however, 2020 and hello 2021 with Anderson Cooper and andy cohen starting at 8 00 right here on cnn. Hello, again, everyone. Thank you so much for joining me. Im fredricka whitfield. We start this hour following an explosion. Investigators are calling it an intentional bombing. The city of nashville, tennessee, on edge after a parked rv exploded on a historic street early on christmas morning. Officials say possible human remains were found at the blast site after an eerie audio recording warned of an imminent explosion. If you can hear this message, evacuate now. If you can hear this message, evacuate now. The blast left at least three people injured, left several other vehicles on fire and destroyed a number of buildings on the block. Tennessee governor bill lee just requesting an Emergency Declaration from President Trump to help with ongoing relief efforts after touring the damage. We just learned investigators are expected to give as an update sometime this afternoon. Natasha chen is live for us in nashville. Natasha, what are you hearing from investigators . Reporter this is very much an active scene