for the second day in a row the united states is reporting the most covid deaths in a single day. new cdc data predicts an even more grim january. much of england's waking up under new tougher covid restrictions as it looks toward the rollout of another vaccine. and the u.s. president is cutting his florida vacation

short as some republicans plan to disrupt the certification of joe biden's presidential win. hello and a very good morning to you. welcome to our viewers in the united states and around the world. it is 8:00 a.m. anywhere london. i'm isa soares and "cnn newsroom" starts right now. it's now new year's eve across much of the world and the united states is on the verge of closing out 2020 with the highest daly death tolls yet from the coronavirus. have a look at this. wednesday was the most deaths reported in a single day. well over 3,700 people. and u.s. health experts predict more than 80,000 more americans will die of the disease in the next three weeks. more than 12 million doses of covid vaccine have been

distributed across the united states. yet only a fraction, less than 3 million shots in fact have actually been given to people. that's far, far less than the 20 million doses that the administration had projected by the end of the year. a former aide to vice president mike pence said the slow rollout was indicative of an administration that has mishandled the health crisis right from the beginning. >> it comes down to really just a lack of a national strategy on this vaccine distribution. and this has been the problem from day one on the pandemic response. >> well, president trump's so-called testing czar acknowledged the shortfall but said he was confident the vaccination pace would pick up after the new year. take a listen. >> of course we need to be doing a better job. but all vaccine programs start somewhat slow. i think it's more of just you starting a program and that starts relatively slowly and ramps up very quickly. i know we will be distributing about 30 million more in january

and potentially up to 50 million more in february. >> while many u.s. hospitals have been at the breaking point for weeks, a record 125,000 people are currently being treated in covid wards right across the country. and now a new more contagious variant of the virus has been detected in the u.s. including hard-hit california. >> just an hour or so ago we were informed that this new variant, this new strain that we've identified obviously from the united kingdom, some other parts of the globe, identified in colorado yesterday, has been identified here in the state of california in southern california. >> we'll have more on the coronavirus pandemic in the united states in just a moment. meanwhile, it's a bittersweet day in britain's fight against covid-19. just as the uk become the first country to approve a vaccine from oxford university and aft

rah zen ka, much of england moved into the high quest restriction. 3/4 of the population are under covid rules. prime minister boris johnson explained why. >> we've seen a 40% increase in cases in england in the last week alone. almost 15% more patients in hospital. more than at the peak of the first wave. so at this critical moment, with the prospect of freedom within reach, we've got to redouble our efforts to contain the virus. >> senior international correspondent matthew chance joins me now for more in london. and matthew, these numbers that we see, they're spiking, in many cases they are doubling, and yet so many people, millions of people in fact, will be waking up this new year's eve under further restrictions. >> reporter: yeah. i mean, look, britain is facing an incredibly dangerous situation when it comes to these

holiday, these new year festivities. the british authorities have warned people not to go to parties. covid loves crowds, they've said. they've urged people to stay at home. to reinforce that they've put 2/3 of the country under the most severe level of restrictions, tier 4 restrictions as they call them here. shutting down non-essential businesses. urging people, making people sort of work from home. because those figures that have been reported over the past 24 hours are really causing genuine alarm across the country. you've got nearly 1,000 dead, as i think you just mentioned, over the course of the past 24 hours. 50,000, which is the high quest number since april, you've got 50,000 new infections over that same period. and the really interesting figure which is one that i think's alarming a lot of people in the authorities in this country, is there are now more than 260,000 people who have been hospitalized because of covid-19. and obviously the pressure that that's placed on the british health service has been

enormous, and so the government are moving to try and, you know, ease the pressure on the health service to prevent it being sort of, you know, kind of crushed. >> yeah. and this new variant, it seems, matthew, seems to be behind the large -- the biggest part of this -- the biggest surge that we're seeing here. these numbers, as you were breaking it down for us, matthew tharks so sobering. and it comes at a time the uk's approved this new vaccine. difference a sense of the distribution as well as the vaccination plan. >> reporter: well, i think that plan is still emerging as i understand it, although i understand the first of the astrazeneca oxford university vaccine will be rolled out in this country from the 4th of january. so really in a few days from now. what the authorities say is they're going to bolster the distribution infrastructure, get the vaccination centers all up and running to really step up the number of people that they

can vaccinate on a daily baesis with a view to getting the most vulnerable groups vaccinated first of all, old people, people in care homes, care workers on the front -- frontline medical staff, and people like that. but the big advantage of the astrazeneca oxford university vaccine isn't just that it's cheap and it is, and there's a deal been imposed by oxford university on astrazeneca that it has to be sold in perpetuity at cost price, which is really important, but also it's a much easier vaccine to store. it can be stored at regular refrigerator temperatures. it doesn't have to be stored at, you know, 70 degrees centigrade below, which is what the pfizer vaccine has to be stored at, which requires specialized facilities. so it's a game changer in the sense that it's going to be much more widely available and much more practical as a vaccination, not just here in britain but elsewhere around the world as well. isa. >> matthew chance for us in london. thanks so much, matthew. let's get more on this. dr. peter drobak is an infectious disease and global

health expert at the university of oxford here in london. good morning to you. great to see you once again. before we talk about the vaccine we just heard matthew chance talk about that's been approved i want to get your take first on the sobering covid numbers out of the uk. how worried are you about the surge of cases as well as deaths? particularly this new variant that seems to be running rampant. >> well, i'm extremely concerned. and the numbers as we've just heard are really alarming. we have more patients in hospital now in the uk than at any time during this pandemic, and we haven't yet seen the effects of any christmas household mixing that would have occurred last week. it's clear that this variant is becoming the dominant strain because it spreads more easily. so most of the new cases we're seeing are of this new variant. and while it's not more deadly, if one were to get infected with it, the fact that it is so much more infectious and spreading more quickly means that it's going to lead to many more hospitalizations and deaths. what's really important is if

you look back over the last couple of months as this new variant has emerged we see that actually even during the uk's most recent lockdown in november and early december those numbers of the new variant were still rising. so even our kind of existing playbook of control measures had not been enough. >> yeah. and like you said, doctor, it's not -- these numbers are not taking into account the holiday period when some families were together and obviously new year's happening tonight. but doctor, do you believe that the measures that have been outlined -- were outlined yesterday by the government in terms of tiers, do you think that they go far enough in your opinion in trying to really curb the spread of the virus or do you think we need to go to a national lockdown here? >> unfortunately, i don't think they go far enough. there's clear evidence if you look that tier 4 restrictions or the equivalent, which is what the most recent so-called lockdown was in november, still allowed for increasing numbers of cases with this new variant.

so we have no evidence that tier 4 restrictions are enough. in fact, some evidence to suggest that it's not. so i do think we need to go to a national lockdown. it's a blunt instrument but unfortunately i think there's no alternative. and there are some really tough choice that's we face now among things like closing down schools as well when we think about them coming back into term next week. >> yeah, on that point, actually, closing down schools, i'm a mother to two young boys. their schools will be open. but to be completely honest you-w i'm quite hesitant to send them to school next week simply because of this new strain. what do you tell parents whose kids can go to school? >> it's a really difficult one. one of the things that we're finding with the new variant, though it's not confirmed, but that normally what we've been seeing is that children seem to be less likely to get infected and to pass the virus on. these are younger children. but with this new variant that does not appear to be the case. that they're represented in higher numbers and they may be

actually more likely than with other strains to actually get infected. this is not an easy question because there are so many ripple effects to closing, physically closing down schools. there haven't been investments in remote education. so it's not a question of whether they should be open or should be closed, but we have to really think about how this can be done, how this can be done safely, and right now i think haven't been investments to think about that. i think it probably makes sense to not open schools next week and to work really agreta van susterenly aggressively over the next few weeks to keep testing and taking measures in school to keep them safe. >> like you said, doctor, there are so many unknowns at this stage about this variant that perhaps time would help when it comes at least to schools and preparation. dr. peter drobac, always great to see you. have a wonderful new year's. >> happy new year. >> happy new year.

>> now, on the final dave a tragic really and tumultuous year the prime minister and parliament can check a massively daunting, contentious and high-stakes task off their to-do list. coverage of the post-brexit deal. next. all of that extra toilet paper was a good idea, but now you've flushed it all. and it's building up in your septic tank. but monthly usage of rid-x is scientifically proven to break down waste. maintain your septic tank with rid-x.

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we'll return to the covid-19 pan demmic and i want to show you this. cases still climbing in parts of the united states. with a record number of covid deaths reported on wednesday. as you can see, california is red and cases there are also climbing. look at that. for more on this let's bring in dr. nathan cooperman. he's chair of the emergency medical department at the university of california davis. doctor, thank you very much for being with us. let me begin with the chilling surge, i think it's fair to say, of cases and deaths in the u.s. give me a sense of what you're seeing and what your colleagues are seeing in your e.r. >> we are seeing over the last month an increased number of cases and increased number of severe cases of covid here in northern california. >> are you at capacity?

how are you managing with that? because we've seen hospitalizations surging dramatically. >> fortunately, here in northern california, although our hospital is full, we are not above capacity. in southern california they are experiencing much higher capacity than we are. but we are busy. and the patients that we are receiving are sick. so our icu is near capacity. >> it's near capacity. and the numbers -- you know, the numbers as we've just outlined, they are sobering. yet it's not taking into account yet, doctor, the christmas surge and new year's. and we've heard dr. fauci saying that the darkest days are yet to come. do you think that will be the case? what's your worst fear here? >> well, i would agree with dr. fauci that given the holiday activity and the airport activity that we've seen in the united states over the last week

that i anticipate that there will be further surges in january and february. fortunately, where we are here at uc davis medical center in northern california, we're prepared for the surge and we have the ability to expand our icu capacity to accommodate the sick patients that i anticipate seeing. so i would agree that january and february may be our most severe months. >> and how does the pandemic now feel to you in comparison to what we saw at the peak at the march, april stage, doctor? >> it's a very good question. so that early peak in march was not half as big as the peak now. but back in march we didn't know what we were dealing with. we had a new viral pandemic. we did not know how to treat patients. and we weren't sure if we were transmitting disease to our families and to our loved ones. now the peak is much greater,

yet we are much more experienced in caring for this disease. so we know how to treat patients. we know how to keep ourselves safe and protected. and we are also mindful of everybody's wellness and trying not to burn our clinicians out because that's a great risk. >> yeah. i mean, you know how to treat patients. you are taking great care. but you must also be exhausted. i have so many friends who are doctors here in the uk, doctor, and they are physically and mentally drained. not to mention as one friend told me recently they're working in constant anxiety. >> so you're absolutely true that these times are exhausting both mentally and physically. and you have to be super mindful about that because people are getting sick. fortunately, at our health system nobody has died. that is, no staff have died from covid. but given that this is an

academic medical center we are really asking people just to care for patients, get home, and take care of themselves, rest in between their shifts, don't worry about anything else except for the outstanding care of patients. because this is a time unlike any we've ever experienced. so we are having to be very mindful of people's physical health and mental health as well. >> yeah, and worth reminding people that when you're done everyone's done with their shift they then have to go home and look after loved ones as well and families. they all have families. let me ask you, doctor, about vaccinations because we were told that 20 million doses would be administered by january the 1st but we're so far off from that target, doctor. so what would it -- what's needed to pick up pace, do you think? >> well, that's an outstanding question that public health authorities need to answer. we've only administered 2 million doses i think in the united states.

fortunately, at health systems like ours everybody has been immunized and we followed cdc recommendation of who is first tier, who is second tier. so emergency personnel, intensive care personnel receive the vaccine first. and then on down the line. the administrators only at the very end. so fortunately, the good news is that we feel sort of a shot of hope and we feel better prepared to care for patients psychologically because we, at least the clinicians, are protected. but the distribution nationally has been a problem that public health authorities need to answer. >> dr. nathan kuppermann, university of california davis, thank you very much, sir, for your time and all your work and all your colleagues. we wish you a better new year and a healthy new year, too. thank you, sir. now, i want to take you to the uk, where the post-brexit

trade deal is now, tick, a done deal. >> my lords, i have to notify the house that in accordance with the royal assent act 1967 that her majesty the queen has signified her assent to the following act. european union brackets future relationship act. >> and there you have it. the law signed by the prime minister approved by the house of lords has received the royal asent of the queen. and it goes into effect 11:00 tonight here in the uk. once again, cnn correspondents are covering all the developments across europe. salem abdul aziz is in london. cyril vanier is standing by in paris. good morning to both of you. salma, on any other day if we didn't have the pandemic, brexit would have been a top story here. you and i know this very well. give me a sense of the mood in the country because i know this has been such a divisive issue. >> it's definitely a very depressing and dark time here with all of the covid updates,

but finally sort of a sense that at least this chapter is closed. the brexit war is over. the peace treaty has been signed, if you will. and now begins the new relationship. the new friendship with the eu. if you speak to the prime minister of course he will tout this as a victory. he says that he's been able to give people -- the people of britain something that they had hoped and wished for in their hearts but never believed is true, that he's delivered that to them, that they can now regain control of their borders, of their sovereignty, their national destiny, that this is only going to make the uk more prosperous and the eu as well a better body because it has no longer this reluctant member state. now it has a best friend, an ally, as the prime minister has put it. but for many this is of course a very sad day as well, isa. it is a day in which they have left the eu, severing ties, and lost an identity. you are no longer in some ways british and european. you are no longer as a young person now able to pick up and move to spain or study nilt or decide to just live in greece for a year.

none of those are options anymore. and ultimately the litmus test of this is going to be businesses, ordinary families, how do they fare under these new rules? and now we get to see that. it's no longer in theory, isa. >> yeah, absolutely. and cyril, for europe they must be breathing a sigh of relief simply because the negotiations have ended. what has been the reaction from europe, cyril? >> reporter: isa, i think you're right. relief is a good way to describe it. there wasn't a lot of emotion today. any tears that were going to be shed over brex itd, and there were, were shed a long time ago. europeans knew this was coming for a number of years now and it was just a matter of how messy it was going to be, bearing in mind that most europeans at the official level and the population level felt that the uk frankly had a lot more to lose than the 27 eu member states in this. so to the extent that europe nz feel their businesses and their economy is protected from unfair competition from the uk, and they do, they are satisfied with

the deal that took place. of course those that are fervently pro european and believe in the european ideal were very disappointed that this happened in the first place because those who want to see europe speak with a strong voice on the international stage, it is just undeniable that that voice is not as strong when the eu loses one of its biggest strongest members in the uk. now, so this is a bitter and to a bitter year, isa. and most people have covid on their mind. and to the extent that they can still travel to the uk for tourism, europeans i have to say are going to be okay with it. you know, european commission president drasula vondalay. and i don't want to steal your line because i know you wanted to touch on this. but said the day this deal was done we have to put brexit behind us. and it feels like that's what happened. >> yet again, cyril, you're stealing my thunder. thank you very much to you both. great to see you. i'll speak to you in the next hour.

cyril vanier there and salma abdul aziz. i want to bring in john rentule, chief complicate commentator at independent and visiting profrt kings college. you and i have spoken at great length about brexit outside the houses of parliament for many, many years. in fact, it's taken 4 1/2 years for us to get here, john. >> 4 1/2. >> yes, exactly. let's not forget that. so is the deal a triumph, do you think, john, for boris johnson? stay trium is it a triumph for the uk? >> it's a triumph for boris johnson. absolutely, no question about that. a huge personal victory for him. 4 1/2 years ago he tentatively decided to put himself at the head of the referendum campaign to leave the eu and now nearly five years polarity he's dolate he's prime minister, he's gotten us out of the eu and he signed a trade deal that a lot of people

were very skeptical about. but whether it's a victory for the country depends on your point of view. half the country didn't want to leave. half the country did. so it divides us right down the middle. >> yeah. i think it's fair to say, and correct me if i'm wrong, john, but leaving the eu was never really about economic proposition but rather such an emotionally charged political one. so what challenges does the uk face going forward? now that it's in control of its sovereignty. >> well, you're absolutely right. it wasn't primarily an economic argument. it was a question of sovereignty and the fact that people didn't like free movement of people because they thought a nation state ought to be able to decide who comes and who goes. and that was a very strong feeling. now, the question is how much of an economic price do we have to pay for that? and that of course is going to be very difficult to assess in

the middle of a coronavirus recession. but the -- what we don't know is what kind of disruption there will be at the border, especially the dover-calais border on january the 2nd. because i mean january the 1st is a bank holiday. >> yeah, exactly. these are the things that we'll all be looking at. and like you said, it's harder to tell because of coronavirus as well and the restrictions. but you know, you're pointing out something -- you touched on something i think that really struck me throughout, throughout our conversations over the years, is this has been such an emotional issue, john, for so many. it has divided the nation for nearly five years like you said. it's split families and brought down two conservative prime ministers. do you think it will ever cease to divide the country? >> it won't be as sharp, i think, the division from now on. the labor party yesterday had to come to terms with this deal. the leader of the opposition

asked his mps to vote for it. so there was a huge majority for it in the house of commons. but tlt go on being an issue. i mean, our relationship with our nearest neighbor, with the largest market in the world right on our doorstep, is going to be a constant issue. and there's an awful lot of things that weren't decided in the trade agreement that boris johnson signed yesterday. so there will be continuing negotiations. especially about things like financial services and the things that were left -- the difficult issues that were left to one side. even the fishing issue, which was really complicated. that hasn't been sorted out definitively. there will be a five-year transition period. >> yeah. and i don't like to say this because it's such a cliche, but in this instance it really is a question of only time will tell of how this relationship, of how the impact it has on the uk. john rentoul from "the independent," thank you so much. great to see you, john. have a wonderful new year.

>> my pleasure. thank you. now, donald trump is up for an early return to the white house as one republican senator says he'll object to the certification of joe biden's win. what that means for you. next.

warm welcome back to our viewers in the united states and right around the world. i'm isa soares, and you are watching "cnn newsroom." now, in just a matter of hours president donald trump is set to leave florida, where he spent the holidays, and return to washington earlier than expected. and that means he'll be skipping his annual new year's eve bash at mar-a-lago. and he'll be back at the white house ahead of a republican plan

to disrupt the certification of joe biden's win. kaitlan collins explains for you. >> reporter: it's a move that will delight president trump and rankle republican leadership. josh hawley becoming the first republican senator to say he'll object when congress meets next week to certify joe biden's win. an effort that won't change the outcome but could set up a showdown in washington. >> there's a very clear process to handle with and dispense with objections from hebz of congress to the counting of the result. and that's just what we'll do, dispense with them. >> reporter: hawley writing, "at the very least congress should investigate allegations of voter fraud and adopt measures to secure the integrity of our elections." senate majority leader mitch mcconnell warned his caucus against this very move, saying it was bound to fail and would force republicans to defy trump or vote against a fair election. >> so you've either got to say there was no systematic fraud or

donald trump had the worst legal team in the history of western civilization. this is a complete sham. >> reporter: hawley is the first republican senator to say he'll object, but he may not be the last as others also consider their political futures. meanwhile, the president argued that because a gallup poll found he was the most admired man of 2020 it also means he won the election. as $600 stimulus checks were being deposited into bank accounts of americans overnight, the fate of the $2,000 ones that trump pushed for at the last minute remained in limbo. as he tweeted $2,000 asap. mcconnell made clear today the senate won't move forward on a house-passed bill to increase checks to $2,000 and will only consider a bill that includes trump's other demands as well, which democrats argue will doom it. >> the only way, the only way to get to the american people the $2,000 checks they deserve and

need is to pass the house bill and pass it now. >> the senate's not going to be bullied into rushing out more borrowed into into the hands of democrat rich friends who don't need the help. >> reporter: the president is l. also lashing out at republican officials in georgia, once again urging the gop governor he once endorsed to resign from office while falsely claiming the secretary of state, who voted for him, has a brother working for china. president-elect biden today announced he'll visit the state on monday ahead of a high-stakes senate race, the same day president trump is scheduled to hold a rally there. >> hello, georgia. >> reporter: the focus on the 2020 race and the fate of the senate majority comes as trump is back to blaming states for criticism of his own coronavirus response, now saying it's on them to distribute the vaccine and telling them to get moving. >> kaitlan collins reporting there, traveling with the

president in florida. as you heard kaitlan reporting, mr. trump and president-elect joe biden are both set to hold campaign events in georgia ahead of that crucial senate runoff. so far more than 2 1/2 million votes have been cast in early polling in the state. joining me now with his perspective is professor of international politics at city university and visiting professor at london school of economics. indijit, thank you very much for being with us. so president trump heading back to d.c. to try to disrupt president-elect biden's certification, which is i believe mostly ceremonial. so what's the strategy from the president here? >> well, i think president trump has succeeded, if you like, in creating a very toxic political environment, one in which there are divisions, particularly within the republican party now, which he has really roiled up. and i think he's created a lot of confusion in many people's finds, particularly his voter base, about the election result

itself. and i think this kind of construction of chaos and confusion is probably part of a broader strategy to try to overturn by any means which are available to him the election result of november 2020. and it shows really that president trump will stop pretty much at nothing to try to overturn that election result and people around him have been talking about a declaration of martial law. the rerunning of key battleground state elections. and now of course josh hawley, senator, has declared that he's going to challenge the result in the senate on the 6th of january. and i think that confusion is going to be very -- a very sort of damaging one. >> let's talk about josh hawley because i found this so interesting. he's become the first senator to say he will object to the certification of joe biden. but as we heard kaitlan collins reporting, he might not be the last. so does it have any chance of succeeding is my first question. but also, if not why exactly is

he doing this? is this a personal gain thing? >> well, it's very little chance of it succeeding because of the numbers in the house and in the senate, with enough republicans who are going to certify the election. but this is much more posturing for 2024 and the presidential election run that hawley and others are likely to join. so there may be ted cruz. there may be rand paul. may be tom cotton and many others as well. and i think they are basically now siding with the coinkind of trumpist line of a stolen election, an illegitimate biden presidency and the stab in the back theory which is their effort to keep hold of the electorate of 74 million that voted for president trump in november. >> so perhaps playing to trump's base for personal gain looking ahead for his own personal career. let's talk about the high-stakes race in georgia because it's definitely getting very heated.

more than 2 1/2 people have already voted early in georgia as we said earlier. who does that bode well for? because democrats so far are sounding very confident, inderjeet. >> i think if the pattern of the election is followed then democrats far more likely to vote early and therefore that will give that kind of boost, but on the other hand, you know, republican voters vote in person in greater numbers. but there is an additional factor that the fact that president trump has created this kind of confusion around the election results and attacked election officials from the republican party in georgia itself, there are a lot of extreme trump voters who are saying they're not going to turn out to vote, that the vote should be boycotted. and i think that shows that the confusion that he's created could actually come back and blow back against the gop in the senate and it could hand the senate over to president biden and the democratic party going

forward, which would be a major advantage in carrying out some of the major agenda items that the democrats put forward in that election. >> professor inderjeet parma, thank you very much for your insight. appreciate it. have a wonderful new year. >> thank you very much. 911 calls have been released from just moments after the nashville bombing. >> oh, my god. my entire building just fell down and it's collapsing. i live at [ bleep ] 2nd avenue north. please come. please -- >> just ahead, the search for motive for the christmas day attack and the lead that was missed. that's next. ♪

♪ ocean spray works with nature every day to keep you healthy rescue workers in southern norway are still searching for up to 11 missing adults and children after a landslide swept away more than a dozen buildings. these incredible images you're looking at show the destruction left behind in a residential area 30 kilometers north of

oslo. at least ten people were injured. about 900 people were forced from their homes. saudi arabia is blaming houthi rebels backed by iran for wednesday's attack on an airport in yemen. the houthi have not claimed responsibility. [ explosion ] now, officials say at least 22 people were killed in the attack, which happened soon after members of a newly formed government arrived. you saw there from saudi arabia. they were not hurt. an investigation into what caused the explosion is under way in saudi arabia. this attack is just the latest challenge it's had to face. now, new information about the nashville bomber suggests he could have been making explosives as early as august 2019 and if police had searched his property then the christmas day attack may have been prevented. cnn's martin savidge has the

latest for you. >> 911. what is the address of your emergency? >> reporter: tonight newly released 911 calls revealing the moments before and after the blast. just before 5:30 a.m. christmas day the first call comes in to nashville police, reporting what sounded like gunfire in the city's tourist district. >> there have been three rounds of gunshots inside the building. >> reporter: police respond. but instead of a gunman they find an rv blaring a warning to evacuate the area. >> if you can hear this message, evacuate now. >> reporter: the next 911 calls come after the rv has exploded. >> oh, my god. my entire building just fell down and it's collapsing. i live at [ bleep ] 2nd avenue north. please come. >> reporter: but it was another call to 911 16 months earlier some say could have prevented the entire tragedy. >> 911, what is the address of your emergency? >> reporter: august 21st, 2019. an attorney reports he's concerned about one of his

clients. >> maybe i can defuse this situation. >> reporter: police show up at the home of pamela perry, who according to the officer's report tells them she's the girlfriend of anthony warner, the suspected bomber in the christmas day explosion in nashville, who died in the blast. she says that her boyfriend was building bombs in the rv trailer at his residence. police also talked to perry's attorney, who tells the officers warner frequently talks about the military and bomb making. he stated he believes that warner knows what he's doing and is capable of making a bomb. >> i made a report on the spot for him to get checked out. i did all i knew that i could do. >> reporter: according to the report police go to warner's home, knock but get no answer. police observe there was an rv trailer in the back yard but the yard was fenced off and police could not see inside. they eventually leave and the report ends. supervisors were notified of the incident. authorities never managed to speak to warner or get a look

inside his rv. the same rv authorities say detonated with such devastating force on christmas day. >> if somebody had checked tony out and gotten him the help that he needed, then this would have never happened. >> reporter: late this afternoon the chief of nashville's metro police department defended his officers' actions in 2019. >> i believe the officers did everything they could legally. maybe we could have followed up more. hindsight is 20-20. >> reporter: martin savidge, cnn, nashville. from paris to new york, one photographer captures the emotional toll of the pandemic. he explains what inspired him. that's coming up next. what's inside airborne?

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becky hammon makes nba history again. hammon made history as the first woman to be a full-time assistant coach in the top tier of u.s. pro basketball, and now she's become the first woman to assume head coaching duties during the nba's regular season. she took over when the san antonio spurs' head coach was thrown out of the game. the spurs lost but hammon won a spot in the history books. congratulations to her. let there be many more. now, photographer peter turnley has spent months

capturing the raw moments of the pandemic. from lockdown new york to reopening in paris, he has documented the crisis literally as it has unfolded. and here he explains what led him on this difficult journey. >> in the beginning i didn't have any kind of goal. i was literally existing with my camera. and i met an ambulance emt named mike galloway, and i asked him to tell me his story. and among the other things he told me that he was upset because he didn't think that he and his colleagues had enough ppe and he said you know, i don't think i'm the only one that feels this way. after about a month i got a phone call one night from mike and he told me that a legendary new york paramedic, anthony tony thomas, had just passed way from covid. there was going to be a ceremony at a funeral home in brooklyn. he wanted know if i'd be willing to come to photograph this ceremony because mike and his colleagues wanted to give tony the send-off that he deserved. and i said that would be an

honor. every night at 7:00 many of the nurses and the doctors of lenox hill hospital would come out, and many people if the upper east side neighborhood would come and express their heartfelt large applause and thanks for these essential health care workers. this particular night a car pulls up. one of the young men gets up on top of the car with a microphone and he starts to sing the song "america the beautiful." and i saw the woman that is in the cover photograph of my book, whose name is erica. she happens to be from brazil, has lived in the united states for a long time. she's a traveling north. she had left north carolina to work with covid patients at lenox hill hospital. as i looked at her, i saw her put her hand over her heart as she listened to this song. and i saw tears in her eyes. and what struck me after i made this photograph is i feel that erica's tears are our tears.

she cried for all of us that day. when i returned to paris, this city that i know so well, what struck me were two things. one was the universality of this moment. the feelings and emotion that people in paris were feeling with each other. the similar kind of solidarity. the appreciation that people felt for the people that were saving their lives, the essential workers. all of this was very similar to what i had seen in new york. what was different were some of the visual reference points. when i would see parisians that now for the first time in literally three months could come and sit outside and not be isolated at home. the louvre opening for the very first day was incredibly emotional for me. i saw a young couple that were visiting in the louvre from the ukraine. they said to me, would you mind making us a photograph of us because this moment means a lot to us. and i said of course. and they touched their mask to each other's lips in a kiss in front of the mona lisa and i thought that was so wonderfully

symbolic of that moment. as i've made these photographs during this period of time of covid and have spoken to people and have shared their stories, what has struck me has been the need that we all have worldwide to identify with each other. i believe profoundly that we are all members of our human family. everyone on this earth is my brother and sister. and it is with that kind of love for each other and the recognition of the beauty of our diversity that we can go forward. thank you. >> there is so much pain in those photos but also so much beauty, so much humanity there. peter turnley has published his photographs in a new book, as you can see there on your screen, titled "new york to paris: visual diary, the human face of covid-19." and to learn more about his work and get a copy you can go to peterturnley.com. and that wraps up this hour of "cnn newsroom." i'm isa soares. i'll be back in a few minutes for another hour. don't go anywhere. see every delivery...

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gotta respect his determination. it's easy and affordable to get started. get self protection for $10 a month. ending the year on a grim note, the united states has a second consecutive record day for coronavirus deaths while getting vaccines out quickly remains a challenge. plus, president trump cut short his holiday as republicans eye a last ditch attempt to challenge the presidential election result. and a post brexit tr