celebrate ending it might be this one. here is one more reminder why. today's celebrations in times square one more normally massive event transformed by the pandemic. no packed crowds of partying people there this year. police are saying stay away. health officials warning everyone to avoid large gatherings and we're getting day-by-day reminders of why that is. this new year's eve more than 340,000 people here for last year's countdown are gone, lost, a second day in a row of record deaths, approaching 4,000 dead in a single day and a new cdc estimate says another 80,000 americans who will be here for the countdown tonight will die before the end of next month. this is happening as the white house coronavirus task force admits that the vaccine rollout in this country is lagging far beyond this administration's own goals, even as the more contagious variant of the virus begins to pop up in more than

one state here in the u.s. that new covid strain first surfaced in colorado, it's also been confirmed in california, dr. fauci says we should expect it in many more states already. paul vercammen is in los angeles. los angeles, i don't have to tell you, one of the worst-hit parts of the country right now. hospitals overwhelmed. tell us what you're seeing there. >> reporter: well, just horrific conditions, and now all eyes on staying, that's where the new variant strain of covid-19 turned up in a 30-year-old man his symptoms two days after christmas. he was asked if he traveled and he said no. governor gavin newsom and dr. fauci were having a conversation and dr. fauci talked about this variant and he said that the vaccine will be able to defend against the variant. >> when you get vaccinated, the

immune response that you make is called polyclonal, which means it's against many different parts of the virus, so even though you have one part of the virus that's changed, it is very likely that the other components of the vaccine induced response will protect you. >> reporter: so the variant just another thing to be concerned with in a state that has 20,000 hospitalizations currently, jim, covid-19 hospitalizations. >> tell us what this means for doctors and nurses in los angeles, because as a result of this, they now have to take on another really just difficult, difficult role. >> they're already exhausted and heartsick, jim, and now because relatives cannot go into the hospitals to be with their loved ones, who are sick with covid, doctors and nurses are having to make phone calls, "the call" and

they talk to the relative and put them on the phone with somebody who might be on the brink are intubation or "losing their faculties" or gut-wrempb wrenching they have to do this time and time and time again and in some cases, they're even handing the patient an ipad so they can communicate with those loved ones and they all cross their fingers and pray that it's not the last conversation with the loved one. >> paul vercammen, thanks for bringing us the news. the cdc out with a new report that shows 2.7. americans have been vaccinated so far, far less than the 20 million the trump administration projected we'd have in the arms of americans by now. the fact is, weeks before that the president said 100 million would have had it by today. kristen holmes joins us now. kristen, i know you've been

looking into what exactly has stood in the way here. what's happening? why only 2.7 million, when 20 million, 40 million, 100 million had been promised by now? >> two things going on here. one is when you talk about the 40 million, 100 million, many of those numbers were coming from president trump, who health officials say was overpromising at this point. then the other part of this, what is exactly going on with the rollout so far that roughly if we look at the numbers right now, question put them up for you, more than 12 million have been distributed, vaccine doses but as you said only 2.7 million are actually having been administered. so that's where the discrepancy is right at this second. we're hearing from administration officials who for the last weeks had been blaming this on lagging reports, saying this is just the usual lagging reporting from the states to the cdc. now they are acknowledging that there is, in fact, a problem, that they don't know exactly what it is. they said it was a steep learning curve, but this isn't where they wanted to be.

when i talked to state officials, they say the problem on their end is that they just don't have the resources, the training, everything they need to get those shots into arms, and now you're hearing these federal officials talking about how they can actually work with the states to get this done. so as we move forward here, i'm hearing from multiple federal officials who really believe this is going to become more of a seamless process. they're going to be able to, one, ramp up that production. remember where we are in production right now. eventually need 330 million doses. we're nowhere near that right now. so they do believe there's going to be a process at some point where they are able to ramp up that production once the defense production act really kicks in, and they also believe that there's going to be a more seamless reporting so that people are actually reporting those numbers on time, but right now, jim, the fact remains, we are far, far behind where we thought we'd be at this time. >> kristen holmes, thanks. while u.s. vaccine

distribution does lag, dr. anthony fauci says an alternative plan is now being considered, one that would get more vaccines into the arms of americans by taking the second required dose, which is currently being reserved, and using it now. >> that's under consideration. i think if done properly you could do a single dose, reserve doses for the second dose and still get the job done, but there's a lot of discussion about whether or not you want to spread out the initial vaccination by getting more people vaccinated on the first round. >> joining us now, is dr. amish hiladlga from john hopkins center for health security. doctor, let's begin with the idea dr. fauci is presenting here. these vaccines, moderna and pfizer one to remind folks at home require two doses three or four weeks apart. he's suggesting listen, get as many folks that first dose,

worry about the second dose later. smart plan? >> i think it's something worth discussing. we know that one dose does give you some level of protection. not optimal protection. the dose studied was the two-dose regimen but we're in a public health emergency, we're having huge lags in getting vaccine into the arms of americans and you've already seen the united kingdom take this approach. it is something we need to discuss. i think it's also the case that many states haven't been able to drnt the v distribute the vaccines on hand. there's multifactors, multiple factors at play. i don't know what the best solution is but this has to be one on the table. >> that's a problem, right? if states are having trouble getting this out there, and you hear of millions of doses still sitting on the shelves, the president has really checked out on this, and he's saying it's up to the states here, but i've been speaking to doctors all week, they make the point that many states just don't have the capability of doing this and for one, we're putting an enormous burden on private, for instance, pharmacy chains like cvs to do

it, to get it out themselves. is that going to work or do we as a country have to rejigger, rework this plan? >> i think the federal government needs to show leadership here. they cannot abdicate this to the states the way they abdicated testing to the states. we saw how disastrous testing was and still is. we need to get the resources to the state and local health departments to the hospitals. you have to remember the same people that are taking care of patients that are overtaxed because of the burden of the pandemic, they have hospital staff that are out sick, they have scheduled clinics and do a lot of things at the same time as trying to distribute a vaccine in an unprecedented manner where you have to keep people there for 15 to 30 minutes after their vaccination shot so not have any side effects. there's a lot that we're asking of our state and local health department, of our hospitals and nursing homes. we need to give them resources. this was all something we knew was going to happen. this is not unexpected. we knew this would be a hurricane lean effort.

they needed to get these more solidified and not leave it to the states without any guidance or backup. >> the federal government under this president will not. he's made that clear, still tweeting virtually every now, it's up to the states. it's not my problem. so we got 20 days until you have a new president. how quickly can a new administration fix these problems, to ramp up the level of vaccination? >> it's going to be challenging for a new administration just as it's challenging now. i think you'll see more leadership and more recognition of this problem and hopefully by the time the new administration takes over, you'll start to see some acceleration as people get much more comfortable with the vaccination so we'll start to pick up the pace but it is going to be something that is going to take months to do, that we're going to be talking about vaccine distribution issues for a very long time because this is going to be something that like i said, is one of the biggest public health efforts that we've ever undertaken as a country and we saw problems even back during the 2009 h1n1 pandemic with the

vaccination rollout. this is anticipated and going to be difficult but i think leadership and support of the states by the federal government, by the cdc, that's how we're going to get through this. >> final question, we have this new variant, it's in this country, probably in more than the two states it's been confirmed in now, according to dr. fauci and others. not only is it more transmissible but uk study that shows that it is more transmissible among young people. that's key. how significant? >> well, we've seen so far a lot of suggested evidence this new variant in the uk appeared at a time when they were seeing a surge in cases, and it does appear to be more contagious, and the age groups that are getting it tend to be younger age groups. we have to make sure that we take that with a grain of salt because we don't know how much of that is just by chance because those are the people getting infected and if it's a change in the demographic. younger people getting infected sets up a transmission belt those people can give it to vulnerable individuals and those people get hospitalized and younger people tend to be more risk tolerant, more able to do

things and not worry about the dire consequences but the fact is, they can transmit it to other people. we have to redouble our efforts to talk to people about what common sense precautions they need to take for this strain and any other strain of the virus. >> doctor adaja, thank you very much. still to come this hour, president trump heads back to d.c. earlier than planned, two key votes remain uncertain on capitol hill and republican senators face a tough predicament ahead of january 6th. plus t is new year's eve and cnn is live in times square where the scene will be in 2020 style, very different this year. what is it-to-still look forward to and watch for as the iconic ball will still drop at midnight tonight. liberty mutual customizes your home insurance, here's one that'll really take you back. wow! what'd you get, ryan? it's customized home insurance from liberty mutual! what does it do bud? it customizes our home insurance so we only pay for what we need! and what did you get, mike?

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well right now president trump is on his way back to washington, d.c. he abruptly cut short his florida trip so he could be back in d.c. well ahead of january 6th, when republicans are planning to disrupt and challenge the certification by congress of joe biden's election win, already certified at the state level. john harwood is tat the white house. what is the president coming back for? >> reporter: we don't know, jim. the white house isn't saying and president trump didn't stop to talk to reporters on departure before boarding his plane in florida. but here are a few things we do know. we know from great reporting by our colleague, kate bennett, that he was unhappy at mar-a-lago with the physical renovations of mar-a-lago. it's also not so much fun to host a big party when you've just lost an election, so he's leaving in advance of that party and getting out of mar-a-lago. secondly, we know that the united states is concerned that

iran may launch some retaliation for the strike that killed has sem s hass hassam soleimani last year. it's a pretext to a military conflict and that's there and third the president's attempt to contest the election that he lost with all sorts of fraudulent claims of fraud, and as part of that effort, he's gotten some republican members of the house and senate will step up and initiate a debate which is going to lose but nevertheless create a circus january 6th and setting out to embarrass mitch mcconnell, who has recognizes joe biden as the president-elect, by after signing the covid relief bill that mch itch mcconnell negotia with the house and trump administration, he's now casting mitch mcconnell as the one standing in the way of the

$2,000 stimulus checks, which democrats have advocated, and that is something that is not helpful, that's the democratic argument in the georgia senate runoffs and donald trump's advocating that, amplifying that. so we just don't know how those various factors fit into his motivation, maybe we'll hear some more when he lands. >> john harwood, thanks very much. joining me to discuss, norm eisen, former white housette licks czar under president owe ba marx former ambassador to the czech republic, senior fellow at the brookings institution. norm, good to have you on. >> jim, always great to be with you. >> so january 6th a handful of republican members of congress plus now at least one republican senator are going to do the president's bidding here, and challenge the election results. we shouldn't, we should call a spade a spade. the president is attempting to overturn an election he lost. he'll lose but tell us the

significance of this effort anyway. >> jim, it really is yet another dagger strike at the heart of our american democracy, the elections in which the american people expressed their will, and they've done that. there is a challenge mechanism under the constitution and federal law, the electoral count act. if you have one objection from a member of the house and one objection from the member of the senate, you can force a debate. the bottom line is unless both houses agree, these slates that are being challenged will not be thrown out. that's the law. it's not happening. this is a futility. they're just wasting time in the middle of a pandemic, in the middle of an economic congress to pander to president trump's ego and undermining faith in our democracy.

it's terrible. >> the final word in what is vice president mike pence, i don't think he's ever challenged this president publicly. how does he walk this fine line, preserve the relationship, not upset the base, et cetera when it comes to him to say the votes are in? >> fortunately, because mike pence's failure to speak out against and stand up to the president has been bad for the country, jim. fortunately, his role on january 6th in this joint meeting of congress is a ceremonial and a ministerial one. he convenes. he helps kick the thing off. he has no real power and no real

say. that is probably a lucky thing for him, because he doesn't have to defy the president now. he's under intense pressure to behave illegally, to insert himse himself, to meddle, soover reach the law and we'll just have to hope he doesn't do that, because it undermines the faith of people in our democracy, without any basis, jim. >> the good news here is that this claim has been rejected by a bunch of courts, the supreme court with three trump appointees refused to take up the challenges, the justice department run by bill barr said no evidence of widespread fraud, elections and recounts and recanvases rejected this. that is the good news. that said, a minority of

republicans believe this election was free and fair. what is the damage to faith in the institution of the election? >> it is a good news/bad news story. this was the most successful election in the history of the united states, all the painful lessons of bush v. gore were learned. in places like georgia, counted not once, not twice but three times. it was a success for both parties and the hard-working election officials and volunteers and ultimately for the voters, but donald trump stoking his base with totally fraudulent and false claims that things were a mess does do long-term damage. there are tens of millions of people who think the foundation of our democracy is off. jim the solution is just what we're doing now, keep explaining that it's not true, that this

was a successful election, we need to celebrate the bipartisan success of it and just get the truth out there as long as it takes. fortunately, the trump appointed judges up to the supreme court ever the ones who ruled against him in 60-plus post election cases. so that helps, and i hope over time, the truth will get out. >> norm eisen, thanks so much. >> thanks. coming up negotiation, the disturbing new report china sought to fund attacks on u.s. troops in the middle east. you may remember a similar report about russia earlier this year. the president didn't talk a lot about that one, disputed that one. this one about china he's declassified but we're learning from the intelligence how the white house is reacting, next. ♪ ♪ ♪

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reports of american troops targeted by china, president trump received that information earlier this month, both in his daily brief and in person according to his senior administration official. the president was told that china sought to pay non-state actors to attack u.s. forces in afghanistan china called it fake news. vivian salama tracking this story for us. reminiscent of early reports of russia and iran allegedly

offering afghan militants bounties to attack u.s. forces, at the time trump attacked particularly the reports about russia, now he's declassifying similar intel about china. what's behind this? >> jim, it's a curious story definitely. sources telling me that two weeks ago, president trump received information in his briefing and orally through national security adviser robert o'brien, china is looking to pay non-state actors, to could be the taliban or anyone else in afghanistan to target u.s. soldiers. this is a strange episode now because the trump administration is moving to declassify the information according to sources i spoke to. jim, covering intelligence as you have, when you declassify something you want the public to know about it and most importantly, that the threat has passed, and so it's a very strange situation, why would they declassify it?

that's the major question right now. they have moved to declassify it. this intelligence thus far is uncorroborated and the trump administration asserting this is a threat. for months they've been trying to ramp up threats from china. earlier russia had paid a similar situation, a bounty situation they were paying the taliban to attack u.s. forces and president trump was informed about that and so now we're hearing about china, although still the information is very curious, jim. we're trying to learn more information as we speak. >> serious, uncorroborated. with russia the president attacked it as uncorroborated and dismissed it. thanks very much. joining me to speak more about why the trump administration will declassify this, but also the nature of the threat, cnn counterterrorism analyst, phil mudd, good to have

you on. >> thanks for having me. >> a lot of countries, i wouldn't be surprised if russia and china were included want to see the u.s. fail in afghanistan and would have an interest in taking the lives of u.s. sold yes. china specifically, does this fit with their pattern of activity to pay non-state actors or outside actors to kill u.s. forces in afghanistan? >> the russians are aggressive in confronting the americans than the chinese. i would not be surprised if the russia side of the story we heard months ago i would be surprised if the china said. the word uncorroborated meant so much. i want to tell this is true before it's declassified or the president take action. uncorroborated means we have a lot of work to do. >> the president's contrasting

if we want to call it the handling of what seemed to be identical threats in intelligence from russia and china. russia and china paying someone to kill u.s. forces in afghanistan, bounties, et cetera. when it was russia, the president said it's uncorroborated. you have china uncorroborated same charge. why does the president declassify and take this one seriously and not that from russia? >> there's two angles to this. one is okay and the other is not. the president has the right to see foreign policy as he sees fit. the russians and the chinese. >> both tried to kill u.s. forces. >> that's not correct. >> the chief's national distinction, national compunction to protect u.s. forces regardless. >> if he wants to tell the american people i dislike the

chinese because they're coming after american forces. i'm not saying i like it. presidents historically, going back to the iraq war declassified stuff all the time. the part that is really irritati irritating, the reports of the lack of cooperation between the white house and the biden team. you've got three weeks before the inauguration. the two national security teams especially the white house should be talking and the white house should be saying this is what we're considering the declassification, what do you think? as soon as they declassify the biden team has to handle this. that's the problem. >> it was our reporting a couple days ago on cnn they're not sharing, the trump dod, information on things like the russia hack and the deployment of u.s. forces abroad. that affects u.s. national security, does it not? >> it does but in this case the information has to be shared. whether or not biden saw it before this press report and i guarantee he did, after the press report his national security team has the right and responsibility to ask the intel

guys what's going on here. here is the question i would ask. the question goes to cnn at the white house and cnn asking white house sources, did the national security team especially the national security adviser at the white house consult with the biden team about what to do. i'm not saying to do this six months ago but there's three weeks left, if you're going to dump this to the media, you have a responsibility to tell the guys who have to pick up the pieces. that's the biden guys that the trump guys don't like. >> we'll ask and the current pattern has not been not to. >> i like to give reporters work. >> i appreciate it. i'll listen to your advice. happy new year, phil mudd. >> thank you. still ahead we go to the georgia senate runoff election where the republican lieutenant governor says president trump is creating a side show, how the tensions inside the gop could affect that election, next.

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it gives me power to be who i want to be everyday. president trump is calling for georgia's republican governor, brian kemp, to resign. why? because kemp won't support the president's lie that the election in georgia was stolen. this comes days ahead of the crucial senate runoff elections for republican incumbent companys, kelly loeffler and david perdue, which will determine whether the gop maintains control of the senate. cnn's ryan nobles joins us now from smyrna, georgia. so early voting, it's hot, 2.8 million georgians cast their balance the los. who has the advantage, democrats

or republicans? >> reporter: it's really hard to say at this point, jim, exactly which party is benefiting from early voting. democrats feel confident about it. republicans are sounding the alarm bells that they really need to get their voters out on election day, but it is clear that the voters here in georgia understand the stakes of this election, as you mentioned, close to 3 million early votes have already been cast and take a look at this scene behind me, we're in smyrna, which is in cobb county. there's one of five locations here that's going to finish their early voting today. this particular line right here is going to take you about three hours to get through from the time you get to the back of this line until you get all the way to the front and if you can see all the way back here behind me, this line wraps around this corner, and these folks some have been out as early as 4:00 this morning to get in line, to cast their ballots here in this election. it's amazing that so many people have taken advantage of this opportunity. it's a little bit more than two weeks of early voting time that georgia voters have at their

disposal and the people that we talked to today that stood in line in some cases as little as 30 minutes, as much as three hours, they were all surprisingly tolerant of the wait because they understood the stakes. take a listen. >> i'm happy to see the crowd this big, yes. people are taking it seriously and hopefully we can, you know, make the right choice, get the right people in place. i'm a little bit surprised by the line, but thank god the line isn't as long as i expected it to be. >> reporter: so early voting ends here in cobb county today. it's different in some other parts of the state. of course, everyone has the opportunity to still vote on january 5th, which is when this runoff election ends, and of course, both president-elect biden and vice president-elect kamala harris will be here in the coming days as well as president trump on the day before the voting ends here, in georgia. jim? >> it is amazing to see people take the time, right, to have to

wait hours and hours to cast that ballot. ryan nobles, thanks very much. i spoke with republican lieutenant governor jeff duncan this morning, both he and georgia's republican governor brian kemp are responding to the president's personal attacks on them. have a listen. >> there is a constitutional and legal process that is playing out, and i'm very comfortable letting that process play out. but that horse has left the barn in georgia and it's headed to d.c. >> i'm worried that the sideshows and the distractions are causing some disruption around january 5th and just because the guy i voted for didn't win doesn't change the outcome of the election. >> joining me now is former republican georgia state representative buzz brockway. thanks for taking the time this morning. >> thanks, jim. >> good afternoon, i should say. anyway, tell us about the president's attacks here on the process. you got two key races coming up next week.

does it help or hurt republicans' chances in the runoffs? >> i think it hurts. i absolutely do. you can look at where early votes have come from, congressional districts that are represented by democrats here in georgia, principally in atlanta, have turned out at much higher rates than more rural and more republican leaning areas, and so we expect more republicans to show up on election day, but i worry that we're digging too deep a hole to climb out of at this point. that's got me worried, no doubt about it and these attacks are not helping the situation. >> last month, you told the "new york times" this about president's continuing barrage of attacks, and false claims of widespread voter fraud. "i had someone message me last week saying nope, i'm done. can't trust the election. never voting again. the president has a very dedicated group of supporters who don't really support the broader republican party. they support him."

how broad do you find this phenomena, as you speak to constituents there, folks saying i believe the president. it's all rigged. it's all rigged against us. i'm not going to take part. >> it's better now than it was at that time, when i talked to the "new york times," but i think what's worrisome is the turnout numbers. the president is coming to georgia monday i believe anding if to the congressional districts where turnout is among the lowest in the state. i think they recognize that, that it's perhaps have the opposite effect of what they hoped it would, but it's very tight and this is hurting, no doubt. >> you say it's getting better, that more people believe the fact of the election here and i've spoke on it other republican lawmakers adam ken zi kinzinger earlier in the week, over time they are accepting the reality that the president's claims are fading, losing some

power. i wonder if you agree? >> i do. the reason for that, one thing to say we're going to pursue every legal option available to us and there are other options available that will be challenged in the congress next week when they count the electoral votes, but you know, there's not been one judge anywhere in the united states of america appointed by some appointed by the president himself, who have agreed with the claims or made any sort of ruling in favor of these claims, so i think people are peeling away as the process plays out, people are peeling away and saying okay, maybe it's not as bad as we were told it was. >> bill barr's justice department, or republican state election officials. anyway, buzz brockway, thanks

for speaking truth to power. good to have you on. wish you and your family the best in the new year. >> thanks, you too, sir, happy new year to you. still ahead this hour, they're over the age of 65 and standing in line four hours on end, not to vote, that's just one of the vaccination rollout issues in florida. what's creating such issues, such delays and just how many people are getting the shot, next. to help you lose weight! more simplicity with what's in your fridge? which suggests meals based on what you have. more motivation with on-demand workout classes. more freedom with over 300 zero point foods. and new tools to boost your mood and help keep you hydrated! get more of what you need to help you lose weight. lose weight on us this winter! get three months free! ends january fourth! how abowhat a shame.wilson? get three months free! so soon after retiring. i hear his wife needed help with the funeral expenses. that's ridiculous!

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. the white house task force is acknowledging major nationwide delays in the rollout of the coronavirus vaccine. nowhere is that problem, those delays more obvious than in florida. some people bringing tents and

lawn chairs to wait in line for hours, including senior citizens. cnn's ryan young has more. >> reporter: this bumper-to-bumper traffic jam twists around the orange county convention center in orlando, florida, a line so long, drivers have more than enough time to get out and stretch. >> you have to be patient, but it's a good setup. >> reporter: not just in orlando. elderly floridians across the state anxious to receive the covid-19 vaccine are dealing with a similar situation. in ft. myers, many bringing lawn chairs as they sit and wait for hours, nine to be exact for this man. >> i personally feel there's got to be a better way. >> reporter: because florida has one of the largest populations over the age of 65. governor desantis decided to break slightly with cdc recommendations which call for front line health care workers and first responders to be vaccinated first. >> we believe the better approach is focus on the elderly

first and foremost, then essential workers. >> reporter: the vaccine much needed in the sunshine state which has seen dark days this year, more than 21,000 covid deaths this year so far, many of them seniors. >> we know people that have not survived. >> unfortunately. >> unfortunately. >> reporter: the problem is, all 67 counties are handling the vaccine rollout differently, creating some confusion. >> i'm grateful to get the vaccine, i feel there's got to be a better way to distribute this. for people that might need it, elderly that might be disabled in some way, they can't endure this process. there's got to be a better way. >> the issues not restricted to long lines. some seniors have started showing up at hospitals only to get turned away, while others flood hospital phone lines looking to make appointments. in south florida, broward health says they've already booked up with vaccine appointments and won't take on more patients until february. back in orange county, 30,000

people signed up within 24 hours on the county's website. they vaccinated more than 1,500 seniors on the first day, a dose of hope during this awful year. >> great. i can't wait to see my grandkids. i can't wait to hug those little guys. it's just been so long in coming, so relieved. it's just wonderful. >> feeling very blessed right now. >> reporter: ryan young, cnn, orlando, florida. >> thanks very much for ryan young bringing us that story. as we await 2021, only 11 hours to go in the u.s., it's already a new year in other parts of the world, those lucky folks. the latest country to welcome the new year, thailand, fireworks over bangkok at the top of the last hour, and a very different kind of celebration in north korea. this was the view at midnight where masked crowds did gather in pyongyang. ♪

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times square new year's eve, it is an annual party that the whole world tunes in to watch. this year's celebration, of course, will look very different. cnn's brynn gingras is in times square. not many folks will be there tonight. a handful, but not many. >> reporter: that's right, jim. i'll get out of the way so you can see behind me. what you're looking at behind me

is the frozen zone. we saw the nypd put extra barricades up. no one who hasn't undergone a covid test will be allowed inside there. that includes just the general public. only people performing in tonight's celebration, celebrities and also a select few of the 2020 heroes, frontline workers, will be allowed inside the gates to watch the ball come down. that's something the nypd has been working on just within these few hours, shutting down this area, keeping the public moving along. that's the message they've been send, don't come out here for safety reasons. the nypd always is securing this area for this big celebration, jim. they're actually operating at 80% less officers than what they usually do because there will be fewer people inside times square. definitely a different celebration as we bring in 2021. 2020 has never -- it's always been different, this whole entire year. no different for the celebration. the good news is you can celebrate at home where it's

nice and safe. jim. >> brynn gingras, thanks very much. cnn's coverage from times square with anderson cooper and andy cohen kicks off at 8:00 eastern time. it's must-watch tv. happy new year. my colleague john avlon continues our coverage right now. thanks for joining us for a special new year's eve edition of "newsroom." i'm john avlon. as we get ready to say goodbye to one of the worst years in american history, there's yet another timely reminder of the challenges we face as a nation. the u.s. closes out 2020 with another single day pandemic death record, 3,740 lives lost. experts are warning that we could be heading towards 5,000 deaths per day, even 7,000 deaths per day in the coming winter months. a new