CDC Director gives warning on rising COVID crisis; 2020 National Christmas Tree Lighting virtual show Source

As the pandemic continues to worsen in the United States, Washington appears more optimistic about the possibility of passing additional coronavirus aid. CBS News political correspondent Ed O’Keefe and CBS News chief congressional correspondent Nancy Cordes join CBSN’s “Red & Blue” host Elaine Quijano to discuss what Americans should expect with key programs set to expire this month. Source

The U.S. has hit a number of grim coronavirus milestones this week as hospitals are inundated with patients. This comes as the country awaits vaccine authorization by the FDA. Dr. Theodore Strange, the interim chair of medicine at Staten Island University, joins CBSN’s Elaine Quijano to discuss the pandemic. Source

About 90% of all new energy generated this year has been renewable, according to the International Energy Agency’s Renewables 2020 report. Heymi Bahar, the lead author on that report and a senior analyst at the International Energy Agency, joins CBSN’s Elaine Quijano to discuss. Source

As activists work to mobilize voters ahead of Georgia’s critical Senate runoff elections in January, exit poll data shows the state’s Asian American community nearly doubled its turnout compared with 2016. Stephanie Cho, executive director of Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Atlanta, joins CBSN’s “Red & Blue” anchor Elaine Quijano with more on why the group is being eyed by Democrats in their attempt to flip control of the Senate. Source

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the U.S. government’s top infectious disease expert, tells CBS News chief Washington correspondent Major Garrett that he thinks regulators in the U.K. “rushed” their approval of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine, and that U.S. needs to be more careful, due to vaccine skepticism in the country. Politico health care reporter Dan Diamond joins CBSN’s “Red & Blue” host Elaine Quijano to discuss the long road ahead for what’s expected to be the largest vaccination program in U.S. history. Source

The telescope at the Arecibo Observatory fell Tuesday, ending 57 years of astronomical discoveries. Source

The power line to their house was cut and their landlord has refused to fix it for five weeks amid the coronavirus pandemic. Source

The entire country is red-hot with coronavirus cases, and health officials from coast to coast are sounding the alarm about hospitals that are nearly filled to capacity. Adriana Diaz has the latest. Source

Almost 60,000 people in southern California are without electricity and hundreds are fleeing their homes as Santa Anna winds fuel new wildfires. Source