New treatment and new research offers encouraging signs in the fight against COVID.

As we learn more about the Omicron variant, the question is, could the strain already be near its peak here in the United States?

Plus, a Pennsylvania congresswoman carjacked at gunpoint.

Several suspects have been arrested.

The question is, how is she doing this morning?

And President Biden talks about whether he plans to run for re-election. The question is,

what does he think about the prospect of a rematch with Donald Trump? It's way too early, the show that really should get started on its Christmas shopping.

I'm John Lamere on this Thursday, December 23rd. We'll start with the news. President Biden is defending his handling of the

coronavirus pandemic. Here he is in a new interview with ABC News. We're nearly two years into this

pandemic. You're a year into the presidency. Empty shelves and no test kits in some places,

three days before Christmas when it's so important. Is that good enough?

No, nothing's been good enough. But look, look what we are? When last Christmas, we're in a

situation where we had significantly fewer people vaccinated. Emergency rooms were filled.

You had serious backups in hospitals that were

causing great difficulties. We're in a situation now where we have 200 million people

fully vaccinated. 200 million people fully vaccinated. And we have more than that who have had

the one shot, at least one shot. And they're getting these booster

shots as well. The president also reportedly told ABC News, quote, I wish I had thought about ordering

500 million at-home tests two months ago. Here's what Commissioner FDA, here's what former

FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb said about that on CNBC yesterday.

We should have been doing this all along.

We should have been trying to get more at-home tests available and giving them away to consumers in drugstores,

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