hello and welcome to all of you watching us here in the united states, dan and all around the world. i'm kim brunhuber live at the cnn center in atlanta. just ahead on "cnn newsroom." >> his lawyers insisting he's in an impossible position. he's trying to choose between his privilege rights and being held in contempt. >> they feel this is another stall and delay tactic on the part of mark meadows. >> what he's doing is taking a firecracker and tossing it into the january 6 committee room and saying, deal with this. >> it could be a major setback

to the january 6 investigation. former trump official mark meadows is suing lawmakers to block their subpoenas. we'll tell you the committee's response. the omicron variant of the coronavirus now in 22 states. health experts are predicting a winter surge and urging americans to get their booster shot. and 2two more countries joi the diplomatic boycott of the beijing olympics. we'll have china's reaction. >> announcer: live from cnn center, this is "cnn newsroom" with kim brunhuber. it's thursday, december 9th, and we begin with the latest challenge to the january 6 committee's ability to investigate the capitol insurrection. it's an about face by former white house chief of staff mark meadows on testifying. instead, he's suing the house speaker and the committee to block enforcement of his subpoena to appear.

donald trump's former top aide is claiming effective privilege, but he's already turned over thousands of pages of documents and has written about conversations with trump in his memoir. the committee plans to hold him in criminal contempt. ryan nobles. >> reporter: the january 6 committee is done negotiating with former white house chief of staff mark meadows. >> obviously we had hoped mr. meadows would continue to work with the committee, but obviously based on his lawyer's letter today, and his plan to not show up for the deposition, that creates a different dynamic. >> reporter: chairman bennie thompson now saying the committee has no choice but to move ahead with criminal contempt of court against meadows. this after meadows was a no show for his deposition. his attorney claims he can't answer questions because he is bound by donald trump and executive privilege. >> the president claimed

executive privilege. i'm going to honor that. i'm not going to be the first chief of staff to actually waive that. it's not mine to waive. >> reporter: it's a claim committee members are not buying because meadows wrote extensive limb about his private interactions with trump in his memoir tuesday. >> it's difficult to make the argument that i can write about the events of january 6, i can talk about in my book things that happened on january 6, and things i talked to, including the president, but i can't testify about those things. >> reporter: the committee is very interested to learn more from meadows based on the more than 6,000 documents he did turnover bunch deciding to no longer cooperate. among them, a text message with a member of congress in which meadows responds, quote, i love it, to the plan of appointing an alternate slate of electors for the january 6 rally. the need to stop the january 6 attack. and an email that included a 38-page powerpoint briefing

titled "election fraud, foreign interference and options for 6 jan." meadows isn't the only witness stonewalling the committee. roger stone now plans to plead the 5th, joining other high profile targets telling the committee they do not plan to answer questions because they could incriminate themselves. the committee also skeptical of this resistance. >> if they are asserting the 5th merely to cater to the president's whims or cover up for the president, that is not a proper use of the privilege. >> reporter: still the committee remains confident they will still get to the bottom of what happened on january 6, and who is to blame, pointing to the more than 275 witnesses who have talked. >> these people are well within their right to not cooperate, but it's not as if we're not going to get to the information we need. >> reporter: the committee chairman bennie thompson telling cnn on wednesday the committee plans to move ahead with the criminal contempt referral this week. this despite the fact meadows filed a lawsuit against the committee seeking injunctive

relief from the court to prevent him from having to turnover this information that the committee is looking for. the committee flatly rejected that court filing. they said that they plan to fight it to its full extent, and they described it as nothing more as an attempt by mark meadows to delay this process. congressman adam schiff responding by saying it certainly strikes me as another fruitless effort to i am imme -- imspeed the work of the committee. ryan nobles, capitol hill. >> other members of the january 6 committee are weighing in on mark meadows and his refusal to testify. l let's listen. >> he sent this information over obviously. he did not believe it was prince georged -- privileged or he wouldn't have sent it. that's not the way things work. you assert privilege on a question by question basis and he is just trying to escape telling the truth to the committee.

>> republican lawmaker liz cheney who serves as the committee's vice chair reacted to meadows lawsuit saying, quote, we look forward to litigating that. she went on to saying, quote, the committee has received a number of extremely unprivileged documents from mr. p meadows. he included text messages from his private cell phone and private email account. he's produced these documents. they are not privileged. and stay with cnn. we'll have much more on this story throughout the day. the u.s. senate has voted to overturn president joe biden's vaccine and testing mandate on large businesses. it's a largely symbolic move that's not expected to become law and the measures are already being blocked while litigation moves through the courts. meanwhile, infections are on the rise across the u.s. with the leading expert warning cases will, quote, light up even more in the coming weeks. a strain on health systems is get being worse in some parts of the northeast. new york, maine and new hampshire are deploying the

national guard to help support hospitals. the delta variant is still driving the pandemic while the emerging omicron variant has now been detecteds in 22 stagts. this as pfizer says data says a third dose of its vaccine dramatically improves protection against the omicron variant. the company says it's yet another reason to get boosters now. >> if you get your third boost, it rise 25, very dramatic. so, yes, in a way you could say to be protected of omicron, you really need a three-dose series vaccination. that's how we should look at it right now. >> three doses against omicron are almost equivalent to the two dose effectiveness we had against the original variant. we are waiting to see, so you may need to go to get this booster faster. >> america's top infectious disease expert, dr. anthony fauci, is also stressing the need for boosters.

>> i don't think anybody would argue that optimal protection is going to be with a third shot. whether or not it officially gets changed in the definition, i think that's going to be considered literally on a daily basis. that's always on the table. it's going to be a matter of when, not if. british prime minister boris johnson has put in place new covid restrictions in england to curb the omicron variant as omicron looks to overtake the delta variant in the uk. here's what the new rules look like. masks will be required in the most public indoor venues including theaters. people will have to work from home if possible on monday. a covid pass will be required for venues starting next week. here's the prime minister. >> we need to have a national conversation about the way forward, and the other things that we can do to protect those

who are hard to reach who haven't got vaccinated for one reason or another, who may have medical reasons why they can't get vaccinated, other ways of protecting them. >> the new rules come as the prime minister faces growing accusations that his own staffers have ignored the restrictions imposed on everyone else. former downing street adviser allegra stratton resigned on wednesday after an internal video from one year ago became public. in the video she and other staffers joked about how they responded, when reporters asked about a christmas party at number 10 in defiance of the country's lockdown. she said many people are understandably upset by the video. cnn's scott mclean joins us from london. scott, one resignation. the big question now, will there be other political casualties here? take us through the latest reaction to this controversy. >> reporter: kim, yeah, lett me put this in plain english. this is the british prime minister calling for an investigation whether or not a

party, social gathering took place at his own home address. that is the seemingly ridiculous scenario playing out in british politics right now. why is this so controversial? it's because the date of that alleged party, december 18, 2020, was at a time when indoor gatherings were out lawed in london, and the very next day british prime minister announced that all of england would be under the same restrictions banning indoor gatherings effectively cancelling christmas. on december 18th, well, that was the day that more than 500 people died across the uk. we're talking about this now because of the emergence of the video you mentioned, this mock press conference involving the press secretary allegra stratton where she seems to joke about the existence of what she calls a business meeting that was not social distanced, that may or may not have had wine or cheese involved in it. she gave a tearful resignation yesterday. british prime minister was

grilled by his colleagues in the house of commons. here's part of how he responded. >> i understand and share the anger up and down the country at seeing number 10 staff seeming to make light of lockdown measures. and i can understand how infuriating it must be to think that the people who have been setting the rules have not been following the rules. >> reporter: the prime minister continues to insist that rules were followed and that there was no party, but there will be an investigation and discipline if rules were found to have been broken. now, there is a tiny sliver of gray area here, kim, in that you were allowed to go to work if there was no way to work from home. when does work become a social gathering? for most people when there is wine involved. a brand-new poll show brits say johnson should resign over this. one-third of conservative voters, this is especially damaging at a time when johnson is trying to convince people to follow brand-new covid rules, the ones you outline, and

damaging for his personal brand. this is a prime minister who sort of styles himself as a common man. how well can that reputation hold up if people believe there is one rule for them and one rule for the prime minister and his staff. kim? >> yeah, the story promises to keep going for a while. scott mclean outside 10 downing street. thanks so much. three u.s. officials tell cnn the biden administration is drafting multiple rounds of harsh sanctions nor russia if it invades ukraine. the u.s. will hold off on energy sanctions because of the impact it could have on the global economy and gas prices. during their call on tuesday, president biden warned russian president vladimir putin of the consequence for any military escalation. >> i was very straightforward. there was no minced words. it was polite, but i made it very clear. if, in fact, he invades ukraine, there will be severe consequence. severe consequence.

economic consequence like none he's ever seen or ever had been seen. >> his comments come as ukrainian defense officials say the number of troops massed on its border includes 120,000. it includes air force and navy personnel. that number could reach 175,000. the russian leader is defending their actions. >> translator: now we are seeing mk-14 missile defense systems in poland and romania. we have every reason to believe that the same will happen if ukraine is admitted to nato. at this time on the ukrainian territory, how can we not think about this? looking helplessly at what is happening there would be simply criminal negligence on our part. >> biden is set to speak with ukraine's president in the coming hours about the russian military buildup. cnn's kaitlan collins has more now from washington. >> reporter: president biden is set to call ukrainian president

zelensky on thursday. this is going to be their first conversation since president biden spoke with russian president putin for two hours and one minute earlier this week. of course, the main topic of that conversation, ukraine and the recent russian buildup of their military amid these widespread concerns, not just in the united states, but also all throughout europe that russia could invade ukraine. even though administration officials said they do not believe the russian leader has made that decision yet. this call is also going to come in a day after president biden said, look, ukraine is not part of nato. there is no obligation to go in and defend them if russia dozen said ukraine. the president said if that happened, you would likely see u.s. presence in other nato countries. they talked about sending aid to ukraine. those are up for discussion as well as economic sanctions which biden said would be harsh on russia if they do make that decision. so we're waiting to see president biden speak to zelensky. we'll see what the out come of that call is, what rea urns

shoulds he offers. and he is going to speak with the nine leaders of the countries that are on the eastern side of nato to talk to them about the situation that is ongoing as well. really for the white house, it is a wait and see scenario, waiting to see if putin does heed those warnings from biden about invading ukraine. kaitlan collins, cnn in washington. the body of the late senator bob dole will lie in state at the u.s. capitol rotunda in the next few hours. the outspoken republican died sunday at the age of 98. he was being treated for advanced lung cancer. on wednesday president biden paid tribute to his longtime friend while visiting cancel. he represented dole 35 years. >> for those like me who had the honor of calling him friend, bob dole is an american giant, a man of extraordinary courage, both physical and moral courage. a war hero.

>> a three-time presidential hopeful, dole was sometimes considered a sharp tongue, but he also forged compromise. he wrote an op-ed before his death urging americans to unify. he is survived by his wife and daughter. stay with cnn as we cover the ceremony in the comesing hours. still to come, discipline action called against lauren boebert for her anti-muslim rhetoric targeting a fellow member of congress. plus an emotional day in court as the former police officer charged with killing daunte wright gets underway. stay with us. wow... that's so nice! is that a photo of tepechitlan? yeah! the gift of ancestry®, is a walk through your history. do you remember who this is? it's a gift that surprises you, moves you, and bonds you. ...papa? i can see the nose and everything.

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woman has never been president before. now they know, and the world knows, that in america every boy and every girl can grow up to be whatever they dream, even president of the united states. >> former u.s. president barack obama is lashing out at republican efforts to redraw congressional districts that could tip the 2022 midterm elections in favor of republican candidates. here's what he had to say earlier to virtual fund-raiser for the national democratic redistricting committee. >> their plan is to control state legislatures and congressional delegations before a single vote is cast. that's not how democracy is supposed to work. and our democracy is essential to who we are. it is what makes america exceptional, and it shouldn't be a partisan issue. it did not used to be.

>> the u.s. justice department is suing texas over its new legislative maps alleging they discriminate against black voters and fail to take account of the state's glorowing latino population. a progressive democrat is introducing legislation to strip lauren boebert of her committee assignments. it is needed for comments made toward ilhan omar. >> it is shameful we have had to wait this long for meaningful action, meaningful accountability, but here we are. for a member of congress to repeatedly and unapologetically use hateful racist and islamophobic tropes towards a muslim colleague is dangerous. >> the house is planning to advance omar's legislation to create a special envoy to combat

islam phobia today. it is the first step they are taking since implying omar is a terrorist. day two in the trial of a former minnesota police officer who fatally shot daunte wright during a traffic stop is expected to begin in the coming hours. emotions were running high as wright's mother was the first to testify on wednesday. cnn's josh campbell has more. >> reporter: this was a moment officer kim potter says she made a fatal mistake, which cost 20-year-old daunte wright his life. >> [ bleep ]. i just shot him. >> reporter: wright was pulled over by police in brooklyn center, minnesota, last april for a traffic violation. during that stop officers discovered an outstanding warrant for failure to appear on a gross misdemeanor weapons vie laying. wr wright was being handcuffed when he struggled and got back in his car. that's when potter pulled out her gun. >> i'll tase him. i'll tase you.

taser, taser, taser. >> oh, man! >> [ bleep ]. i just shot him. i shot him! oh, my god! oh, my god! >> reporter: daunte wright was pronounced dead at the scene from a gunshot wound to his chest. >> there's no do over when you take a young man's life. >> reporter: kim potter is now on trial for first and second degree manslaughter. she has pleaded not guilty and said she meant to use her taser, which is holstered on her left side but mistakenly withdrew her firearm from the right side. they body cam which was extensive. >> she was trained not to shoot an unarmed driver. she was trained not to fire into a vehicle. and she was also trained not to use her taser on a fleeing suspect.

we trust them to know wrong from right, and left from right. >> reporter: the defense's opening statement laid out potter's history as a 26 year veteran of the brooklyn center police department and 49-year-old mother of two children. until daunte wright's death she had never fired her gun or her taser according to the defense. >> she realizes what has happened, much to her ever lasting and unending regret. >> i'll tase you. >> reporter: her attorney said potter was afraid her partner was in danger and she pulled the trigger of her weapon thinking it was her taser. >> she said she made a mistake. this was an accident. she is a human being. but she had to do what she had to do to prevent a death to a fellow officer, too. >> reporter: daunte wright's mother was the first witness to

take the stand. she was distraught as she told jurors about the day her son was killed. >> it was the worst day of my life. >> reporter: prosecutors showed body camera footage to the jury of the moment wright's mother arrived at the scene. >> i'm his mom. no, please. he's only 20. >> reporter: now, significant witness testimony on wednesday, but it was also the video itself that was so compelling, that police body camera footage that the jury saw the moment where daunte wright is shot and in the aftermath where you see officer kimberly potter screaming, i shot him. at one point she goes into the grass clasping her head into her hands saying, i'm going to prison. that decision will ultimately be left up to this jury. and a statement issued from the governor of minnesota he is preparing the state guard to assist, local law enforcement to

allow for peaceful demonstrations, keeping the peace and ensuring public safety. josh campbell, cnn. it's now up to a jury to decide whether or not actor jussie smollett's staged fake hate crime against himself and then lied about it to police. the second day of deliberations will begin in a few hours. smollett faces six felony counts punishable by up to three years in prison. the empire star insists it was no hoax and that he really was the victim of an anti-gay and racist attack back in 2019. french authorities have released a saudi man they initially suspected of taking part in the murder of journalist jamal khashoggi. he was detained at the airport in paris on tuesday after his name appeared to match a man wanted in the killing. but french prosecutors say further identity checks showed they were holding the wrong man. a hit squad murdered and dismembered khashoggi inside the saudi consulate in istanbul in 2018. a u.s. intelligence report

concluded saudi crown prince approved the assassination. a report has denied that report. other countries are joining the diplomatic boycott of the beijing games. they say it is a violation of the charter. plus pushing ahead on the harmful effects of social media on the mental health of young users. there are calls for accountability ahead. >> i believe that the time for self-policing and self-regulation is over. self-policing depends on trust. the trust is gone. and get back to your rhythm. ♪ the relief you need. the cash you want.

u.s. president joe biden signed an executive order on wednesday setting a target for the country to reach net zero emissions by 2050. his latest step in the president's infrastructure plan he touted wednesday while in missouri. >> we're in a situation where we've known that our infrastructure had problems from long, long time. i don't think i could take one more phrase, it's going to be infrastructure week. [ applause ] and guess what? it's going to be infrastructure decade now, man. [ cheers and applause ] no more talk. action. >> the president toured the kansas city transportation authority while the infrastructure bill is still being negotiated back in washington. the white house hopes the executive order will show a readiness to reach the president's ambitious climate change goals. russia and china are busy

attacking president biden's summit for democracy set to begin in the coming hours. neither country was invited to attend. chinese diplomats have been mocking the summit online while state media in both countries suggest the project is hypocritical. propaganda experts say the fact that officials mouth pieces for russia and china are speaking out shows just how nervous they are about potentially being isolated over their antidemocratic policies. the white house says the summit will include commitments, reforms and initiatives to defend democracy and human rights. canada and the uk are the latest to announce a diplomatic boycott of the beijing winter olympics. they join the u.s., australia and lithuania which have chosen not to send delegations to the games. chinese officials in canada say prime minister justin trudeau is humiliating the country by politicizing the games while the chinese embassy in the uk accuses the government of a political smear campaign. cnn's chriss ti lieu stout joins me from hong kong with the latest.

kristie, momentum behind the boycott is building. china is desperate to stop that in its tracks with some fairly threatening language. >> reporter: some forceful language as more nations join the united states in its diplomatic boycott of the beijing winter olympic games. we heard from china's ministry of foreign affairs saying that these countries will also, quote, pay the price, unquote. on wednesday we heard from the british prime minister boris johnson announced that the uk will also participate in a lip dough matt i can boycott. you have the uk joining canada and the united states taking this action. this is not a full boycott, of course. athletes will still be free to participate, but a diplomatic boycott means government officials from these participating countries will not be sending officials to, let's say, the opening ceremonies of the olympic games which are due to kickoff two months from now. the united states formally announced its diplomatic boycott citing human rights abuses, the

charge committing genocide, a charge china vehemently denies. they said the united states will pay the price and warned of resolute counter measures. a couple hours ago at the daily ministry of foreign affairs briefing, we heard from the spokesman that said all the countries, not just the united states, but all the countries taking place in this diplomatic boycott of the beijing games will be paying the price. take a listen to this. >> translator: the united states, australia, united kingdom and canada used the olympics for political manipulation. they cannot win the hearts of the people and are isolating themselves. they must also pay the price for their mistaken acts. >> reporter: and that was china's ministry of foreign affairs spokesman speaking earlier today. kim, china has yet to articulate what that price would be. back to you. >> that's exactly the question i was going to ask you. kristie lu stout in hong kong, appreciate it. >> reporter: you got it. u.s. lawmakers grilled the

head of instagram on wednesday about the harm the app does to the mental health of younger users. they claim the company hasn't done enough to protect children, but the instagram executive told a different story. cnn's donie o'sullivan reports. >> self-policing depends on trust. trust is gone. >> reporter: the head of instagram facing a disturbing picture especially harming kids. >> you view the kids as a theater way for people to get into your product. have you not done things to get more teenagers interested in your product? are you not worried about losing them to other platforms? you better tell the truth. you're under oath. >> reporter: it is the latest round of tough questions from lawmakers for meta formerly facebook which owns instagram. >> shouldn't children and parents have the right to report dangerous material on youth and get a sfresponse? >> senator, yes, i believe we try to respond to all reports. if we ever do so, it is a

mistake we should address. >> reporter: whistleblower frances haugen leaked documents from the company about harm to young people, especially teenage girls. >> they are aware there is a variety of problems facing children on instagram. they know severe harm is happening to children. >> reporter: today pushing back. >> i formally believe instagram and the internet more broadly can be a positive force in young people's lives. they can come to instagram dealing with difficult things in their lives. i believe instagram can help in those critical moments. >> reporter: he was asked about research released this week that shows teenagers are easily able to find account advertising the sale of drugs like xanax and aderol. >> apparently they are. >> senator, respectfully, i don't think you can take one or

two examples and indicate that is what happens more broadly. >> reporter: pledging to do more to protect young users, it is too late for ian russell who lost his daughter molly to suicide in 2017. >> there was no sign of any mental ill health in molly before her death and we couldn't work out what could have possibly triggered it. >> reporter: russell said he looked at his daughter's social media and was disturbed by what he saw on platforms including instagram. >> we had no glimpse of what mollie was exposed to. i think i understand now why she was pushed to do what she did. >> reporter: adding to the pressures on the social media giant, a bipartisan group of state attorneys jen launched an investigation into the potential harm for children and teens, meta claiming the allegations are false. donie o'sullivan, cnn, new york. top u.s. airline executives will be on capitol hill next wednesday to explain mass flight cancellations this fall. carriers scrapped thousands of flights despite receiving

$50 billion in pandemic relief from the government. the federal government. the money was meant to help airlines stay afloat and prevent large layoffs. a cuban activist has his loyalties questioned after fleeing his country. >> you could actually be an agent for cuba. are you a double agent? >> you'll hear his response when we return. stay with us.

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a seventh round of negotiations on the iran nuclear deal is set today in austria. in a tweet the u.s. special envoy for iran said russian and chinese diplomats agreed to talks to bringing iran into compliance. there was pessimism put on hold friday. they told reporters iran came to

vienna with proposals to walk back the compromises that had previously been reached and then made new demands. cnn's fred pleitgen has covered iran significantly and joins us now. so, fred, considering the pessimism and skepticism surrounding these talks, where do they go from here? >> reporter: well, i do think you're absolutely right there is a lot of skepticism and pessimism. there are sides who say they want to save the iran nuclear agreement and get the u.s. back into that deal as well. certainly the most difficult issues are the ones that you mentioned as well. essentially what the iranians are saying is, first of all, they want full sanctions relief. that in itself is very difficult because one of the things we have to keep in mind is that the trump administration put in place a lot of sanctions that actually don't directly relate to the iran nuclear agreement, and those sanctions were actually meant to make it more difficult for the u.s. to get back into that deal. now, the iranians are saying that they want guarantees, that the u.s. is not going to exit the deal again if there is or

when there is a new administration, and the u.s. says those guarantees simply are not going to be forthcoming. now, the spokesman for the state department, ned price, he also seemed quite skeptical the last time he spoke to the press. listen to what he had to say. >> it remains in our interest above all the other alternatives to seek a mutual return to compliance with the jcpoa. eventually, we macon conclude that either the iranians aren't serious and won't be serious going forward, or the technological clock will have run out. >> fred pleitgen there. earlier this year cuba was swept by its largest anti-government rallies in decades. one fled his homeland and faces questions about where his loyalties really lie. he sat down with isa soares in the midst of a self-imposed

exile to tell his side of the story. >> for many garcia was the rising star of cuba's protest movement. a reknowned playwright who hoped to bring the curtain down on the last communist strong hold. before he and his wife suddenly fled to madrid. >> translator: i think if i had stayed in cuba i would be able to do a lot less for my people. >> his dramatic departure in november under the cover of darkness caught many by surprise. but he tells me he did not abandon the very cause he's been fighting for. >> translator: i appreciate that some maybe don't understand my decision to leave, but time will show where one can be more helpful to its companions. >> still, some, including supporters of his archipelago movement, now accuse him of surrendering to pressure from the regime, even calling him a

traitor. his former supporters now raising questions about his true allegiance. now, the cuban government says that you work for the united states, but the way in which you left begs the question whether you could actually be an agent for cuba. are you a double agent? >> translator: neither double nor single nor of any kind of they call me an exchange agent. they don't even dare say i'm a c.i.a. agent. what they say is the c.i.a. has been using me without me knowing it. >> his departure followed months of pressure from the cuban government. he says they blocked him from leaving his house, threatened him with arrest, and even left a dead bird on the door of his apartment as a warning. >> translator: i with stood everything to a point i couldn't take it any more. i was losing my center. a kind of anger started to grow inside me, like a hatred.

that changes you into someone else. >> leaving cuba also meant leaving his 8-year-old son behind, a decision that is still eating him up. >> translator: we hadn't had the time to pause, my wife and i, in the middle of all of this intense beating. until the moment where we had a break in our schedule, when we had nothing to do. i heard my wife cry in the room. we found some release together. neither of us wanted to be here. >> still, he decided he did not want the cuban regime to turn him into a martyr. >> translator: i don't want to die trying. i want to achieve it. i want cuba to become a good country where my son can live in. >> he says his fight will continue away from his homeland, at least for now. you're a script writer.

how does the story end? >> translator: this story cannot be written by a single person. it is a collective creation. if i don't return, they win. and if i don't return, i lose myself. so that's the thing. i know that i have to go back. >> a tale of tragedy and sorrow whose last act has yet to be written. isa soares, cnn, madrid, spain. winter is about to show up in parts of the country that haven't seen much of it yet. next, the first major snowfall of the season coming down the pike for millions of americans. stay with us. blendjet's holiday sale is on now for the #1 gift this holiday season, the blendjet 2 portable blender. it packs the power of a big blender on the go, and it crushes right through ice.

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works in seconds, lasts for hours. millions in the western u.s. are about to see their first significant snowfall of the season. here's meteorologist derek van dam. >> winter has finally arrived over the western u.s. as a large and expansive storm system moves through the region today and through the weekend. winter weather advisories, winter storm warnings and winter storm watches in place. by the way, the shading of blue across the central plains and upper midwest, that's for the

storm system for friday and saturday. it's going to take some of the energy moving across the great basin and four corners and move to the northeast. more on that in just one moment. we've been focusing a lot of attention on denver, colorado, they've gone 231 days without measurable snow. it's the middle of december and we should see the snowflakes starting to pile up on the streets there. but unfortunately that has not happened just yet. will it come to an end? the snowless streak, time will tell. computer models divergent whether we'll get measurable snow on the ground. nonetheless, the mountains to the west of denver will definitely get snow. over the next five days we're going to start measuring snowfall in feet across the colorado rockies, into the cascades and the sierra nevada mountain range in california. heads up if you're a snowboarader. no problem. high pressure and control of the weather today, we're going to keep the skies high and dry. we have a weak system that is going to bring snowfall across the upper great lakes, but the main event coming friday and saturday, lots of wind, plenty

of precipitation, too. we're going to get a swath of 4 to 10 inches of snow depending on where you're located from iowa into southern minnesota, wisconsin and into the northern great lakes. with a cold front trailing behind it, allowing for the potential, at least, for strong to severe storms friday into saturday morning. damaging winds, large hail, isolated tornadoes. keep an eye to the sky. nashville all the way to houston. 58 in atlanta, 39 for new york city, and the warm weather continues over the eastern two-thirds for next week. back to you. tennis champion serena williams will miss the 2022 australian open. williams made the announcement online saying she is still recovering from a hamstring injury from earlier this year. the australian open tweeted their sympathy, wishing her a speedy recovery. williams had been previously slated to head the tournament in 202 after reaching the semi finals this year. the last win was at the 2017 australian open.

nike's swoosh logo will soon be gone from one of the largest shoe store chains in the u.s.. the company will stop selling its products at designer shoe warehouse stores next year. nike is shifting its sales to its own shops, websites and select retailers it says will more than double the profit it will receive from selling through wholesale partners. nike accounts for 27% of dsw sales. rideshare lyft is giving employees another year to work remotely. lyft says its workers won't be required to return to their offices until 2023. the company didn't mention the omicron variant, but said it wanted to give employees more flexibility. lyft still plans to reopen its offices in february, but going there will be optional for now. new zealand wants its future generations to stop smoking and the new law could make that happen. next year lawmakers will kickoff a campaign to reduce the number of smokers across the country to less than 5% by 2025.

right now only those 18 and older can buy tobacco, but the new bill would progressively raise the legal age for purchases. new zealand's government also plans to reduce the number of shops that sell tobacco products as well as cutback on tobacco imports and advertising. astronomers have discovered a planet orbiting a pair of stars that are so big and hot it's challenging how scientists understand how planets form. so these are artist conceptions of the planet and photos of its double stars. the most binary system ever found. it's 325 light years away, the giant exoplanet ten times the size of jupiter. while the photos were captured from a telescope, the binary star system can be seen with the naked eye. and that wraps this hour of "cnn newsroom." i'm kim brunhuber. "early start" is next.

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where's mom? she said she would be home in time for the show. don't worry, sweetie. she promised she'd be here for it. ooh! nice shot! thanks! glad we have xfinity, with wifi speed faster than a gig! me too! woah, look! mom is on tv! she's amazing! (cheers) xfinity brought us together, after all!

power your whole home this holiday with wifi speeds faster than a gig. click, call, or visit a store today. sing 2 xxxx it is thursday, december 9th, everybody. 5:00 a.m. in new york. thanks for getting an early start with us this morning. i'm christine romans. >> i'm laura jarrett. welcome to our viewers in the united states and all around the world. we have reports this morning from minneapolis, chicago, can i he kiev and hong kong. we begin with the riot investigation and mark meadows suing the select committee now. the former chief of staff is asking a federal judge to block one subpoena demanding his testimony and another to verizon for his phone records. now, meadows had agreed earlier to sit for a