hello and a very warm welcome to our viewers joining us in the united states and right around the world. i'm isa soares in london, and just ahead right here on "cnn newsroom." >> always be extra special careful because you're dealing with an unprecedented situation of a virus. >> right now is the moment to really practice those mitigation strategies. >> i think the next two to eight weeks could be a global blizzard. a >> states and health officials prepare for the worst.

a covid surge is imminent. israel is offering a vaccine boost to people. we are live in jerusalem. could it be a potential deadlock? jurors in the trial of former police officer kim potter prepare for the third day of deliberations. after suggesting they may be struggling to reach a verdict. >> announcer: live from london, this is "cnn newsroom" with isa soares. welcome to the show, everyone. it is wednesday, december 22nd. we begin with new evidence of just how devastating the covid-19 pandemic has been. now, the cdc says life expectancy in the u.s. fell by almost two years in 2020. mostly due to the pandemic. last year americans lived to an average age of 77, down from 78.8. that is the biggest single-year drop in more than 75 years.

and covid was the third leading cause of death behind heart disease and cancer. the news comes as the pandemic is still raging right across the country, fueled by omicron. the variant has now been detected in all but one state, and that is south dakota. the country is currently averaging 150,000 new covid cases a day. while numbers, new case numbers declined last week, data from the w.h.o. shows the u.s. still has more new infections than any other country, despite all that, millions of americans are putting -- aren't putting holiday plans on hold. on tuesday, president biden encouraged them to celebrate if they're fully vaccinated. have a listen. >> if you are vaccinated and follow the precautions that we all know well, you should feel comfortable celebrating christmas and the holidays as you planned it. you know, you've done the right thing. you can enjoy the holiday season. >> now, in the lead up to the

holiday's long lines you can see there, forming testing sites, officials are warning the weeks ahead could be brutal really for the health care system. on tuesday president biden announced teams are now being deployed to help overburdened hospitals in several states. he also tried to ease the minds of anxious americans. cnn's jeff zeleny has those details for you. >> reporter: just days before christmas, president biden offering reassurances and warnings to the american people about the spread of the omicron variant. now, certainly this has now taken up the majority of new cases and white house officials are expecting that to grow. now, the president taking a number of steps, what his administration is going to do on testing, opening up new federal testing sites in new york city and elsewhere, sending military medical members to hospitals to help them with their burdened staff. and also sending at-home tests across the country, some 500 million of them, by january. but the question is will that be enough? the president, though, offered

these words of assurances and calm to americans. >> i know you're tired. i really mean this and i know you're frustrated. we all want this to be over. we're still in it, and this is a critical moment. >> reporter: the president also doing something he rarely does, referring to former president donald trump who in the past several days has said that he, too, has received the booster. now, he was speaking at an event where he got booed for that, but president biden essentially praised his predecessor and said if former president trump did it, so can other americans, trying to make the case for vaccinations and boosters. jeff zeleny, cnn, the white house. >> thanks, jeff. well, president biden denies the shortage of covid-19 testing kits in the u.s. is a failure. he says no one anticipated the virus spreading as quickly as it has in the past few weeks.

cleveland, ohio, had to shutdown after testing more than a thousand people in its first day. u.s. pharmacies the tests combine six at cvs and four at walgreens. dr. fauci says there is help. have a listen. >> we are putting up 20,000 testing sites with half a billion tests literally within the next few days. and then have a situation where you can get anywhere from 200 million to a half a billion tests per month. so we will be able to very soon have all the tests that people need because you are correct, it is an important part of the comprehensive program of staying safe. >> well, meantime, more states and cities across the united states are implementing new measures in an attempt really to curb the covid surge. california's governor has announced all health care workers in the state will be required to receive a booster shot. starting january 3rd, chicago will start requiring proof of vaccination to dine indoors, go

to bars, and visit gyms. in anticipation of the surge, vermont has requested a team from the federal agency to add additional capacity to hospitals throughout the state. and west virginia is planning to spend $48 million to aggressively recruit and train more nurses right across the state. the governor says around 1700 nurses didn't renew their license last year. officials there expect covid hospitalizations to hit record highs this holiday season. and in cleveland, ohio, this simple message. help, as you can see there, just one word from several area hospitals. it was in a four-page advertisement. you can see ohio's largest newspaper. below it, they made an appeal for everyone to roll up their sleeves and get vaccinated. saying they are currently treating more covid patients than ever before.

and that really overwhelming majority of them are unvaccinated. a simple word there to really express what they are going through. i take you to new york city. they are offering $100 to anyone who gets a covid vaccine booster at one of the city's vaccination sites before the end of the year. the city is also expanding testing sites with some help from the federal government. officials expect to have more than 100 testing centers including both fixed and mobile by the end of the week. as for offering up cash for boosters, mayor de blasio says it's well worth it to save lives. >> this is strategic. this is to move the people who are not moving fast enough. god bless the people who went and got their booster fast. that was the right thing to do for themselves and their family as we gave it to them for free. but we have to move some other people with incentive, get them off the dime, get them moving for the good of all. that's a good investment. >> and with omicron spreading like wildfire, christmas days

away, people wonder how safe it is to travel and be out for the holidays. here's what top u.s. experts are saying. >> omicron is so contagious, there is still a small chance you could get infected. if you're vaccinated and boosted you're going to do well from a clinical point of view. you're not going to get very sick. can kids go to school safely? absolutely. can we gather in small groups, meaning family and friends? they can if everybody is vaccinated and everybody is eligible. if you can find those rapid tests and get everybody a rapid test, that makes it much, much safer. i do think boosting is possible. i wouldn't go to a large christmas party with 300 people eating and drinking. i think that's unnecessary. >> one thing i want to make sure people understand, it is not really the act of being on the airplane or being in the car, the travel itself that is -- puts one at risk. what puts one at risk is actually all of the behavior and mitigation strategies that may

not have been used in the week prior to gathering, before people meet up. and that's really why we're saying right now is the moment to really practice those mitigation strategies so that you can be safe when you're together. >> very good advice there. well, meanwhile, israel is taking a major step in its fight against covid-19 becoming the first country in the world to recommend a fourth vaccine dose. the additional booster for at-risk groups comes as they brace for another wave of coronavirus infections. for more let's bring in journalist elliott in jerusalem. elliott, what more do we know about the plan for the fourth booster, how soon will it be available, and critically the decision behind it here? >> reporter: isa, i think the decision behind it just shows israel is trying to do everything that it can to get ahead of the omicron variant and to slow its spread and to slow down this fifth covid wave. i don't think it will have any qu qualms about sticking its neck

out for medical workers and people with suppressed immune systems in terms of receiving a fourth shot of the covid vaccine. you may recall in the summer it was one of the first to roll out a third booster shot of the vaccine, well before the united states and other countries and health experts were saying it was necessary. so that's what's going to happen in terms of the fourth shot and the groups that are going to receive it. in terms of how soon it will happen, well, we are still waiting for more information on that. i understand they've been talking on the radio here about more shipments of the pfizer biontech vaccine arriving in israel. of course, at the same time, the country is trying to encourage those that have yet to have their third shot to do so as well, all the while trying to ramp up the vaccination campaign for children. this is just one of the many -- one of the measures, many measures israel is trying to take to slow down the spread of omicron. it is extending the use of requirements for a green pass to prove vaccination or recovery. so, for example, in shopping centers, shops that are bigger than 100 meters square, you

won't be able to go in there without a green pass. they are reducing the time gap between the recommendation for people to receive their third shot after their second shot. so that's been shrunk, that time gap. on top of that, getting public sector workers, half of all public sector employees from sunday are expected to begin working from home and also encouraging private sector workers to do so. of course, we've been talking the last few days as well about the u.s. and canada being added to israel's red no-fly list. that came into effect last night, again, in order to stop off what the major source of omicron in the country. most of its 341 confirmed cases came from people bringing it back into israel. so israel is hoping with all of those measures in place, it will by itself more time. it will be able to slow the spread of the omicron variant and israel will be able to better prepare for the spike in cases that is expected to happen in the coming weeks. isa? >> very briefly, elliott, how is the news of this fourth vaccine, how is that being received? >> reporter: look, i think

israelis, those that are eligible for it, this is for the over 60s, medical workers and people with suppressed immune systems. israel is the second most successful in terms of rolling out a third booster shot. there is a reasonable appetite. some people might be taking the view that, look, how much longer is this going to go on? this is a fourth one. is there a fifth one, a sixth one? before it's administered, we'll see what take-up is like and how that reflects the appetite among israelis for receiving yet another shot of the covid vaccine. isa? >> thank you very much, elliott. just ahead, democrats are trying to revive the president's domestic agenda. they may have to overcome some deep divisions within their own party. we'll explain. biden administration says some demands from russia are nonstarters as tensions remain high over the military buildup near ukraine's border. we're tracking all the developments for you. we're live in moscow next.

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>> we are going to get something done. thank you. >> the u.s. president there refusing, as you can see, to condemn democratic senator joe manchin who has been blocking the administration's build back better act. instead, indicating that they will overcome the impasse. joe biden made his case to reporters on tuesday. have a listen. >> you saw what happened yesterday, all the talk about how my build back better plan was going to increase inflation, going to cause debts. what happened? goldman sachs said if we don't pass build back better, we're in trouble because it's going to grow the economy. without it, we're not going to grow. >> well, manchin's office said he had an honest conversation with respected senate colleagues on tuesday, but still believes the president's plan will cost more than expected. during that call, the senate majority leader reportedly vowed the democrats won't stop working on the bill until it is passed,

and there will be a vote next month. here's cnn's manu raju with more for you. >> reporter: democrats had a private conference call on tuesday night, trying to figure out if they can get this agenda back on track after joe manchin effectively derailed it on sunday. now, it's unclear if they can do just that because there is absolutely no consensus on how to move ahead. particularly because manchin reiterated his concerns to his colleagues, i'm told. he also said he had concerns about inflation. he had geopolitical concerns. he said the bill does not actually show the true nature of its cost. he said it would add to the debt. now, democrats pushed back. there was some belief that joe manchin was not accurately portraying how this bill would be paid for. but there was a discussion by manchin that he would be willing to continue to discuss things going forward. so does that lead to a smaller plan, a scaled-back proposal? something even he and liberals

could accept, and could they get it all done and to joe biden's desk in a matter of weeks or months? that remains a big question because midterm election season is heating up and democrats are on the defensive trying to keep the house, struggling to keep the senate as well, and there are concerns democrats may go to the voters, promising a lot, but delivering nothing on this big agenda, even as they point to the infrastructure bill, the social savings net expansion, hoped for activists, liberals and their voters to do something. but they may not get it because of deep divisions between joe manchin and his party. manu raju, cnn, capitol hill. thank you, manu. u.s. markets rebounded tuesday after getting walloped, you remember, the beginning of the week. the dow gaining 165 points, and the nasdaq up 2% higher. all three benchmarks snapping a

three-day losing streak. let me show you the picture for u.s. futures along with european markets and asian markets. dow jones expected, the nasdaq, s&p 500 expected to stop trading day lower this wednesday. mixed picture really in europe. the ftse 100 really the only one in europe seeing red this morning. and in asia, also another mixed picture. of course, concerns over omicron and demand playing into all this. i think our shanghai composite is not working well, but we'll keep you updated on those numbers. now, the top u.s. diplomat for europe says further diplomatic talks with russia unlikely to take place next month. this comes amid soaring tensions over russia's military buildup near ukraine's border. now russian president vladimir putin is demanding security guarantees from the u.s. as well as nato, including a binding pledge that nato won't expand further east. cnn's oren liebermann has more from washington for you.

>> reporter: the biden administration is making it clear that the demands put forward by russia, demands, for example, that ukraine not join nato or about positioning of u.s. forces throughout nato as well as advise and assisting ukraine, these are nonstarters. the administration has made it clear not only from president joe biden, but also secretary of state anthony blinken russia can't make demands of ukraine foreign policy. whether it joins nato or other alliances is a decision for a sovereign ukraine to make. here's what blinken had to say on tuesday. >> one country does not have the right to dictate the policies of another or tell the country with whom it may associate. one country does not have the right to exert a sphere of influence. that notion should be relegated to the pen of history. >> reporter: the u.s. is working with european allies that target sweeping sanctions not only the energy sector, but overall economy and financial sector. it will deterritory russian

president vladimir putin from ordering an invasion of ukraine. the idea here, the thinking that russia's economy is not strong. if putin sees this sweeping array of sanctions as a potential if he invades ukraine, he may think twice about doing so. where do the talks go from here? administration officials have said they hope there are talks coming forward in january, not only between the u.s. and russia, but also perhaps between nato and russia that would lead to an off-ramp, a way to avoid an escalation of hostilities between russia and ukraine. still the u.s. military and others are watching this very closely in a situation that could easily ignite with a mistake, miss step or russian invasion. oren liebermann, cnn, at the pentagon. >> thanks very much, oren. we are following the developments from moscow. melissa joins me live. some have seen a stark, some say aggressive language from vladimir putin as he blames nato

and the west for the rise in tensions. what is the reaction from the united states and indeed from the u.s. and its allies to what we heard from putin so far? >> reporter: you're quite right to point out, isa, we've been seeing increasingly aggressive language, i'd say not just from russia, but also nato and the united states. the threats of sanctions that would go far beyond anything that have been seen before. a much more coordinated way between the united states and europe compared to anything we saw in 2014. so you see this ratcheting up of language. what we heard yet from vladimir putin, who was speaking in a defense ministry meeting, it was televised, was a warning. first of all, pointing out that what he wanted was dialogue rather than blood shed, but saying russia would not hesitate to carry out what he described as military technical activity, short what he regards from nato. you have to look at it from his point of view. he mentioned the various treaties coming out of the cold war the united states has

progressively left the idea of missiles being placed within several minutes' striking range of moscow in ukraine should an eastward expansion of nato continue extremely worrying for russia. this is what vladimir putin had to say at that meeting yesterday. >> translator: but why, why did nato have to expand? why withdraw from the abm treaties? what is happening now, the tension that is building up in europe is their fault. conflicts, blood shed, this is absolutely not our choice. we do not want such a development of events. but we want to be able to have at least understandable clearly stated legal guarantees. this is the meaning of our proposals laid out on paper and sent to brussels and washington. >> reporter: a mention there of the missile treaty signed between russia and the united states, left by the united states in 2002. it goes to the heart of vladimir

putin's preoccupations, what might happen on his borders should that eastward nato expansion continue. and you heard it in that meeting yesterday with the defense minister talking about an american military company. he said that was using mercenaries and acquired chemical weapons and was planning provocations on ukrainian soil in a couple cities east of the country. so there are genuine fears on both sides ratcheting up. a glimmer of hope in the conversation that will begin in january, isa. >> we shall see what comes out in the conversation in the new year. melissa bell, great to see you. thanks very much. and if you want to dig deeper on the rising tensions between west and russia's, melissa was outlining it, what we can expect from putin when it comes to ukraine, have a read of this piece. he argues putin's "end game" is ussr 12.0 coming 30 years to the day the soviet union collapsed. he says without firing a shot putin has managed to send the

west into a collective panic or a position where they feel they need to appease the aging autocrat. you can find that piece, more on cnn.com/opinions. now, i know you're probably not countering anything, but we're three days away until christmas and the winter solstice is bringing snow to early parts of the u.s.. the rest of the country will be dreaming of a white christmas. cnn's tyler malden has the latest. give us a sense of what viewers can expect as they start making their way whether they're driving, getting on a plane or walking to see their loved ones? >> well, hey, isa, good morning to you. always you know, the last couple of days we've been tracking multiple areas of low pressure across the west coast, which will really cause both the rain and the snowfall to pile up very quickly. we're talking about some snowfall totals getting up to 5 feet along the sierra nevada.

some indications show we could be seeing some isolated areas of the sierra nevada could see snowfall up to about 8 feet of snow. all right. so, yeah, that's a lot. up here across the inter mountain west going to the northern rockies, we're going to be measuring the snow in feet as well. so travel delays for sure here. what about the rest of the country? up here across the great lakes and also new england, we have a pair of low pressure systems moving across that will also impact our traveling, both by ground and by air, because those will be some -- those will give a quick little hit of snowfall in both regions. so, for wednesday, the travel impacts will be minor to moderate here across the west coast. and then minor to moderate, too, up here across new england. then as we get into thursday, you can see that -- there you go. more in the way of travel delays

for us with those systems moving over. i apologize. i didn't realize that graphic was there. and then you can see the above-average heat is going to be here across the center portion of the country. so, yeah, we've got a couple of areas where there will be travel delays. mainly the west coast, the great lakes and new england. but then the majority of the east coast in the days to come will just be seeing tranquil above-average heat. notice across the plains we could see by christmas eve and christmas day, we could be seeing temperatures in the low to mid-'80s. atlanta, georgia, not spared. temperatures by christmas day in atlanta, isa, in the low 70s. not feeling much like christmas. >> no, that's very mild indeed. i did like your graphics, by the way, your christmas graphics. expect more decorations in the days ahead, tyler. good to see you, tyler malden there. still ahead, new testing requirements and crowd limits are taking hold right across europe. at least one country's minister

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welcome back to "cnn newsroom," everyone. i'm isa soares. if you're just joining us, let me bring you up to date with our top stories this hour. israel is rolling out a fourth booster shot for people over 60 years old along with medical workers and those with suppressed immune systems. the country's panel of coronavirus experts made the recommendation on tuesday. president biden says

vaccinated americans can safely go ahead with their holiday plans. the announcement comes as u.s. averages nearly 150,000 cases a day. and according to the w.h.o., the u.s. has the highest number of covid cases worldwide, putting it all onto perspective for you is cnn's athena jones. >> we've really not seen anything like this before. >> reporter: hospitalization are up 35% over a month ago. the u.s. now averaging nearly 140,000 new covid cases a day, and more than 1200 people are dying each day on average. and even as early indications suggest, omicron may cause milder illness than the delta variant, the sheer number of covid cases could overwhelm already stretched hospitals. >> all of the things that we're very concerned about is in health care systems that are overstretched, literally breaking. now imagine taking 20 or 30% of the health care workers out because they now, too, are infected. >> reporter: doctors stressing people who have not been vaccinated are most at risk. for the vaccinated, getting

boosted reduces your risk further. while just over 61% of the country is fully vaccinated, less than 20% has gotten a booster shot. even as a new england journal of medicine study says people vaccinated more than six months ago were more than three times more likely to have a breakthrough case of covid than those inoculated more recently. in new york, where more than 70% of fully vaccinated, only about 40% of those eligible have received a booster. there is one potentially positive scientific. >> we have right now about 460 patients in our hospitals. that's less than 10% of our overall capacity. >> reporter: while the empire state is setting daily records for new covid infections, it is not yet seeing a corresponding increase in hospitalizations. >> this time last year, during the second wave, we had almost a thousand cases. this time last year. and compared to where we were back in the first wave, we had

3,500 patients in our hospitals. >> reporter: and here in new york city, a bogeyig focus on boosters. mayor de blasio offering $100 to any city resident who gets a covid-19 booster dose at a city-run vaccination site. this booster bonus program is in effect now through the end of the month. athena jones, cnn, new york. well, the world health organization warns a storm is coming to europe where the omicron variant is partly to blame for more than 2.7 million new covid cases in just the past week. have a listen. >> boost, boost, boost. the booster is the single-most important defense against the omicron. but the vaccination alone is not enough. because the vaccination protects against severe disease. it protects against death. it protects the hospitals. but it does not necessarily interrupt transmission.

>> explaining why booster is needed. germany's health minister is not ruling out a lockdown if case get out of control. the uk is offering more than a billion dollars in financial support to businesses hurt by the pandemic. they are cutting the recommendation for self-isolation to seven days with back to back negative tests. meanwhile, in france, it says omicron represents one in every three covid infections in paris. both france and spain have reported single-day records for new cases this week. let's get more on these trends. standing by in london, first we go to barbie nadeau in rome. we learned in the last few minutes france is beginning to vaccinate children following other countries including italy where you are. >> reporter: that's right. we are seeing so many different approaches to the threat of the omicron variant. we still don't know -- countries are not sequencing all the positive tests. one thing is clear. every country is looking at new

lockdowns, new restrictions. let's hear what the german chancellor scholz had to say about the holiday season. >> translator: we have to protect ourselves and our relatives. if we do that with all the common sense given to us as human beings, we will also get through the next corona wave. >> reporter: now, you know, so many countries are trying to get through the holidays, get through with families. they are looking at more severe lockdowns after people gather for new year's eve and things like that. some celebrations canceled. it will be a holiday much like last year. the number of hospitalizations isn't quite what it was this time last year, but they are very worried that could be the next threat in the new year. isa? >> of course that is the concern. you can see lots of other european countries already looking at the plan post christmas. let's bring in nada who is in the uk. i'm guessing the decision we heard in the last few hours to

reduce isolation period, it is, i'm guessing, to ease pressure on businesses up and down the country who are really short of staff. >> reporter: absolutely, that's been a real concern for many businesses up and down the country. now the government has announced the isolation period will be reduced for most people from ten to seven days along with a lateral flow test taken 24 hours between on day six and day seven. we heard from the health secretary saying he really hopes this will ease pressure on businesses. that's not the only measure being brought into force. we heard from the finance secretary announcing millions in new funding to support businesses that have been deeply affected by the pandemic and the other restrictions that have been brought into force. that will really focus mainly on the hospitality sector as well as cultural institutions like museums and theaters which, of course, have to face major closures during this pandemic.

because others have also been questioning restrictions around the christmas period and how that will impact daily life. we heard from the prime minister now, announcing that actually people won't have the strict restrictions that we saw last year during the christmas period. take a listen. >> people can go ahead with their christmas plans. but the situation remains finally balanced, and i would urge everyone to exercise caution, to keep protecting yourselves and your loved ones, especially the vulnerable, and remember to keep following the guidance. >> reporter: and really, following the guidance here is key. we've seen a number of concerns being expressed by health officials from the government's own scientific advisers, warning that if urgent action isn't taken before christmas, that we could see a surge in hospital admissions in the new year. the head of the n.h.s. himself warning the health service is on a war footing.

we have seen rising cases in the uk. on tuesday, more than 90,000 new cases confirmed. and of those new cases, more than 15,000 confirmed to be the omicron variant. but the government has also hailed its booster campaign a success. we've seen a significant uptick of the third booster jab. nearly 30 million people now going out to get the third jab. so there is some hope there, but there are, of course, concerns from health authorities that if tougher measures aren't brought into force soon, we could continue to see the surge in cases. isa? >> yeah, we shall see what happens post christmas and see what other restrictions and measures they put in place. thank you to you ladies this morning. and just ahead right here on the show, u.s. house republican calls the january 6 committee illegitimate and refuses to cooperate. we are following the fallout from both sides. you are watching "cnn newsroom." . ...and dry, cracked skin. new gold bond advanced healing ointment.

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welcome back, everyone. now, as we approach the one-year anniversary of the january 6 attack on the u.s. capitol, donald trump's allies continue to put up a fight. a total of eight lawsuits are now challenging the ability of the house select committee to gather information about trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 election. former trump national security adviser michael flynn is the latest to file a suit. he is trying to block a subpoena for his phone records. and we are learning about a house republican who is denying request to speak with the committee. cnn's jessica schneider is following that part of the story for you. >> reporter: the january 6 committee is denouncing republican congressman scott perry for his refusal to do a voluntary interview with committee members. and the panel is now leaving open the possibility that they could subpoena perry. monday's request from the committee, it was notable because it was the first lawmaker that the panel reached out to requesting an interview.

but on tuesday over twitter, congressman perry from pennsylvania said he is declining the request because he views the committee as illegitimate. hours later the committee fired back and they pointed out that numerous courts have rejected those claims the committee lacks authority. and then they issued somewhat of a veiled threat, saying if fellow members of congress don't cooperate, they will consider seeking the information, quote, using other tools. that signalling possible subpoenas. and this all sets up what could be a serious showdown between republican lawmakers and the january 6th committee. now, congressman scott perry was likely the first lawmaker requested by the committee because he was identified by the senate judiciary committee as being a key player pushing those false election fraud claims. he even pressured justice officials to investigate the flimsy fraud allegation. d.o.j. officials declined to do that. top officials said there is no

evidence of widespread fraud. but congressman perry is viewed by the committee as someone who would have firsthand behind-the-scenes knowledge about former president trump's efforts to overturn the election and exactly what happened leading up to january 6th. but the committee not getting to those facts easily now that congressman perry is refusing to cooperate. jessica schneider, cnn, washington. now, on the aviation front, if the cash penalties aren't enough for unruly airline passengers, the federal aviation administration is ready to send them to the back of the security line. under unique partnership, the faa will share information about passengers like this with the transportation security administration and have them removed from the pre-check screening program. so far this year, there have been more than 5600 reports of unruly passengers. 4,000 of them involve people refusing to wear masks. the faa announced zero to city

in january. violators face fines of up to $37,000 if they threaten or attack other passengers as well as the crew. and here's one recent example in miami just two nights ago. police say they were called to the gate because of disturbance over a delayed flight. two people were eventually taken into custody. well, some travelers who can behave are cancelling their holiday plans because of the rapid spread, of course, of the omicron variant. as pete muntean reports, millions are heading to the airports. >> reporter: you know, so many are facing that gdreaded go or no-go. millions are still going. the tsa just screened 2 million people at airports across the country on monday. that is the fifth day in a row we've seen numbers higher than 2 million. friday's number, the highest number we've seen since the monday after thanksgiving. it is clear that so many people still have a lot of confidence in traveling. we have seen long lines from

l.a. to boston to atlanta. you know, dr. anthony fauci says that people should weigh the r risk. if you're vaccinated and boosted, it should be safe, he says. aaa anticipates a total of 900 million people will travel 50 miles or more between december 23rd and january 3rd. and the tsa just updated its projection saying 30 million people will travel by air between now and january 3rd with the busiest day being thursday. we will see if this doubt leads to any decline in these numbers. airlines say that cancellations did pickup a little bit as the omicron variant began to make headlines. pete muntean, cnn, regan national airport. >> thanks, pete. well, coming up, no decision yet in the trial of ex-police officer kim potter for killing daunte wright. the questions asked by the jury is giving clues as to where things may be headed. that is next.

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barricades have been delivered to the brooklyn center police department. kim potter said she mistook her service gun for her taser when she shot and killed daunte wright back in april. the jury will return for a third day of deliberations within hours. questions asked could signal their thinking. cnn's omar jimenez has more for you. >> reporter: what seems the jury in the kim potter trial may be struggling to come to a consensus, that's based on at least one of two questions the jury asked the judge over the course of tuesday. the first question simply was, if we can't reach a consensus, what is the guidance on how long we should go, and what next steps should be taken? the judge referred them back to parts of their juror instructions which said they should continue to work toward an agreement without, though, violating anyone's individual judgments. she also said no one should sacrifice their honest opinion just to get to a consensus.

now, this jury deliberated for a little more than nine hours over the course of tuesday, which brings them to a total of more than 14 hours when you add it up over the course of two days, which i should mention is over four hours more than it took a jury to convict derek chauvin back in april of this year. they asked if they could remove the zip ties from kim potter's gun, which they have access to in evidence so that they could hold it outside of the evidence box. so i think to compare the feeling of that gun with the feeling of the taser, which they also have in evidence, prosecutors have argued that the mere fact she claimed that she wanted her taser showed that even she knew that deadly force was not necessary in the situation. her defense team has argued that none of this would have happened if daunte wright had simply complied. that is the heart of what the jury is trying to get to a

consensus on. they'll be back to continue their deliberations wednesday morning. omar jimenez, cnn. >> thank you, omar. well, players from the national hockey league are not expected to compete at the beijing winter olympics due to covid concerns. that is according to multiple reports and would be another major blow to the games now just six weeks away. nothing is official yet, and the nhl and its players association have been discussing the matter. the nhl season is now on hold until after christmas because, of course, covid outbreaks among several teams. we'll stay on top of that story for you. jennifer kaye has made nfl history. she stepped in as washington's running backs coach. you can see making her the first woman of color to be an elite position coach in nfl game. she filled in for coach randy jordan who was sidelined due to covid-19 protocols. king has served as the team's assistant running backs coach for the past year. and one of my favorite stories of the day actually, a

70 million-year-old fossil is shedding light on the link between dinosaurs and birds. this is the pathically preserved embryo. it was discovered in china more than two decades ago, but sat in storage for ten years and is now the subject of a new study. researchers say the fossil indicates the dinosaurs were moving around and changing poses before hatching in a similar way to modern day birds. christmas stockings may be missing a classic holiday treat this year. candy canes are in short supply right across the u.s. candy makers are facing shortage supply chains and sugar costs. it is forcing some manufacturers to turn business away while others have been preparing since autumn, running extra shifts to meet demand. and that does it for me here on the show. thanks very much for watching "cnn newsroom." i'm isa soares. "early start" with christine romans and laura jarrett is up next. do stay right here with cnn, and

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all right, good morning, it is wednesday, december 22nd. it is 5:00 a.m. in new york. good morning. thanks for getting an early start with us. i'm christine romans. >> hey there, christine. i'm laura jarrett. welcome to viewers in the united states and around the world. we begin this morning with a simple plea. help. that word in big black letters, calling out from ohio's largest newspaper. six cleveland area medical systems are being crushed right now. the text reads, quote, we now have mor