>> oh, we got it . welcome to all of you watching here in the united states, canada, and all around the world.

i'm kim brunhuber. ahead on "cnn newsroom" -- stormy weather could delay millions of people who traveled for the thanksgiving holiday. what to expect before you head to the airport. plus, we're learning more about the alleged walmart shooter, hear what's in a note he wrote before the rampage. and vladimir putin is meeting with mothers of russian soldiers, thanking them for their sacrifice. hear why some believe it was all staged by the kremlin. the christmas season has begun in earnest here in the u.s. now that the country has wrapped up the thanksgiving holiday. shoppers from coast to coast took advantage of black friday sales in both brick and mortar stores and on line. airports will face a surge of passengers heading home this weekend, most of them on sunday. government data shows the number of air travelers wednesday came close to a pandemic record, but

weather could create complications. heavy rain and even show could cause headaches for people in the air and on the roads. let's bring in derek van dam. sounds like the weather isn't really cooperating for many traveling this weekend. >> yeah. but if you're leaving today along the east coast, you're looking good. in fact, this map very promising if you're flying out of say dulles international, perhaps into laguardia, jfk, even westbound into o'hare or the midway airport out of chicago, atlanta hartsfield looking decent, as well. things are going to change through the course of the weekend. i'll show you that in one moment. some problems potentially today. dfw into the houston area, that is the area of concern with the potential for heavy rain, localized flash flooding from a storm system that's kind of churning and taking advantage of the warm, humid environment close to the gulf of mexico. in fact, we have a flood watch now for the houston metropolitan area. we all know it doesn't take much for houston to flood.

with so much pavement and the expansion of the city so quickly here within the past few decades. more rain on top of what has already fallen in the past few days means this area could see some travel delays on the road and in the skies. dallas to houston this morning, you've got some nasty weather out there. we have on the back side of the system cold enough air that it's turning the precipitation into snow. you can see this evolution of the storm system as it advances through atlanta, the southeast, and eventually into the northeast. pay attention in the legend in the top portion of the screen. that is from sunday into monday. if you've procrastinated or had to wait until the end of the weekend to travel home from visiting family and friends, this is where we anticipate the travel delays to be. it's going to be a combination of a high volume of people traveling and also the weather that is going to cause that snowball effect along the eastern seaboard. today this is where we anticipate the minor to moderate travel delays, memphis, dallas, houston, potentially into atlanta later this afternoon. and then notice how that shifts

and increases to more of a moderate risk of delays for d.c., new york, as well as boston, that's thanks, again, to the weather and the sheer number of people traveling. look at the rainfall overspreading the eastern half of the country for the next few days. it's not just the east coast, but it's also the pacific northwest that's going to be hit by two separate cold fronts from today right through the course of the end of the weekend, as well. here's a flash flood threat. houston, new orleans today. a quick look at temperatures. again, if you have the chance to change your ticket, traveling along the east coast, today would be your best they to travel. kim? >> sounds like timing is everything. thank you so much, appreciate that. so if you're flying sunday, the crowds might make you miss social distancing. cnn looks at how packed the airports will be. >> reporter: we are in a short-lived air travel lull, but it's about to come roaring back the sunday after thanksgiving

when everybody begins coming home at once. the tsa screened 1.4 million people at airports across the country on thanksgiving day. the lowest number since february. look at the day before -- 2.46 million people screened by the tsa at airports nationwide. that number only 6% off of the same day back in 2019 before the pandemic, and just shy of a pandemic record. could sunday hit the all-time air travel record when the tsa screened 2.88 million people at airports nationwide the sunday after thanksgiving back in 2019. i asked tsa administrator david pikoski if that's a real possibility this time around. >> this holiday will be the biggest holiday travel period we think since the pandemic. so pre-pandemic on the sunday following thanksgiving, almost three million passengers. we'll be close to that the sunday following this thanksgiving. >> reporter: these numbers are so important because of all the uncertainty that airlines and passengers faced over the summertime when they canceled

50,000 flights in total due in part to staffing shortages, and that was all compounded by bad weather. the weather this time around has been relatively good. airlines have been on a hiring blitz. in fact, united airlines canceled no flights network-wide on the tuesday before thanksgiving. a man overboard situation interrupted what was supposed to be a relaxing thanksgiving cruise. a man was rescued from the gulf of mexico after apparently falling from a cruise ship. u.s. coast guard video shows him bobbing in the water desperate for help before being hoisted to safety. cnn's nick valencia has details. i think it kind of blows the normalcy out of the water here. >> reporter: a miraculous rescue at sea after a carnival cruise ship passenger went overboard. the passenger, seen here waving at a coast guard helicopter, hovering over him while he fights to stay above water. the cruise company said the 28-year-old man was reported

missing thursday around noon. he had last been seen around 11:00 p.m. wednesday by his sister leaving a bar on board the ship which had left new orleans bound for cozumel mexico. >> any point from 11:00 p.m. wednesday on he could have entered the waterway. so he realistically could have been in the water for 15-plus hours before we were able to successfully rescue him. >> reporter: since so much time had passed since he was last seen, the rescue operation was particularly challenging. >> understanding we did have a big time delay. the longer that somebody's in the water, the greater the search area is going to be. time was certainly of the, sense. >> reporter: ultimately the crew aboard a cargo vessel located him about 20 miles south of southwest pass louisiana, where the coast guard was able to helicopter in and hoist the man out of the water to safety. he's in the hospital undergoing medical evaluation and is reportedly in stable condition. >> he was able to identify his name, confirm that he was the individual that fell overboard. he was showing signs of hypothermia, shock, dehydration.

>> reporter: carnival cruise line expressing their gratitude in a statement reading, "we greatly appreciate the efforts of all. most especially the u.s. coast guard, and the mariner who spotted the guest in the water." >> the will to live is something you need account for in every search and rescue case. >> reporter: this man's will to survive leaving even those who rescued him in awe. >> this is, like i said, one of the absolute longest that i've heard about and just one of those thanksgiving miracles. >> reporter: the u.s. coast guard tells cnn that the water where the man was found was roughly 70 degrees fahrenheit and could have potentially contributed to keeping him alive for the hours that he was floating in the gulf. meanwhile, investigators are looking into how exactly he went overboard and what he did to survive. nick valencia, cnn, atlanta. mexican authorities have issued an arrest warrant and started extradition proceedings for a friend of the north carolina college student who was found dead inside her vacation rental last month. investigators say shanquilla

robinson was vacationing in mexico when she died in a direct attack, not an accident. now the victim's family is speaking out. >> i'm sad the evening they called and said she wasn't feeling well and they was going to call a doctor. but when they called, the doctor hadn't arrived yet. they said she had alcohol poisoning. we received an autopsy report on thursday, and it said that her neck had been broke. >> mexican officials haven't named the suspect but confirmed she's an american who's believed to be in the united states. authorities in virginia are still trying to find a motive for the mass shooting in a walmart store earlier this week. officials say the gunman had no criminal history and released a death note he had written on his cell phone. brian todd has more. just had had the gun up to my forehead, and -- it's just

really hard. >> reporter: chilling new details released by police reveal the man who killed six walmart employees bought his weapon that very day. city officials say the shooter had no criminal history and that he legally bought the gun he used, a .9-millimeter handgun. officials releasing screen shots of writings found on the gunman's phone. the title, "death note." he explains the grieve'ses he had writing his associates were laughing and mocking him saying they, quote, gave me evil, twisted grins, mocked me, and celebrated my downfall the last day. that's why they suffered the same fate as me. in another part he wrote, quote, i wish i could have saved everyone from myself. my god, forgive me for what i'm about to do. he spoke of specific people in the note, but none of them were his victims, and the names were redacted for privacy. cnn reaped out to walmart to inquire if the shooter had any complaints against him or had ever been disciplined or demoted. in response, walmart said,

quote, there is nothing that can justify taking innocent lives. one survivor, a fellow employee, told us earlier this week that she had been warned about the gunman. >> i am new, but i'd heard from the very beginning that he was the one to watch out for. >> reporter: the city also released the identity of the youngest victim identified as 16-year-old fernando chavez bar ron. the teen had just started working at the walmart and used his first paycheck to buy gifts for his mother. >> was hoping everything was a dream until the day -- he was standing with me. >> reporter: with 2002 people in the hospital, dozens gathered thursday to pray for the victims. as the community struggles to move forward, this survivor can't stop reliving the terror. >> the sound of the droplets -- it replays, replays, replays, replays, replays. of how much blood was coming off the different chairs.

it was making a rhythm, and it was one of the most disturbing things -- i think i will never let go of that. >> reporter: the mayor of chesapeake, rick west, has announced this a vigil for the victims at city park on monday evening. walmart still not answering cnn's questions when whether any disciplinary measures had ever been taken against the shooter or whether complaints by other employees had ever been made about him. brian todd, cnn, washington. it's been nearly one week since a gunman opened fire on a colorado springs lgbtq bar killing five people and wounding 19. one of the victims, air force veteran isiah aponte, spoke from his hospital bed about surviving the attack. here he is. >> i remember him just directly shooting toward the bar. i ended up just like trying to get as much cover for myself. and once he was on the ground, that was when i was able to like get out of there.

>> he says he's forever grateful for the people who stepped in to save lives. brazil is mourning after a deadly attack on two schools. reports say a 16-year-old opened fire on an elementary and middle school and an education center on friday. at least three people were killed, 11 others injured. no details are available about the victims. police arrested the alleged shooter who was seen in security footage in military attire with a semiautomatic weapon. the governor declared three days of official mourning after the attack. after more than 100 days in lockdown and a deadly fire in one chinese region, angry residents protest the government's strict zero-covid policy. how health officials are responding to their demands. plus, the world cup match produces no goals but generates tons of discussion of the drama between the u.s. and england and what it signals about both teams going forward. stay with us. unlike some others,

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qatar. soccer fans at world cup 2022 getting ready for tunisia to face australia as the global tournament enters its second week. team usa played to a draw against england on friday. so even though neither team scored, the americans earned a moral victory against the tough english side. cnn's patrick snell with the highlights. >> reporter: i'm in atlanta. we're going to get going with group b action in the world cup and the eagerly anticipated showdown between the u.s. and the 1966 winners, england, to new victory over america would see them become the first nation to advance to the tournament's knockout stages. the usa with a wonderful chants to take the lead as the team moves and it's western mckenney putting it over the crossbar in a few yards out. it left them frustrated with the miss. then the u.s. coming so very close again through a terrific shot, thumping effort coming off the woodwork as it remained

goal-less at that point. mason mount forcing a good save out of the american goalie, matt turner. short for the break. you see on the replay there what a good save it is. the englishmen a chance to win in the fourth minute of stoppage time. the three-line skipper, harry kane, putting his header wide as this one was watchable indeed. a point apiece, and the result leaving this group tantalizingly tight. here's what i mean -- england lead by a point, but the u.s. and iran, that's going to be huge. they meet on tuesday, and both countries have their fate in their own hands. now to a nail-biting finish in iran. second group, b match against wales, wayne henessey sent off for a red card four minutes to the end of normal time. he sees red. he has to go. then deep into time-out, iran created far more chances throughout, pouncing to score twice in three minutes. there the 98 minutes and the

goal heroes for iran who win 2-0 in the end. meantime, world cup host qatar have been eliminated from the tournament. this after a second straight defeat, this time losing 3-1 to send fwal. the reign -- senegal. the reigning champs took the lead in the second half and doubled it after the break. at 2-0, the match seemingly all over, but qatar finally scoring their first-ever goal in tournament history with just under a quarter hour remaining. senegal putting the result beyond doubt with their third goal of the game. they sealed the first victory by an african nation at that world cup y. are qatar out? the netherlands during ecuador one apiece. the they showed the scoring after just six minutes of play with a nicely taken goal, second of the tournament. ecuador late golden eyed from var. that did not stop them because in form, valencia leveling on 49

minutes, his third of the tournament and counting. he'll be hoping 1-1 it ends. both teams topping group a on four points apiece. we'll have plenty of more games, four in fact on saturday, including the big one -- lionel messi and argentina returning to the pitch. back to you. >> all right. let's discuss this now with sports analyst columnist with "world soccer" magazine. thank you so much for being here with us. i consider myself lucky because i've reported from two world cups, you've reported from every world cup since 1966. so it's great to get your experienced perspective on this world cup. a highly unusual one for many reasons. before we get into all that, let's start with the match -- meaning most of us have circled since the draw came out, usa against the england. england still haven't beaten the usa against the world cup. do you have a sense the u.s. could go further than many

predicted or is england not as good as the first result suggested? >> well, it's probably a bit of both really. england were disappointed i think after scoring six against iran in their first match. that their attack malfunctioned last night. i think usa played very well. they were the more dangerous, as you've seen in the package there. and they might have been disappointed they didn't win the match. >> yeah. looking now at the tournament so far, how has it been on the pitch? on one hand there have been huge upsets, on the other a record number of scoreless draws. so what have you made of it so far? >> yes. the standard's been mix and match really. i think what has happened is there's at least the big shocks, the defeat of argentina and germany, have really carried the momentum of the tournament. i think for from a tournament

point of view, probably locally it's disappointing that qatar didn't even make it to their third match to keep it interesting. so i think the hosts were rather disa pointed. they are champions, after all. >> yeah. and do you think it's been a bit different because most of the players are coming directly from playing in the middle of their domestic seasons rather than sort of at the end of the season as they would in a normal northern summer world cup? >> that's possible, but i think a lot of people had thought that because the players were coming straight off their league matches that -- >> i think we're having a bit of trouble with your connection there. can you hear me? >> yes, i can hear you. >> all right. i want to just jump to some of

the more serious issues sort of off the pitch. this world cup may be one of the more political ones we've ever seen. some players protesting various causes, iranian players not singing the anthem in support of the protests going on in their country. german players covering their mouths to protest fifa's ban on players wearing lgbtq armbands. british players taking a knee to protest inequality. do you get the sense, though, that as the groups progress, the stakes on the pitch get higher, that politics is sort of fading in the background much as it did at the beijing olympics and the world cup in russia? >> yes, i think it is. and i think it will. it's the normal pattern for major sports events. that once the action starts, then the issues off the pitch do fade into the background. i think here the -- the issues -- they won't go away because i think a lot of people are aware

that the qatar world cup has been complex from the start. and i think a lot of people will be very happy just to get to the end of the tournament, finish, and draw a line under a particularly difficult era in world football. >> yeah. despite all this, the atmosphere, as you know better than most -- i mean, there's nothing quite like a world cup. you've been to 14 of these. how does this one stack up? >> well, the atmosphere around the matches is excellent. it's what you'd expect. and the stadium are magnificent. you have to say that -- [ inaudible ] has been excellent by the qataris. they've been hosting international sports events for a long time now. obviously this is by far the biggest one. but so far there have been issues with ticketing, ticketing issues and distribution. apart from those -- [ inaudible ]

>> all right. we'll have to leave it there. really appreciate your insights there from doha. early voting begins today in some two dozen counties in georgia. election day in the senate runoff between democratic incumbent raphael warnock and his republican challenger, herschel walker, is december 6th. statewide early voting starts monday and runs for five days. with outside donations pouring in, walker is trailing in the money race. he only has about one-third of the cash reserves that warnock has on hand according to the federal election commission. the power is slowly coming back after russian strikes on ukraine's energy system. but another challenge is making repair workers' jobs a whole lot harder. we'll explain coming up. please do stay with us.

welcome back to all of you watching here in the united states, canada, and around the world. i'm ken brunhuber. this is "cnn newsroom." lights are slowly coming back on in ukraine following massive russian attacks on its power system earlier this week. right now officials say ukraine has about 70% of the electricity it needs, but repairing the damage is an uphill battle as power crews deal with high winds and sub-zero temperatures. the russian strikes knocked out power to much of the country on wednesday. and this image here shows you how it affected some of the most vulnerable people on the ground. ukrainian officials say this girl well to rush to a gas station to recharge her medical breathing device after power went out. president zelenskyy says despite the progress with repairs, more

than six million homes and businesses are still without power. cnn's claire sebastian joins me from london. as we saw there, many ukrainians now coping with the effects of these power cuts and winter just starting. >> reporter: yeah. this is exactly how russia had planned it when they began this strategy of using sort of loitering munitions, drones, and missiles to attack civilian infrastructure that began on october 10th. right now we are at a critical point because russia is stepping up their attacks. we saw this week for the first time all four nuclear plants were off line at the same time. many other electricity generating facilities were also off line after a huge barrage of attacks. on wednesday ukraine is working incredibly hard to bring these back on line. we had an update from the kyiv city administration this morning that said 130,000 people are still without power. obviously not great, but a significant improvement. they say that the water is back on, and the heating is being brought back on, as well, for

many homes. they're working extremely hard to do this. of course, all of this under the specter that more attacks could come. however, one thing that perhaps wasn't part of moscow's strategy is that international support is being stepped up. eu countries are donating generators. france, latvia athe czech republic. there's an initiative to bring european cities into that, help them to donate generators. u.s. aid has donated 80 generators. allies are coming in with this new kind of support. >> and claire, ukraine not a member of nato, but it just got another strong statement of support from the alliance. take us through that. >> reporter: yeah, the nato secretary general speaking on friday, kim, ahead of a nato foreign ministers meeting coming next week said that the alliance will stand with ukraine, quote, as long as it takes. they are not backing down from their support. take a listen to more of what he

had to say -- >> what happens at the negotiating table depends on what happens on the battlefield. therefore, the best way to increase the chances for a peaceful solution is to support ukraine. so nato will continue to stand with ukraine for as long as it takes. we will not back down. >> reporter: that is the polar opposite view from what russian shah takes. the russian senator saying this week that calls for peace and nato providing military support to ukraine are mutually exclusive. they have accused nato of prolonging the conflict with their support. but the secretary general says he expects not only to see more military support from nato members pledged next week, not just short term but long term in terms of helping ukraine upgrade military from soviet-era weapons. he expects more pledges for nonlethal support, things like medical supplies, drone-jamming

equipment, and more equipment to help them repair the new-crippled power system. >> appreciate the updates. thank you so much. it seems no coincidence that on friday, which is russian mother's day, president putin met with mothers of the very soldiers he's sent to the battlefields of ukraine. he put on a sympathetic face, but as fred pleitgen reports, mothers groups who are critical of the war were conspicuously absent, some implying that the event was stage managed. >> reporter: the russian president meeting those he knows are a backbone of the combat effort in ukraine. soldiers' mothers, many of whom have lost their sons. >> translator: my heart bleeds, and my soul freezes. dark memories cloud my mind. i cry and cry, and i hear my son saying that we will see each other one day. >> reporter: putin eager to show

empathy. >> translator: i want you to know that i personally, the entire leadership of the country, we share your pain. we understand that nothing can replace the loss of a son, a child, especially for a mother. >> reporter: as the war in ukraine, what russia calls the special military operation, drags on and casualties mount, an increasing number of wives and mothers are calling on russia's president to help their husbands and sons. valentina heads the russian soldiers mothers committee and says her group and many others were not invited to meet the president. >> translator: why didn't they take these women who recorded the videos? how many are there? 50 people? well, bring them to moscow, put them in the hole not too close to putin. no, they didn't want to. they wanted to handpick others. >> reporter: the russian military says it has mobilized more than 300,000 russians from september to november. but complaints have been

mounting from old, rusty weapons from a lack of food and poor housing conditions. as this video uploaded to social media purports to show. >> translator: this is how we live, no command, no officers, nothing. here you can see how they've fixed up the window. we have no supply provisions, no food. they said survive on your own, it's up to you. >> translator: the logistics turned out to be complete unprepared for what has been happening for nine months. the front line is long, there are a lot of units, there are a lot of people there. and the army should do this -- they should feed, clothe, and provide medical care. >> reporter: russia doesn't regularly update its casualty figures, but it's clear many families are grieving. this a ceremony for fallen soldiers in the region. >> translator: they are true heroes. they did it in interests of all

of us, of our fatherland. >> reporter: the russian president knows more mothers and wives will have to sacrifice as there seems no end in sight to the war in ukraine. fred pleitgen, cnn, moscow. officials in the capital of china's shingjon region plan to lift covid lockdowns in stages by allowing some of the four million people in low-risk compounds to leave their buildings and eventually move within their neighborhood. now the move comes after serial protests broke out over china's strict zero-covid policy. protesters smashed fences and called for an end to the lockdown and play the policy for delaying firefighters from reaching the scene of a deadly fire on thursday. ten people were killed, and nine others injured in the blaze in an apartment building. the meantime, for the third consecutive day, china set a record for the highest number of new covid cases since the m pandemic began. more than 35,000 new locally

transmitted infections reported on friday. people are calling an unidentified man a hero after he made an anti-lockdown speech while in a locked down compound in china. videos of the man went viral on the social media app we what's before they were censored. one video showed the man being restrained by police and being let go after a group of people surrounded the police. now cnn is unable to confirm the man's current status or why police were trying to detain him. malaysia has a new prime minister, ending days of unprecedented post-election crisis. now the world is watching to see how the new leader, a familiar face who spent years pushing for reforms, plans to govern in these divisive times. >> reporter: protest leader, prisoner, and now prime minister. malaysia's prime minister and supporters have waited through

decades for this moment. the 75-year-old has been made to wait for his chance to lead, waiting in opposition in the political wilderness and for a decade in a jail cell. but his rallying cry has not changed. reform in a country plagued by political corruption and sectarian divisions. >> it was some call issues that will never compromise. issue of governor machines -- governance, issue of anti-corruption rights, issue of judicial independence. >> reporter: he's suffered as malaysia's fragile democracy has at times cracked. jailed for corruption and for sodomy in the years after he served as deputy prime minister to mahatir muhammad. charges he has always said were politically motivated, aimed at ending his career. >> those who mock reformists in the political opinion would

think that indeed anwar was hugely wronged in the process. but in malaysia, there are also some rather conservative cohorts of population of voters who felt that he deserves every bit of his incarceration and punishment. >> reporter: in 2018, his relationship with mahatir was patched up, and the pair joined to defeat their opponent at the polls. he is now serving jail time for his part in the theft of tens of billions from malaysia's one ndb state investment fund. a daley for anwar to eventually take power from the aging hahatir broke down, and he was once again the leader, perpetually in waiting. that wait is now over. >> i think a number of malaysias were overjoyed as to anwar's assumption to malaysia's premiership, and they saw that

as the culmination of a long process of democratizations. >> reporter: anwar will not have unchecked power despite winning the most votes in last week's election. he could not achieve a parliamentary majority. malaysia's king stepped in to break the stalemate, asking anwar to forge a coalition government. as he finally takes the job he has coveted for so many years, anwar is confronted by immediate challenges from spiralling living costs to extreme weather brought by climate change. with that, the seemingly ever-patient anwar does not have time to wait. cnn. all those midnight door buster deals are gone, but the black friday long lines are back. coming up, what's driving some americans to shop in stores on line this year. mucinex nightshift fights your worst nighttime symptoms so you can get to sleep and wake up ready to go. how could you? wake up to a new youou.

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you might never guess inflation was a problem looking at the mall of america on friday. hundreds of people stood outside the nation's largest shopping center at 4:30 in the morning in frigid temperatures waiting for the mall to open. the day after thanksgiving, known as black friday, is the kickoff to the holiday shopping season. the mall is celebrating its 30th anniversary as well as the return to pre-pandemic levels of operation. now the crowds weren't just at the mall of america. all across the country people were shopping on friday. many hoping to get a good black friday deal. some families said the shopping trips were more about tradition. listen to this -- >> my mom and i started doing this about six years ago. and the tradition is wake up as early as possible, get to the earliest store possible, and get a selfie before the doors open and then get a selfie once the car's full. >> we woke up about 6:00 this morning. it's definitely not my first black friday.

>> retailers are expected to offer more discounts on overstocked inventory this year. alison kosik reports. >> reporter: no shortage of crowds piling into the macy's department store. the iconic department store in heart of new york city in harold square, looking to start their black friday shopping. black friday is expected to be one of the biggest shopping days of the year with 115 million people expected to have gone shopping just on friday with more than half shopping in store. while shopping in store has become popular again, online shopping, that's popular, too. here's one macy's executive -- >> i think we have a really big base of consumers that shop on line, but we also have a lot of consumers that shop in stores. our best customers shop both of them. they shop by their situation. they shop by their occasion. that's why we spend so much time and energy on being an omnichannel retailer that allows our customer to use all of the options we offer whenever's most convenient for them. >> reporter: deals and discounts are expected to bring out a

record number of shoppers. 166 million people are expected to shop from thanksgiving day all the way through cyber monday. and this year, inflation really is the elephant in the room. it's pushing consumers to kind of think strategically on how they want to shop because inflation is cutting into their budgets. here's what one shopper told us -- >> one of the problems is inflation, prices high, so we have to make some adjustments. what we're going to buy this year. so yes, it is little bit downsizing in terms of buying gifts. not like last year. so yes, inflation is affecting us. >> reporter: so shoppers tell me they are sticking to their budgets, they're letting deals and discounts dictate how they're going to spend. the national retail federation is upbeat about how the shopping season will wind up saying they expect americans to spend 8% more than last year adding up to a total of $940 billion to $690 billion for notch and december.

back to you. >> earlier i spoke with analyst ryan patel and asked if retailers have fully rebounded from the pandemic. here he is. >> the better retailers moving forward are going to be more nimble. how to get online purchasing is increasing. how you interact with the consumers, what sales and discounts you're going to provide. is sales promotional even something you want to continue at a higher discount rate? you know, that was interesting this season, as well, about how people were discounting. so to answer your question, i believe retailers have learned to move forward. i don't say going back, going back to what? the same amount of sales? i think they need show how to grow them and being able to be more nimble, learning from the last two years how to get that consumer product to the consumers in a meaningful way and still make money. >> you can watch the whole interview with ryan patel in the next hour of "cnn newsroom." a group of kids from uganda, orphaned, disadvantaged, but they've danced their way to the world cup with a message of joy.

we'll have that story when "cnn newsroom" continues. please do stay with us. adding lysol laundry sanitizer kills 99.9% of bacteria detergent alone, can't. what's the #1 retinol brand used most by dermatologists? it's neutrogena® rapid wrinkle repair® smooths the look of fine lines in 1-week, deep wrinkles in 4. so you can kiss wrinkles goodbye! neutrogena®

dance and sport can unite people from around the world. for instance, take the triple ghetto kids, a dance troupe from uganda, who have been invited to perform in qatar during the world cup. cnn's becky anderson has their story. dance means to me a lot because i lost my mother and -- >> be strong, okay? everything will be fine, okay? >> reporter: king lost his mother when he was just 9 years old. left to fend for himself on the streets with his younger siblings. after the heartache of early tragedy, an opportunity to find joy. ♪ meet the ghetto kids. each of these children has a

different story, but they have one thing in common -- a love of dance. ♪ >> i have a father, i have a mother, but they are jobless. i come from a disadvantaged family. sometimes we eat once in a while. now because of dance, i eat every day. i go to school, and sometimes i send money to my family because of dance. ♪ >> reporter: amazing. >> yeah. >> reporter: duda started the group in 2013 when a homemade video went viral. >> so we went out and people were saying the video is going viral. what's viral? the videos on youtube. what is youtube? didn't know about it. >> reporter: himself homeless at a young age, he says he was taken in by a good samaritan.

something he has never forgotten. >> that's what inspired me. right now i have 30 children. so we are using music, dance and drama to help the kids to -- for the education, health care, then medication, and all the needs to children have. ♪ >> reporter: the dance troupe have been invited to the world cup by qatar's generation amazing and visit qatar. >> the generation are raising to help us builds our foundation because we have a home. we are trying to build it on a starting level. to complete the home for the kids because we're planning to have like 100 kids and more. >> reporter: what do you think of qatar? >> it's cool here. >> reporter: tell me what you've done since you've been here. >> i met the mother of amir, yeah, and i meet will --

>> reporter: you met him? are you joking? no? you're going to be dancing, performing a little bit later on. can just give me a few moves? wow. amazing. okay. am i coming in? please didn't do this to me. a timely reminder of the power of sport in changing our world. becky anderson, cnn, doha. >> that's a great story. thanks so much for watching. i am ken brunhuber in atlanta. you can follow me on twitter @kenbrunhuber. i'll be back after a quick break. please do stay with us.

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just look around. this digital age we're living in, it's pretty unbelievable. problem is, not everyone's fully living in it. nobody should have to take a class or fill out a medical form on public wifi with a screen the size of your hand. home internet shouldn't be a luxury. everyone should have it and now a lot more people can.

so let's go. the digital age is waiting. ♪ hello and welcome to all of you watching us here in the united states, canada and l