good morning, i'm sara sidner in for fredricka whitfield. thank you so much for joining me on this christmas eve. we begin this hour with winter

weather wreaking havoc this holiday weekend, many in the united states are facing their coldest christmas in decades. right now more than 175 million people are under windchill alerts. the arctic blast extend interesting montana all the way down to, get this, yeah, florida. some temperatures in the midwest dipping into the negative 30s, even atlanta is seeing negative windchills. the bitter cold proving extremely dangerous. at least 15 people have lost their lives across the country so far. in tennessee, people are seeing intermittent power disruptions as the bone-chilling weather pushes the state's power grid to the absolute max. more than 840,000 customers are now without power nationwide. whiteout continues make it too perilous to travel. new york officials are issuing a driving ban for several counties

amid blizzard conditions there, and if you are trying to fly this weekend, i got to give you some good luck and a prayer because pacific raceways than 1,700 flights have been canceled today on top of the more than 5,900 flights canceled yesterday. treacherous driving conditions in tennessee. icy roads causing several cars to spin out in memphis. we saw this live yesterday morning. you know, that's a four-wheel drive that cannot get up that hill. officials are warning drivers, if you can avoid going out, do. the state's transportation department has been salting the roads over the last few days, but still warn to go as slowly as possible if you do have to get out there. meanwhile, the tennessee valley authority is directing local power companies to interrupt service >> all right. we have been looking at these pictures. you have some great reporters

out there in memphis, tennessee, showing us the dangerous conditions on the roads. can you tell me what it's like out there right now and what you are warning people? >> the major thoroughfares have improved >> can i ask you about the history of -- i have been to memphis many times. it's a fun city. and i have been to other parts of tennessee. has this happened before in recent times , the day it gets above 32. we are emergency here and the

community is really trying to reach out and help everyone. >> as they say over there, that ain't right. now, that weather is just -- [ laughter ] >> no. >> that ain't right. >> you expect this up north. you do not expect this down south. >> because of this, you declared a state of emergency for memphis. can you give me an idea what that means? what can you do with a state of emergency that will help people who are dealing with this and in snead of help? >> it gives us flexibility on getting reimbursement for expenses, and it also brings the issue to the forefront. we have several hundred homeless individuals whathat are being treated and cared for at city-run facilities and also non-profit partners and churches. so it brings attention to that. also, as you mentioned, the tva

required rolling blackouts that we're having here. about 55,000 people at any one time are being forced off the grid for 30 to 60 minutes, and apparently that's going to happen to every customer two or three times during the day. so, now, i will say that there are facilities that are excluded from the blockout list, like hospitals, the airport, water pumping station, the sewer treatment plants. but everyone is going to be affected by this over the next two to three days. >> can give me some idea of, you know, those blackouts, what's happening right now, and what people need to be prepared for? >> well, most people it will, hopefully, just be a simple inconvenience, that they will be without power for 30 to 60 minutes for two or three times a

day. it's the individuals that, you know, have a health issue and they are on a machine that needs power. so, hopefully, all those people have generators. if not, they need to call in and we'll come help them. so it's the most vulnerable that we have to really be vigilant to respond to quickly. i stopped by one of our warming centers yesterday. you know, just folks were just packed in there. fortunately, we have volunteers who are bringing food three times a day. but just caring for those. and one of the great things about memphisions, that's what he call ourselves, we are a giving community and we have plenty of good volunteers. >> i want to ask about the power grid because it's under extreme stress and duress at this point. this may not be the first time, i know it's an unusual time, is

there something that can be done in the future that you and other officials can do to try to protect the power grid for things like this happening? >> this is the first time in memory in memphis. tva has always prided itself on reliability. this is the first time that they have forced rolling blackouts. after this incident, after we get this behind us and we get through this, i do want to have detailed discussions with tva on the cause of it, what can be done to prevent this sort of thing. but it's going to take a deeper dive into the reasons this happened. like i said, this is the first time ever this has happened in the tennessee valley. >> mayor jim strickland, y'all be safe out there, ya hear? thank you so much for coming. >> thank you, sara. >> our coverage from the northeast with cnn's polo sandoval. he is live for us, bless him, in

buffalo, new york. paolo, let me apologize because i get to be inside and we sent you outside and i know it's hard. what are you experience willing right now? >> reporter: sara my friend, wasn't it a little over 240 hours ago it was 38 degrees out here? it's amazing the difference we have seen. look, in all seriousness, authorities on the ground are very much worried about the conditions that are not letting up, sara. i'll let you -- you can even listen to the howling winds over my voice here as this is a look in downtown buffalo. what we heard today from authorities is that at this point buffalo and surrounding communities do not have any emergency services. we're talking fire, police, ambulance services, and that's because roughly two-thirds, according to county officials, of the emergency vehicles are actually stuck. and so what they are doing is taking advantage of a slight,

and i mean ever so slight improvement, in weather conditions, not to mention the daylight, to have public works vehicles go out and clear some of the streets. this, authorities share stressi, not to go to grandma's house. it's to open a pathway for emergency services to respond because they are not saying that they are not going to try to get to people suffering a medical condition, for example, but there are no guarantees that they will actually make it there. county officials confirming two people died recently in the area due to medical complications because medical officials couldn't make it to them. that speaks to the tremendous situation that's happening here in buffalo. what is described as ground zero of a mass ive winter storm affecting millions on this christmas weekend. >> i know it's been dangerous outs there. have you seen people out from? so many people have been

stranded in that dangerous weather. >> hundreds of people are still stranded, sara. and so what authorities are saying is, stay put. wherever you are, if you are safe, even if it's in a house without power, that house without power, 40 degrees or so, that's much safer than being out in subzero windchill elements. that's what officials are saying now. wherever you are, stay put. resist the urge to head out to meet with family this christmas weekend around buffalo because the driving ban is in police. unless it's an emergency, there should be no cars on the streets now. >> get inside. that sounds and looks terrible. merry christmas to you and the crew out there. who is with you out there? >> reporter: merry christmas, sara, thank you. that's actually mr. tom behind the camera. >> thank you, tom. thank you both. appreciate you. >> reporter: and our producer nicole. >> tom, nicole, polo, amazing. a nightmare scenario for those,

as you might imagine, traveling this weekend. sorry, mom. carlos schwarzenegger is live at hartsfield-jackson airport in atlanta. i imagine the cancellations piling up. what's happening at this hour? >> reporter: good morning, sara. things are busy out here but they are pretty manageable considering the number of canceled flights out of the airport here. this is how things look like right now. this line we have been seeing most of the morning at this one bag dropoff site, as you can see, not too bad. folks have been showing up making sure they have their bags ticketed, drop them off and go on to their flights. however, everyone is keeping a pretty close eye on the departure board because out of the airport here well over 100 flights have been canceled. it's not a lot better when we talk about the rest of the country. the latest numbers that we have right now across the u.s., we are looking at well over 1,700 flights that have been canceled

and well over 2,000 other flights that have been delayed across the u.s. because of this cold weather. next to us just behind me though are a group of people that aren't quite happy with the airline because they are not going to be able to get out anytime soon. those folks have been told they are going to have to figure out another way home if know want to make it in time for the holidays. these folks are being rebooked on other flights. everyone, however, is still hopeful they will be able to make it home in time for the christmas holiday. we spoke to a up couple of passengers who told us, all things considered, they are okay. they understood what was happening. their hope is they can still get out at some point today. sara. >> so in the next hour i will ask you about a flight from miami to new york. my mother is coming this afternoon and she is going to be upset. i know that's going to happen. i know there are a lot of families waiting for people. >> reporter: and i'm from miami, born and raised, that's where

i'm raised out of. i am missing that weather dearly. i am not used to this cold. it's like 10 degrees outside. >> carlos, thank you so much. let's get a check on conditions across the country with meteorologist allison chinchar who is in the weather center for us. aren't we lucky to be inside, allison? >> i can't tell you what a difference this last 24 hours has been being inside as opposed to outside. i actually have good news, and that is that temperatures will finally start to rebound. in some areas as early as today. but we still do have some locations dealing with the windchill alerts and windchill warnings and advisories for today. the wind still very strong in some instances. so not only is that making it much colder in some areas, but also it's making any of that snow that's on the ground blowing it around, reducing visibility any more. it's making travel dangerous. so, again, if you don't have to be out, please don't be.

buffalo sustained, that means constant winds of 33 miles per hour, gusting up to 47. detroit 28, gusting to 39. st. louis sustained winds of 30 miles an hour right now. we have snow anticipated for today but it's going to be focused across the great lakes region. michigan, areas upstate new york. this is a live look at water town, new york. there are the plows. they are doing everything they can but it's coming down is fast, they are just constantly having to do runs. most of these areas will likely pick up 2 to 6 inches of additional rain. some spots as much as a foot. we talked about the good news. denver, dallas, and new orleans all finally going to get their temperatures back above the freezing mark for today. other places like atlanta, new york, d.c. it's likely going to be next week before we really start to see the temperatures go up. i promisee ventionly they will and new year's looks warmer than christmas is likely to be. >> allison, that shirt is giving us all cheer. appreciate you. thank you, allison chinchar.

those bone-chilling temperatures are reaching as far south as the u.s./mexico border where migrants have been left waiting in the dangerous cold as title 42 remains in limbo. we will take you there coming up next. plus, it's a busy football saturday and only two of the 11 games will be held indoors. we'll tell you some of the players tips and tricks to keep warm. you're looking at the craziness that has happened over t the pa 24 hours on the roads. tions to p maximize savings. from the plains to the coasts, we help p americans invest for their future. and help communities thrive.

if you used shipgo this whole thing wouldn't be a thing. yeah, dad! i don want to deal with this. oh, you brought your that's adorable. with shipgo shipping your luggage before you fly you'll never have to wait around here again. like ever. that can't be comfortable though. shipgo.com the smart, fast, easy way to travel. there's always a fresh deal on the subway app. like this one!

50% off?! that deal's so good we don't even need an eight-time all-star to tell you about it. wait what? get it before it's gone on the subway app! ♪ my name is austin james. as a musician living with diabetes, fingersticks can be a real challenge. that's why i use the freestyle libre 2 system. with a painless, one-second scan, i know my glucose numbers without fingersticks. now, i'm managing my diabetes better, and i've lowered my a1c from 8.2 to 6.7. take the mystery out of managing your diabetes and lower your a1c. now you know. try it for free at freestylelibre.us i'm a vegas hotel. i know what you're thinking. it's cool, i don't want anything long term either. just a few nights of fun. i'm looking for someone who will let loose, dress up a little, see a show, order the steak, and the lobster. some people say i'm excessive, but who cares.

i just want to enjoy some late nights. and some very late checkouts. think you can keep up? searching for a gun man who opened fire at the mall of america on friday. a 19-year-old man was killed in the shooting and the gunfire sent shoppers scrambling for cover. it happened around 8:00 p.m. on the first floor at the nordstrom store when a group of five to nine guys got into an altercation. the mall is the largest shopping center in the country with more than 500 stores and two hotels. now, to the surge of people at the u.s./mexico border. they have gotten in a situation that's gone from bad to worse as the unusually frigid

temperatures hit both sides of the border. many of the migrants have little more than the clothes on their backs. for border towns like el paso, their resources are overwhelmed. cnn's camilla bernal is live from el paso this morning. when you look around there, what are you seeing at this hour? >> reporter: generosity, sara, because there are locals who are here who have brought coffee, who have brought oatmeal and sweet bread and donuts. they are just waking up at the moment. they had a difficult night. it was not just hard, but it was difficult. some of them are still trying to warm up in those blankets. but if you see them, they have a cup of coffee in hand because of those locals who said we will do everything we can to try to keep them warm. the church here, which is also the shelter, the non-profit shelter, they are also overwhelmed. but they are doing everything they can to sort of juggle both christmas eve and mass and all of that celebration, but also all of the humanitarian crisis

part of it, having to fill as many people as they can into this shelter. a lot of the men out here who slept throughout the night here, they don't have the proper documentation from customs and border patrol so they have to dom to these non-profit shelters. they are not able to go to the city, although the city really does want to help. here is the mayor of el paso. >> everyone is out of the cold. we don't want to see people outside. we don't want to see them in these elements. we are going to continue to be out there day in and all night to make sure they are comfortable. >> reporter: and, look, they are worried. they are scared to get on the buses. they don't want to go back to their countries. they are doing everything they can to stay here, especially for their children. you talk to people and they tell you, i'm doing it for my kids, i'm doing everything i can to stay in this country. sara. >> camilla, i know that at some point they were only letting people with documents into some

of the government-run shelters and they have opened schools and different places where people can go and get out of the cold. have they changed that policy yet? are they going to allow people who are undocumented into any of those shelters? >> reporter: they can't change the policy because it is state and federal law that doesn't allow the migrants that don't have the proper paperwork to go into those shelters. they are trying to get a lot of these migrants who go to the immigration processing centers that are run by border patrol so they can at least go through that process so that they are able to get the city resources. at the moment, there is a lot of them that are scared to go with the city people, the emergency management team, they are worried because they have gone through a lot already and they think that anything that happens, getting on to a bus, means going back to their country and they are terrified. sara. >> camilla bernal, thank you so much. there is one thing that republicans and democrats can agree on, immigration and our systems here are broken.

it is hard to see that. lovely to see all the people coming out giving people help when they need it. appreciate you. now to the bitter cold temperatures that are blanketing the country from coast to coast and it's incredibly concerning for people living on the streets. next, how cities are trying to help some of the most vulnerable people in our country.

♪ acoustic soul music throughout ♪ ♪ acoustic soul music throughout ♪ ♪ acoustic soul music throughout ♪ ♪ acoustic soul music throughout ♪ pain hits fast. so get relief fast. only tylenol rapid release gels have laser drilled holes. they release medicine fast for fast pain relief. and now get relief without a pill with tylenol dissolve packs. relief without the water.

. severe winter weather with an icy grip across the entire country. temperatures are dropping dangerously. so many cities are offering places for people to get off the streets now. joining us now is major thomas

mcwilliams with the metro atlanta salvation army. atlanta is not a place you are used to seeing these kinds of frigid temperatures. welcome to the show, major. your city fell to single digits overnight. what is happening on the streets, because there are so many people that are unhoused and that need a shelter. >> and a shock for us in atlanta as we don't get these very often. so people that have been living outside, maybe throughout the whole of last winter or the winter weather, all of a sudden this is a shock to -- and it is dangerous. >> i don't know if you remember. i remember, i think they called it snowmageddon one year, where they were terrified of the weather that was coming and here we are again. how limited are resources there, and what you all seeing? i know you are at every single disaster or big major issue that affects people who are in need.

>> yeah, the donations are generally down across the nation and the request for help is up because everyone's feeling the impact of the economy and the increased food prices and power bills and rent and everything else that goes along with that. so the salvation army is really feeling a lot of pressure to meet all of those needs. but the good thing about the army is we will meet those needs and we will do everything we can to help people, which we are doing this weekend in this treacherous weather. >> major, we are looking i think inside one of the warming centers there. that's for anybody that needs it. i think people don't realize if their power goes out and it's freezing inside the house and they need to get somewhere warmer, they can come to one of those centers. but what happens when they close? do they close? >> for the centers in this particular frigid time are not

necessarily closing another salvation army. we are maximizing our red shield. we have 371 people staying there last night. we are encouraging everybody to stay in the building, even through today. even though the sun is out, the temperatures are still frigid. to stay in, and we're feeding three hot meals a day and encouraging men, women and children just stay with us. >> you mentioned that you are -- donations are down. we always see the salvation army. it's like part of the christmas spirit you see them out ringing the bells as we shop. is there anything that you can tell people about the need that you have? how far down are you with donations and what is it that you do need? >> nationally, we are about 8% down. we were counting on, we always count on the christmas weekend to lift us up u up and take us over the goal line. obviously, with the weather, standing outside with a bell and a kettle is extremely difficult. >> so what do the shelters need?

is there a way for people to bring things to help? >> depends on which shelter it is. but for us, we are mobilizing our volunteer base and right now we are just bringing in people for monitoring. we have extra cots everywhere we can stick them. pallets on the floor. we have every space utilized. we are just mobilizing our volunteers right now to help work through this process. >> i got to tell you this story. when i was a brand-new reporter, my first job, i didn't have gloves and i was in something like this in missouri and the salvation army was there handing me hot coffee throughout the morning while i was live. so you literally help everyone. i have never been to a disaster i haven't seen you in america. major thomas mcwilliams, thank you and the salvation army for all you do. >> thank you, sara. have a great day. >> you, too. merry christmas. as you know, it is christmas

eve, but that's not preventing russia from unleashing a new onslaught at ukrainian citizens. heavy shelling has battered a key southern city today. we will have the details next. . harness the power of 7 moisturizers & 3 vitamins to smooth, heal, and moisturize y your dry skin. gold bond. champion your skinin. it's the subway series menu. 12 irresistible subs. the most epic sandwich roster ever crted. ♪ it's subway's biggest reesh yet!

the unknown is not empty. it's a storm that crashes, and consumes, replacing thought with worry. but one thing can calm uncertainty. an answer. uncovered through exploration, teamwork, and innovation. an answer that leads to even more answers. mayo clinic. you know where to go.

psoriasis really messes with you. try. hope. fail. no one should suffer like that. i started cosentyx®. five years clear. real people with psoriasis look and feel better with cosentyx. don't use if you're allergic to cosentyx. before starting get checked for tuberculosis. an increased risk of infection, some serious and a lowered ability to fight them may occur. tell your doctor about an infection or symptoms or if you had a vaccine or plan to. tell your doctor if your crohn's disease symptoms develop or worsen. serious allergic reaction may occur. best move i've ever made. ask your dermatologist about cosentyx®. ♪ this rental car is so boring to drive. let's be honest. the rent-a-car industry is the definition of boring. and the reason can be found in the name itself. rent - a - car. you don't want a friend. you want the friend. you don't want a job. you want the job. the is always over a. that's why we don't offer a car.

we offer the car. ♪ sixt. rent the car. it's christmas eve, but that has not stopped the russians from indiscriminate ilg can in ukraine. they shelled kherson today. seven people were killed. 58 people were injured, 18 critically. cnn's will ripley is joining us now with the latest. >> reporter: apparently, no time for jet lag for ukraine's president volodymr zelenskyy. as you can hear, the phones are working, he says. just back from his whirlwind washington trip, zelenskyy told ambassadors in kyiv the biden white house is working on a whooping $45 billion aid

package. he says the real work for ukraine is just beginning. we must sleep less the enemy, think more than the enemy, risk more effectively than the enemy and communicate with the world better, he says. the kremlin's pr machine launching its own propaganda blitz after publicly calling the ten-month-old conflict a war for the first time thursday, russian president vladimir putin wants the world to see his war machine firing on all cylinders. defense minister in western russia visiting a production factory. on the front line, overall conditions unchanged. to the south, russian forces firing artillery across the dnipro river in kherson, shelling civilian infrastructure, education and humanitarian facilities, keeping with the kremlin playbook. to the east, the ukrainian military says it's rappelling

russian attacks around bakhmut in the don mass. the handful still living there describe a living hell as russia tries to bomb them back to the stone age. >> translator: we have no information. we have in electricity. we don't know what is going on. no electricity, no water, no gas. what could we know? we just heard the explosions and that's all. >> reporter: power problems plagued the posh capitol kyiv. elect electric supplies running at 50%. that translates to 12 hours a day without power for most. they endure darkness and biting cold. temperatures in the coming days predicted to plummet. will ripley, cnn, kyiv, ukraine. >> i have heard those sirens myself too many times there in ukraine. we wish them all the best. will ripley live, sorry, from kyiv for us there. for many in ukraine the holidays are not bringing relief from the

darkness that has befallen the country and the hope for some kind of december fairy tale miracle, if you will, is fading past. in an opinion piece for cnn.com sasha wrote about a ukrainian mother with a newborn son grieving for the loss of her husband who was killed in fighting in eastern ukraine. sasha is a special projects coordinator at the ukrainian institute in london and associate lecturer at the university college london. she joins us now live. so glad to have you with us. >> such a privilege to speak to you, sara. thank you for having me. >> sasha, can you tell us about the woman who you met virtually? >> we spoke via a video link and many big moments in her love story happened via video link as well. she is a very brave, very strong

36-year-old ukrainian woman who is currently displaced in poland with her newborn son. she is a ph.d. candidate and medical physician, a professional. and when the russian invasion started in february, she considered she was strong lin convinced to join the army. so they were planning to enlist. he went ahead, but convinced her to evacuate the family from kyiv, which was then under heavy russian bombardment. she did that. and then in the relative safety of western ukraine finally got to the enlistment office, almost signed the contract, but decided to do a pregnancy test just in case and she found out that she was pregnant and evacuated to poland. >> well, she is -- >> she is currently in poland. >> she had the baby. how is she and the baby doing at

this time? >> well, not really great because when the baby was only 2 months old, the husband and the father was killed on the front line near bakhmut, which you just mentioned in the previous report, the site of the heaviest fighting in ukraine. the father was about to meet his son once for a couple of days. he had got leave. so he traveled to poland. he met his wife there. they spent a couple of days together, which she described as a fairy tale. they did things like shopping, spending time with the baby, and then he left to ukraine a couple of days later. he was killed on the front line. >> what a terrible story. i understand that once he gcame over, got to meet the baby, he ends up being killed and she is unable, correct, to go to the funeral?

is that right? >> that's right. that's right. she couldn't go because the baby was born prematurely and, obviously, the baby depends on her and she cannot take the baby to the country which is currently a war zone. there is no safe place in ukraine at this point. so she asked her relatives to live stream the funeral for her so she could bid good-bye to her husband this way. this was, unfortunately, impossible because of the countrywide blackouts sponsored by terrorism currently. [ inaudible ] funeral for a few short recordings. >> wow, that is an incredibly touching and sad story. can you give us a sense of her story can't be the only one like it. there are so many hundreds of thousands of refugees who have had to leave their home and there is also hundreds of thousands of people fighting to keep ukraine out of russia's

hands. can you give us a sense of how large this scenario is? >> it is quite a common dark fairy tale for ukraine these days, unfortunately. many people have left, millions actually, have left ukraine, were forced to flee from the russian invasion, and also hundreds of thousands of ukrainians went to the front line to fight against the invaders. they keep connection by video links. she was married to -- while he was serving on the front line and this has become a very common story for many ukrainian families these days. unfortunately, this fairy tale did not end happily, but i believe that it is still in our power to ensure that other stories like this one and

differently, end differently, because the more support ukraine if gets ethese days, the more advanced weapons we have to fight against the enemy, the sooner this darkness ends and we will be able to go back to our ordinary lives and to enjoy the everyday things we used to enjoy before this war. >> sasha, you really bring the humanity back. this is why president zelenskyy was here trying to get more weaponry, trying to get more funds to stop stories like this from having to happen, and it's happening to so many families. sasha, thank you some for bringing that incredibly touching story to us. good luck. send our best wishes. we'll be right back. simplifies. with my planan for $0 a month, i know i can get the care i need to live mymy best life. they were able to makeke sure that i was taken care of. it was really life changing to have that. and i only pay $16 a month for the first time in my life,

i found a great plan for $0 a month. healthcare.gov is here for millions like you.

with gold bond... you can age on your own terms. new retinol overnight means the smoothing benefits of retinol are now for your whole body. plus, fast-working crepe corrector diminishes wrinkled skin in just two days. gold bond. champion your skin.

the bitter cold temperatures this christmas eve line up against a whole bunch of football games. cnn's coy wire knows a thing or two about playing football in the freezing cold. he's got the details. >> reporter: sara, i have seen you reporting in knee-deep snow. i know you know about working in wintry weather. the colders players and fans are going to be in chicago when the bears host the buills and the cleveland for the browns hosting the saints. feels-like temps at both games 20 below at game time with gusts of more than 40 miles per hour in cleveland. there is up to a 45% chance that mother nature could let it san antonio snow. so players could be walking in a winter wonderland. here is a photo of your boy in buffalo back in the day, number 27 there.

players have all sorts of tricks to stay warm, rubber medical exam gloves under their football gloves to keep the heat in. there is a pasty cream you rub on your arms, nose and ears to cut the wind. the key for windy games in chicago and cleveland is to put tape over your ear holes on the inside so that the wind cannot get in and whip around and make it colder. they also replace gatorade with hot chicken broth. has the electrolytes and the sodium but keeps you cozy. we go to a story about a patriots fan whose grace brings great inspiration and hope this christmas eve. jerry edmund, subjected to a ra ra raider fan's heckling has been invited to sit in the club seats at the patriots seats in foxborough today. he will meet owner robert kraft, who thanked him for representing patriots fans with asked.

i asked how he kept his grace and composure. he told me one thing i learned as a black man in america dealing with a situation like that, any reactive response would result in a lose-lose situation for me. i didn't want to ruin my experience doing something i would regret afterwards. this was his first nfl game. he also said he didn't want to ruin anyone else's experience that day. jerry's wisdom and grace are a blessing. he told me the raiders reached out, apologized, offered tickets to attend the pro bowl in vegas in february. wishing you and everyone many blessings and a very merry christmas eve. >> jerry is a wise young man. coy wire, thank you. and from tom brady's retirement, the unretirement that happened after that to the release of brittney griner, 2022 has been a really dramatic year in sports. cnn's andy schultz with a look at the top ten sports moments of 2022.

♪ ♪ >> reporter: we saw records fall, an epic world cup and many sports legends say good-bye. the story garnering the most attention one star athlete's battle for her freedom. number ten. aaron judge homering his way to an historic season. the yankees slugger the american league all-time home run king, hitting 26 long balls, breaking roger maris' record. >> having may name next to those guys is incredible. >> reporter: before the season judge bet on himself, turning down a contract extension in december the gamble paid off as he received the richest deal ever, a reported nine-year $360 million to return to new york. and judge's yankees were swept by the houston astros in the al do cs: number nine.

steph curry and the warriors also becoming champions once again. steph with an all-time performance in game four of the finals against the celtics scoring 43 points in boston. the warriors would take the series 4-2 with steph winning his first ever nba finals mvp. >> every once in a while you got to remind yourself. ooh! >> reporter: in the wnba the las vegas aces claimed their first championship in franchise history beating the connecticut sun in four games. becky hammond the first rookie coach to win the wnba title. number eight. the nfl playoffs in 2022 was one of the best we have ever seen. patrick mahomes with just 13 seconds on the clock got the chiefs in position to tie the bills who they would eventually beat in an overtime thriller, 43-36. the chiefs upset by the bengals who made it to the super bowl for the first time since 1989. the super bowl lvi another home

game for the nfc champion. the rams playing at sofi stadium made a comeback led by matthew stafford and cooper kupp to beat kinsey 23-20 giving las vegas therapy first super bowl title since 1984. l.a. would get to celebrate another title in november. lafc won the mls cup in dramatic fashion in their fifth season. will ferrell enjoying the team's first title. >> greatest game in mls history. and if you don't agree with me, i will fight you in the parking lot right now. >> reporter: number seven. despite covid concerns and lockdowns in chincota, the beij olympics, figure skating under the spotlight after it was discovered that a 15-year-old tested positive for a banned substance before the games. she helped the russians win gold in the team event, but no medal ceremony was held. nathan chen, meanwhile, shining for team usa, winning the men's

goad. gold. >> tonight novak djokovic, the top ranked men's tennis player, has been ordered to leave australia. >> if you are not double vaccinated and you are not an australian residents or citizen, you can't come. >> reporter: djokovic, who said he would rather miss tournaments than get vaccinated against covid, competed in two grand slams in 2020, winning women b wimbledon. >> an historic agreement for u.s. soccer and equal pay. the men's and women's u.s. national teams will receive equal pay and equal prize money including at world cups. >> reporter: with the u.s. men's team reaching the knockout phase in qatar, the u.s. women's team received more money in 2022 than it did in the previous two world cups combined netting $6.5 million. >> there was a lot of behind-the-scenes work for years now to get to where we are. >> reporter: number four. less than 15 months after his

severe car crash that required multiple surgeries on his right leg, tiger woods was back at the masters with a huge gallery following him, tiger coming through with the most impressive performance of his career making the cut. he finished 47th, his best finish at major in 2022. he only competed in three events this year, but fought for the pga tour off the course. the new saudi-backed liv golf poaching dustin johnson, brooks koepka and bryson dechambeau. >> to play there, i disagree with it. they turned their back on what allowed them to get to this position. >> my dad said to me a long time ago, once you made u make your bed you lie in it and they made their bed. >> number three, 2022 was a banner year for sports stars retiring and unretiring. >> tom brady seen by so many as the greatest nfl quarterback of

all time is retiring after 22 seasons. >> reporter: well, less than two months later brady changed his mind. >> breaking news right now, just into cnn, a surprise word from the nfl that the g.o.a.t. is coming back. tom brady had only stepped away from the nfl for a month and a half before announcing his return. >> reporter: other sports legends rode off into the sunset. mike krzyzewski as the winningest men's coach in college basketball history after 42 seasons but not before one more final four run. >> i want to be in this moment. this has given me so much joy. >> reporter: and in tennis, 20-time grand slam winner roger federer decided to call it a career. >> i love tennis, everything about it. i will miss the competition, the fans cheering, for or against me. they are usually with me all the way. it's been great. >> reporter: serena williams declared she was going to be evolving away from tennis

leading to one of the most anticipated u.s. opens ever. 23 grand slam winner, wowing the crowd one more time advancing to the third round before saying good-bye. >> honestly, i am so grateful that i had this moment, that i'm serena. >> reporter: number two. >> usa! usa! >> reporter: the first ever winter world cup in qatar ending in what is called the greatest sporting event in history. arguably, the best ever argentina's lionel messi head-to-head against the brightest young star in kylian mbappe. after 120 minutes of thrilling back and forth action, the final went to penalty kicks, tied at three and in his fifth and last world cup messi finally getting the one trophy that eluded him so long, winning it all for argentina. and at number one --

♪ >> this is cnn breaking news. >> this is the breaking news right now. we are getting news that brittney griner is free. >> homeward bound. brittney griner out of a russian penal colony heading for american soil. >> reporter: griner was arrested for possession of cannabis oil at a moscow area airport in february and sentenced to nine years in prison. athletes across sports advocated for months encouraging the biden administration to find a way to bring griner home. two weeks before christmas it happened. >> she is safe. she is on her way home. after months being unjustly detained in russia, held under untolerable circumstances, she will be back in the arms of her loved ones and she should have been there all along. >> thank you to andy. he sees you when you're sleeping, not andy, santa, that is. and knows when you're awake. these days we can keep track of

santa on his annual journey, too, with the norad track early. i know you know this was coming. right now it looks like he is near thailand. the tradition dates back to 1955 when the north american aerospace defense command, norad, began to track mr. claus. to track santa yourself, go to norad-santa-.org. and this programming note. dionne warwick is a music icon with 56 worldwide hits, six grammy awards and one extraordinary legacy. she brings her exclusive story to cnn in a new film "don't make me over" premiering new year's day at 9:00 p.m. dionne warwick, one of the great female singers of all time. >> the first african american woman to win a grammy in the pop category. ♪

>> the music i was singing was not like anything that any of them were singing. the legacy in my family, music. pure and simple. music. >> dionne warwick "don't make me over" new year's day at 9:00 on cnn. being a farmers customer. (customer) do i have e to do anything? (burke) nothing. (customer) nothing? (burke) nothing. (customer) nothing? (burke) nothing. (customer) hmm, that is really something. (burkeke) you get a whole lot of something with farmers policy perks. see ya. (kid) may i have a balloon, too? (burke) sure. your parents have maintained a farmers home policy for twelve consecutive months, right? ♪ we are farmers. bum-pa-dum, bum-bum-bum-bum ♪ waiting. sometimes it's just

inevitable. but if you're over 50 or live with a chronic condition, waiting could be deadly. because conditions like heart disease or diabetes raise your risk of serious illness or death from untreated covid. and if you don't get treatment within days, you may not be able to get treatment. so, got covid symptoms? get tested and get treated right away. it can't wait. ♪ my name is austin james. as a musician living with diabetes, fingersticks can be a real challenge. that's why i use the freestyle libre 2 system. with a painless, one-second scan, i know my glucose numbers without fingersticks. now, i'm managing my diabetes better, and i've lowered my a1c from 8.2 to 6.7. take the mystery out of managing your diabetes and lower your a1c. now you know. try it for free at freestylelibre.us