♪ when you say good-bye i, i'm walking on by ♪ >> i just love dionne warwick, because she's a good person. thanks for the music. >> i will love you eternally and just keep being you, honey. >> you're still going strong and stronger than ever. fantastic. >> i'm happy to call you my friend. i mean, that's a wonderful thing. >> mom, we just want to say that we love you very much, and that's what friends are for. >> oh, you didn't go there. ♪ that's what friends are for ♪ >> that should be the ending right there. ♪ hello and welcome to our viewers joining us here in the

united states and all around the world. you are watching "cnn newsroom," and i'm rosemary church. just ahead, we are hearing for the first time from the family of the man accused of killing four college students in idaho. we'll have details and what comes next in the case. residents of northern california starting the new year with an evacuation warning as they face the worst flooding they've seen in years. 2023 brings a new political reality for president biden. a divided congress. we'll look at how he hopes to overcome bitter partisanship and work with the republicans. >> live from cnn center, this is "cnn newsroom" with rosemary church. the family of the suspect arrested in the killings of four idaho college students is speaking out and offering their

condolences. while bryan kohberger himself awaits extradition from pennsylvania, he is accused of first-degree murder in the stabbing deaths of xanaxana, et kaylee, madison. their bodies were found in their off-campus home in moscow, idaho, in mid-november. the crime scene was only a few miles from kohberger's graduate school residence in washington state. now his family has released a statement. cnn's jean casarez has that, more on the arrest, and what comes next for the suspect. >> reporter: defendant bryan kohberger remains right here in northeastern pennsylvania. he is housed right behind me in the monroe county correctional facility. his next hearing will be in pennsylvania on tuesday. it is an extradition hearing. he will be waiving extradition to go back to idaho. but his family is right here in

northeastern pennsylvania, and they have released a statement. i want to read that to you. they say, "first and foremost, we care deeply for the four families who have lost their precious children. there are no words that can adequately express the sadness we feel, and we pray each day for them. we will continue to let the legal process unfold, and as a family, we will love and support our son and brother. we have fully cooperated with law enforcement agencies in an attempt to seek the truth and promote his presumption of innocence rather than judge unknown facts and make erroneous assumptions. we respect privacy in this matter, as our family and the families suffering loss can move forward through their legal process." and his attorney is the chief public defender for monroe county, pennsylvania. he tells me that when the arrest happened at 1:30 a.m. friday,

that it was actually bryan kohberger's father that answered the door. the family is saying, according to the attorney, about 3:00 in the morning, the middle of the night he answered the door. we know it was the fbi, pennsylvania state police, we know idaho state police are here in pennsylvania at this point. the father fully cooperated with law enforcement, i am told. he brought his son bryan to the front door. that is when authorities arrested him. i am also told by the attorney that the family is not being allowed to visit him in this correction facility. they are not being allowed to talk with him, but the fact is, once there is that court date on tuesday for extradition, it is a public courtroom and anyone can go inside. jean casarez, monroe county, pennsylvania. multiple law enforcement sources say a teenager who attacked new york police

officers on saturday had desires to join the taliban. they say it was written in a diary along with desires to die a "martyr." the teenager is in custody after pulling out a machete in the attack on three officers near times square on new year's eve. they were treated at hospital and have since been released. police are still trying to determine what prompted the attack. it's not clear if the suspect viewed jihadist propaganda. he hadn't formally been charged with a crime as of sunday. a storm system that's causing life-threatening flooding in the western u.s. is moving east, putting more than 15 million people under winter weather alerts. at least two people have been killed by flooding in parts of california over the weekend. firefighters used a boat to rescue five people trapped in their cars on saturday night in a town south of los angeles. here's what one firefighter said about the flooding.

>> i've worked for the fire department or previously the elk grove fire department for 21 years. this is the most significant flooding i've seen in this area in those 21 years. in sacramento county, residents were told to avoid travel because of wind gusts which knocked down trees and left debris on the roads. some communities south of san francisco were advised to evacuate due to rising creeks and rivers. cnn's camila bernal has more on the story. >> reporter: thousands were left without power because of the wind and the rain, and in addition to these power outages, we also saw epic flooding. not just in the urban areas, but we saw creeks and rivers overflowing. many were told to evacuate their homes. others were told to shelter in place because of how dangerous it was to drive under those conditions. the national weather service even saying there were too many roads that were closed to even

count. at some point on saturday, highway 101 in south san francisco was closed in both directions. there were many rescues in the california area. in sacramento county, for example, officials saying that they had dozens of rescues and had to rescue about 40 people from their cars. here is what some residents here in california had to go through. >> it is a little concerning for sure. when you see the water moving this quick and rising like this, it's a little unsettling. >> when i opened one of my gates, there was so much water, it was gushing and it knocked me over. and i got stuck. i lost my phone in the water. >> it started raining, but it just kept getting -- the water kept getting deeper and deeper. and it's really -- i've been here about six years and that's the worst it's ever been. >> reporter: rainfall exceeded 8 inches here in california,

according to the cnn weather team. despite how difficult it was for a lot of people, this is much-needed rain. it's unclear how this will impact drought conditions in the state, but nonetheless, the water here is always welcome. camila bernal, cnn, los angeles. as we take a look at the path of the storm, weather alerts span parts of california as it moves northeast. to the south, people can expect rain in parts of arizona and new mexico. and that could turn into snow over the rockies. some areas could see as much as or even more than 6 inches or 15 centimeters. officials are assessing the damage from an earthquake that shook northern california sunday morning. the mayor in the town of rio dell says the 5.4 magnitude quake was shorter but felt more violent than one that struck the region on december 20th. the mayor says there's a 35-foot

crack in one of the main roads. 30% of the town's water is shut down, and power is out for some customers. u.s. president joe biden hopes to promote bipartisanship as he returns from his holiday in the u.s. virgin islands. he's coming home to a very different political landscape with the democrats no longer holding a majority in the house of representatives. cnn's arlette saenz has more on how the president plans to reach out to the republicans. >> reporter: when president biden returns to washington on monday, he will be facing a new political reality as republicans are set to take control of the house entering an era of divided government for the first time since biden took office. but the president has repeatedly said that he hopes to find areas of bipartisan cooperation with republicans. and on wednesday, he's trying to showcase his willingness to work with republicans when the president travels to kentucky

where hell be joined by senate minority leader mitch mcconnell as well as ohio's republican governor as they are there to tout the bipartisan infrastructure law. there is a bridge connecting kentucky and ohio which will benefit from some of the funding if that bipartisan infrastructure law that was passed last year. it was one of the few bipartisan accomplishments the president was able to achieve in the past year. additionally, they were able to pass more funding for ukraine, also investments in the microchip industry here in the united states as well as gun safety legislation. now, the white house has been trying to identify republicans they can work with in this upcoming congress, and they're really targeting two groups. one being that group of moderate republicans, and another incoming freshmen who won in districts president biden carried back in 2020. but even as they are focusing on ways to find bipartisan cooperation, president biden is fully cognizant of the republican resistance ahead. one thing that they will be watching very closely this week

is that race for house speaker as they are waiting to see whether kevin mccarthy will be the leader of the republicans and speaker of the house. and also the white house has been gearing up for a bevy of investigations expected to be launched from house republicans. they've said that they will launch investigations into everything from the withdrawal from afghanistan to work on the southern border, as well as hunter biden's business dealings which the white house has said is politically motivated. president biden very soon will be returning to washington in that era of divided government. he hopes there will be bipartisan cooperation, but he's also prepared for the resistance ahead. with time running out, republican kevin mccarthy is scrambling to lock down enough votes to become speaker of the house on tuesday. in a conference call with party members on sunday, he outlined more concessions he has agreed to make in his campaign for the

leadership role. that includes making it easier to oust the speaker in the future. but not long after that call, a group of nine republicans released a letter saying his concessions were insufficient and they're still not sold on picking him as house speaker. though they did say progress is being made. let's turn to ron brownstein, a cnn senior political analyst and senior editor at "the atlantic." he joins me now from los angeles. always great to have you with us, and happy new year. >> happy new year, rosemary. >> house republican leader kevin mccarthy has a big problem with nine hardliners still not sold on him as speaker of the house, raising doubts about his bid for that role despite concessions that he's made. so how likely is it that he wins this vote on tuesday? and does he risk negotiating away his power to get the post? >> yeah, you know, it's been exactly 100 years, rosemary,

since we've had an election for the speaker go past a first ballot. 1923 was the last time that it happened. that's the only time it's happened since the civil war. it was more common before the civil war, only happened once since. kevin mccarthy is at real risk of having this go at least past one ballot. you have these conservatives who want to make a point. and maybe, as you note, they've already made their point, that even if mccarthy can get the votes together to become the speaker, they have already demonstrated that he has to concede to them so much in order to get there that they will be in a very strong position to define the party in 2023 with all of the risks that entails after what we saw in the midterm election. >> i do want to get on to the george santos saga. of course, his web the fabrications. what will be the likely impact of this, and do you expect him to eventually be forced to resign? although the leadership hasn't really said very much on any of

this, has it? >> right. the fact that the leadership has not said anything on this is just another indication of how narrow a ledge kevin mccarthy is operating on. i don't expect the republicans to do much on the ethics committee or otherwise to pressure him. the real issue is going to be the overlapping criminal investigations that he's facing from both county officials, state officials, and federal officials. you know, it's one thing to mislead people about where you work and where you graduated or did not from college. it's another thing to misrepresent your sources of income, where you got money for your campaign. and that, i think, is going to be the big question. did he provide misleading information on any of the financial disclosure forms? his income soared over a very short period of time. and he has offered widely varying explanations of what exactly he did to generate that money. i think that is going to be the real potential vulnerability for him, certainly more of a threat

than the ethics committee of the house republicans. they don't really have much leeway to be pushing out members with the narrow majority that they have. >> very important point. and ron, what will be the likely priorities of the biden administration for the start of the new year ahead with the republicans taking control of the house? >> you know, i think the biggest priority for the biden administration is going to be implementing what they have already passed. they passed three giant bills in that first term that all have a long rollout of federal investments. and infrastructure, has over $1 trillion in spending for road, bridges, airports, other projects. a $50 billion semiconductor bill designed to jump start the recovery of the u.s. semiconductor industry, which has already been involved in large plant investments in new york, ohio, and arizona. and then they have about $360 billion in clean energy investments through the

inflation reduction act. i think the biggest priority of the biden administration is going to be to try to have the rubber meet the road on all of those bills and show and demonstrate an impact in communities around the country. he may be cutting ribbons at new plants or new factories, literally every week between now and 2024. we know that he's going down this week and appearing apparently with mitch mcconnell to talk about infrastructure. i think that's going to be the number one priority. and then the second priority is going to be unilateral executive action, particularly regulatory action, where he can act without needing congress. it's hard to imagine many deals being made with this republican congress. on environmental issues, immigration issues, a number of fronts i think they're going to be trying to move forward in their priorities through executive action. >> all right, ron brownstein, we'll see what the new year brings. still to come, residents in ukraine's capital are starting

the new year sheltering in place with the sound of russian drones overhead. how bakers in the war-ravaged city of bucha are doing their part to help ukrainian troops on the front lines.

♪ welcome back. ukrainians are hoping the new year will bring an end to the war that has ravaged their country. the mayor of the capital, kyiv, visited ukrainian soldiers in bakhmut on saturday to ring in the new year with a call for peace. >> translator: the 4th brigade of ukraine's national guard liberty battalion, bakhmut, the guys who protect our beloved mother, ukraine, every day, protecting its territorial integrity, independence, and peace of every ukrainian. these guys will do everything for 2023 to be a year of peace. so everyone who comes with a weapon leaves our territory legs-forward.

>> instead of fireworks, kyiv residents heard the sound of air raid sirens on new year's day. officials say 20 aerial targets were shot down overnight sunday into monday. the shelling has damaged critical infrastructure, causing power outages and disrupting some heat supplies. cnn's nic robertson is following all the developments for us from london. he joins us now live. kyiv came under attack on the first day of this new year. what does 2023 likely hold for ukraine as we witness this increase in attacks from russia? >> reporter: typically, russia hasn't been able to sustain such heavy long barrages over multiple days. it has, during this holiday season, certainly spiked its number of attacks. and there's also an indication as well, and this is what the ukrainians say that they're seeing, that russia is expanding its list of targets. it's been going after the energy

infrastructure, but it appeared a technical building, a university building, was hit over the weekend into the new year. that recently civilian residences in kyiv were also hit and damaged. so there's an indication -- a hotel hit as well in the center of kyiv, government buildings in the center of kyiv. there's a possibility the ukrainians will see an expansion of the types of targets that russia is trying to hit with its long-range missiles and drones. we know that nato has supplied the ukrainians with a large number of drone deterrence, in a way, systems that can deny the drone's knowledge of physically where they are and where the targets are. those kind of systems, if the ukrainians had been using them to good effect, the russians will this year be looking at ways to try to expand the target list. i think as well, and we've heard

this from the nato secretary-general, jens stoltenberg, over recent days saying it's important for ukraine's allies to step up in weapons productions. because that's what they're going to need. so you're going to see, can russia increase and sustain these types of attacks that we've been seeing over the past few days? that's certainly a concern. and the answer for that will be sustaining ukraine's ability to fight back. but i think if you listen to the new year's messages, both president putin and the message overnight last night from president zelenskyy in ukraine, you get a real different tone. zelenskyy talks about the unity of the ukrainians. this is something that they really have, and we're going to see in 2023 a further likely strengthening of that unity and a deeper polarization with russia and russians. putin, on the other hand, is talking, when he's trying to motivate people, about family

first. then friends. then the motherland. it's clear putin's having to change his narrative, that this is not about russia per se but about, you know -- about putting family first and trying to frame that as the reason to fight. i think in this way, ukraine, the differences grow but ukraine in this way is in a stronger position than russia, which is very weak on that front. >> nic robertson, many thanks for your analysis. in one city that's become synonymous with the war's devastation, some residents are turning to traditional ways to bolster their resilience. cnn's ben wedeman has our report. >> reporter: the daily bread has a special meaning in this bucha bakery. no machines here.

the autoslav kneads the dough by hand. outside, andre chops firewood for the oven. at a time when russian strikes have crippled ukraine's power grid, the old ways are proving to be handy. yuri used to pass his days glued to a screen at hissic t. job. war has brought him back to what matters most. >> what's happened right now in ukraine, it's affecting all the world. and it's people becoming more conscious, more grateful for everything they have right now in their lives. >> reporter: bucha outside kyiv suffered through a brutal russian occupation and was the scene of what investigators say were war crimes. bosislav, a regular customer, appreciates the bread and the spirit of those who make it. >> they're nice guys. nice small business. i remember right after liberation of bucha, they started baking bread and even

providing this bread for free to those in need. >> reporter: they also provide bread and traditional pastries for those far from home and in harm's way. some of these loaves are destined for soldiers. a little something extra that will make their new year's eve that much more special. simple reminders of the holiday season hangover their work. the memories of recent nightmares are still fresh, and the specter of more russian attacks loom large. celebrations will be muted. "in other parts of the world, people can count on comfort and waiting for nice fireworks," jaroslav tells me. "we're worried about fireworks from our neighbors." irina's wish for the new year is simple. "we hope it will be better, we hope the war will end." one cannot live on bread alone. hope is also needed.

ben wedeman, cnn, bucha, ukraine. one man was the leader of a religious faith, the other a legend in a sport loved with near-religious fervor. each being bid farewell this week. we're live in rome after the break with new details on the funeral services for the late pope emeritus benedict xvi. and brazil mourns one of the greatest football players of all-time. details on the touching tributes to pele as the country prepares for his wake. and the bill payer, baker, and nightlight makerer? that's a lot. so, addiding “and student” might feel daunting. but what if a school could be there for all of you? career, family, finances and mental health. -happy birthday! -happy birthday buddy. well, it can. national university. supporting the whole you.

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in just over half an hour, the public viewing will begin for the late pope emeritus benedict xvi. he died saturday at the age of 95 and will lie in state in st. peter's basilica for three days. the catholic faithful will be able to pay their respects from today through wednesday. the funeral will be held on thursday led by pope francis. vatican correspondent delia gallagher is in st. peter's square and joins us live. good to see you, delia. you there are with some of the people standing in line. what are they telling you about why they've come? >> reporter: rosemary, some of these people have been here for about two hours now. the basilica is not yet open. i estimate about 300, 400 people are in line this morning. i had a chance to talk to some of them. many of them are theology students who say they were very influenced by the writings of the pope emeritus.

obviously there are priests and nuns living in rome. these would be people already in rome, whether passing through for their vacation or people living here. with john paul ii, we saw hundreds of thousands of people in this square. you couldn't move for the people. but he had two months of being ill. so people had plenty of time to come down here. with pope benedict, obviously a different situation. many of the people this morning are people that are already living here in rome. the basilica will open in about a half hour. they will start to move through. this will be going on for three days, so it will be interesting to see exactly what the flux is. if people are flying in and will be coming tomorrow or wednesday. funeral on thursday at 9:30 a.m. it will be out here held by pope francis. we know that pope benedict requested a simple funeral. nonetheless, he is a past pope, so i assume that the vatican will want to give him all the honors and all the send-off that

a pope would have, at the same time trying to maintain that request of pope benedict for something more simple. normally we see heads of state coming for funerals of a sitting pope. we'll have to see with pope benedict who will be coming on thursday. his body will be buried eventually in the crypt beneath st. peter's basilica here just behind me where it is a tradition, of course, that popes are buried. that, too, will be open for visitors when that happens. rosemary? >> and delia, what is the mood there? >> reporter: very quiet, very somber. as i said, very different to what we experiences the last funeral, in 2005, john paul ii. he was such a major figure. pope benedict had more time to be quiet and behind the scenes and many people, of course, had a different opinion of pope benedict than john paul ii. so it's a verisome der, quiet time. it was beautiful this weekend, new year's eve. we had pope francis come out and

see the nativity scene. he spoke about his predecessor on several occasions this weekend. so that was a nice moment for people. now it's kind of a quiet time just before the funeral. >> delia gallagher joining us there from st. peter's square, many thanks. in the day ahead, brazil will honor its late football hero, pele, in a massive public wake. his coffin is currently being moved to a stadium in the city of santos. word he'll lie in honor for 24 hours. thousands of people are expected to show up and pay their respects. the report from santos, brazil. >> reporter: how do you mourn a legend in a person who always brought so much joy to everyone who saw him. these football fans in the brazilian city of santos do it their own way, by laughing and cheering. this is the old guard. those who had the privilege of

watching pele play more than 60 years ago. and now are preparing to say good-bye. some show off their tattoos. others hold on to old tickets as if they were relics. in his last match, the stadium was jammed, everyone screaming, chanting. when pele left the pitch, it all went quiet, silence. half the people left, because why stay if you don't see pele?" but in a city where everyone has a story about the legend, here is someone who knew the man himself. a true lover of the game, cosmo founded the first supporters club in the city back when pele was playing. >> for me, a mixed feeling of celebrating the life of the player, but being sad because your friend died. you have no idea how much i would like to say, come back, king, and be with your people.

this piece of land is your house. the city of santos has declared seven days of mourning to remember pele. outside the old football stadium, the tributes are endless. inside, everything is ready. here is where pele's body will lie for 24 hours. like a circle that comes to a full close, pele's final farewell will be in the same ground where he gave so much joy to his fans. back then, hundreds of them will be cheering in these stands that are now silent, mourning the king of football. as a new year begins, one last peek at history. one more final whistle for the greatest of them all. ste stefano, cnn, santos, broos. >> michael holmes discussed pele's legacy with cnn's sports analyst christine brennan. he asked her what the football

icon has meant to brazil, given the scale of these tributes. >> obviously not only a great soccer player but a great ambassador for the game and for his nation. for brazil. it got to the point where he was so popular in brazil, they didn't want to lose him, that they basically -- the government said they couldn't trade hill, they couldn't have him play for any other team, at least in his heyday before he came to new york to play for the cosmos in 1975 and brought sacker, really, to the united states. a country that definitely we had not really heard about soccer, didn't know the game of soccer. other than that, he is brazil's, he is a legend, and of course larger than life. i think by the time -- at the end of the year, there's always a lot of introspection as we look back. and the fact that he passed away so soon before the year's end i think a chance to even look back

more. and also, of course, the world cup just a few weeks earlier. again, we were thinking of soccer. pele, we knew he was ill. so in many ways, the month of december, a fitting tribute to the man and the legend with the world cup being so successful on the field of play, of course, in qatar. and then, of course, at the end of the year, our sense of looking back. when we look back on someone like pele, we see the incredible life that he lived and how he gave so much to so many. you know, i think for most of the world, soccer and football, obviously, has been a big part of everyone's lives. in the united states, that wasn't the case. in many ways, he was like johnny appleseed, planting the seed for the game here in the united states. obviously a major player on the world stage in sports. culture and everything else. and what i remember hearing about pele before i really knew much about soccer, back in the day at that time period, the

mid-1970s, american kids were not playing soccer. boys were playing -- went to little league baseball. girls like me played tennis or swimming or whatever. so there was no organized soccer at all. pele came to the united states and changed that. >> while brazil mourns the loss of pele, the country also ushered in a new president on sunday. luis da silva was sworn into office in brasilia. his supporters are thrilled with the change. this is mr. lula da silva's third term as president after a 12 high year hiatus. he has inherited a country with crippling debt and much higher levels of poverty when he left office. in his address to the country he expressed optimism toward a brighter future but acknowledged there's a lot of work to be

done. >> translator: today, our message to brazil is one of hope and reconstruction. the great building of law, sovereignty, and development that this nation built since 1988 has been systematically demolished in recent years. it is to rebuild this building of national rights and values that will guide all our efforts. >> president lula da silva's rise to power caps a spectacular comeback from a corruption scandal that forced him to spend more than a year and a half behind bars. in 2019, the supreme court ruled his case a mistrial, clearing his path to run for re-election. but looming over his new political era, threats of violence from his predecessor's supporters. also, outgoing president jair bolsonaro has yet to publicly concede defeat. just in, at least four are dead and three are in critical

condition after two helicopters collided midair in australia. it happened earlier near the popular tourist strip of main beach on the gold coast south of brisbane. police say the helicopters crashed onto a sand bank near the seaworld resort. it's the height of the tourist season there with schools closed for the summer right now. the main road into the area is closed to traffic. police are asking anyone who saw the collision to contact invest investigators. covid case numbers are surging after beijing backed away from its zero covid policy. just ahead, how countries around the world are reacting as china struggles to get back to normal. bubut life doesn't offer you up to $1000 back in free e bets if you don't win. so bet on america's #1 sportsbooook, fanduel, and make every moment more.

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for $69.99 a month for 12 months. plus ask how to get up to a $750 prepaid card with qualifying internet. well, we fell in love through gaming. but now the internet lags and it throws the whole thing off. when did you first discover this lag? i signed us up for t-mobile home internet. ugh! but, we found other interests. i guess we have. [both] finch! let's go! oh yeah! it's not the same. what could you do to solve the problem? we could get xfinity? that's actually super adult of you to suggest. i can't wait to squad up. i love it when you talk nerdy to me. guy, guys, guys, we're still in session. and i don't know what the heck you're talking about. nearly 4,000 nurses at a new york hospital have reached a tentative deal on a labor contract a day after threatening

to strike. but at seven thousand hospitals, 12,000 nurses are still negotiating their own contracts. if a dealing not reached by january 9th, they will move forward with a strike. a union representing those nurses says they're demanding better working conditions. they want hospitals to hire more staff and retain current workers to improve patient care. air travelers from china are facing a growing number of restrictions from countries around the world. this after beijing scrapped its zero covid policy, causing a surge of coronavirus cases. morocco will ban all travelers from china from entering regardless of nationality starting on tuesday. and australia is joining countries like the u.s., canada, england, france, south korea, japan, and several others requiring travelers from china to show proof of a negative covid test. let's bring in cnn's paula

hancocks. she joins us live from seoul, south korea. good to see you, paula. how are people in china coping with this surge in covid cases after beijing ditched its zero covid policy? >> reporter: rosemary, a tale of two countries at this point in china. on the one hand, we do have what seems to be some kind of return to normalcy. the fact that you do have congestion back on the streets of beijing. people are still going and deciding to go back shopping and going around the town. so certainly it does seem to visibly be some kind of return to normality. but of course, it could very well be a demographic difference that you would have the younger people out on the street or potentially those that don't have underlying conditions and aren't necessarily at risk of being hospitalized. on the other side, you do see, we're hearing from teams on the ground and anecdotally, there

are full hospitals. that the hospitalizations have been significant. and you also hear of concerns of those within the country itself of even trying to go to a pharmacy and buy some medicine. >> translator: there's a short of all the cold and flu medicine and fever-reducing medicine, including rubbing alcohol and thermometers, which have been out of stock. i think because we're in the countryside and all the goods are allocated to big hospitals in cities. here in the towns and villages, we're more isolated and less medicine is available. >> reporter: when it comes to the official level, beijing has said it's not going to be reporting daily covid cases. the numbers that are coming out are certainly scarce, and we've heard from the world health organization that they are calling on beijing to give them more information. they want numbers on the more genetic sequencing data, for example. of course, that is the concern around the world that variants may be created from such a sheer

number of people carrying the virus at any one time. they want details on hospitalizations, on deaths, et cetera. it's not cheer at this point whether they are likely to get any of that from beijing officially. >> paula hancocks live from seoul. when we come back, making sense of the metaverse. what the technology means for the future and why 2023 may or may not be its big year.

♪ for some forward looking people, 2023 could be the year many of us have our first experience with the metaverse. but as we hear from cnn's anna stewart, sometimes it seems like the new technology is still in its dial-up days. >> reporter: remember this, maybe? >> the oasis. a whole virtual universe. >> reporter: the concept of a virtual universe is rooted in science fiction. for years it's been just that,

fiction. but now technology is beginning to catch up, bringing the idea of the metaverse to reality. concerts, expensive digital real estate, hugely popular games. what exactly is the metaverse? what does it do, and why should you care? let's break it down. >> it means a virtual environment -- >> reporter: this is neil stevenson. he came up with the term "metaverse" in 1992 when are his book "snowcash." back to you, neal. >> where large numbers of people can get together and interact with each other not as they are, but through avatars which are kind of the three-dimensional representation. >> ta-da! >> reporter: for so long our experiences with the internet have been 2d. it's been something we look at. but the metaverse gives users the sense of being transported into the internet. like this. >> oh, hi!

>> look. >> reporter: meet andrea bosworth, known as bos. he works at meta, formerly named facebook. >> do we shake hands? how does this work? >> we can do a high five. >> oh! >> reporter: this is horizon workrooms. the company's foothold in the met verse, just one of the many ways into the metaverse that are currently available. in these virtual worlds you can play games, do business, and dance with strange there's turn into friends. except that this friend could be on the other side of the world. >> as good as being together? no, and probably never will be. but it's the next best thing. >> reporter: this all sounds exciting. until you realize that the technology that are building this new iteration of the internet is, well, still being built. >> we are working on legs. >> where are my legs? >> to be fair, we are working on legs. it's one of the tricky things about vr. we're so early on -- oh.

she left me. i'm so sad. she's back. maybe. nope, she left again. >> reporter: in short, it's difficult to define the metaverse because it's constantly evolving. just as the technology is. what it is, is largely dependent on what it can do for us. and right now its capabilities are just a fraction of what they might be in five, maybe ten years. for now, it's this place where you can be whoever you want and immerse your virtual self into this alternative world that pushes past physical barriers to collaborate and interact with other virtual avatars, objections, and environments. as promising as it all may sound, we still have a long way to go before we're living like this. >> where am i? >> ioi plaza, you're a hologram in the real world. >> reporter: anna stewart, cnn, dubai. >> thanks for your company. i'm rosemary church. i'll be back with more news after a short break. do stick around.

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