right now on "america this morning," covid cancellations. hundreds of christmas eve flights eliminated as airlines are plagued with covid-related crew shortages. millions rushing to get tested before the holidays face long lines and limited supplies. and the new data from overseas as the peak appears to be weeks away. weather systems impacting holiday travel from coast to coast. snow and ice affecting roadways in the northeast as the west braces for what could be the wettest christmas eve on record. plus, the part of the country that could be sweating through christmas. christmas miracle. a tsa agent leaps into action after a baby stops breathing at a security checkpoint. how her experience from a previous job helped her save the day. plus, another accuser comes

forward against actor chris noth. and tesla says it will restrict a popular feature following a federal probe and this cop giving a safety briefing about to get a rude awakening. we'll show you what happened next. it's friday, december 24th. good friday morning, everyone. i'm andrew dymburt. >> and i'm rhiannon ally in for mona. we want to begin this morning with the surging omicron variant looming over holiday gatherings all across the country. americans have been waiting in long lines scrambling to get their hands on a limited supply of covid tests. >> at least two big airlines have canceled hundreds of flights on this christmas eve as crews are impacted by the alarming spike in covid cases. this morning, the omicron surge having a major effect on travel as millions take to the roads and air. overnight major airlines like delta and united proactively canceling hundreds of flights

scheduled for today citing crew shortages. that's due to covid. united says it's notifying customers before they get to the airport. with new cases already surpassing the delta variant's peak, people from coast to coast are rushing to get tested before gathering for the holidays. >> in order to be safe, we decided that the whole family should be tested. >> reporter: in california cars lined up all day. this clinic at the airport in palm springs says demand has tripled this week. in new york city people waited in the cold for hours for at home tests. the nation's biggest city is only able to give away 10,000 kits per day. despite the testing shortage, the city announcing that the new year's eve celebration in times square will happen but with a much smaller crowd with masks and vaccines required. with cdc models suggesting the cases might not peak until early january, the white house acknowledging the country's testing is not adequate. >> we're not where we need to be on testing. no one is saying we are. >> reporter: but signs of hope going into the holidays. for the second time this week

the fda authorizing a covid-19 pill. this time from merck shown to reduce the risk of severe illness by 30%, that's far less than the 89% reduction though merck's pill will be more available in the coming months and it suggests patients may be 50% to 70% less likely to be hospitalized than those with the delta variant though experts warn it's too early to know for sure. hospitalization numbers are still a major concern across the u.s. with nearly 71,000 currently receiving care. driving the numbers the unvaccinated. a minnesota nurse says although she doesn't speak on behalf of her employer nearly every icu bed is taken and at least 95% are unvaccinated. >> it's really, really immensely difficult to deal with death every day that could have been prevented. >> reporter: one hospital in her state bringing in a refrigerated truck after its morgue reached capacity. even former president trump

while still against vaccine mandates reiterating his support for the shots. >> the ones that get very sick and go to the hospital are the ones that don't take their vaccine. but it's still their choice, and if you take the vaccine, you're protected. >> back to those canceled flights due to covid and it's not just delta and united. alaska airlines is impacted even paying healthy employees to work added shifts this weekend. mother nature already complicating travel this holiday weekend. in western wisconsin a tractor trailer slamming into multiple vehicles. the crash shut down a section of interstate 94. at least 40 vehicles were involved. it was one of a number of weather-related crashes in the state that affected more than 100 vehicles. in california, heavy rain, even snow at higher elevations will hit throughout the state. los angeles and san diego may see their wettest ever christmas eve. and a storm in the pacific northwest could bring snow piles as high as ten feet in some areas. we'll have the full forecast from accuweather coming up shortly.

the former minnesota police officer who said she confused her gun for her taser when she killed daunte wright is spending christmas behind bars after being convicted of manslaughter. kim potter was all smiles in her mug shot taken shortly after. she showed no visible emotion as the verdict was read and was led out of the courtroom in handcuffs. wright's mother told abc news she was not moved by potter's testimony. >> i was expecting a more sympathetic, apologetic person that if you truly made the mistake that you claim it was, i was expecting a little more accountability from her, and when we didn't get that, it was -- i was angry. >> the jury found potter, a 26-year veteran of the force guilty of first and second degree manslaughter and could get up to 15 years in prison when sentenced if february. new details about the

parents of ethan crumbley. the 15-year-old accused of killing four students at his high school. prosecutors say james and jennifer crumbley ignored their troubled son's needs as they focused on their own financial issue, substance abuse and her extramarital affairs. it was all part of a court filing opposing an effort to lower their $500,000 bond while they face charges. questions for the los angeles police after officers killed both a suspect and a 14-year-old girl. officers responded to an assault with a deadly weapon call at a north hollywood clothing store. investigators say officers fired at a man attacking a woman. he was killed but one round went through a dressing room wall killing the teenage girl. police did not find a weapon on the suspect. they recovered a metal cable lock they believe was used in the assault. actor chris noth is facing another accusation of sexual misconduct. here's abc's kaylee hartung with the details. >> reporter: the new accuser coming forward alleging chris

noth sexually abused her. >> he warned me that if i ever told a soul about what happened the night before that he would ruin my career. >> reporter: lisa gentilly, a singer and songwriter, says in 2002 noth offered her a ride home from a restaurant they both frequented. she says he then asked to see her apartment where she claims he forced himself on her aggressively kissing and groping her. >> i finally managed to push him away and get out of his grasp and yell, no, i don't want this. >> reporter: gentilly did not report this to authorities at that time. she's now speaking out just days after two women claimed to "the hollywood reporter" they were both sexually assaulted by him. one in los angeles in 2004. the other in new york in 2015. noth denying those first two allegations as categorically false calling the encounters consensual. and police tell us there's no investigation into these allegations, but in the wake of these claims, chris noth has been fired from his cbs show "the equalizer" and dropped by his talent agency. kaylee hartung, abc news, los

angeles. >> kaylee, thank you. time now for a look at your friday weather. good morning. we continue to track heavy rain in southern california which is making its way into the four corners. across the rockies we're going to be tracking some snow for christmas eve. overall the western third of the nation dealing with poor travel conditions on this christmas eve on the central and eastern side of the nation it's looking a little bit better but record challenging warmth will be in place christmas day for the south central u.s. i'm marvin gomez with your accuweather forecast. coming up next, amazon gives workers more power to organize. also ahead, a tsa officer saves the day leaping into action literally. and nasa's new telescope has a launchpad. details on when the $10 billion instrument will begin its journey through space.

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back now with the scene of a shootout inside a chicago mall, filled with holiday shoppers. police say one person is in custody, after gunfire broke out at the oak brook mall thursday evening. four people were injured, including one of the shooters. all are expected to recover. police are still searching for another suspect. it's a very merry christmas for a mother who traveled through newark airport in new jersey this month. that's because of a tsa agent who used her training from a former job to become a hero and save a child's life. a christmas miracle at newark airport. >> i came around and saw that a mother and the passenger that she was traveling with were in distress because the baby wasn't

breathing. >> reporter: a mother realizes her 2-month-old son suspect breathing and pleads for help. tsa officer cecilia morales starts shouting instructions to the mother on how to perform the heimlich maneuver. >> i saw that she was just in panic. i jumped of to help her. >> reporter: leaping over the conveyer belt, knocking over luggage. >> i checked to see if he was breathing, he wasn't. the second time i did it, he responded. i showed her the baby and she started crying tears of happiness. >> reporter: she's now being hailed a hero. she's been on the job just two months, but it was the experience from her previous job that saved the day. >> i was an emt in the past.. >> reporter: despite having been an emt for a decade, she had never performed the heimlich on an infant.

one family is grateful she never forgot her training. >> i was told she was pregnant. she said when i have my baby, i want you to visit me. >> wow, just incredible. the tsa has been in contact with the family of that infant and says mom and baby are well. amazon reached a settlement with the national labor relations board, clearing the way for workers to unionize. aazon pledged not to interfere with the rights of its 750,000 employees to act collectively to improve their workplaces. the company also agreed to notify the workers of their power to organize. coming up, harry and meghan share the first glimpse of their daughter. also ahead, a heavy metal holiday remix like you've never seen before. we're about to crank up christmas. we do it every night. every night. i live alone, but i still do it every night. right after dinner. definitely after meatloaf.

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>> reporter: this morning, with just hours until christmas, shoppers are in a rush. nearly 80% of us wait until the last minute, which means shipping is out. >> if that retailer does offer curbside pickup or in-store pickup, i would opt for that option so you're not taking any chances with shipping. >> reporter: bed, bath & beyond is offering same day delivery until 7:00 today for orders over $39. today target will deliver to your home for $9.99 if a slot is open, and if you order by 1:00 p.m., walmart will deliver within two hours. shopping experts say other great options, gift cards and subscriptions. >> some of my favorites are subscription boxes. i have been testing subscription boxes for months and i have fallen in love with a few. for instance, curd box, which is amazing for your cheese lover. experiences are popular

this year, and you can use groupon and look for discounted experiences like everything from skydiving to spa days. >> reporter: live streaming shopping is also a new option for last-minute shoppers. you can interact with a host and because live streaming apps include clickable links, you can buy on the same screen you're watching. >> what i love about live streaming is that it's a way for the consumers, the viewers to watch you try on and talk about products while having that immediate response with feedback with their question. >> reporter: some emerging apps include pop shop live and supergreat. deadlines may be tighter this year. >> you saved every seat until you find out if you still want to keep it because when you go back to the store, you'll have to have a receipt. >> reporter: and if you want to buy the perfect gift after christmas, sales begin as soon as sunday. andrew, rhiannon. >> thank you so much for that. nasa has a special gift coming to stargazers on

christmas day. the james webb space telescope is set for takeoff from a launchpad in french guiana. it is the culmination of a project that started 25 years ago. construction was hampered by redesign. the telescope seen as a successor to the hubble telescope. nasa hopes it can reveal secrets about our early universe. for the first time ever take a look, harry and meghan are showing the world a photo of their adorable baby girl. 6-month-old lilibet looks so happy in this picture. aww, she's so cute. look at that smile. you can only see the side of her face, but she's adorable, along with big brother archie who is in there as well and the card says, archie made us a momma and poppa, and lily made us a family. we'll switch gears to sports because today's hawaii bowl between the university of hawaii and memphis has been canceled. hawaii pulled out of the game citing covid-19 issues and other factors. the game's cancellation means

there are no major live sporting events in the u.s. happening today but plenty over the weekend. all right. now the 49ers and titans nfl game happened last night. it came down to a late field goal. seems like it's the theme of the nfl this season. tennessee taking the lead with just seconds left on the clock. now the niners had like four seconds left, the game on the line and a bunch of lateral plays that didn't work, so the titans win a tight one, 20-17. coming up, a cop takes an unexpected shower. also ahead, santa is about to take flight. how you can track his every how you can track his every move. ♪ rich, indulgent chocolate with a luscious caramel filling.

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a possible distraction. >> tesla will block games from being played on video screens when the car is moving. >> this was probably a good idea. tesla will send an update to lock its passenger play feature. no word on the timing of the update. a police officer who likely has a bone to pick with one of her fellow officers. >> this is a cold and a wet one. in a video posted by the reno, nevada police, an officer asks drivers to be safe on the roads. but look out. [ inaudible ] >> that's just wrong. >> and she kept talking. she finished by telling everyone to stay safe and dry. do you think she was in on it? >> i don't think at all.

>> i don't think she would agree to that. next, a great way to crank up christmas. >> it comes courtesy of a guy in michigan with a little help from a legendary heavy ♪ deck the boughs with holly ♪ ♪ 'tis the season to be jolly ♪ >> that's the classic "deck the halls" sung to the classic "war pigs." the lights just adding to the spectacle. the homeowner sets up displays like this for halloween, as well. and santa is making his rounds. >> i love this. we know that, because norad is keeping an eye on santa. >> the 1950s says a child dialed a wrong number and reached norad, asking to talk to santa. the kid was told they were tracking santa and they have tracking santa and they have done it every year since.

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>> building a better bay area, moving forward, finding solutions, this is abc 7 news.

>> right now, on abc7 news morning a surge in covid cases impacting air travel up a christmas eve flight cancellations as travelers returned to airports nationwide. >> snow is coming down in this year. the things to keep in mind if you are heading to this -- there this weekend had >> another storm rolling through this weekend before another one tonight. >> the weather not a problem for santa. we are tracking the gifts he has already given on this christmas eve morning. >> good morning. happy friday, december 24, merry christmas eve. you're watching abc7 news warnings, live o n abc7 news and hulu live and wherever you stream. >> let's start with our meteorologist for a look at the weather. i was getting some of the rain driving in this morning. mike: you and everybody else.