this is "nightline." tonight, theranos founder elizabeth holmes, guilty. the dramatic ending to the trial that's captivated silicon valley and the nation. and the omicron surge. with covid rates skyrocketing -- >> i'm just really worried. >> schools, parents, and teachers, struggling to know what is best. >> this should not be put on the back burner, because our lives matter, as well. inside the cocaine underworld. is tz guy has his gun. >> we meet one of the women at the top. and --

one of our favorite golden girls. betty white. "nightline" will be right back. does sinus congestion and pressure make breathing feel impossible especially at night? try vicks sinex. unlike most sinus treatments, it provides instant relief that lasts up to 12 hours. its powerful decongestant targets congestion at the source, with a dual action formula that relieves nasal congestion and soothes sinus pressure by reducing swelling in the sinuses. for instant relief that lasts up to 12 hours, try vicks sinex. from vicks - trusted relief for over 125 years. [sfx: voice relief]

thanks for joining us. elizabeth holmes was once the world's youngest female self-made billionaire. her company, theranos, promised

a way to detect multiple conditions with just one drop of blood. the problem was, the tests didn't work. just hours ago, holmes was found guilty of fraud and conspiracy. abc's chief business correspondent rebecca jarvis has been following the trial. thanks for joining us. rebecca, of the 11 fraud and conspiracy charges she was facing, she was found guilty on four of them. what do you make of those mixed verdicts? >> reporter: this trial came down to a handful of things. elizabeth holmes was charged with misleading patients, doctors, and investors. when it came to investors, she was found guilty largely by this jury. when it came to patients, she was found not guilty. of course, you have those three charges on which the verdict could not be reached by the jury. that was declared on those charges a mistrial by the judge. >> yet, we know she's expected

to appeal her verdict. could there be a retrial on some of those charges and how likely is prison in her futch central>> reporter: the government has the option to retry those three charges where no verdict was reached. and in terms of prison time, legal experts tell us they expect elizabeth holmes to serve some time in prison.pshe faces for each count. it can be served concurrently, but she will be likely sentenced to some time in jail. >> so i know how closely you've been following this story. i'm curious what impact do you think this verdict might have on silicon valley? >> a lot of people would say she's the outlier. she's not one of us. but for anybody thinking of selling a company, selling a story, they know everything they say has to be true in order not to face a case like. this >> rebecca jarvis, thank you so much for your insight.

the new episode of "the dropout" is out tomorrow. now to the omicron surge. many of us are already exhausted as the new year begins. some hospitals reaching their capacity. schools and parents facing enormous challenges. and many asking, how can we stay safe? here's abc's trevor alt. >> reporter: the hope for many was that 2022 would bring some relief. but days into the new year, car after car waiting in line to get tested. the omicron variant triggering massive outbreaks with record breaking levels of covid infections across the country. >> we are definitely in the middle of a very severe surge and uptick in cases. >> reporter: dr. anthony fauci citing roughly 400,000 new cases on average each day. >> what we know so far is this variant is spreading fast, but the vast majority of those breakthrough infections continue to be very mild or even

asymptomatic. the data especially suggests that those who are unvaccinated are far greater risk of the consequences of covid. that is true with omicron. >> reporter: data from last year during the delta surge shows hospitalizations are eight times more likely for unvaccinated americans. now, the omicron variant is driving a new surge. the near number of new infections causing a strain with more than 100,000 americans in the hospital with covid. patient numbers in new york are mirroring the levels of this time last year. just in the last month, the number of pediatric covid related hospitalizations has nearly quadrupled. >> even at the best children's hospitals in the united states, with state of the art care, some children who become infected with this virus will die from it. that's the sad reality. >> reporter: at texas children's, a third of patients are under 5, including several babies with covid.

in south carolina, tyler jones and his wife are boosted, but their 3-month-old addison, who is too young to get the vaccine, got sick with covid new year's eve. >> he woke up in the middle of the night crying, having trouble breathing. he had a fever, and we feel helpless, because your 3-month-old can't communicate what hurts. there's nothing scarier as a parent. >> the high fevers came in waves. she just laid on me for three straight days. >> reporter: sarah's 2-year-old daughter tested positive and spent four days in the hospital. >> it can get bad. it's not just a simple cold for everybody. >> reporter: today, the fda authorizing pfizer booster shots for kids ages 12 to 15. as millions of students return to school after the holiday. cities like cleveland and atlanta opting for a remote return this week, while in massachusetts, the national guard distributed more than 200,000 at-home test kits for

faculty and staff across the state. >> we've seen this the last two years since covid came into play, that you have to be ready to adapt and pivot. >> reporter: but the nation's biggest district, new york city, today welcomed back students in masks and ramping up testing as the city's new mayor vows to keep kids in the classroom. >> we are going to keep our schools open. >> reporter: but many parents don't agree. some refusing to send their kids to school, others anxious dropping them off this morning. >> i'm just like worried, really worried. he has asthma, and i have cancer, so it's like a double whammy. >> how do you feel coming back to school today in >> well, i don't think it's the right decision on the part of the administration. >> reporter: in chicago, students returned to the classroom despite growing concerns about safety after the winter holiday. >> we were gone two weeks, two

major holidays, christmas and new years. we just did not know how it was going to pan out. >> reporter: breanna hall has spent more than two decades as an educator. today, she and her colleagues opted for remote learning. >> we want our students and the staff to be tested coming back into the building with negative p pcr tests and asking for more masks, more ppe supplies, and more frequent testing for the students. >> reporter: tomorrow, the chicago teacher's union is set to vote on whether or not to defy the city's decision for in-person learning and go remote. >> i just really wish ctu and cps come to some type of agreement and work together. like things need to get better. i just wish we were more supported, more appreciated in the field of work we do.

>> reporter: safety is at the forefront of many american's minds, as the holiday season ends, and we return back to the day-to-day. while some are frustrated, health care professionals urge continued diligence. >> while it may be disheartening, because we've done everything we can on social distancing, masking, this is a very transmissible variant that got many people who followed the rules sick. but it got people to a place where they can quickly get over the illness and resume their lives. and that is really due to how well these vaccines have worked in the real world. >> our thanks to trevor. up next, we go inside the cocaine trafficking underworld with exclusive and terrifying access. did you know that even after you sanitize a surface, every touch can leave new bacteria behind? that means, you could be right back where you started. break the cycle with microban 24.

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it's a world most of us have never seen, and we probably wouldn't want to. national geographic's "trafficked" takes us inside the world of cocaine trafficking. we track down a female narco, the second in command of one of colombia's newest criminal cartels. >> reporter: we're trying to track down a female narco named sonia. who is rumored to be the second in command in one of colombia's newest criminal cartels. what do you guys know about her, this woman? >> she's supposed to be the boss

of the hit men in this area, which is really astoppering. >> reporter: astonishing is an understatement. you see, for five decades, colombia has been the world's biggest cocaine producer. this multibillion dollar black market was dominated by one man. the king of cocaine. pablo escobar. but when the king pen was gunned down in 1993, his cartel crumbles. the cocaine business, however, did not. it simply evolved. today, colombia produces more powder than ever. but the big cartels have splintered into smaller rival gangs, which means more competition and violence.

>> reporter: he's going the check all the cars and make sure there aren't any guns. once they take our cell phones, they order us to follow them. it's time to meet their leader. the commander. he just handed the money to him, and he's the only one who is able to approach her, the woman. he's about to give her the money. it's amazing,he oally gtherd huh? >> yes. >> reporter: in my many years of investigating narco traffickers, this is the first time i encountered a woman who had so

much power over violent, well-armed men. eventually, i'm permitted to approach sonia. >> reporter: they're getting scared. okay, guys, we have to go. >>eponia's byg sh herrereoh,y a

gun. you know it's serious when they start freaking out. >> reporter: he started hearing gunshots right where we came from. as we flee the gang's compound, i realize i know next to nothing about their female commander. a woman who every rival gang seems to want dead. the morning after the attack, i discover sonia is not just alive, she's willing to finally talk. sonia is young, but so is her group. they're one of the nooeest gangs competing for colombia's cocaine profits.

>> reporter: respect. it's something sonia earned during her initiation, when the cartel kidnapped a disabled map and ordered her to kill him. >> it's been mostly men profiting from the multibillion dollar drug trade. of course, despite his riches, even pablo escobar died in a hail of gunfire on a roof top.

>> reporter: just weeks after a i left, the colombian military killed the leader, and captured a chief lieutenant. sonia's lover and the father of her children. and the remaining members of th gang are on the run. including sonia,s w whose

whereabouts are unknown. today, the colombian government has declared the gang terrorly dismantled. trafficked airs on wednesdays on nat geoand can be streamed the next day on hulu. up next, "nightline" remembers the one and only betty white. need long-lasting freshness? try febreze unstopables touch fabric spray. it doesn't just eliminate odors... simply shake and spray to unlock the breakthrough power of touch-activated scent technology. that lasts, even hours later! that's because febreze touch stores scent in your fabrics so you get bursts of freshness with every touch. your whole world will come alive. welcome home to fresh with febreze touch. la, la, la, la, la tums vs. mozzarella stick

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finally tonight, with just hours to go until the end of 2021, the news broke that the world had lost betty white. ♪ thank you for being a friend ♪ >> how does one reach 99 and still be thought of as going too soon? she was a golden girl, with a quick whit and sharp tongue. >> can you believe that back stabbing slut? >> betty white. >> reporter: her career spanned generations, starting out when tv was in its infancy. >> why buy day old bread when

you can have a cupcake piping hot from the oven. >> the hippest 80 something ever. who became the oldest person to host "saturday night live." >> facebook is a great way to connect with old friends. at my age, if i want to connect with old friends, i need a ouija board. >> she was asked if she considered the recent phase of her career a comeback? >> i've been working steady for 63 years. but everybody says oh, it's such a renaissance. >> betty white once said she kept working to be able to continue her other passion. >> come on, darling. come on, sweet heart. for animals. tireless advocate - working to raise awareness for their welfare. when asked what she wanted but never got in her career -- >> i always had one answer, that's robert redford.

>> you mean you want to star opposite robert? >> not necessarily. if that works for you, fine. >> betty white said she wanted to be remembered as having made people laugh, and think a bit. >> it's betty being silly again. that's what i would like to be remembered as. betty as a good friend that they invited into their home. >> rest in peace. that's "nightline" for tonight. watch all of our full episodes on hulu. see you back here same time tomorrow. thanks for staying up with us. good night, america.