connected tv. i'm elise preston, cbs news, new york. ." it's monday, december 13th, 2021. this is the "cbs morning news." >> this is kentucky's most devastating tornado event in our history. >> it looks like a war. i mean, it just looks like bombs went off. >> lost everything. >> historic tornado outbreak. the death toll continues to rise after rare december twisters invade the south and midwest. in hard-hit kentucky, hope after the governor said casualties may not be as bad as originally expected. we're on the ground in mayfield, kentucky. well, good morning, and good

to be with you. i'm anne-marie green. of course we begin with the devastation left by a series of tornadoes that ripped through at least six states. overnight mr. biden issued a federal disaster in kentucky. now there's word the death toll may not be as high as initially thought. that's the good news. one tornado traveled 200 miles and leveled neighborhood including this one in mayfield, kentucky. twisted metal, downed power lines, and wrecked vehicles line the streets. but there could be a small glimmer of hope as more people are now accounted for at a candle factory. laura podesta is in mayfield now with more on this. laura, good d morning. >> reporter: good morning, anne-marie. i'm standing in really an unrecognizable downtown mayfield, kentucky. this was an office building right behind me here. this is the sort of dense debris that search and rescue crews are going through trying to find survivors. at the nearby candle-making

factory, there are still eight people missing this morning. the total damage inflicted by any's tornado outbreak is still unk unknown. >> it looks like a war. it looks like bombs went off. >> reporter: twisters touched down in six midwestern states friday night. the most severe damage was in kentucky where at least four tornadoes left a trail of wreckage more than 200 miles long. >> where all this rubble is is the dining room. >> i heard it go through. it was awful. i've never been through anything like that in my life. >> reporter: officials are struggling to determine how many people were killed and how many are missing. >> i am praying that maybe original estimates that those we've lost were wrong. if so, it's going to be -- it's going to be pretty wonderful. but it's way too early. >> reporter: here in downtown mayfield, a thriving business district has been decimated. this office building unrecognizable

except for a lone bookcase still standing. its nishlgy feared the death toll would be 100, last night andy beshear said nearly 50 had people. >> we're still finding bodies. >> reporter: there are power and cell phone outages. >> you look around and you have people saying how can i help, but where do you begin? >> reporter: at least 14 deaths have been confirmed in other states including six at an amazon building in illinois. an estimated 1,000 homes were destroyed or severely damaged throughout kentucky. here in mayfield, the high school is serving as the main shelter. though nearby counties are also opening their doors, as wellll nearby churches. anne-marie? >> so the high school building is safe. just driving through mayfield, is it all like this? what we're seeing behind you? >> reporter: you know, driving through some of the neighborhoods there were downed power lines that we would have to go under or swerve around.

there is no power throughout the entire town of 10,000. it's just pitch black. and you can see these trees bent over and -- it just is incredible devastation, anne-marie, everywhere. but what is the cruel nature of tornadoes -- they are haphazard and random. while one home across the state may be perfectly intact, their neighbor just a few feet away is homeless now. >> yeah. that's so true. laura podesta in mayfield, kentucky. thank you so much. well, search efforts at that amazon facility that laura told us about are expected to take several days. as we reported, at least six people were killed in that illinois building. authorities say that they don't expect to find any more survivors. at this point it's unclear how many workers were inside when the twister hit on friday. the governor says this sudden tragedy is taking a toll on the

community. >> there are no words to assuage the pain of losing a loved one. and even fewer when that cost and that loss comes so suddenly. >> authorities say at least 45 people escaped from the building. one person was airlifted to the hospital. ahead on "cbs mornings," we'll talk with kathy stewart o'nan. the mayor of mayfield, kentucky, and we'll ask about the progress of recovery effort in her devastated community. now to the latest on the coronavirus. a new study is shedding more light on pfizer's vaccine defense against the omicron variant. researchers in israel said that people who received a booster shot have good protection against severe illness from the variant. people who received pfizer's second shot more than five months ago are highly vulnerable. here in the u.s., the delta variant has fueled the latest spike in covid cases, though.

it doesn't seem to be stopping americans from changing their holiday plans at all. here's mark strassmann. >> reporter: call it thanksgiving's covid hangover. average number of cases up 37% from last week. hospitalizations rising in at least 42 states. deaths up almost 30%. by next weekend, the cdc predicts up to another million americans could be infected, with december's biggest covid worry still ahead -- christmas. ♪ a cbs news poll says that over the holiday season despite the threat from both strains, two-thirds of americans still plan to gather with friends and families. more than half will travel by car or dine in a restaurant. just one in five say they'll cancel plans because of omicron. this is grand rapids, one of the nation's hot spots last holiday season. michigan's now seeing an even higher number of cases, and that

number is rising. the state's chief medical officer calls the situation critical. >> cases are surging. hospitals are full, and we have a new variant. >> reporter: military medics have jumped in the covid front lines. 11 teams in five states. other reinforcements in this fight -- people getting booster shots. ape record average, more than 900,000 a day. new york state has an indoor mask mandate for anywhere without a vaccination requirement. >> i have to protect people but also the economy. >> reporter: an economy that suddenly feels vulnerable. the inflation rate is up a almo 7% from this time last year. the highest annual increase in almost 40 years. everything's up since last year. home prices, groceries, gas, which leaves covid america coming to terms with a different kind of sticker shock. mark strassmann, cbs news, grand rapids, michigan.

coming up, remembering a music icon. fans pay tribute to the so-called king of ranchera. we'll look back at his career. and there's a new miss union. a bollywood actress takes the crown. how miss usa fared and why one person didn't take part in the pageant. fared and why one king county didn't take part in the passenger.

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on the "morning newsstand." the "los angeles times" reports vis vicnente herpnandez, a mexican icon, has died. ♪ the legendary singer was best known as the king of ranchera music. hernandez died yesterday in his home in the city of guadalajara. he had suffered medical complications after a fall that injured his spine. fans visited his star on the hollywood walk of fame to honor the music icon. >> for everything, happy, sad, everything. it just -- you know, going to live in our hearts forever. >> hernandez won three grammys and nine latin grammys in his career. he was 81 years old. the "associated press" says the band foo fighters canceled a concert at yesterday's formula one race in abu dhabi. organizers said the band pulled out due to unforeseen medical circumstances.

no further details were given other than to say dave grohl and the band were unable to travel. a concert promoting told a state-linked newspaper a member of the foo fighters was rushed to a hospital from an airport in chicago where the band stopped on the way to abu dhabi. the band offered no immediate comment about the issue. and "usa today" says miss india was crowned this year's miss universe. harnaaz sanhu won the 70th annual pageant. the 21-year-old bollywood actress beat out 79 other contestants. the runner much was miss paraguay. as for miss uusa, elle smith mae the top ten. the only country that did not send a representative was malaysia citing the covid pandemic. still to come, peloton back pedaled. the exercise bike company tweets a funny new video featuring mr. big from "sex and the city." g f" ? lowering your a1c with once-weekly ozempic®

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here's a look at the forecast in some cities around the country. ♪ keep away from him. as long as you're in my house -- >> i'm a grown-up now. i'm going to see for myself. >> "west side story" won the weekend box office with $10.5 million in ticket sales, but the total was below expectations according to analyst. the lavish remake of the classic is directed by steven spielberg. on the cbs "money watch" now, why bacon could soon be a lot more expensive in california, and peloton has a funny take about the fate of mr. big. diane king hall is at the new york stock exchange with those stories and more. >> reporter: good morning. this week the investors will be focused on the two-day policy

meeting of the year which kicks off tomorrow. stocks ended higher on friday. the dow rallied 216, the nasdaq gained 113, and the s&p 500 added 44, notching a record high and logging its best week since february. a group of restaurants and grocery stores are hoping to block a state animal welfare law. the coalition is seeking a two-year delay on a measure passed by voters in 2018. it requires more space for breeding pigs, egg-laying chickens, and veal calves. it's scheduled to take effect on new year's day, raising questions on whether bacon prices will go up. or be in short supply. t-mobile said it's raising minimum wage to $20 an hour for all 75,000 employees. the company ceo said a majority of workers already earn more than the new rate, but they didn't specify how many people would be impacted by the new base pay. the federal minimum wage has remained at $7.25 an hour for past 12 years.

and spoiler alert -- if you haven't watched "and just like that," peloton is hoping to boost the image after the product placement in the "sex and the city" reboot. take a listen. >> to new beginnings. >> to new beginnings. you look great. >> i feel great. >> the peloton ad features chris noth who's alive and well. he plays mr. big who suffered a fatal heart attack after riding a peloton bike in the film last week. company stock fell after first episode. peloton had released a statement from a cardiologist saying mr. big's extravagant lifestyle and perhaps his family history played a role in his death. anne-marie? >> see, initially i was feeling so bad for peloton because i thought, oh, man, you know, the -- stock took a major hit. now i'm wondering if this is part of a grand marking plan. >> i know. i know. i have more questions than

answers. now i'm like, wait a second -- is he going to come back in the show? like is this the resurrection of mr. big? we'll see. >> inquiring minds want to know. thank you so much. next, a shakeup at fox news. longtime anchor chris wallace announces he's leaving for another news channel. channel. to visit your doctor right now. but if you're experiencing irregular heartbeat, heart racing, chest pain, shortness of breath, fatigue or light-headedness, don't wait to contact your doctor. because these symptoms could be signs of a serious condition like atrial fibrillation. which could make you about five times more likely to have a stroke. your symptoms could mean something serious, so this is no time to wait. talk to a doctor, by phone, online, or in-person. ♪ ♪ even the smallest surprise... ♪ ♪

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here's a look at the forecast in some cities around the country. ♪ bestselling gothic novelist anne rice has died. she wrote "interview with a vampire" which was turned into a hit movie in 1994 starring tom cruise and brad pitt. she also wrote a series of novels known as "the vampire chronicles." she would write more than 30 books and sell more than 150 million copies worldwide. many of her books were set in new orleans where rice was raised. her son says she died saturday from complications from a stroke. anne rice was 80 years old. the denver super hato formeiu rasied

start of yesterday's game against the detroit lions. players also wore his number, 88, on their helmets. and when the game started, the broncos lined up with just ten men on the field and took the delay of game which was declined by the lions. the broncos won 38-10. veteran news anchor chris wallace made headlines himself over the weekend. >> finally, a personal note. after 18 years, this is my final "fox news sunday." >> yesterday wallace said he's signing off from fox news after 18 years. the 74-year-old said he's ready for a new adventure. shortly thereafter it was announced that he would join cnn-plus, the new streaming service. coming up on "cbs mornings," actor henry cavill, star of "the witcher" drops by with a preview of season two of the hit show. i'm anne-marie green. this is the "cbs morning news."

our top stories this morning -- president biden issued a major federal disaster in kentucky. the state hardest hit by

tornadoes. the governor is saying the death toll could be as low as 50. eight people are still missing in a candle factory after 90 others were accounted for. at least six people in an amazon facility were killed after a tornado struck in illinois causing the building to collapse. emergency crews say search efforts are expected to take several days. it's not clear how many people were in the building. at least 45 people escaped. british prime minister boris johnson has raised the country's covid alert level. johnson says that the country faces a national emergency with the rapid spread of the omicron variant. it's been detected in at least 57 countries. elizabeth palmer reports from seoul, south korea. w day to e tested for covid.ery the number of new infections here hit a record high following the government's easing of restrictions last month. at the eulji medical center we

suited up in ppe to join staff looking after patients on the covid ward which has been operating at capacity. most are elderly and have underlying conditions with fragile immunity. how many vaccinations did you have? just one vaccine, he said, and then the virus struck. but he's the exception. more than 80% of korean adults have had two shots, and the government is moving fast to roll out boosters. in vietnam, there's been a covid surge, too, in spite of a push to vaccinate students the ages of 12 and 17. the good news is elsewhere in asia, covid rates are falling -- at least for the moment. travel restrictions in most countries were tightened up again in november as health officials across the region braced for the possibility that the drop in infections is a delta calm before an overwhelming omicron storm. >> that was elizabeth palmer reporting.

some scientists believe the omicron variant could become minant in some europ unies by next week. so coming up on "cbs mornings," the latest on the tornado recovery efforts. we will speak with the mayor of mayfield, kentucky. plus, actor henry cavill, star of "the pitcher," stops by with a preview of send two of the hit. and we'll take you to laguna beach, california, where a street artist is bringing his sketches to life. that's the "cbs morning news" for this monday. thanks for watching. i'm anne-marie green. have a great day. ♪