for more news, download the cbs news app on your cell phone or nnected tv. it's thursday, december 16th, 2021. this is the "cbs morning news." destructive weather. powerful storms sweep through the midwest and great plains bringing tornadoes and hurricane-force winds. we take a look at all the damage. winter surge. covid cases are back up nationwide. one professor's grim prediction once the holidays are over. glory days. bruce springsteen reportedly inks a music mega deal. how much he's set to make after selling his entire catalog of work. good morning and good to be with you. i'm anne-marie green. we begin with wild weather in

the central u.s. nearly a week after a deadly tornado outbreak. another system swept across several states bringing tornadoes and powerful wind gusts. the national weather service recorded a wind speed of 107 miles per hour in southwest colorado yesterday knocking out power to people in the area. the same storm system also damaged part of a roof at an airport in downtown kansas city. fortunately no one was injured. courtney kealy is in new york with a look at all the damage. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, anne-marie. massive storms hit parts of the central u.s. wreaking havoc across states from colorado to iowa, while president biden visited kentucky to survey damage from the tornadoes there. a powerful weather system ripped across much of the great plains and midwest yesterday. [ horn ] more than a dozen tornadoes were reported in several states with some areas seeing their first-ever december twisters. >> power went out. so we had to run downstairs.

it was really -- it was really fast. >> reporter: these iowa barns were torn to shreds. >> oh, there it goes. >> reporter: a wall of this grocery store that was recently hit by a fire collapsed. strong winds knocked over this semi-truck in kansas and derailed this train in oklahoma. >> ah! >> reporter: in colorado, winds reached 107 miles per hour, kicking up tumbleweeds. a massive dust storm swept over raulder while ti >> you will recover and you will rebuild. >> reporter: yesterday president biden spent the day in kentucky, meeting with victims of last week's tornado outbreak. >> keep the faith. we're going to get it done. i promise you. >> reporter: the president said the federal government will cover all of the disaster's pco. >> he said they weren't leaving, that they would be here. and i said, that's good, you need to. someone needs to. i mean, this is devastating. >> reporter: the assistance will be key in helping build patterson who is still coming to

terms with what a tornado did to his home. >> i want to cry, but i'm not going to cry -- not yet anyway. i don't know -- i don't know -- it depends how much the government helps. >> reporter: at least 85 people died from last week's storms, but there are still dozens unaccounted for. temperatures are also surging. daily highs on wednesday skyrocketed to over 30 degrees above average in some states. anne-marie? >> courtney kealy in new york. thank you so much. so one of the first lawsuits could be filed in connection with the deadly tornadoes in kentucky. the "courier journal" reports three employees plan to sue the candle company that was destroyed in friday night's storm. many workers have come forward saying that they were not allowed to leave before the tornado hit. a company spokesperson denied those claims. eight of the 110 employees at the factory were killed. and a panel of cdc advisers is reportedly meeting today to discuss possible limits on johnson & johnson's covid vaccine.

according to "the washington post," there's concern about more blood clot issues linked to the vaccine. the paper says the panel will be presented with new data appearing to show the rate of clots in people who got the single-dose shot has increased since april. the panel is expected to vote on whether to update its recommendations for the vaccine's use. meantime, there's a new sense of urgency to vaccinate americans or convince them to get a booster shot. all across the country, cities are cracking down, and some stores are even closing as the number of infections go up. here's nikki battiste. >> reporter: the white house made it clear -- to fight omicron, americans need a booster shot. >> our booster vaccine regimens work against omicron. at this point there is no need for a variant-specific booster. >> reporter: just 30% of fully vaccinated adults have a booster. >> it is a necessity. >> reporter: to emphasize the need for that extra shot, new

jersey declared booster day one year after the first vaccines were administerered. omicron is surging there and in new ork, making up 13% of cases compared to 3% nationwide. the variant is reported now in 36 states, washington, d.c., and puerto rico. >> this is a roll of the dice. we don't know for sure that you're going to just slide right through without any problem. we also know that prior infection with covid is not holding up at all to omicron. >> reporter: as omicron spreads nationwide, california is reinstating an indoor mask mandate regardless of vaccination status, and philadelphia's health commissioner is urging residents to cancel holiday gatherings with friends and family. college campuses are cracking down, too. cornell university's campus is nearly fully vaccinated. but an outbreak of over 1,100 cases, many like from omicron. nyu has canceled all in-person gatherings.

princeton has made all exams remote and encouraged students to travel home for the holidays as soon as possible. what do you predict january might look like? >> it's hard to imagine we wouldn't get to over a million new cases a day. which is a staggering number. >> reporter: apple has temporarily closed stores in miami and annapolis, maryland, due to the rise in covid cases. here in new york city, average daily cases in the past two weeks are up 109%, forcing some broadway shows to shut down yet again. nikki battiste, cbs news, new york. well, nine people were killed in a plane crash in the dominican republic. among those killed a puerto rican music producer. the plane crashed minutes after taking off from the dominican republic yesterday. it was bound for orlando, florida. the cause of the crash is now under investigation. but music producer jose angel hernandez was among the seven passengers and two crew members on board. former minneapolis police

officer derek chauvin pleaded guilty in federal court to violating george floyd's civil it's the first time chauvin admitted to violating floyd's rights by holding his knee across floyd's neck last may. floyd'd's family was in court a said it was frustrating. >> we came here just like we did before. we just wanted accountability because we can never have justice because we can never get george back. i mean, i'm still feeling the same pain, anger i felt in the beginning because he could have did this last year, starting this on that day. >> chauvin's plea means he will avoid trial on the federal charge, but he could end up spending more time behind bars on his state murder conviction. coming up, cabin safety. why an airline ceo says wearing a mask on a plane may not offer extra protection. and bruce springsteen's blockbuster deal. the boss reportedly sold his music rights. how much the deal is said to be worth. this is the "cbs morning

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the chicago blackhawks have settled a lawsuit filed by former player kyle beach. beach said he was sexually assaulted by at assistant coach during the run to the 2010 stanley cup title. the confidential settlement was announced yesterday after both sides met with a mediator for the first time. the team had denied the allegations, but an independent review released in october show the organization badly mishandled beach's allegations. an airline ceo made a surprising comment about wearing masks on an airplane, and there are new recommendations following that florida building collapse. those are some of the headlines on the "morning newsstand." "the miami herald" reports a florida grand jury looking into the deadly surfside condo collapse said there needs to be new rules to prevent another similar tragedy. the grand jury's report comes almost six months after the 12-story building collapsed

killing 98 people. it said there needs to be more frequent building recertification inspections and condo associations should be required to certify routine maintenance and building repairs every year. a cause of the collapse has not yet been determined. the "dallas morning news" reports ceo of southwest airlines told a senate committee that face masks do not provide much additional protection with airline filtration systems. gary kelley said the heads of several other airlines appeared at a commerce committee hearing looking at how the industry is faring during the pandemic. congress has approved $54 billion in federal grants since march of last year to help them survive. >> i think the case is very strong that masks don't add much if anything in the air cabin environment. it's very safe and high quality compared to any other indoor setting. >> kelly's face mask comments

contradict efforts by the biden administration to require them on planes, in airports, and on buses and trains. and "the new york times" says bruce springsteen reportedly sold his music catalog to sony music entertainment in a deal that could exceed $500 million. the deal could be the largest ever for a single artist's body of work. it involves springsteen's recorded music catalog including his masters and his work as a songwriter. representatives for sony said the -- and, rather, the boss declined comment. still to come, football shocker. coach urban meyer is fired after less than one year with the jacksonville jaguars. le jaguars. is struggling to manage your type 2 diabetes knocking you out of your zone? lowering your a1c with once-weekly ozempic® can help you get back in it. oh, oh, oh, ozempic®! my zone... lowering my a1c, cv risk, and losing some weight... now, back to the game!

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on the cbs "money watch," a new york arts institution is requiring booster shots, and the nfl is taking a gamble on the host city for super bowl lviii. diane king hall is at the new york stock exchange with those stories and more. good morning, diane. >> reporter: good morning, anne-marie. stock futures are indicating a higher open fueled by the fed's decision to move more quickly to pare back its pandemic crisis policies. the news also prompted stocks to jump during yesterday's session. the dow industrials rallied 383. the nasdaq gained 327, and the s&p 500 added 75. today president biden is signing a bill to increase the debt limit. ngressvethe vote camhy of a ad set by trea default.dented natiol the increase will allow the nation to continue to meet its

financial obligations through at least 2023. you'll soon need a covid-19 booster shot to enter new york's metropolitan opera. the met is requiring audience and employees to get the extra shot starting january 17th. it's the first major performing art organization to announce this type of mandate. it comes as covid cases in the city nearly doubled over the past two weeks. the met was closed from march, 2020, until this september, canceling more than 270 shows and an international tour. and the super bowl is headed to sin city. the nfl's 32 owners voted on the location of the big game yesterday and approved las vegas as the host city of super bowl lviii in 2024. the game was initially awarded to new orleans, but it backed out after scheduling conflicts with mardi gras. super bowl lviii will air here on cbs on february 11th, 2024. >> you know, i think it's not a bad idea. the weather's nice.

there are a lot of outdoor options in las vegas. i got to tell you, those casinos, they've been managing this whole covid thing quite well. >> i know. >> they can, you know, disinfect their hands and so i think they've got a handle on it. >> i know. there's going to be a lot of gaming going on either way you at look at it. >> that is the truth. diane king hall at the new york stock exchange. thank you so much, diane. >> thank you. well, up next, saving the koalas. what the government of australia is being urged to do to help them survive another fire season.

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here's a look at the forecast in some cities around the country. ♪ didn't get him and give alexander credit as devonte sends it -- the game winner! >> talk about a hail mary. the new orleans pelicans' devonte graham had the buzzer beater to beat the thunder 113-110. the longest game-winning shot in the nba in the last 25 years:the jacksonville jaguars head coach is out of a job after only 13 nfl games. the team fired urban meyer early this morning after the hugely

successful former college football coach went two games with the jaguars and lost 11. the move came hours after a former jaguars player told the florida newspaper that meyer kicked him during practice in august. it was the latest in a string of embarrassing incidents for meyer. and for the first time in its 175-year history, a woman will lead the new york city police department. mayor-elect eric adams named 49-year-old keechant sewell as the city's next top cop. she's currently the chief of detectives on long island's nassau county. >> i bring a different perspective -- committed to make sure the department looks like the city it serves and making the decision just as mayor-elect adams did to elevate women and people of color to leadership positions. >> adams praised sewell for her emotional intelligence, describing her as calm,

collected, and confident. she starts on january 1st, the same day adams takes over as mayor. and the australian government is being urged to plant more trees and protect more land as another potentially severe fire season threatens its iconic koalas. more than 60,000 koalas were killed, injured, or displaced by wildfires over the past couple of years. forecasters are predicting another strong fire season. wildfire experts say koalas can usually head to the tops of trees to avoid some fires, but as more areas are being developed, more trees are being cut down. climate change is also a threat to the animals. >> this is unprecedented, and we're in a tipping point time. all of these things eventually will have major impact not just on koalas but all the other animals that live in the same habitat. >> a recent study warned koalas could be extinct in parts of australia by 2050 unless urgent action is taken. coming up on "cbs mornings,"

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our top stories, a powerful weather system ripped across much of the great plains and midwest. more than a dozen tornadoes touched down in several states yesterday. meantime, president biden spent the day in kentucky meeting with victims of last week's tornado outbreak. and a panel of cdc advisers is reportedly meeting today to

discuss possible limits on johnson & johnson's covid vaccine. "the washington post" reports it's due to continued rare blood clot issues linked to the one-shot dose. the panel is expected to vote on whether it update recommendation. there are new details in the assassination of jfk. the u.s. government released a trove of documents, more than 58 years after that tragic day in dallas. they fall short of resolving the speculation surrounding the case. jeff pegues reports. >> reporter: among the document released today is this cia cable saying that lee harvey oswald was in mexico city two months before the assassination, seeking a visa for cuba on his way to the soviet union. the notes dated september of 1963 also say that oswald speaks in broken spanish. on the same day, oswald visited the cuban consulate in mexico city three times requesting an in-transit visa to cuba with somewhat as the final

destination. -- russia as the final destination. within hours of president kennedy's killing on november 23rd, police arrested oswald for the shooting. oswald himself was killed, shot in the stomach while being walked through police headquarters. for 58 years, investigators and historians have been asking whether oswald acted alone. the national archives released some 1,500 documents, but another 10,000 remain a secret fueling speculation that the government is stonewalling. philip shenon has studied the kennedy assassination. do you think the government is hiding something? >> i think they're hiding evidence to suggest incompetence, that the cia and the fbi knew a lot about lee harvey oswald in the months baylor university assassination and failed to act on that information. >> reporter: congress ordered the release. president trump slowed it down amid concerns from the intelligence community. president biden has put off releasing more documents until next year. jeff pegues, cbs news, washington.

coming up only on "cbs mornings," an interview with claudette colvin, a black woman who was arrested for refusing to give up her seat on a bus in 1955 alabama. and an update on her journey to clear her record. plus, gayle king talks with bette midler about her kennedy center honor. and legendary musician and producer nile rodgers talks with anthony mason about auctioning the guitars he used for some iconic songs. that's the "cbs morning news" for this thursday. thanks for watching. i'm anne-marie green. have a great day. ♪ reat day. ♪