opening of all time. for more new, download the cbs news app on your cell phone or connected tv. i'm elise preston, cbs news new it's monday, december 20th, 2021. this is the "cbs morning news." covid grips the u.s. the virus is rapidly spreading as millions prepare to travel for christmas. the two high-profile lawmakers who tested positive in the past 24 hours. i cannot vote to continue with this piece of legislation. i just can't. >> senator joe manchin says he's out. the west virginia democrat deals a fatal blow to the "build back better" plan. why one colleague still wants to vote on the issue. stories of survival. the incredible footage of search teams finding two babies alive amid the tornado damage in kentucky.

good morning, and good to be with you. i'm anne-marie green. we begin with the worsening covid situation here in the u.s. health officials are painting a bleak picture for our winter season with concerns the number of new cases could eventually hit one million per day. the omicron variant is now in all but four states. dr. anthony fauci predicts it will overtake delta as the dominant variant in the country. meantime, senators cory booker and elizabeth warren have tested positive for covid. both democrats are fully vaccinated and received a booster shot. they say they are experiencing mild symptoms. courtney kealy is in new york with more on all of this for us. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, anne-marie. with covid cases surging, there are hours' long lines here in new york city for testing. the omicron variant is spreading, and covid-19 cases are rising. the situation is likely to get

worse in the days and weeks ahead. >> it is just, you know, raging through the world really. >> reporter: federal health officials don't know if the new strain causes more serious illness, but they say it's clearly more contagious. >> when you have so many, many infections, even if it is less severe, that overcomes this slight to moderate diminution in severity. >> reporter: francis collins who retired as nih director believes the u.s. could be seeing over a million cases a day. >> the question is are those million cases going to be sick enough to need health care and especially hospitalization. >> reporter: this latest surge is hitting as millions of americans prepare to travel somewhere for christmas. >> if you're not vaccinated, i would say travel is really not a great idea because you are in a very vulnerable place now with omicron. >> reporter: experts say even fully vaccinated people should wear masks at all times inside

airports, train stations, and other public spaces. anne-marie, the white house is going to address this issue tomorrow. president biden will speak. he will continue to urge americans to get their vaccinations and get their booster shots when eligible. >> all right. courtney kealy, thank you so much. meantime, new covid restrictions are prompting protests overseas. in london demonstrators taking part in a so-called freedom rally clashed with police. they are against vaccine passport and other virus rules. some officers were hurt, as well, and this as the mayor declared an emergency as omicron cases there significantly -- are significantly rising. in the netherlands, a strict lockdown is under way as omicron cases there also surge. nonessential stores and other public venues will be closed until at least mid-january. officials say up to four gifts -- four guests will be allowed per household over the holidays. ahead on "cbs mornings," we'll talk with the u.s. surgeon

general on whether the country was prepared for the omicron variant and the chances of another lockdown. on capitol hill now, the "build back better" plan may have suffered a fatal blow. democratic senator joe manchin said that he could not support the measure. the white house called his announcement a sudden reversal in his position. christina ruffini explains. this is a no on this legislation. i have tried everything i know to do. >> reporter: after months of negotiations with the white house and other democrats on the president's nearly $2 trillion "build back better" bill, west virginia senator joe manchin says he's out. >> if i can't go home and explain it to the people of west virginia, i can't vote for it. >> reporter: but it's the white house demanding an explanation saying joe manchin's comments, quote, are at odds with his discussions this week with the president, with white house staff, and with his own public utterances. with razor-thin majority in the senate and no republican support, joe manchin's defection

means democrats won't be able to pass the bill. >> he has continued to move the goal post. he has never negotiated in good faith. and he is obstructing the president's agenda. >> reporter: vermont senator bernie sanders says they should put it to a vote anyway. >> we've been dealing with mr. manchin for month after month after month. if he doesn't have the courage to do the right thing for the west virginia working families, let him vote no in front of the world. >> reporter: the bill might not be completely dead, only mostly dead because senator joe manchin says he is still willing to talk about some individual elements. the white house said it will continue to press the senator to christina ruffini, cbs news, the white house. closing arguments are set to begin today in the trial of kim potter, a former minneapolis police officer who shot and killed daunte wright. potter broke down on the stand friday and tearfully apologized for shooting and killing wright during a traffic stop last april.

potter was heard on body cam footage yelling "taser" three times before shooting wright. he said she accidentally grabbed her gun instead of a taser. if convicted she faces at least ten years in prison. a major reversal from peng shai. ? a video released by a singapore newspaper, she denies ever being sexually assaulted by a high ranking official. she wrote in social media she was forced to have sex with him. peng then vanished from public view for nearly three weeks drawing international concern. and there's dramatic vote of -- video of two babies rescued from the debris of that tornado outbreak in kentucky. "60 minutes" spent several days in the region getting a firsthand look. one survivor said he came across sheriff's deputies who were searching for missing children. >> it's pitch black, and a few of the deputies and me, we had flashlights. it didn't help much.

>> hang on -- >> we're looking for a 15-month-old -- >> and so we moved all the debris off and lifted it up and there was the 15-month-old was laying there and crying, little boy. hey, baby. >> a 15-month-old and 3-month-old were found alive if a bathtub. they were reportedly placed in the tub by their grandmother before the storm hit. the tub was sound flipped over with the babies underneath. they have been reunited with their family. at least 93 people in several states died from the severe weather. and coming up, a record debut. "spider-man: no way home" opens with massive ticket sales despite the pandemic. and an impressive finish. tiger woods and his son charlie set a record at the pnc championship. this is the "cbs morning news." "cbs morning news."

authorities in north carolina say that they have recovered the body ofa man who was missing after a massive fire

at a distribution center for the qvc home shopping network. officials say they found the body of the 21-year-old worker yesterday. it appears he died from smoke inhalation. more than 300 people were working at the facility near rocky mount when the fire started on saturday, and the cause of the fire is under investigation. >> "spider-man" shattered a box office record, and we are remembering a form senator. those are some of the headlines on the "morning newsstand." "the atlanta journal constitution" reports former georgia republican senator johnny isaacson has died. his family said he died yesterday at his home in atlanta. disease. he was known as a behind-the-scene consensus builder respected by both republicans and democrats. president biden said the two found common ground built on mutual respect when they worked together in the senate. isaacson, who retired from the senate in 2019, was 76-year-old

-- was 76 years old. the associate press says two japanese tourists and a russian cosmonaut safely returned to earth after spending 12 days on the international. the japanese billionaire and fashion tycoon, his producer and the russian landed on the soyuz capsule in kazakhstan. he and his associate were the first self-paying tourists to visit the space station since 2009. he reportedly paid more than $80 million. and the "wall street journal" reports that the latest "spider-man" movie has swooped in with a pandemic record opening. >> look, there has to be another way. >> there isn't. they're a danger to our universe. >> "spider-man: no way home" climbed its way to the top of the weekend's domestic box office. it earned a whopping $253 million in its debut weekend. the highest total yet of the pandemic. it's also the third biggest opening ever in the u.s. behind

two "avengers" movies. and still to come, tiktok gets into the restaurant business. delivery.

here's a look at the forecast in some cities around the country. ♪ on the cbs "money watch," plans may change for the new year's eve party in times square, and viral foods on tiktok will soon be available for delivery. elise preston is in new york with those stories and more. good morning, elise. >> reporter: good morning, anne-marie. well, investors are in for a shortened week, but due to the christmas holiday, but they will keep their eyes peeled on key economic data. the bureau of economic analysis will release its latest report on personal consumption

expenditures. meantime, stocks on friday ended lower. the dow slid 532 points logging its worst day this month. the nasdaq fell ten points, and the s&p 500 lost 48 points. the omicron variant could put a damper on the annual ball drop in times square. new york city's mayor bill de blasio said officials will decide by christmas whether to scale back the bash. last year only essential workers attended. the decision comes as the omicron variant pushes up new infections and is expected to surge in the next few weeks. last month de blasio said the event would come back full strength with attendees showing proof of vaccination against covid. youtube tv is restoring access to disney content after a contract dispute. the disagreement between the two companies on friday led to an interruption of service over the weekend. a deal was finally reached yesterday during the outage.

many users could not get access to networks including espn and national geographic, and lost recordings they had saved to their libraries. youtube said it would provide a $15 for impacted customers. and tiktok is taking a bite out of the restaurant business. the social media platform is teaming up with virtual dining concepts to launch delivery-only tiktok locations across the country starting in march. the menu will be based on the most viral food trends including baked feta pasta, pasta chips, and a smash burger. tiktok said the menu will change to incorporate other trending foods and would give profits to the creators of the dishes. i haven't tried any of those recipes and love to order in food, but if i try the tiktok viral pasta, that's being lazy. that's got to be the easiest recipe ever. >> that's exactly what i thought, too. i thought part of the reason these things go viral is because

they're so simple. like, you know, less than a minute you can figure it out on tiktok. i thought to myself, man, you got to be like not good in the kitchen if you're willing to order it. then i thought i'd probably order it, because i'll watch videos all day long and am still not making the food. i might as well order it. >> same. >> elise preston in new york. thank you. so up next, back in the swing of things. how tiger woods and his son charlie set a tournament record this weekend. t a tournament rec such tree-mendous views. i'm at a moss for words.

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here's a look at the forecast in some cities around the country. ♪ [ cheers ] touchdown, packers! >> the green bay packers are the first nfl team to clinch a playoff berth this season. the packers held on for a 31-30 victory over the injury-riddled

baltimore ravens yesterday to wrap up the nfc north title. the ravens had a chance to take the lead with 42 seconds left but missed a two-point conversion. and the covid outbreak sweeping the country is taking a toll on professional sports as a growing number of players and coaches are out of action due to the virus. the nba postponed five more games involving nine teams. three from yesterday, one today, and one game scheduled tomorrow. the nfl rescheduled three games today and tomorrow because of coronavirus outbreaks. the league is also doing more targeted covid testing. only unvaccinated players and those experiencing possible symptoms are now being tested under revised protocols. until yesterday, even vaccinated players were tested. and the nhl is clamping down on cross-border games. canadian-based teams will not through thursday.rom today - all told, 39 hockey games have been postponed by covid. and tiger woods came roaring

back to competitive golf for the first time since badly injuring his leg in a car crash in february. woods and his 12-year-old son charlie finished second at the pnc championship in orlando this weekend. the 36-hole tournament paired pro golfers with family members. tiger and his son lost by two strokes to john daly and his 18-year-old son. woods was asked what it would have meant if they won. >> well, it would have had a special meaning in my heart for sure. you know, no doubt about it. it still does. just the fact that i'm able to have this opportunity this year, it -- even a couple of weeks ago we didn't really know whether o. d at one poods ans n made trnent st coming up on "cbs mornings," gayle king talks with lorne michaels about his kennedy center honor as they go behind the scenes of "saturday night

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our top stories -- the omicron variant is rapidly spreading across the nation. the latest map from the cdc shows the strain has been detected in all but four states. some health officials believe the u.s. could hit more than one million new covid cases a day. and in washington, president biden's "build back better" plan appears dead, at least for now. democratic senator joe manchin said that he could not support the measure. the white house says manchin's comments are at odds with his discussions with the president and other people in the administration. well, this morning we have a story that offers hope to patients battling severe covid. it's also a story of gratitude to health care workers who go above and beyond their duty.

here's meg oliver. excited to see you -- >> oh. >> reporter: we first met 35-year-old hillary lee from montana in early october. on a ventilator and ecmo machine clinging to life. her mom, pam lee, praying for a miracle. >> love you, too. >> reporter: do you remember when she tried to wave to you? >> oh, my gosh. yeah. that was -- that was tough. >> reporter: the young restaurant manager was about to get vaccinated when she got covid. >> my symptoms were so, so, so mild. i never would have thought i would have been in that position ever. >> reporter: two weeks later, she was rushed to billings clinic. >> the fact that we had a bed for her was nothing short of a miracle. >> reporter: kelsey purdue was hillary's nurse. at the time, their icu was overflowing with covid patients, operating at close to 200% capacity. >> it's a huge sacrifice for us. people had to pick up extra shifts to be able to care for her. you know, i'm not a betting

person but i don't think she would have survived. >> reporter: how exhausting has this pandemic been for you? >> really wears on you. >> thank you. >> hillary's family was one of those families that i got really close to in that time. >> reporter: how many times were you there for her mom? >> i think really pam was more there for me. i don't think she would say that, but she would come and visit in the mornings and -- sorry. i didn't realize i would cry about this. pam was really ministering to me. >> you're going home. >> reporter: the day after thanksgiving, doctors and nurses lined the corridor as hillary stepped out on her own. >> i knew one day we'd walk out of the hospital. i just didn't know if it would be with or without her. this will be the best christmas ever. >> reporter: a christmas to cherish. mel oliver, cbs news. coming up on "cbs mornings," why the nation's top airlines are raising safety concerns about next month's rollout of a high-speed wireless service 5g.

plus, gayle king talks with lorne michaels about his kennedy center honor as they go behind the scenes of "saturday night live." and we'll take you to bethlehem, connecticut, for a look at the history of the christmas tree and its place in popular culture. that's the "cbs morning news" for this monday. thanks for watching. i'm anne-marie green. have a great day.