>> reporter: outdoor shopping centers like this have been especially popular amid covid concerns. and this is the time people tend to hit the brick-and-mortar stores as some online sellers can no longer deliver in time. major. >> garrett: covid could cause some uncertainty, yes, indeed. janet shamlian, thank you. we turn now to a possible solution to unclog shipping ports, where goods have been stacking up, as you have been reading, for months. a new pop-up concept is being used at the port of savannah, one of the nation's busiest. it could be applied nationwide. here is cbs' kris van cleave. >> reporter: that's the sound of the holiday rush at the port of savannah. here, it's not about delivering gifts. it's about clearing the backlog of cargo containers. three months ago, they were really piling up, sitting here for up to 12 days. it's now closer to seven days, and to help, the port established what amounts to four inland pop-up ports. >> we think these things can be replicated across the nation. >> reporter: you see these pop-up yards becoming permanent yards? >> i see some of them becoming

permanent yards where it's actually going to help our business. >> reporter: the pop-ups were idle rail yards that are now bringing cargo closer to its final destination while freeing up space at the dock. the port has been working around the clock, 24 hours a day, loading and unloading these giant ships, and it's having an impact. in october they had 31 vessels waiting offshore to be unloaded. that number has been cut to just six. >> it's that kind of problem solving that i think is going to help us deal with these short-term issues even while we're making investments towards the long run. >> reporter: transportation secretary pete buttigieg says te biden administration is now looking at if similar pop-up sites make sense nationwide, but supply chain delays mean some goods did not make it before the holidays. there are a lot of people out in the country who are going to see this and say, "you haven't fixed the problem." >> we welcome ideas, but look at what we've been able to do, cutting some of the container load times in half. if you go to the store, you're going to see a lot of options there. >> that's actually our most popular piece.

>> reporter: but furniture designer ruel joyner still finds the kinks in his supply chain are limiting his options. this sofa is made in dallas, but one of its parts comes from china and it's backordered. >> we normally get this done in 24-30 days. right now, we're looking at probably a six-month lead time. >> reporter: his warehouse has about half its normal inventory. >> it's a bunch of issues. it's the perfect storm. will it ease, i think it will. >> reporter: at the end of the day, is the supply chain costing you money? >> yes, absolutely, it's costing you money. >> reporter: the costly consequence of a supply chain struggling to deliver. kris van cleave, cbs news, savannah, georgia. do you struggle with occasional nerve aches in your hands or feet? try nervivenerve relief from the world's #1 selling nerve care company.

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homicide, and 23 other charges for this 2019 crash that killed four people. >> i'm crying all the time when i'm thinking about it. >> reporter: aguilera-mederos, who was 23 at the time, claimed the brakes failed as he was driving out of the mountains and couldn't pull over to avoid stopped traffic. video shows he passed a runaway truck ramp where prosecutors say he could have pulled off. >> he made a series of terrible decisions. >> reporter: aguilera-mederos got the minimum sentence for every count, but colorado's law mandates they be served consecutively, adding up to 110 years, effectively a life sentence. >> if i had the discretion, it would not be my sentence. >> reporter: some truck drivers have said on social media they'll boycott the state during their routes to protest. and more than four million have signed an online petition asking the governor to reduce the prison time. gage evans, whose husband, bill

bailey, died in the crash, says aguilera-mederos' sentence should not be commuted. instead, she says the mandatory sentencing laws need to be reevaluated. >> he should not have taken a mountainous route with no experience. >> reporter: now, the d.a. overseeing the case has already taken the extraordinary step of asking that the court reconsider the sentenced toni corado gernor jarepolis aguilera's request for clemency and they are reviewing it. major. >> garrett: kcnc's karen morfitt, thank you. tonight we continue our special series on the 50th anniversary of the war on cancer. cbs' dr. jon lapook looks at the racial divide in this fight. >> i was so afraid to go, that i was putting off going. >> reporter: tracy tomer had her first mammogram at age 53 after feeling a lump in her breast. she was diagnosed with breast cancer, but there were delays before treatment began.

>> in this area that i live in, in brownsville, there's no mammogram service over here. there's no chemo service over here. there's no radiation. >> reporter: black women are more likely than white women to have tumors missed during screening and to have delays in diagnosis and treatment. one reason is access to care. >> all the appointments were so far away from one another. it's really a bad situation for women of color in this neighborhood. >> reporter: when it comes to breast and other cancers, the hard truth is there's a racial divide. while black and white women have the same chance of getting breast cancer, black women are more likely to be diagnosed with advanced cancer, and are 40% more likely to die from it. >> there are biases. there are implicit and explicit biases that exist within healthcare systems. >> reporter: tommer's surgeon, dr. vivian bea, is trying to change that equation. >> you have to look at the finances, the transportation. you can have a cancer treatment

center, but if it's not accessible, patients cannot get to those areas. >> reporter: there are racial differences in the biology of tumors, and the types of breast cancer. >> black women are more likely to be diagnosed with actually triple negative breast cancer, which is more difficult to treat. >> so, there is one, two, three, four. >> reporter: in the 1990s, genetic researcher john carpten was studying patients with a strong history of prostate cancer, which kills black men at twice the rate of white men. >> i remember asking myself, i wonder how many of these families are african american. >> reporter: that was hard to answer, because racial and ethnic minorities have been underrepresented in research studies. >> if we have 95% of the data coming from whites, how can we say that we understand the full complexity of cancer when we know that the cancer disproportionately impacts other groups? >> my new journey in life has been dealing with breast cancer. >> reporter: tommer is now spreading a message of cancer awareness, including a tattoo

that says it all. get your dukes up. get your dukes up. >> that's right. >> reporter: dr. jon lapook, cbs news, new york. >> garrett: still ahead, the new penalty for unruly air passengers. plus a major recall of fresh express salad products. ♪ when you have nausea, ♪ ♪ heartburn, ingestion, upset stomach... ♪ ♪ diarrheaaaa.♪ try pepto bismol with a powerful coating action. for fast and soothing relief. pepto bismol for fast relief when you need it most. when i get a migraine, i shut out the world. but with nurtec odt that's all behind me now. nurtec can treat and prevent migraines. don't take if allergic to nurtec. the most common side effects were nausea and stomach pain and indigestion. ask your doctor about nurtec today. new vicks convenience pack. and stomach pain and indigestion. dayquil severe for you... and daily vicks super c for me. vicks super c is a daily supplement with vitamin c and b vitamins to help energize and replenish. dayquil severe is a max strength daytime, coughing, power through your day, medicine. new from vicks.

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leave. meanwhile, tonight, the f.a.a. and t.s.a. are warning unruly air passengers they could lose their precheck eligibility which allows travelers to avoid certain security screening procedures and wait in shorter lines. a warning tonight for people who buy salad products from fresh express. the company is recalling several products because of a possible listeria contamination. they were sold in 19 states and are marked-- listen carefully-- with codes z324 through z350. shoppers are urged to contact fresh express or their local retailer for a refund. we take you now to kentucky, where a caravan of kindness delivered everything from toys to cleaning supplies for victims of those deadly tornadoes earlier this month. more than 60 school buses and tractor trailers arrived with donated goods collected by several school districts. now, some of the items will be stored so they can be used as needed in the coming months.

up next, reusable christmas trees-- but they're not artificial. these trees are the real thing. here in california, we believe in what if? after all, if is our middle name. like, what if we could go surfing and skiing in the same day?

boom! what if we could have the moon and the stars what if we could roll like this. or float like this. and eat all this. here we welcome all what ifs, with open arms. even what ever this is. after all, there's only one wrong way to what if. what if you don't?

>> garrett: 'tis the season for christmas trees, and with it comes the age-old debate-- artificial or real? cbs' roxana saberi reports there's another option taking root in england. >> reporter: at primrose vale farm in england, this christmas tree has waited all year... to reunite with dee campling. for the second year in a row, the interior designer is renting the living potted tree for around $60. why did you want to get a rental christmas tree? >> every year, i hate seeing the used christmas trees left on the side of the road. people just dump them. it seems renting a tree is the most environmentally friendly way of celebrating christmas. >> reporter: environmentalists say a chopped tree can leave a heavy carbon footprint, unless

it's recycled, and that plastic trees can be even worse. that's one reason rental trees are a growing trend in the u.k. manager paul keane says nearly all of his farm's 1,000 firs and spruces for rent were reserved long before christmas. >> i think people love the idea of keeping a tree alive, of not killing it for christmas. >> reporter: after christmas, the rental trees will be brought back here. they'll be replanted in these pots in the ground, where they'll live to see another christmas. that's what campling plans to do, decking her halls year after year with the same tree. roxana saberi, cbs news, gloucestershire, england. and that is the overnight news for this wednesday. for some of you, the news continues. for others, please check back later for cbs mornings and follow us on anytime at cbsnews.com. reporting from the nation's capital, i'm major garrett.

this is cbs news flash. i'm tom hanson in new york. chicago is joining a growing list of major u.s. cities requiring vaccination in order to enter many businesses. starting january 3rd, anyone over the age of 5 must show proof of vaccination to enter restaurants, gyms, theaters, bars, and entertainment venues. 1,400 kellogg employees are set to return to work next week after reaching a tentative labor dealing with the company. the move ends an 11 week strike over working conditions and low wages. and it's official-let iconic staples center in los angeles has switched its signage over to crypto.com arena. the company paid $700 million for the change. sports fans will now be greeted with the blue banner as they

enter. for more news, download the cbs news app on your cell phone or connected tv. i am tom hanson, cbs news, new york. this is the "cbs overnight news." good evening, everyone, thank you for joining us. i am major garrett in for norah. we begin with the omicron surge. the variant is spreading faster than all other covid strains. this, we know. on monday, the cdc reported nearly 290,000 new covid cases. that is the second most new infections in one day since this pandemic began. and the spike in cases has president biden unveiling new plans to combat omicron. we will more details on that in just a moment. with just days until, yes, our second covid christmas, health officials are urging those headed to family gatherings to do the following. get tested, vaccinated, and

boosted. underscoring that vaccinations reduce your risk. professional sports are grappling with this resurgence, as well. the nhl announced it will pause its season and the league will reportedly keep its players out of the beijing winter olympics after a spike in infections. there are, as you can tell, a lot of covid headlines to get to tonight. and cbs's nancy chen starts us off at a pop-up testing site in new york city. nancy, good evening. >> reporter: major, good evening to you. just days before christmas, it's a scramble against fast-moving omicron with the cdc predicting record-high new infections nationwide as soon as january. here in new york, more than one in ten tests is coming back positive for covid. in times square, the crossroads of the world, long lines to get tested as the rapidly-spreading omicron variant grips new york city. 92% of cases in the area are cnnected to omicron and the city is testing more than

130,000 people each day. double the number from just three weeks ago. today, mayor bill de blasio announcing a reward for booster shots. >> get your booster shot. get $100 incentive. >> reporter: and there is rampant covid testing in chicago where mayor lori lightfoot set proof of vaccine requirements for restaurant, gyms, and entertain-let venues. >> this is what we have to do to keep our health system from becoming overwhelmed. >> reporter: and tonight, the cdc reports more than 1,000 children have now died from covid since the beginning of the pandemic. research shows that the risk of household transmission is nearly three times higher for omicron than the delta variant. one in five hospitals nationwide expects a staffing shortage within a week. >> each variant has its own little shop of horrors. and -- and in the case of the omicron variant, that's what this is. that one-two punch of so many people getting infected and knocking out a substantial segment of our healthcare workforce at the same time. >> reporter: peter hotez is a

virologist at houston's baylor college of medicine and recommends a fourth shot for healthcare workers and those who are immunocompromised. >> the level of protective immunity after the third immunization against the omicron variant wanes -- declines pretty rapidly. >> reporter: massachusetts is one of several states activating the national guard to support hospitals as omicron spreads. >> think that people should reconsider holiday plans? >> i think people should take a hard look at them and -- and really think about their individual situations with their families. >> reporter: and tonight, another weapon in the fight against covid, the fda is reportedly expected to approve treatment pills from pfizer and merck sometime this week. the pills could be taken at the early onset of symptoms and help prevent hospitalizations, major. >> nancy chen, thank you. now, to the white house where president biden tried to reassure vaccinated americans about their holiday gatherings while warning the unvaccinated

they risk severe illness and even death. cbs's ed o'keefe is there. >> reporter: president biden today tried leveling with a weary nation. >> we are going to start by acknowledging how tired, worried, and frustrated i know you are. >> reporter: he assured those who are vaccinated and have a boonter shot that they should be abili able to gather over the holidays but also had a stark warning for americans who don't have their shots. >> almost everyone who has died from covid-19 in the past many months has been unvaccinated. >> reporter: 68 million people are still unvaccinated and of the more than 200 million who are fully vaccinated, only 30% have that critical booster shot. >> just the other day, former-president trump announced he got his booster shot. maybe one of the few things he and i agree on. people with booster shots are highly protected. >> reporter: with growing testing lines around the country, the president announced plans to distribute 500 million at-home testing kits next month, available for order online for free.

and new federal testing sites will be opening nationwide, first in densely populated new york city. to deal with the ongoing crash at some hospitals, fema is already deploying emergency a thousand military health professionals are ready to deploy. even with this warlike footing, including a fresh supply of ventilators, masks, and gloves ready to go, the president tried to sound reassuring. >> we should all be concerned about omicron but not panicked. >> reporter: the president, himself, had a close call with the virus. a staffer he came into close contact with late-last week tested positive on monday. the president was tested. he tested negative and aides say he will be tested again tomorrow. major? >> ed o'keefe, thank you. tonight, there are two storm systems thats for holiday travelers on both coasts. parts of new england will get snow and freezing rain tonight. while in the west, the sierras could get up to 10 feet of snow by the end of the week. making driving treacherous along

interstate 80. elsewhere, rain and wind will disrupt travel in the bay area tomorrow and in los angeles thursday. there was also severe weather in florida today. a tornado touched down in south ft. meyers, damaging several homes. at least one person was hurt. americans are hitting the stores, frantically searching for those last-minute gifts. finding them is one thing. of course, getting them on there, quite another. here is cbs's janet shamlian. >> reporter: 'tis the night when all through the stores like houston's fundamentally toys, procrastinators paced the aisles. and you waited till the last minute because? >> every time. there is just no way about it. >> reporter: manager cliff moss says the most popular items are long gone. >> what is it like in the store right now? >> it's crazy. we don't have a lot of -- of what, you know, they might be looking for. >> reporter: for those relying on premium services to deliver gifts before christmas, it's

almost the midnight hour. >> i am send ougt out a parcel. it gets there on time but i doubt it. >> reporter: at the post office, thursday is the last day to ship priority mail express. same with next-day delivery via ups and fedex. and only fedex can help you if you wait until friday using same-day delivery. with an active season driven by pent-up demand, the national retail federation predicts record sales. >> it looks like actual retail sales will exceed our forecast and be upwards of 11% in terms of growth. >> reporter: but the omicron variant could be a last-minute grinch. what about the u-turn of the last few days in terms of the rise of the new variant? >> well, we always knew that covid could cause some uncertainty around the holidays. >> reporter: outdoor shopping centers like this have been especially popular amid covid concerns and is this the time people tend to hit the brick and mortar stores as some online sellers can no longer deliver in

time. major? >> covid could cause some uncertainty, yes indeed. janet shamlian, thanks so much. the "cbs overnight news" will be ordinary tissues burn when theo blows. so dad bought puffs plus lotion, and rescued his nose. with up to 50% more lotion puffs bring soothing softness and relief. a nose in need deserves puffs indeed. nicorette knows, quitting smoking is freaking hard. you get advice like: just stop. go for a run. go for 10 runs!

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this is the "cbs overnight news." in washington, thanks for staying with us. the holiday season is a time for giving, of course, especially to those less fortunate. and that includes the millions of american families who depend on food banks and food pantries. one study found that pantry visits are up 30% since the start of the pandemic. and about 42 million americans are dealing with food insecurity on a daily basis. jamie yukus has the story from a food bank in minnesota. >> reporter: once or twice a month, bridget and kevin littlefield visit the open door

pantry food shelf in egan, minnesota. >> a box of cereal go pretty far and then i like getting the roast like a beef roast or pork roast and i can add potatoes and carrots and onion to it. >> reporter: bridget works full time at a restaurant and kevin is semiretired. they have two teenaged daughters and a niece at home. >> even though i work full time and have a full-time job, sometimes you need it you know what i mean? just to get you through to the next pay day. >> we have about 8 to 10 million pounds of food in this warehouse. >> reporter: million with an m. >> yes. >> allison o'toole is the c owe of second harvest heartland, one of the largest food banks in the country. they have distributed more than 200 million pounds of food to central and southern minnesota since the start of the pandemic. >> out of here, we can get three things. >> reporter: second harvest heartland supplies open door pantry where the littlefields go. >> i think one of the things that strikes me is that the mother works for a restaurant. she works in food service, and she needs to be able to still

feed her family and can't. >> that's right. >> are there dozens, hundreds of fam lis like that? >> thousands of families like that. >> inflation isn't helping the situation. holiday meals will cost more this year. according to the usda, grocery prices were 5.4% higher last october than they were the year before and the price of meat has increased double digits. o'toole says it's leaving families strapped. and it's also impacting food banks, who source their own food. >> we are seeing packaging shortages, freight waits are increased. things are delayed. >> i think there is this idea that because you are a charity, you must be able to source for free? >> we don't. we've purchased more food than ever before. >> fill it up as much as you can. >> reporter: when you talk to your partners across country, what are you hearing? >> they are facing the same pressures that we are. the supply chain issues, the need is back up where it was a year ago. >> reporter: back at the open

door food pantry, the littlefields are grateful. >> everybody should be able to have a warm meal every day. you should never feel embarrassed or ashamed, you know, if you need help, come get it. you know? and then, when you are able to, you give back kind of like what we do. >> because at times, littlefield says we all need that little extra help. >> you guys, take darecare. >> thank you. >> stay warm out there. supply chain issues forced a lot of people to scale back their holiday shopping lists. but analysts say shortages for many products will continue well into the new year, and that includes used cars. prices have soared during the pandemic and some cars and trucks are now worth more used than brand new. errol barnett reports. >> this is exactly what i want for cashed in on the record prices used cars are setting, selling his 2020 model dodge charger equipped with 485 horse power and a v8 engine.

>> i bought if for $37,000 and because of the market today, i am getting around almost 47. >> reporter: he plans to put his $10,000 profit toward a down payment on a house while using his other car to get around. buying the charger is stuart turner, president of his family's used car company in maryland where business has been revving up as used car prices have been skyrocketing. >> i see pickup trucks i used to buy for 12 to $15,000 and similar trucks now are -- we are paying $20,000 for or 22,000. >> reporter: since january, the average price of a used car has jumped nearly $7,000 and in december, for the first time ever, the average price topped over $30,000. it's a direct result of the supply chain disruptions and chip shortage constraints which is leaving most major auto makers with fewer new cars to sell. >> i think we could still see prices start to creep up a little bit higher. >> reporter: charlie, a senior

economist with cox automotive, says these market trends are unprecedented. >> it is really just quite amazing. and really, it's just because of what's happening in the new market. those buyers that would normally buy new had to come into the used market. >> when do we expect supply to catch up to demand? >> it's going to take most of 2022 to start to see the supply levels get back to anything resembling normal. >> turner says this puts more pressure on buyers to do their research to avoid any sticker shock on the lot. >> make sure it's from somebody reputable. test drive the car or have somebody check the car out for you. >> reporter: with prices this high, it's essential to exhaust all feeling sluggish or weighed down? it could be a sign that your digestive system isn't working at it's best taking metamucil everyday can help. metamucil psyllium fiber, gels to trap and remove the waste that weighs you down. it also helps lower cholesterol and slows sugar absorption to promote healthy blood sugar levels. so you can feel lighter and more energetic

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it combines shaving and gentle exfoliation into one efficient stroke, for a shave as quick and easy as washing your face. there could soon be a change at the top of "saturday night live." comedy legend lorn michaels who created the show in 1975 says that he is just about ready to step down as executive producer. michaels has won 20 emmys and received 94 nominations, more than anyone else in history. and this yaerks he was named kennedy center honore. gayle king paid a visit to him at snl just before this latest covid spike sent most of the cast and crew home. >> reporter: that distinct music and this famous phrase -- >> live from new york. >> live from new york! >> live from new york!

>> it's saturday night! >> reporter: and become a weekend anthem for millions. who came up with live from new york, it's saturday night? did you come up with that? >> i wrote it out as a line because i wanted to get the title in. it is now just part of the culture. >> reporter: lorn michaels has been cultivating the culture hat "saturday night live" for the past five decades but even as a kid, michaels says he was the funny guy in the room. >> but not in any kind of aspirational or professional way. the way i went to school, you could get into trouble being funny. so -- so you had to watch that. >> reporter: you don't strike me as somebody that got into trouble much. >> well, looks can be deceiving. >> reporter: michaels got his start in television writing for the canadian broadcasting corporation. in 1975, he teamed up with then-director of weekend late-night programming at nbc dick eversall.

they created a contemporary comedy variety show first named "nbc's saturday night." >> it was going to have music. it was going to have news. it was going to have pretty much the format that we have. it's going to be inventive many times. >> and it would be topical? >> yeah, because it's live. nd for me, live -- i -- i had done theater but i had never done live television. but live meant no pilot. >> oh. >> you know, so the audience would see it the same time we would see it. >> and whatever happens, happens. >> yes, exactly. >> when you see a mistake, it is a mistake. you hear the sound of people not laughing. >> you hear the sound of people not laughing. >> yes. and i heard it very loudly. >> reporter: laughs driven by decades of legendary casts have drowned out everything else.

>> a ian s russia from my house. >> reporter: i wonder what it means to you, the effect and the impact that you have had on so many careers? >> i think it -- it really, for the first time, really hit me on the 40th anniversary. the scene with all the generations. >> yeah. >> can't put anyone in the cast if you don't have complete faith in. may not know how it turn out but you want that decision to have been pure of heart. >> are there some lines in comedy you don't think should be crossed? >> i think it's up to the writer or the performer to figure out hw to do it. there are lots of things that when you hear the idea, sounds awful. but i don't think anything is out of bounds is what i am saying. if -- if there is enough talent to figure out how to get it across. >> we watch michaels make comedy magic behind the scenes during a dress rehearsal in november. >> this is my favorite part of what you do. you come out, you stand, and it's always so comforting because it makes me thinkll igh.

but it's organized chaos, everybody has a specific thing to do. he just said the stage manager gave him four minutes. you did already? and we caught up with kenan thompson. ♪ what's up with that ♪ >> reporter: he currently holds the record for the longest-serving cast member. >> if it wasn't for "snl" and lorn michaels, like i don't know where i would if b floating in between the kid universe and adult universe. >> reporter: michaels makes post-rehearsal decisions in this office. just above studio 8h. we got a glimpse of the board showing which sketches made the final lineup and which ones got dropped. >> these were all cut. >> these -- these three were all cut? >> yeah. were cut out through dress. >> do you use dress to determine what's working, what's not? is that what it is? >> 100%.

>> it's in front of an audience >> reporter: lorne michaels' resume features more than "snl." he executive produces the tonight show starring jimmy fallon, late night with seth meyers, he is behind the hit series 30 rock and cult classics like three amigos, wayne's world, and mean girls. >> vintage. so adorable. >> reporter: the kennedy center is honoring him for it all. >> when you found out you were getting a kennedy center honor, what did you think? >> i was thrilled. i was thrilled. >> reporter: the beauty of this whole thing is you don't have to say a word. all you have to do is go and just let people love you up. >> yes. >> when i think of some of the biggest names in comedy over the past 40 years, i am just like wow, i can't believe lorne fired all of them. >> think it's safe to say

without you, lorne, there's a good chance we would be living in a van down by the river. >> reporter: say retiring isn't something -- the r word isn't even something kind of think about. is that still true? >> i -- i think i am committed to doing the show until its 50th anniversary, which is in three years. >> uh-huh. >> i would like to see that through. and i am feeling that'd be a good time to leave. >> do you think that would be a good time to leave? >> well, here is the point. i won't want the show ever to be bad. i care too deeply about it. it's been my life's work. so, i'm going to do everything i can to see it carry on and carry on well. >> could there be a "saturday night live" without lorne michaels? >> yeah, of course. >> you have some suggestions on who that would be? >> i -- i have a sense of where we're headed with that, yeah. >> go ahead. >> no, i'm not going to talk about it. it's three years away.

>> that was gayle king with lorne michaels and you can watch the 44th annual kennedy center honors later tonight at 9:00 p.m. eastern ight

the christmas season is about more than just gifts and family. for many, it is also about hope. jan crawford visited a children's hospital, where patients and their families say hope is the greatest gift of all. >> reporter: hernandez born with a rare heart condition will spend christmas here at children's national hospital in d.c. where he has spent every single day of his life. these are his christmas lights. without a sleigh, mom joanna commutes from richmond, virginia, two hours away. what are your hopes for christmas? >> what i want for christmas this year would be just for him to be okay. >> reporter: about 300 kids will spend their holidays in the hospital. 17-year-old joshua alton will visit the holiday lights in the healing garden.

>> you have any special hopes for the new year? >> to be done with cancer next year. not have a tumor in my spine anymore, hopefully. and start walking again. >> reporter: some kids have smaller wishes, too. >> got a dog, got some blocks. we have a little, plasti phone. >> reporter: so, santa set up a workshop here to make the holidays a little more normal and magical. >> it's so fun seeing the patients open their bags on christmas. they wake up and they get so excited because they don't know santa can come to the hospital. >> reporter: marvin is too young to know about christmas but his mom believes there are angels here. >> i know that he is well-taken care of. and i have peace. >> reporter: peace and hope for the new year. jan crawford, cbs news, washington. and that is the overnight news for this wednesday. for some of you, the news continues. for others, check back later for cbs mornings and you can follow us online anytime at

cbsnews.com. reporting from the nagtion's capital, i'm jeff bigaze. this is cbs news flash. i'm tom hanson in new york. chicago is joining a growing list of major u.s. cities requiring vaccination in order to enter many businesses. starting january 3rd, anyone over the age of 5 must show proof of vaccination to enter restaurants, gyms, theaters, bars, and entertainment venues. 1,400 kellogg employees are set to return to work nek after reaching a tentativetive r deal with the company. move ends an 11-week triek over working conditions and low wages. >> and it's official. the iconic staples center in los angeles has switched its signage over to crypto.com arena. the company paid $700 million for the change. sports' fans will now be greeted with the blue banner as they enter. for more news, download the cbs

news app on your cell phone or connected tv. i am tom hanson, cbs news new york. it's wednesday, december 22nd, 2021. this is the "cbs morning news." >> we should all be concerned about omicron, not panicked. >> president biden's plan. the latest strategy to take on the fast-moving omicron variant as hospitals brace for staffing shortages. 110-year prison sentence. a truck driver is fighting his punishment for causing a deadly crash. why millions of people including kim kardashian are trying to help him. airport brawl. two people get into a fight in front of dozens of passengers. what started the heated confrontation. good morning, and good to be with.