app on your cell phone or connected tv. bradley blackburn, cbs news, new york. it's friday, december 24th, 2021. this is the "cbs morning news." air travel grounded. hundreds of flights are canceled on christmas eve as covid disrupts the holiday for another year. kim potter convicted. the jury finds the former officer guilty on manslaughter charges after she shot and killed duante wright. why some say the verdict still does not bring justice. risky rescue. search teams find a lost hiker in a small cave in hawaii. the mistake he made that delayed the operation. good morning, i'm wendy gillette in for anne-marie green. for the second straight year, the covid pandemic is casting a

dark shadow over christmas. this morning, air travelers are being impacted. united, delta, and jetblue already canceled more than 300 flights for today. united the most. a spokesperson blamed a staffing shortage because of the virus. more than 261,000 cases were reported yesterday according to johns hopkins university. as the number of cases pies up, the cdc is changing rules for health care workers who test positive. they can work after seven days instead of ten if they test negative and don't have symptoms the rules are designed to help hospitals that overwhelmed with covid patients. courtney kealy is in new york with this and more. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, wendy. aaa says if you're traveling, try to travel before 1:00 p.m. to avoid bad holiday traffic. of course, check those airlines. if you're flying, there have been cancelations.

with omicron up ending holiday plans, health officials are urging people to take precautions. americans are trying to avoid bringing covid-19 home for the holidays, waiting in long lines for a test. >> we're at the dining table, opening gifts. last thing i want to do is be afraid that a hug will potentially put them in dangerous way. >> reporter: for some covid has already put a lump of coal in their stocking. >> my brother just got diagnosed with covid-19 last week. he's got to stay home until past christmas. >> reporter: adding to the uncertainty, united canceled more than 100 flights due to covid-related staffing shortages. delta, jetblue, and others have also canceled flights. >> i am aware of the risk that i'm taking by traveling during this time of year, especially with the variants going around. >> reporter: early studies suggest omicron causes less severe illness than other variants, but experts say the unvaccinated are still at risk. >> a little bit of a disaster mode. >> reporter: in southern california, st. mary medical

center put its triage tent back up after taking it down last winter. >> we are worried that there will be a peak after christmas, mid january, yes. so if we're busy now and we get even busier after christmas, that's going to be really hard to manage. >> reporter: new york city is scaling back its new year's eve celebration in times square. >> we would normally have about 1,000 people in each viewing area, we're going to bring that down to about 250. >> reporter: revelers 5 years and older must be fully vaccinated and wear a mask to attend. normally 60,000 people cram into times square every year for new year's eve. this year it's going to be about 15,000 which is still up a lot more than last year's 200, only frontline workers who were able actual to attend. >> still a very different celebration. courtney kealy in new york. thank you. an investigation is under way into a shooting at a mall full of holiday shoppers in suburban chicago. police say it started with two men involved in a shoot-out yesterday in oak brook. one was wounded and taken into

custody. three bystanders were wounded. the other gunman remains at large. one shopper said it was a chaotic scene with people running for cover. >> there was a woman, she actually ran in. at first people were running in to run through. she runs in, and then -- and then she goes, guys, like, you know, there's a shooter. she's like, there's an active shooter. we all panicked. everyone panicked. everyone's running outside, everyone's going awol at that point. >> witnesses told police as many as 15 shots were fired. a former police officer now faces a maximum of 15 years in prison after being convicted in the shooting death of duante wright. kim potter was found guilty of two counts of manslaughter in the april shooting. she's now being held without bail at a women's prison in minnesota. [ cheers ] people celebrated outside the courthouse after the verdict was announced yesterday. state leaders said the jury's

decision brings accountability but falls short of justice. frank vascellaro explains. we, the jury, on the charge of manslaughter in the first degree find the defendant guilty. >> reporter: former r officer k potter listened as the jury found her guilty of first and second-degree manslaughter in the shooting death of duante wright. jurors deliberated for nearly 30 hours in the closely watched trial that drew national attention. wright's mother thanked the community for their support. >> everybody who's been out there that has supported us in this long fight for accountability. >> taser -- >> reporter: potter testified that she confused her handgun for her taser when she shot wright during a traffic stop in brooklyn center last april. >> you didn't run down the street and try to save duante wright's life, did you? >> no. >> you were focused on what you had done because you had just killed somebody. >> i'm sorry it happened. [ cheers ] >> reporter: outside the courthouse, a crowd cheered and

embraced while the verdicts were read. minnesota's attorney general keith ellison, said the trial's outcome doesn't bring justice. >> justice would be restoring duante to life and making the wright family whole again. justice is beyond the reach that we have in this life for duante. accountability is an important step. >> reporter: judge regina chu revoked potter's bail, ordering her held at shakopee women's prison until sentencing set for mid february. frank vascellaro, cbs news, minneapolis. los angeles police shot and killed a 14-year-old girl who was in a clothing store dressing room. it happened yesterday at a burlington store. officers opened fire on a suspect who assaulted a woman earlier. but one of bullets went through the wall hitting the girl. the suspect was killed. authorities say officers did not know there was a dressing room behind the suspect. the chief has ordered the release of body cam and surveillance video by monday as part of the investigation.

former president trump is asking the supreme court to block the release of white house documents linked to the january 6th capitol riot. mr. trump is claiming as a former president he has the right to assert executive privilege over the records. he hasas argued releasing them would damage the presidency in the future. a federal appeals court ruled against mr. trump two weeks ago, but prohibited the documents' release before the supreme court weighs in. rescue crews trekked through snow and sleet to find a hiker lost on hawaii's tallest peak. the 64-year-old set off for a hike on mauna kea tuesday. rangers couldn't reach him when it got dark because he didn't leave correct contact information. instead, rescuers used his 911 calls to pinpoint his location and found him that night in a small cave. the man was able to walk out but was taken to a hospital as a precaution. coming up, hero officer. how a tsa agent jumped into action after a baby started choking at an airport.

and later -- >> let's make this christmas happy and unforgettable for everybody. >> santa's message. on this christmas eve, he reflects on the past year and shares his hopes for children impacted by the pandemic. this is the "cbs morning news." the pandemic. this is the "cbs morning news." ♪♪ thousands of women with metastatic breast cancer are living in the moment and taking ibrance. ibrance with an aromatase inhibitor is for postmenopausal women or for men with hr+, her2- metastatic breast cancer as the first hormonal based therapy. ibrance plus letrozole significantly delayed disease progression versus letrozole. ibrance may cause low white blood cell counts that may lead to serious infections. ibrance may cause severe inflammation of the lungs. both of these can lead to death. tell your doctor if you have new or worsening chest pain, cough, or trouble breathing. before taking ibrance, tell your doctor if you have fever,

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the original eau de parfum yves saint laurent happy holidays ♪3, 4♪ ♪ ♪hey♪ ♪ ♪are you ready for me♪ ♪are you ready♪ ♪are you ready♪ the literary world is mourning the death of acclaimed american author, essayist and screenwriter joan didion. she died yesterday due to complications of parkinson's disease. she rose to prominence in the 1960s and was a leading figure of the new journalism movement. president obama awarded her the 2012 medal of arts and humanities. joan didion was 87. a tsa agent was caught on video saving a baby's life, and covid problems hit a college football bowl game. those are some of the headlines

report today's hawaii bowl has been canceled after the university of hawaii pulled out of the game. the paper says at least 30 hawaii players, coaches, and staff are in quarantine after testing positive for covid. cases have been surging in honolulu the past two weeks. the team also cited season-ending injuries and transfers. hawaii's opponent in the game, memphis, did not report any positive cases. space.com says the james webb space telescope is on the launchpad on the coast of south america ready for lift-off tomorrow. the telescope will be the biggest science instrument ever sent into space. it's 100 times more powerful than the hubble space telescope launched three decades ago. >> there will be many powerful tools that this telescope will have that just -- have not been available to us in the past. so it's going to be -- that's why it's revolutionary and why we're all excited about it.

>> the webb telescope is expected to see how the first stars and galaxies were formed near the very beginning of the universe, more than 13 billion years ago. and the "newark star ledger" says a tsa officer saved the life of an infant who stopped breathing at newark liberty international airport. the video shows officer cecilia morales jumping over a checkpoint conveyor belt to perform the heimlich maneuver on the two-month-old baby. the trained emt said she sprung into action when she heard the baby's mother calling for help. she patted the baby's back, and he started to breathe again. she said it was the first time she performed the heimlich on an infant. coming up, early honor. it's not even 2022, but wild explain why someone's already named jason bateman as man of the year.

here's a look at the forecast in some cities around the country.

♪ jury deliberations resume monday in the fraud trial of former theranos ceo elizabeth holmes. the panel returned to the courtroom yesterday and again heard audio recordings capturing holmes' false promises about a blood testing technology she created. in it she bragged about partnerships with established drug companies that had not panned out and potential u.s. military contracts that never materialized. holmes faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted. on the cbs "money watch," the new year may bring higher prices at the gas pump, and despite a surge in covid cases, investors are hoping to end 2021 on a positive note. here's bradley blackburn. the markets are closed on christmas eve because christmas day falls on a saturday. investors will be closely watching data on the latest coronavirus wave to see whether it will affect the so-called end-of-year santa claus rally.

according to data from cfra research. during the majority of years since 1945, u.s. stocks have risen during the last five trading days of december and the first two days of january. demand for oil resumed in 2021 after a down year when millions worldwide stayed home due to the pandemic. now there's speculation 2022 could be among the best years ever for those in the oil industry. the international energy agency predicts crude consumption could reach nearly 100 million barrels a day which would put it on track to exceed a record set in 2019. unless supply increases more than expected, that may mean a continued uptick in prices at the pump in the new year. and the travel industry is also seeing dramatically better numbers this holiday season compared to last year despite another coronavirus surge. aaa predicts more than 109 million people will travel at least 50 miles between december 23rd and january 2nd. that's a nearly 34% increase

from 2020 overall, though airlines are expected to see a 184% increase from last year. more than 100 million americans are planning to drive, six million say they're traveling by air, and an additional three million people are expected to book on buses, trains, and cruises. that's your cbs "money watch" report. for more, head to cbsmoneywatch.com. at the cbs broadcast center, i'm bradley blackburn. up next, the best christmas gift. see the emotional reunion between a girl and her military father after eight months apart. father after eight months apart.

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here's a look at the forecast in some cities around the country. ♪ actor jason bateman was

named the 2022 man of the year by harvard university's hasty pudding theatricals. the award is given to people who have made lasting and impressive contributions to the world of entertainment. bateman is an actor, producer, and director on the series "ozark." he also starred on the comedy series "arrested development." past recipients include clint eastwood and tom hanks. santa claus is on his way to deliver toys and gifts to children around the world. he set off on his reindeer-drawn sleigh yesterday from what's billed as his official hometown in finland. before he left, santa asked people to reflect on the impact of the pandemic and lockdowns on kids. >> i have heard some news about the well-being and coping of children and young people around the globe. now it is time to turn these worries into plenty of goodwill. >> santa said it's important to give time to children and young people and do something together.

we're getting a first look at prince harry and meghan markle's daughter lilibet. the couple released their holiday card showing the family including their 2-year-old son archie. in their message, they expressed support for organizations that help families including afghan refugees and american families in need of paid parental leave. and check out this touching reunion at a nba game in indianapolis. army soldier aaron kern was being interviewed during a time-out at yesterday's pacers-rockets game. he was overcome with emotion when his daughter ran on the court to surprise him. the family had been apart for eight months. so sweet. coming up on "cbs mornings," country music singer carly pearce stops by the times square studio for a special performance of a christmas classic. i'm wendy gillette, this is the "cbs morning nes." ♪ ♪

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our top stories this morning -- more than 1,800 flights have been canceled this christmas eve due to the surge in covid cases fueled by the omicron variant. united, delta, and jetblue already canceled more than 300 flights for today.

united the most. a spokesperson blamed a staffing shortage due to the virus. and a former police officer now faces a maximum of 15 years in prison after being convicted in the shooting death of duante wright. kim potter was found guilty of two counts of manslaughter in the april shooting. she's being held without bail. her sentencing is in february. this morning, fears are growing over a possible russian military invasion of ukraine. russian president vladimir putin is blaming the west for rising tensions. the white house says it's ready to intervene if russia attacks. here's natalie brand. >> reporter: the united states reiterated warnings of serious consequences including possible coordinated sanctions with allies should russia invade ukraine. >> we are prepared to issue sanctions like you've not seen before. >> reporter: the u.s. is promising more assistance to ukraine's military if russia attacks. this video shows ukrainian forces testing a u.s.-supplied missile system this week. the number of russian troops has

surged to roughly 100,000 along the border, further fanning tensions. administration officials believe russia has not yet made a decision about whether to invade. the russian president said any action it takes would be, quote, retaliatory, and has called nato and the west aggressors. >> the only aggression we're seeing at the border of russia and ukraine is the military build-up by the russians and the bellicose rhetoric from the leader of russia. >> reporter: during a news conference, mr. putin repeatedly called for nato not to expand or deploy weapons to ukraine. he also welcomed plans for diplomatic dialogue with the u.s. as soon as next month. >> we are working toward diplomatic talks. there have been proposals put forward by the russians, some we would agree with, some we certainly wouldn't agree with. >> reporter: russian president vladimir putin said those talks will take place in geneva, but the u.s. stresses there is no

agreement on a specific time or place. natalie brand, cbs news, washington. coming up on "cbs mornings," we'll revisit a group of volunteers helping afghan refugees start their new lives in the united states. plus, a closer look at the charles dickens novel "a christmas carol." we'll reveal the inspiration and history behind the story of ebenezer scrooge. and country music singer carly pearce stops by the times square studio for a special performance of a christmas classic. that's the "cbs morning news" for this friday. thanks for watching. i'm wendy gillette. have a great day. ♪