on your cell phone or connected tv. i'm elise preston, cbs news, new york. it's monday, december 27th, 2021. this is the "cbs morning news." covid cancelations. holiday travelers stranded after thousands of flights are grounded. how the surge in coronavirus cases is slamming air travel. snowy mess. a storm out west is wreaking havoc on the roads. why forecasters say people who are heading home may not be out of the woods just yet. and honoring a civil rights icon. desmond tutu dies at the age of 90. how his tireless and nonviolent fight against apartheid in south africa is being remembered this morning. good morning, and good to be with you. i'm tom hanson.

anne-marie green off. this morning many people across the nation are struggling to get back home from holiday trips. yesterday alone, more than 7,000 flights were canceled or delayed in the u.s. partly because of staffing shortages caused by the surge in covid cases due to the omicron variant. the cdc says average daily cases have surged to more than 176,000. that means new infections are at their highest levels in nearly a year. courtney kealy has the latest from new york. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, tom. the covid pandemic is disrupting the holiday season for the second straight year with the omicron variant surging, infecting thousands daily, straining hospitals and causing chaos. just a day after christmas, holiday travelers were left stranded amid a surge in covid cases among airline crews. >> it's stressful. absolutely stressful. but we're just trying to take it as it comes, and that's all you can do. >> reporter: more than 3,000 flights were canceled between friday and sunday.

a trend that's expected to continue today. >> it was supposed to be, you know, a nice family vacation. so it's been upsetting. >> reporter: this cruise ship that left san diego for mexico last week returned to port sunday due to a covid outbreak among a small number of vaccinated crew on board. a new group of passengers boarded the ship later on. >> no concerns. i'm careful, and we're fully vaccinated. >> reporter: at least a couple preliminary studies suggest that people infected by the fast-moving omicron variant are much less likely to be hospitalized than they would with the delta variant. still, health officials say now is not the time to let our collective guard down. >> we've got to be careful that we don't get complacent about that. it might still lead to hospitalizations in the united states. >> reporter: today in new york city, private sector businesses will be required to make sure their workers have been vaccinated against covid-19, but there are health and religious exemptions. covid rates among children are up fourfold in the city from last week, with approximately

half of those hospitalized under the age of 5. and several airlines are calling on the cdc to update its covid policy for vaccinated people and reduce the quarantine isolation period from ten days to five days for breakthrough cases. >> courtney kealy with the important update in new york. thank you. a major weekend storm triggered whiteout conditions in the western u.s. just as people were returnin home from the christmas holiday. dozens of plows were out in full force in seattle yesterday, but staff shortages caused delays in getting some roads cleared. you can see some people still braved the elements despite the very slick conditions. check out this scene on saturday near the nevada/california state line. the snow was so bad on this stretch of interstate 80 people were forced to pull over. meantime, the severe weather caused a 20-car pileup outside of reno. drivers described whiteout conditions and poor visibility. forecasters warn travel in the region could be difficult the

next several days. today a colorado prosecutor is set to ask a judge to reduce the 110-year sentence for a truck driver who killed four people in a fiery accident. 26-year-old rogel aguilera mederos said his brakes failed in 2019 causing him to plow into vehicles on a suburban denver highway. earlier this month he was sentenced to 110 years based on mandatory minimums and colorado state law. prosecutors are expected to ask that he be resentenced to 20 to 30 years. jury deliberations in the ghislaine maxwell sex trafficking trial are set to resume this morning. jurors deliberated for two days last week but did not reach a verdict before being sent home for the christmas break. the british socialite spent her 60th birthday in prison this weekend awaiting the outcome. maxwell is accused of recruiting and grooming teenage girls for jeffrey epstein. she has pleaded not guilty to

all charges. maryland democratic senator ben cardin is convinced that president biden's "build back better" plan agenda is not dead. yesterday cardin said the nearly $2 trillion bill could be revived next year but may have to be broken up into smaller parts. it comes after west virginia democratic senator joe manchin said he would not vote for the measure, putting its passage in jeopardy. vice president harris told cbs' "face the nation" she's not giving up. >> i refuse to get caught up in the what might be personal politics when the people who are waking up at 3:00 in the morning worried about how they're going to get by could care less about the politics of d.c. >> the bill includes a wide range of policy items including paid family leave and medicare and medicaid expansion. this morning, we are remembering south african civil

rights icon desmond tutu who died yesterday at the age of 90. mourners paid their respects at a makeshift memorial in cape town. they remembered a man who preached nonviolence and fought for a peaceful reconciliation. tina kraus has more on desmond tutu's life and legacy. >> reporter: desmond tutu retired from public life in 2010 after decades of struggling against apartheid and global injustices. he laughed as he told reporters in south africa he would no longer be available for interviews. the former archbishop battled prostate cancer for years but never lost his broad smile and positive outlook on life. the married father of four rose to worldwide fame in the 1980s when he fought against racial segregation. >> we will be free! >> reporter: while nelson mandela was in prison, tutu spoke out against south africa's brutal apartheid regime.

in 1984, he won the nobel peace prize for his efforts. the nobel committee called tutu a unifying symbol for all african freedom fighters. two years later, he became the first black man to hold the position of archbishop of cape town. in 1994, south africa held its first all-race election, and tutu coined the term "rainbow nation." when nelson mandela won the presidency, tutu said it was one of the greatest moments of his life, and that he told god if i die now, i don't really mind. doctors diagnosed tutu with prostate cancer in 1997, and he underwent successful treatment in the u.s. the disease did not slow him down, and he traveled the world promoting peace and equality. >> i'm so proud to be with my friend again. >> reporter: president obama honored him for his efforts to educate people about hiv and aids. in 2019 south african icon hosted a visit for britain's

newest royal, baby archie. prince harry and his wife end in -- meghan posted on instagram a caption "arch meets archie." with his unshakeable optimism and unwavering faith, tutu will be remembered as one of the world's leading human rights activists. tina kraus, cbs news. ahead, beware of the bull. what happened when a bull charged a police officer. and spider-man swings his way to the top. how the new movie is breaking box office records. this is the "cbs morning news." the "cbs morning news."

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handles calls where large farm animals wander on to the highway. a waitress receives a huge tip, and christmas tree lights may have sparked a deadly house fire. those are some of the headlines on the "morning newsstand." pennsylvania's "courier times" reports a preliminary investigation shows a dead -- deadly christmas day fire was likely sparked by christmas tree lights. the fire began saturday morning inside a house in quakertown. >> the investigation's revealed that two of the occupants escaped with injuries, three of the family members did not escape the property. >> 41-year-old eric king and his two sons, 11-year-old liam and 8-year-old patrick, were killed. king's wife and another son were treated at a hospital and released. the family's two dogs also died in the fire. "the denver post" says a colorado back country skier was killed in an avalanche. it happened friday near cameron pass about 130 miles northwest of denver.

the skier's partner was able to locate the man and pull him from the snow, but he did not survive. this is the first avalanche death this season. last winter 12 people died in what was the deadliest avalanche sean in colorado history. and "variety" says jean marc valet, director of "dallas buyers club" and "big little lies" has died. according to his representative he died suddenly at a cabin outside quebec city over the weekend. the cause of death has not been released. he won an emmy for directing "big little lies." "dallas buyers club" earned six oscar nominations. he was 58 years old. coming up, spider-man breaks a record. how the latest movie is sticking it to the competition. how the latest movie is sticking it to the competition. (computer keys clicking) (mouse clicks) - shriners hospitals for children is awesome! my favorite people in shriners are the doctors and the nurses

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there has to be another way. >> there isn't. they're a danger to our universe. >> do not take this away from me. >> peter. >> look at that. "spider-man: no way home" is the first pandemic-era movie to smash the $1 billion mark at the global box office. the sony film eclipsed that this weekend in a near record 12 days. the last movie to rake in $1 billion was 2019's pre-pandemic "star wars: the rise of sky walker." on the cbs "money watch," traders are returning from a holiday shortened week. they will closely monitor the omicron variant and the monetary policy

from the central bank as we head into the new year. we have more. [ bell ] >> reporter: stocks closed christmas eve eve with a little holiday cheer. the dow was up 196 points. the nasdaq gained 131, and the s&p 500 rose 29 points. consumers went on a spending spree this holiday season, according to mastercard's spending poll, sales were up 5.8% from last year and 10.7% from pre-pandemic 2019, the fastest in years, even as shoppers face higher prices, shortages, and the omicron variant of covid-19. purchases of clothing and jewelry fueled the surge. and burlington, vermont, is donating parking fines to a food pantry. the city says collectively residents owe $900,000 and hope the fines for food program will inspire people to pay off what they owe while feeding neighbors. that's your cbs "money watch" report. for more head to cbsmoneywatch.com.

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here's a look at the forecast in some cities around the country. ♪ there's just nothing like putting on your bathing suit and going for a chilly dip. that's what hundreds of people did in prague yesterday. the 360 participants from eight countries including the u.s. competed in several races. the air temperature was -- get this -- about 21 degrees. in the water it was in the upper 30s. that's pretty cold. more college football bowl games will be canceled because of covid. today's military bowl in maryland was called off due to a coronavirus outbreak among boston college players.

bc was supposed to play east carolina. wednesday's fenway bowl in boston has also been canceled after university of virginia players tested positive. uva was set to take on smu. and the university of miami said it would not play in friday's sun bowl against washington state. actor hugh jackman is singing the praises of broadway understudies who often take the stage to fill in with short notice. >> all of these people here, it humbles me their courage, the brilcededi, the talent, the swings, the understudies, they are the bedrock of broadway. [ applause ] >> jackman gave that emotional speech last week during a curtain call after a performance of "the music man." it came after his co-star, tony award winning actress sutton foster tested positive for covid. an understudy stepped in at the last minute to take her place. the biggest and most

powerful space telescope ever is two days into its one million-mile journey away from earth. >> and liftoff -- >> liftoff from a tropical rain forest to the edge of time itself, james webb begins a voyage back to the birth of the universe. >> nasa's $10 billion james webb telescope was launched into space on christmas day. it will look back in time, you heard that right, searching for traces of light from some of the first stars and galaxies ever formed shortly after the beginning of the universe. nasa administrator bill nelson described the telescope as a, quote, time machine. all right. coming up on "cbs mornings," 30 years after magic johnson revealed he had hiv, gayle king sits down for an exclusive interview with the basketball legend and his wife cookie. i'm tom hanson. this is the "cbs morning news." this is the "cbs morning news."

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our top stories this morning -- hundreds more flights in the u.s. are being canceled this morning partly due to staffing shortages caused by the surge of covid cases. thousands of flights were grounded over the weekend. the cdc says average daily cases have surged to more than 176,000, the highest level in nearly a year. and people around the world are remembering civil rights icon desmond tutu. the former archbishop died yesterday at the age of 90 after a long battle with prostate cancer. he won the nobel peace prize for his nonviolent efforts to end south africa's apartheid regime. wineries and distilleries are the latest businesses to be

affected by supply chain issues because there's a shortage of glass bottles, and it could impact your new year's bash. nichelle medina reports. we have our straight -- >> reporter: jesse fanning is in the business of making whiskey. >> we really wanted to resurrect the family name and whiskey was the way to do it. >> reporter: his tasting room and distillery near san diego has grown after the last nine years. these days his passion for making spirits has been shaken. this is where you keep your glass bottles. >> it is. we're living bottle to bottle. day at a time. >> reporter: that's what's in here now. this is just going to fulfill the next order. >> correct. that's exactly right. >> reporter: the u.s. is facing a glass bottle shortage. shipping backups, labor woes, and a trucker shortage are leading to higher prices. >> even domestically we're at about a 20% increase already, and these are glass bottle -- bottles that are already created. >> most of us are looking for

different distributors. >> reporter: dana la floor owns a micro winely and is president of a southern california collective representing urban wineries, meateries and cideries and says it could get worse. it's a concern since wineries need many types of bottles. >> we'll use bordeaux battles, burgundy bottles, bottles for chardonnay, they're shaped differently. they have different purposes. >> reporter: with demand high and a busy holiday season, consumers may struggle to find some of their favorite spirits. one store in texas is even limiting sales. >> i've never seen anything like it. >> reporter: how much have you had to raise prices because of the shortage? >> so far i haven't raised prices yet. but i mean, it's inevitable. >> reporter: creating the holiday spirit is coming at a higher cost, and it's not clear when this bottle shortage will ease. nichelle medina, cbs news, visit -- vista, california.

okay. coming up on "cbs mornings," now that christmas is over, it's time for return season. we'll look at how some companies are making gift returns quicker and better for the environment. plus, as part of our series "what's new in '22," we will show the tech trends, stories, and products that will define the year ahead. and 30 years after magic johnson revealed he had hiv, gayle king sits down for an exclusive interview with the basketball legend and his wife cookie. that is the "cbs morning news" for this monday. thank you so much for watching. i'm tom hanson. have a great day.