for more news. the cbs news app on your cell phone or connected tv. i'm alice gainer. cbs news, new york. it's wed 29 it's wednesday, december 29th, 2021. this is the "cbs morning news." new covid concerns. people wait in long lines to be tested as the omicron variant continues to fuel cases across the nation. the states that are being hit the hardest. two legends lost. we're remembering the lives of former senate majority leader harry reid and nfl hall of fame coach and commentator john madden. and demanding justice. the parents of a california teenager killed in a store dressing room by an officer's stray bullet speak out. what the grieving mother says happened to her daughter. good morning. good to be with you. i'm tom hanson.

anne-marie green is off. this morning, health experts are questioning the cdc's recommendation to shorten the isolation period for people infected with covid. it comes as the u.s. hit a seven-day average of more than 240,000 new daily cases. some fear hospitals could become overelme pies as the highly contagious omicron variant spreads. all of this as college football's holiday bowl was canceled just hours before kickoff when ucla pulled out due to covid issues. courtney kealy is tracking the latest developments from new york. good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning, tom. now omicron and delta are spiking cases across the country, packing a one-two punch, while school administrations are trying to decide how to get classes open after the return after the holiday break. lines for covid-19 tests sometimes hours long continue to surge across the country leaving testing sites scrambling to keep up. >> we've staffed up and really

moved vaccinators into testing today because that's the high demand. just knowing the neighborhood, at a certain pint the police department does have to shut off lines for traffic safety. >> reporter: many are checking to see if their holiday gatherings and travel have been completed without passing along the virus. >> we came because we were at a family gathering for christmas and one was concerned that he had it. we figured we'd get ourselves covered. >> reporter: particularly hard hit, washington, d.c., virginia, and maryland, eclipsing the rest of the u.s. in massachusetts, about 500 national guard troops are being deployed to help overburdened health care workers. there are at least seven states now reporting record high daily infections. more cases than at any time since the start of the pandemic. new york city has seen its covid case average climb to more than 20,000 a day. nearly 11 times higher than last month. >> schools need to be opened. >> reporter: new york mayor bill de blasio announced an

accelerated testing program in the nation's largest school system. >> we all need to work together to keep kids in school and learning, and we can do that by vaccinating, boosting, and masking up. >> reporter: but while schools in new york work to stay open, the new york city ballet has canceled its final performance of "the nutcracker." and tom, they are struggling to keep the lights on broadway open. now we have some broadway shows that have had to close temporarily because some cast members have come down ill with covid. some are actually closing earlier than their final run. but officials for broadway and times square alliance say they will keep the show going on. >> it appears 2021 is not leaving us quietly. courtney kealy in new york. thank you. ahead on "cbs mornings," cdc director dr. rochelle walensky joins us to talk about the agency's shorter covid isolation guidelines even as cases surge. harry reid, the former senate majority leader and nevada's longest serving member

of congress, has died. reid died yesterday after a four-year battle with pancreatic cancer. his career spanned more than three decades in washington. the conservative democrat was considered one of the toughest deal-makers in congress. he was 82 years old. and we're remembering hall of fame nfl coach and commentator john madden. the league said madden died unexpectedly yesterday. he led the then-oakland raiders to their first super bowl victory over the minnesota vikings in 1977. he became a beloved tv analyst after retiring from coaching, starting his broadcasting career right here at cbs. john madden was 85 years old. the parents of a 14-year-old girl killed in a clothing store dressing room by a los angeles police officer's stray bullet are calling for justice. it comes after police released video showing the chaotic moments before the shooting. jonathan vigliotti has the latest. a customer in my store is attacking customers. >> reporter: 911 calls and

surveillance video captured the chaos and confusion as 24-year-old daniel elena-lopez entered the north hollywood burlington clothing store and launched his attack. the suspect entered with his bike which led to security asking him to leave. after he refused, he chased one woman down an escalator, then carried on his assault using a heavy bike lock to beat another customer. [ sirens ] within minutes, officers arrived at the scene. on the way, police say they received calls of shots fired. body camera footage shows their guns drawn as they enter the store. as they made their way up the store escalator, daniel elena-lopez, seen on another surveillance camera, continued to hit and kick his victim behind a display. >> put it down -- get down! >> reporter: officers followed a trail of blood and rescued the injured woman, then shot and killed lopez as he stood at the end of the aisle. he was declared dead at the scene. no gun was found on him.

the footage released by the lapd on monday then captures the wailing of soledad orellana-paralta. at a press conference today she recalled the tragedy as one of the officers' bullets hit her 14-year-old daughter valentina. >> translator: something hit my daughter and knocked us to the ground. >> reporter: they had been hiding in a dressing room, hugging and praying, after the chaos erupted on a christmas shopping trip. >> translator: and she died in my arms. i couldn't do anything. >> reporter: valentina's parents promise to seek justice for their daughter and have hired an attorney. police officers i've spoken with have called this a tragic accident. what do you call this? >> preventable. unnecessary. needless. >> reporter: and the shooting has sparked debate over police tactics. the lapd has shot and killed 18 people this year, more than double than last year. jonathan vigliotti, cbs news, los angeles.

we're learning new details about the gunman who police say killed five people in the denver area. investigators say 47-year-old lyndon james mcleod knew most of his victims and targeted them during monday's shooting spree at several locations. he was killed after exchanging gunfire with police. the father of one victim said his daughter was a giving person who likely tried to save others. >> if the person walked in and started hassling the help, she would have been right up front to -- to stop it or to try to calm it down. >> police say mcleod was on law enforcement's radar before the shooting, but they did not elaborate. and former new york governor andrew cuomo will not face criminal charges after two women claimed he gave them unwanted kisses on their cheeks. a suburban new york prosecutor said neither incident meets the requirements for criminal charges despite evidence they occurred. cuomo did not comment on the decision, but he has denied

sexually harassing or touching anyone inappropriately. time.oming up, a glimpse back i- what was inside a 134-year-old time capsule found under a statue of confederate general robert e. lee. and later, taking a bite out of your wallet. how much food prices are expected to go up in the new year. this is the "cbs morning news."

a scary moment on an oregon highway. dash cam video from a passing police car shows a semi-truck sliding on black ice and beginning to tip over. take a look at that. moments later, you can see the truck completely on its side. police say the truck was not speeding, and it was not windy. nobody fortunately was hurt. a 134-year-old time capsule is opened, and the search for a missing texas girl continues. those are some of the headlines on the "morning newsstand." "usa today" reports the reward for helping find a missing

3-year-old texas girl is now up to $150,000. lina khil disappeared from a san antonio apartment complex playground last week. police say she was with other kids when her mother left and came back a short time later to find her daughter missing. during a news conference yesterday, san antonio's police chief said it was frustrating and disheartening, but the search for the girl has not provided more answers. the girl and her family are afghan refugees who arrived in the u.s. in 2019. the "miami herald" says the uncle of one of the children killed in a hit and run implored the driver of the car to turn himself in. witnesses say the driver tried to speed around a bus monday and hit a group of children outside an apartment complex near ft. lauderdale. two girls ages 5 and 6 were killed, four other kids were hurt. one witness talked about what happened. >> it's still -- it's eating away at me now that somebody would do something like that and

not stop, not try to render aid to the children. >> the car has been found, but police continue to search for the unidentified man who was driving it. and "the washington post" reports on what was found inside a 134-year-old time capsule discovered beneath the statue of robert e. lee. the copper box was carefully opened yesterday in richmond, virginia. inside were civil war artifacts including ammunition and money. there were also books, documents, and an image from an 1865 issue of "harper's weekly" showing president lincoln's grave site. this was the second time capsule find underneath the now-removed lee statue. coming up, new year's riches. the whopping jackpot up for grabs in the last powerball drawing of 2021.

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

all right. now's your chance to enter 2022 as a multimillionaire. million after no one matched the numbers during monday night's drawing. if the winner chooses to cash up front, they'll walk away with more than $317 million. lots of money. on the cbs "money watch," what's behind the continuing rise in grocery store prices, and the ultimate tv for relaxation. diane king hall is here in new york with more. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, tom. well, this morning stock futures are pointing to a higher open after a mixed day yesterday. investors grew more worried about the rising number of covid cases around the world. the dow gained 95 points. the nasdaq lost 89, and the s&p 500 shed 4 points. you will have to bring more cash with you to pick up your groceries soon.

data from the research firm iri shows food prices are expected to climb 5% in the first half of 2022. analysts say prices for just about everything will jump from staples like dairy products, bread, and produce, to candy, snacks, and alcohol. the reason -- inflation has surged to levels not seen in decades, and supply chain disruptions continue to pose problems. meantime, every level of doordash employee, even the ceo, will be delivering your food again next month. the company says it's reinstating a program called we dash which it caused during the pandemic. workers no matter their rank will make deliveries at least once a month. any cash employees earn from participating will be donated to a nonprofit. doordash launched wedash as a way to engage the community and company in philanthropic efforts. and forget surround sound, how about surround tv? this is lg's new media chair.

it includes a curved 55-inch tv with the cinematic sound technology. that enables the screen to vibrate and create its own sound without external speakers. the chair will be on display at the upcoming consumer electronics show in las vegas. tom? >> diane, it looks like something out of "tron" to me. >> i know, but i like it. >> the cool part, i was readin up on this, the really cool part is they're also launching a bike, an in-home bike -- >> i saw that. that's crazy. >> you love cycling almost as much as me. we got to jump on this. >> exactly. move over, soul cycle. >> move over, soul cycle. we're going to get this in-home bike. diane king hall in new york, diane, thank you so much. >> thank you. all right. coming up, covid kos, a broadway hit. how long hugh jackman's case of the virus will keep "the music man" silent. virus will keep "t man" silent.

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times square to clean the slate for 2022. the broadway revival of "the music man" is going dark for a few days after hugh jackman tested positive for covid. the actor, who is vaccinated and boosted, broke the news to fans yesterday on social media. he said he was experiencing mild symptoms and will do all he can to get better fast. some of his co-stars have also recently tested positive. the show's official twitter account said performances of "the music man" will resume january 2nd, and jackman will return on the 6th. the twitterverse lit up with laughter after all three contestants on "jeopardy!" got the easiest clue depicting a huge music star and all the audience heard was crickets. >> for 800 -- >> the stage name of this rapper and actor is shortened to mgk. not fans of machine gun kelly apparently. >> the silence is deafening there. not even a picture could help

the players out. machine gun kelly has not commented on the now-viral moment. and a kentucky teacher is teaching us a lesson in kindness. sharon sutherland said she felt compelled to help when she saw all the tornado damage in the city of mayfield. she decided to donate her car. authorities helped her find a tornado survivor who was in dire need of one. >> we were both trying so hard not to bawl. so we were both really tightly held on to our emotions. >> she said the pair hugged for a while, and the woman who received the car was beyond grateful. coming up on "cbs mornings," we'll talk to canadian filmmaker dianne whelan, the first person to ever complete the more than 16,000-mile transcanada trail. what she learned during her six-year journey on foot, bicycle, and boat. i'm tom hanson, this is the "cbs morning news."

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our top stories this morning -- covid testing sites across the nation scramble to keep up as people wait in long lines. the u.s. is seeing a seven-day average of more than 240,000 new daily cases. washington, d.c., virginia, and maryland are being hit the hardest. and democrat harry reid, the former senate majority leader and nevada's longest serving member of congress, has died after a four-year battle with pancreatic cancer. he was 82 years old. and hall of fame nfl coach-turned-broadcaster john madden also died yesterday. madden was 85 years old. it's the thought that counts, but some holiday gifts still fall short of expectations. if you're looking to return

presents that missed the mark, there are a few things you should know. bradley blackburn explains. >> reporter: despite good intentions, the season of giving is sometimes followed by the rush to return. >> it's not really my style. my go-to thing. >> i might as well try to get it within the window so i can get a gift card back to the store. >> reporter: macy's, home depot, target, and bed, bath, and beyond have a 90-day return policy for most items. "consumer reports" money and tech reporter octavio blanco said retailers took into account widespread shipping delays. >> most stores are going to offer more generous return guidelines for holiday purchases because of the challenges that the consumer has had in terms of getting their purchases delivered on time. >> reporter: e-commerce giant amazon provides labels for mail-in returns or accepts items at 18,000 drop-off locations. many shoppers heeded the warning to get those holiday gifts early this year, but that could be a

problem for some returns. >> if you did your shopping early, good for you, but make sure that you understand that you may not qualify for the extended shopping returns. >> reporter: to make returns as smooth as possible, keep the original packaging intact, especially for electronics. hold on to gift receipts, or you may be stuck with the lowest sale price for the item. check return policies and time limits, and bring i.d. some chains check for return policy abuse. another option for unloading unwanted presents -- re-gifting. >> i had a gift re-gifted to me from my sister that my mom it given her. got to be careful when you re-gift. >> reporter: experts say it's also a good time to practice gratitude no matter what's in the box. bradley blackburn, cbs news, new york. coming up on "cbs mornings," as part of "what's new in '22," we'll look ahead to what could be in store next year in the world of politics.

we'll talk to canadian filmmaker dianne whelan, the first person to ever complete the more than 16,000-mile transcanada trail. what she learned during her six-year journey on foot, bicycle, and boat. and as part of our profiles of kennedy center honorees we'll meet a violin virtuoso, midori, and why she's dedicated to teaching young musicians. that's the "cbs morning news" for this wednesday. have a great day.