will be for hollywood's biggest night. it's wednesday, january 12th, 2022. this is the "cbs morning news." glimmer of hope. some optimism in the fight against covid. where the worst of the omicron surge may be over. filibuster fight. president biden calls for action on voting rights. his challenge to the senate where legislation remains held up. can't wait to meet this gentleman and shake his hand for getting this plane down, the helicpter, the way he did. >> medical helicopter crash. four people including a baby all survive. the pilot's quick-thinking actions that saved their lives. well, good morning, and good to be with you. i'm anne-marie green. federal health officials are

defending their response to the ongoing covid pandemic just a day after the u.s. set a record number of daily cases and hospitalizations. the top infectious disease expert, dr. anthony fauci, was among several people who spoke during a senate hearing yesterday. he said the government is equipped to handle the fast-spreading omicron variant, but parts of the country are still seeing a huge jump in infections. laura podesta is in new york with more on all of this. laura, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, anne-marie. we're hearing from some health officials, don't go to the hospital to get tested if you're asymptomatic or if you're not experiencing strong symptoms. that's because hospitals right now are overwhelmed. a top federal health official offered a stark analysis of the highly contagious omicron variant yesterday. >> most people are going to get covid, all right. what we need to do is make sure the hospitals can still function. >> reporter: hospitalizations

are rising in 43 states. health care workers say unless it's a serious case, don't overburden your local hospital. >> there's no need come to the emergency room just to be tested. you're going to take up resources and space that are needed for people who are more sick. >> reporter: parts of the country like arkansas are seeing a dramatic spike in cases. >> right now active cases have doubled since the last week. >> reporter: here in new york state, the positivity rate is 18%, but there's hope the peak may be in the past. >> cases are slowing down. the rate of increase is slowing down. but they're still high. they're still high. we are not at the end, but i want to say this is to me a glimmer of hope. >> reporter: facing staffing shortages in palo alto, california, nearly 700 parents volunteered to work as cleaning crews, lunchroom supervisors, and classroom aides to keep schools open. >> there's never been anything in my career that is more energizing, inspiring, and just really a win when everybody's losing.

>> reporter: despite frigid temperatures in wisconsin and maine, these schools moved some classes outside to help prevent the spread. according to burbia, which tracks school closures, 5,400 schools had in-class learning disrupted in past week. anne-marie? >> wow. laura podesta in new york. thank you very much. ahead on "cbs mornings," we'll talk with education secretary miguel cardona about the state of covid testing in public schools. president biden is calling on congress to urgently pass voting rights legislation. during a speech in atlanta yesterday, mr. biden challenged senators to stand against voter suppression as republican-controlled state legislatures pass bills placing restrictions on voting -- rather, placing restrictions on voting. for the first time the president backed the themselves in of the

-- the elimination of the senate's filibuster rule in order to get new voting rights measures passed. >> i've been having these quiet conversations with members of congress for the last two months. i'm tired of being quiet. >> when asked by reporters if he has enough votes to get rid of the filibuster, mr. biden said "keep the faith." one notable absence at yesterday's event in atlanta was voting rights activist and georgia democratic gubernatorial candidate stacey abrams. some are questioning whether she's distancing herself from mr. biden as she runs for governor. mr. biden said there was a scheduling mixup. he said the two have a great relationship. abrams released a statement later saying that she welcomed the president's commitment to changing the filibuster. investigators are looking into what caused a medical helicopter to crash in a philadelphia. the pictures show the extent of the wreckage, but all four people on board including a baby girl survived with

non-life-threatening injuries. errol barnett explains how first responders and a ride-share driver rushed to help. getting numerous calls on this. they're saying by the methodist church, appears to be a medical helicopter. >> reporter: it is being called miraculous. four people surviving a terrifying helicopter crash near philadelphia. this medical transport chopper heading from maryland to children's hospital of philly with a 2-month-old baby girl along with two medical workers and the pilot. witnesses say the chopper was hovering low, avoiding electrical lines and this church, before crashing into the ground. >> the best way to describe is a miracle. the pilot had a great command of the helicopter and was able to land it safely. took the best interests of the community at hand to make sure there were no injuries, no property damage. so he did an excellent job. >> reporter: not a single bystander was injured, and

everyone on board the helicopter suffered only non-life-threatening injuries. about 30 firefighters responded to the crash expecting much worse. officials say the chopper had about an hour's worth of fuel left, and crews took steps to prevent it from leaking into the water supply. >> can't wait to meet this gentleman and shake his hand for getting this plane down -- the helicopter the way he did. >> reporter: there was a rush of help by bystanders, as well. one witness telling cbs news her ride-share driver pulled over to help and was then handed the 2-month-old as others tried to extract the pilot. that infant was then driven to children's hospital or c.h.o.p. as it's known here, which was its original destination. errol barnett, cbs news, drexel hill, pennsylvania. the senate passed a bill to award the congressional medal of honor posthumously to emmett till and his mother. till was 14 when he was abducted, tortured, and killed by white supremacists in

mississippi in 1954 after witnesses said he whistled at a white woman. his mother insisted on an open casket funeral to demonstrate how brutally her son was killed. till's murder galvanized the civil rights movement. it looks like major league baseball and the players association are playing ball again to try and end a lockout. the two sides are scheduled to meet tomorrow for the first time 1st, just hours before the collective bargaining agreement expired. spring training ch start in five weeks. there are reports that management is planning to make a new proposal to players. and coming up, military muscle. the first images of the latest north korea missile launch are released. what kim jong-un is calling for after watching the test. and remarkable rat. this hero rodent is being remembered. how it's responsible for saving countless lives.

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the victims. sunday's deadly new york city apartment building fire were remembered during a vigil last night. 17 people including eight children died when a malfunctioning space heater started the fire. smoke quickly spread throughout the building when two doors that were supposed to close automatically stayed open. it is not clear if the doors broke or if they were manually disabled. a famous giant rat is being remembered, and north korea is not backing down. those are some of the headlines on the "morning newsstand." "reuters" reports north korean leader kim jong-un called for boosting his country's military strength after he watched a hypersonic missile test. yesterday north korean state media said kim observed the successful test. it is the first time he has attended a missile launch in nearly two years. on tuesday south korea and japan said that they detected north

korea firing a suspected ballistic missile into the sea. it was north korea's second missile launch in less than a week. the "los angeles times" says more than 62,000 l.a. school district students and staff stayed out of class after testing positive for covid as students returned from winter break. hundreds of thousands of students came back yesterday amid a record-breaking surge in cases. school officials called in almost 2,000 district employees to help with the return due to staff shortages.d dispdapa the screening system had problems during yesterday morning's rush causing delays. >> you have to have your, you know, get a daily pass every day and get, you know, tested and everything. it's so stressful for us parents. >> other safety protocols are also in place including having to wear masks indoors. and "the new york times" says a hero rat that sniffed out more than 100 land mines and

explosives in cambodia has died. the 8-year-old african giant pouch rat named magowa died last weekend according to the nonprofit that trained him. in 2020 he received an international award from a british charity for his lifesaving contributions. cambodia is one of the world's most heavily land mined countries. still ahead, blame game. novak djokovic admits to a human error on his immigration form as australian officials decide whether to deport him ahead of the australian open. (computer keys clicking) (mouse clicks) - shriners hospitals for children is awesome! my favorite people in shriners are the doctors and the nurses because they help people through life. wow, i was a really cute kid! (chuckles) but it's true! shriners hospitals for children is awesome! the first time i went to shriners hospitals for children, i was two months old.

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people got a first look at twin giant panda cubs at a zoo today. 500 people were selected from a lottery to see the pandas who were born last june. the zoo is closed because of covid, but this viewing event will take place over three days. each person has only one minute to see the pandas, though, and it's not clear when they will be on display again for the public. on the cbs "money watch," check your flight if you booked on united airlines, and doordash is delivering girl scout cookies this year. diane king hall is at the new york stock exchange -- is in new york -- >> i know -- it's okay. >> with those stories and more. >> good morning. one day i will be back there. good morning. investors are on inflation watch once again today, and today's government will be releasing the latest consumer price index which is a measure of inflation. it measures the cost of living in the u.s. it will measure it for december of last year. on wall street, tech stocks helped the market rebound yesterday. the dow rallied 183 points.

the nasdaq gained 210, and the s&p 500 rose 42. united is cutting back on flights because more employees are testing positive for covid-19. the airline ceo scott kirby said 3,000 workers are out with the virus, about 4.5% of its work force. united is reducing the number of unspecified flights in the near future to deal with the staffing shortage. jetblue and alaska airlines have already made similar moves. bank of america's the latest to roll back overdraft fees starting in may. overdraft fees from $35 to $10. capital one, pnc, and ally bank announced last year they would eliminate those fees altogether. a recent bank rate study found the average fee for overdrawing an account was $33. and girl scout cookie season is officially under way. the organization has teamed up with doordash to allow drivers to deliver cookies to your door because of the pandemic. you can still buy the treats in person or on line. according to the girl scouts'

website, the bestselling cookies are thin mints, samoas, tag alongs, peanut butter sandwich, and lemon-ups. >> yes. i'll just say yes to -- all of them. not crazy about the peanut butter, but all the other ones i'm down with. >> i could do the peanut butter. the tagalong is good, i think there's peanut butter in the middle of the samoas are good, their s'mores cookies are good. the lemon-ups are -- like you said -- and that new one, i want to try the new one. like a brownie cookie. come on. sign us up. >> oh, gosh. yeah. that's right. i'll be ordering. diane king hall in new york. diane, thank you so much. yot .ank y up next, back to basics. what's happening on hollywood's biggest night, the oscars, for the first time since 2018.

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here's a look at the forecast in some cities around the country. ♪ novak djokovic is blaming human error for a mistake to an immigration document he submitted when he arrived in australia last week for the australian open. djokovic said his agent mistakenly checked no in

response to whether the tennis star had traveled elsewhere two weeks before arriving in australia. djokovic, who's based in monte carlo, admits that he attended events in serbia in mid-december. last week, border officials in australia revoked his visa because he did not show proper evidence for his medical exemption from covid vaccine requirements. djokovic practiced yesterday in melbourne after a judge released him from detention this week. >> he's a selfish, non-vaccinated -- i think he strays from the truth. >> i don't understand why there's such a fuss about it. let him play. you know, of course keeping in n ering ether to voke dvi and for the first time since 2018, the oscars will have a host. the president of abc

not say who it will be. jimmy kimmel was the last host. there was no host from 2019 to last year. the 94th oscars will take place march 27th at the dolby theater in hollywood. and pandemic precautions are leading to a whole new way to serve food at the upcoming beijing winter olympics. journalists arriving early for next month's games got a sneak preview yesterday. food in the press cafeteria was dished out robotically including being delivered on trays that dropped down from the ceiling. much of the food will also be prepared electronically. coming up, first on "cbs mornings," actress alyssa milano tells us about her new movie "brazen." i'm anne-marie green. this is the "cbs morning news." "

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our top stories this morning -- federal health officials are defending the administration's response to the ongoing pandemic just a day after the u.s. set a record number of daily cases and hospitalizations. during a senate hearing yesterday, white house chief medical adviser dr. anthony fauci said the government is equipped to handle the fast-spreading omicron variant. and during a speech in atlanta, president biden said he's tired of being quiet as he backed the elimination of the senate's filibuster rule in order to get new voting rights legislation passed. mr. biden called on congress to stand against voter suppression and urgently take action to protect voting rights. students in chicago return

to class today after a covid standoff betwe t other scho dists havkeptor btals oue. it might everybodhave >> repr: walk in the woo when you'rki lafarge, wisconsin. in this 9,000-acre preserve, this new kindergarten program embraces the benefits of outdoor learning. ♪ good morning good morning ♪ >> reporter: and discovered a pandemic safe space. >> at the peak of at outbreak that we had, we had 28 active cases among students and staff. >> reporter: how about in this program, how many kids? >> zero. >> reporter: none? coincidence? >> probably not. >> no. >> reporter: across covid america, 5,400 schools report omicron's surge has disrupted in-class learning. but not in portland, maine. >> we are still deeply inside a

pandemic, and the response when that phase one of getting teachers and students outside for health and safety. >> three more minutes of drawing -- >> reporter: 17 schools in portland built outdoor learning spaces. plenty of winter gear and wi-fi. 6,700 students k through 12 spend part of their day outdoors. that's also true in lafarge where kindergarten only looks like recess all day. >> nobody's bored. not ever. not ever. and they're so joyful and healthy and happy. >>or you learn more inside or outside outsi. ar reporter: because?>>reore uf >> reporter: feel the wind, see the sun, dodge the pandemic. large, wisconsin. coming up only on "cbs mornings," we'll speak with education secretary miguel cardona on what the biden administration is doing to keep children safe in schools ami

rising covid cases. plus, drew barrymore, host of "the drew barrymore show" opens up about her fears on returning to dating as a single mom. and first on "cbs mornings," actress alyssa milano tells us about her new movie "brazen." that's the "cbs morning news" for this wednesday. thanks for watching. i'm anne-marie green. have a great day.

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