>> americans have a patriotic duty to be vaccinated, the message from president biden has he outlined plans tackle the latest wave of covid-19 infections. we will be crossing to our washington correspondent for the latest. meanwhile, germany locks down and france gets more strict. governments are scrambling to contain the omicron variant with restrictions on new year's festivities and everyday life. more than a dozen killed and

thousands displaced by devastating floods in malaysia. the government being slammed for its slow response as rescue efforts continue. welcome back to the newsroom. i'm kate moody. the united states is stepping up its efforts to slow the spread of the omicron variant of covid-19. the biden administration will make available 500 million rapid test kits for free. the president has urged all americans to be vaccinated and get booster shots. he encouraged people to take precautions during holiday celebrations. president biden: all of these people who have not been vaccinated, you have an obligation to yourselves, to your family, and i know i'm going to be criticized for this, to your country. get vaccinated now. it's free. it's convenient. i promise you it saves lives. i honest to god believe it's

your patriotic duty. kate: let's speak to your washington correspondent. president biden saying americans should be concerned, but not panicked about this latest wave. what else d he say in his latest address to the nation? >> that message was for those who are vaccinated and boosted. he had a stark warning for those who are not vaccinated, telling them they should have serious concerns about their health if they are not vaccinated. he urged people still unvaccinated to go get vaccinated. we heard the sound bite you just played. the patriotic duty. he also slammed those that he considers as peddling misinformation about the vaccine , telling those people that this is simply wrong and immoral, telling americans to please go get vaccinated because that's

the biggest protection against covid-19, whatever the variant. there was another big pillar of his speech, testing, testing, testing. you mentioned those 500 million at home testing kits. that won't come until starting in january. possibly even mid-january. people will still have to wait for those testing kits. there is the acknowledgment by the biden administration that things will likely get worse and that they have to be prepared for big surges in cases and therefore hospitalizations. you are seeing joe biden deploying 1000 troops, ready to roll out if needed, in the states where it's needed, ready to roll out beds, supplies, ppe, so that the health care system will not be overwhelmed by this

latest surge. three pillars, get vaccinated, get tested, but if things get worse, we will be prepared. that was the message by joe biden ahead of this holiday season. kate: as in many countries, omicron is on track to become the dominant strain in the u.s. >> yes. we are reaching nearly 75% of new cases that are now considered to be omicron variant cases in the united states. that's just three weeks after the first omicron case was reported in the country. we are seeing this rapidly spreading. more rapidly than anyone thought or predicted. nearly every single state has cases of omicron. health care experts are really worried about what this could mean.

you are already seeing a surge in cases and hospitalizations in several regions of the united states, even before omicron reaches the whole country. surges in the northeast, the midwest. public health care experts are really worried that omicron on top of this already -- this surge, that could overwhelm the health care system. they are bracing themselves. officials are saying we are in for a long, hard winter, but they are hoping for the best. hoping the information we have about how this omicron variant works, maybe, indeed, it is less lethal. maybe it will not overwhelm the health care system. they see the situation in the united states as the cold weather comes in over much of the country, those cases growing.

people not getting their test. the holidays, of course. the situation really dire in the united states, but officials are hoping that with all the appropriate response they can mitigate the surge. kate: thank you for that update. the omicron variant of covid-19 accounts for about 20% of new infections in france and it is spreading rapidly. the french government has ruled out under lockdown for now. it is speeding up its plans to require vaccination for entry to restaurants and museums. >> it's the latest bid to nudge the unvaccinated in france to get their jab. currently, access to most venues requires proof of inoculation against the coronavirus or a negative test. the new rules would make entry dependent on vaccination status

only. the government wants to fast-track the bill. >> [speaking french] >> authorities say cases of the delta variant appear to be stabilizing, but omicron cases are on the rise, accounting for roughly 20% of infections nationwide and more than 30% of infections in the capital, paris. france is pinning its hopes on booster shots to curb omicron. as to whether existing vaccines will need to be tweaked to tackle the new variant, the eu's drug regulator says more data is needed. >> there is no answer yet on

whether we will need an adapted vaccine with a differe composition to tackle this or any other emergingariant. we need to see more da on the impact of the variant on the effectiveness of the approved vaccines. >> france has been reporting on an average of roughly 53,000 cases per day over the past week , a more than 20% jump from the average two weeks ago. germany is also facing a new wave of infections and has announced plans to tighten restrictions after christmas. fans will be banned from sporting events. new year's gatherings will be limited to 10 people. >> covid won't be taking a christmas break, the words of the german chancellor as he announced a string of new measures in the bid to get the latest surge of coronavirus cases under control. christmas will be exempt with restrictions coming into effect

on december 28. new year's eve celebrations have been thrown into disarray. >> [speaking german] >> nightclubs have been ordered to close, while large-scale events will be held behind closed doors. restaurants, bars, and shops remain open, though businesses are seeing fewer customers than usual in the run-up to the festive season. >> [speaking german] >> germany managed to slow a fourth wave by ramping up its booster campaign and introducing restrictions that bar unvaccinated people from much of public life earlier this month.

they are administering around am million shots per day, but only about 70% of the population have had two doses. it's only weeks before the omicron variant becomes the dominant strain in germany. they see another storm coming on the continent. >> even countries that are not locking down are trying to discourage big public gatherings during the festive season. many have supported the cancellation of new york cell -- new year's celebrations. >> many londoners will be welcoming in 2022 from the comfort of their own homes. with omicron cases surging in the u.k., authorities in the capital have canceled celebrations due to take place at trafalgar square. the mayor of london is calling it off in the interest of public safety. with the threat of more

restrictions looming and cases spiraling, many are apprehensive. >> i've had covid three times. i'm a dental nurse. i know how covid feels. it's horrendous. i know a lot of the people that have died from it. i'm quite fearful of that as well. >> it is set to be a quiet new year's in paris. authorities have called off the fireworks show due to take place on the champs-elysees . businesses have had to drastically adjust their plans. >> [speaking french] >> it will be the same story for many businesses in germany, where tight restrictions on private parties are set to be rolled out. nightclubs will be forced to close their doors.

morocco is also clamping down on festivities. authorities announced a blanket ban on all new year's celebrations monday. this may be a week after the first case of omicron was detected in the country. >> at least 14 people have died and thousands have been displaced by torrential flooding in malaysia. the flooding is among the worst in decades, and the government is facing criticism over its slow response. >> wading through high floodwaters, the malaysian military brings aided by boat to those hit by massive floods. the wealthiest and most densely populated state is one of the worst hit areas. parts of the state capital are still underwater days after last weekend torrential rain. >> i lost everything. all my cars, my house. everything gone. >> a growing number of flood

victims and opposition mp's are accusing the government of reacting too slowly. >> i'm disappointed in the politicians, members of parliament, members of government. they don't lead in disaster. they come days after it. >> the prime minister on tuesday admitted weaknesses in his response, saying he would seek improvement, according to state media. tens of thousands have been displaced by the flooding, with many seeking refuge in emergency shelters. the country's meteorological department has forecast more rain in the coming days, which could see further flooding and hamper aid efforts. >> a jury in new york has begun its first full day of deliberations in the trial of ghislaine maxwell. the late financier's companion,

she is accused of recruiting and grooming underage girls for him over several years. >> the maxwells leave the manhattan courthouse united. earlier cup and they supported their sister, ghislaine maxwell, who is on trial for sex trafficking minors. she now awaits the verdict. 12 jurors must unanimously decide whether maxwell groomed and recruited young girls to take part in sexual activities with her former partner, the late jeffrey epstein. epstein, and buying american billionaire, was accused of abusing underage girls for years . he committed suicide in his prison cell before his trial in august 2019. the prosecution pens maxwell at the center of epstein's system of sexual exploitation. she was described as a sophisticated predator who knew what she was doing.

during the three-week trial, four women testified against her. one said she was only 14 when maxwell offered her to meet epstein to get a scholarship. four years of rape followed, in which maxwell also participated on occasion. maxwells lawyers faced -- lawyers focused on -- they declared there was no evidence that maxwell groomed any of the plaintiffs. if found guilty, maxwell, age 59, could spend the rest of her life in prison. more news and analysis coming up on "france 24. thanks for watching. ♪ >> we are journalists. normally you have to listen to us, but you have things to tell

us, too. maybe you have experienced a dramatic event or you have something important to say or want to make a difference. that's why we created "the observers." get in touch with our team. tell us what you see. it's our job to get your voice out there on our sites, social networks, mobile, tablet. you can appear in our weekly show via webcast or perhaps he will see you in person where you live -- perhaps we will see you in person where you live. you get the idea. this is your show. your way to get your voice out to the world. ♪

>> 3, 2, 1. [indiscernible] kate: james mcavoy and his first fully improvised role. it is a remake of the 2017 french thriller. >> it was like being in a role-playing game. i was moving through the story totally blind. >> [indiscernible] >> mcavoy stars as a father whose son goes missing from a campsite in an apparent kidnapping. >> i think the thriller genre is something that speaks to a lot of people. notably, the anglo-saxon community. >> without a script, the goal was for the actor and the audience to uncover the mystery at the exact same time. i sat down with the director and

his star to chat about this unusual project. >> we are investigating every hypothesis, including kidnapping. >> james mcavoy, hello. >> hello. >> "my son" is a remake of the french movie. have you seen the original? >> no, luckily. director's approach is very particular and information based. i play -- you get in the dark. you don't know what's going to happen next. luckily, i hadn't seen the french version. otherwise, his process would have been [indiscernib] >> doesn't this make your agent and or yourself nervous? >> no. there's an outline and story. i don't know what the actors, the crew -- they all know it. they were there for weeks before i even showed up.

i didn't ed much convincing. i didn't even need to talk to christian before accepting the role. i feel like i've paid people for an experience that is like this, but not as good. you go somewhere. there's a bunch of actors. some are dressed up as zombies and they are chasing you around. you have to decide what corridor you go down. it lasts for 20 minutes and that's it. it might be a thing where you have to figure out how to t t of a room. it's thrilling and exciting. this was two weeks of that without the zombies. it was an easy yes. >> ethan! >> ethan! >> ethan! >> ethan! ethan! >> how did it work? how much information were you given?

>> i knew the shape of my life, my characters relationship with claire's character and with my son. i knew job i did, whe i grew up, where my parents were. i didn't know anything after the moment that the cameras started rolling. my first day on the job, i woke up at like 4:30 a.m. i was given coordinates to go to. i got in the car. i drove to the coordinates. turns out it was a ferry terminal. i drive on the ferry. the cameras are rolling. >> the idea behind "my son" was that of a man who is never there because of his work, but he's also running away from life. he is forced to return because his son has disappeared. his guilt from having neglected his son comes up to the surface. he does things that are at time

borderline, all in the name of finding his son. this idea came to me about 20 years ago, but not the idea of keeping the script from the actor. at the time, i wanted to make a somewhat normal film with a script, with read throughs. for one reason or another, i changed my mind and i made it this way. seeing as this man is never there, doesn't know anything, i thought, why not put the actor in the same conditions, that of not owing anything. >> what a father you have been to your son! >> i know i'm a bad dad. i know you can't rely on me. >> why james mcavoy? well, he is one of the most talented actors of his generation. i'm a fan of james mcavoy.

every time i see him on screen, i don't know what to expect, and i thinkim neither. he is, on one hand, a very instinctive actor, but someone who does a lot of preparation. i wanted to put him in a situation where he couldn't prepare. all he had were thought pages with his name, his job, and while he wasn't there for his son, basically everything we know about him before the film starts. when the filming started, he had nothing. i wanted to see his reaction to that, what he would do. >> [inaudible]

>> don't try to ask me if this version is better than the one in french. it's like asking a mother if she prefers her son or daughter. it's impossible. my films are my children. i had two different experiences as we shot in two different locations. i think scotland, the highlands, really influenced us. it's a peculiar place, always raining. i've never gotten so drenched on a film set in my life. also, mcavoy is not dion -- guillame. they are very different people. it's a new version of a story, but it's been updated as the actors and the locations are different.

>> you are a dyed in real life. you have a son. how much did that influence you in the film? >> i don't think you need to be a father to empathize or understand the nightmare that something like this would be. i don't think it's giving away too much that his son has gone missing. i think that if you have a decent enough imagination and same level of empathy, you can get it. if you're a dad or mom, i think, perhaps, it just makes it that bit more immediate. it hits you physical -- in a physical way. almost the same way as if you get kicked between the legs. >> you would know that if you asked. but you don't, do you? because you never call or do anything.

you send aresent on his seventh birthday. he doesn't even get the chanc to talk to his dad. have you even thought about what this all means? >> you have made another film with a couple making -- reevaluating their relationship. >> i hate your face. >> my face? >> i hate it. >> i was wondering, what effect has covid had on your life? >> work slowed down for a little while. everybody is streaming. we became an industry again. suddenly, we were allowed to make movies and tv shows. work got busy again. you travel tons. you go out to bars and restaurants all the time. that's all kind of gone away.

it's been a nice summer. we've got a place in philadelphia where we've been the last couple months. the weather is still great there. you can eat outdoors. fantastic. you relied on your immediate circle or bubble. that, strangely, was lovely, because we got, i guess, certain relationships have deepened and intensified and really grown that may be wouldn't have had the opportunity or the time to otherwise. >> what i feel for you -- it's so weird. >> what i'm trying to say -- i sort of love you. >> ♪ >> what can you tell us about the third series of "his dark materials"? >> it's one of the most difficult books of the three, i think, but they've done a great job adapting it. i've already done the first few episodes.

i'm going back next month to finish off the last couple. it will be fun to take as real first -- take azriel full circle. he's such an -- he's got such a great journey. the way it ends for him is pretty appropriate and beautiful. really sad and tragic at the same time. >> thank you.

12/21/21 12/21/21 [captioning made possible by democracy now!] amy: from new york, this is democracy now! >> i coming years, the future of our country is at stake so i guarantee i will be a president who cares for democracy, listens more than he speaks, seeks unity and attends to the needs of the people daily. amy: chile has become the latest latin american nation to elect a leftist president ashe