this morning. time flies when you're trending. thank you all on twitter. we see you. i'll be back next saturday but stay tuned because joe fryer in for alex. happy through year. >> great show to kick off 2022. good to see you. >> thank you, you too. good day and happy new year. high noon in the east. 9:00 in the west. i'm joe fryer. we begin with a live look at times square new york where rain and gloom mark this first day of 2022. but overnight, it was the scene of a new year's eve celebration. one of many altered by a rise in coronavirus cases. msnbc's anne thompson in times square with a look at how the world welcomed 2022 and happy new year. >> happy new year to you too and

all is quiet here in times square after people gathered to ring in the new year 2022. yes, it was a quieter celebration than normal, but here and across the globe, people happily looked forward. plenty. >> i was 8 years old. >> the crowds in some places, there were none at all. in others, they were sparse.

cancelling over covid concerns and las vegas moving mostly online as covid-19 cases continue to rise. atlanta scrapping them all together. omicron infections spell trouble for this brand-new year. nearly 600,000 covid cases nationwide in just 24 hours. a new record for the second day in a row. testing centers are overwhelmed. >> it's getting super annoying. >> reporter: those trying to get back home facing daunting travel theys. >> i just want to get them. >> reporter: on friday alone, more than 3,000 flights cancelled and more than 11,000 delayed. jessie writes, family was supposed to be on one of those planes, forced to change airports after a last-minute cancellation. >> pressing the button, i checked my phone and looked at my phone and just said flight

cancelled. >> reporter: the faa said to expect more delays this weekend because of bad weather, heavy traffic, and airline employees testing positive for covid. as always, check with your carrier before heading out to the airport. joe? >> thank you, anne. more on the weather and travel in just a moment but first, the covid headlines including this from the "new york times." scientists predict omicron will peak in the u.s. in mid january, but still may overwhelm hospitals. that headline comes as more children are being admitted to the hospital with covid. numbers increase 66% in one week. and about those flights, new word from flight aware, more than 2300 u.s. flights have been cancelled so far today because of omicron and the weather. 155 of those from united airlines. let's turn now to nbc news correspondent liz mclaughlin in raleigh, north carolina.

many americans gathered, some in close quarters, to ring in the new year, liz. how big are the lines you're seeing there so far in raleigh? >> reporter: joe, it's more of what we've seen all week since before the christmas holiday. long lines, hours long wait. this particular testing site, i've actually tested here a couple of times and just easy breezy, was able to drive in, get a test and go. now it's appointment only. a lot of other testing sites are doing that too to try to control the line and congestion. some of those lines into the street and disrupting traffic. police needing to come and sort of control the situation. and that's, you know, it's happy new year to you, but we are in the third year of this pandemic. and just seeing daily case numbers break pandemic records. some new numbers, the nbc news tally showing we see more than 54.5 million cases since the start of the pandemic here in the u.s. and more than 820,000 deaths. in north carolina, more than 1.5 million cases.

nearly 20,000 deaths. 33 states in dc showing some percentage increase over the past 14 days. 16 states in dc really showing a more than 100% increase in cases. and as more and more people get tested after we've gathered during the holidays, maybe some of those new year's eve parties, those numbers are expected to climb and expected to already be higher because states, some states, maybe less than half didn't report numbers over the holidays. so we'll get more data in as that comes. also, those at-home tests, those are rarely reported. a lot of positive cases. people take a rapid test at home and then isolate. we're not really seeing those numbers but those at-home tests in really high demand especially when lines like this are so long. they are a little less likely to detect that highly contagious omicron variant but still important. scientists say that any test is better than no test.

joe? >> absolutely. liz, thank you so much. just coming in the last hour shows the impact of a snowstorm in kansas city, missouri. elsewhere across the country, more severe storms and heavy snow could make traveling home after the holiday a real challenge. nbc meteorologist michelle with us. what kind of weather can we expect here in the beginning of 2022? >> hi there, joe. i mean, we can expect pretty much every type of weather. maybe with the exception of hurricanes. because we are looking at snow, sleet, breezy rain, we look at spring-like temperatures, windchills, 40 degrees below zero and also looking at severe weather. so i wanted to show you this snapshot from the weather service. this shows all the alerts coast to coast and this is just so many from the northwest to the southeast where we're seeing alerts pretty much in every single state. this is what satellite radar looks like right now. a warm side where we see the potential for severe weather and

we already see strong thunderstorms already. that's your really heavy rain. a big concern too is flooding rains. sandwiched in the middle of that, pink and purple. your wintry mix. freezing rain and then to the north, we look at the snow and could see 6 to 12 inches in some spots. certainly, travel going to be a mess today and also tomorrow. here's the set-up for the storm throughout the rest of the day. we see the storm move to the north and east, bringing the heavy snow and ice from the great lakes and all the weather on the southeast. that's already happening and see it happening throughout the afternoon and evening into the overnight hours. georgia and atlanta may not see storms until 2:00 a.m. and nocturnal storms are very dangerous. by sunday, we see it move further to the north and east but still a mix of rain and snow in the northeast causing the travel hubs and then the storms stretch from the gulf coast to the carolinas and then north carolina, south carolina, into

parts of georgia. so this is your severe threat. i really want you to focus on that orange because we look at nashville, huntsville, these really strong storms and also the yellow into the green. strong storms, knock down some power lines and even some hail up to an inch. we do have a tornado watch right now, with this in effect until later on this evening. but joe, we're going to be watching this all day long and then, of course, we have the snow in the great plains with the great lakes. we pretty much have everything right now. >> yeah, keep an eye on it i'm sure. thank you so much. happy new year to you. >> you too. >> america today is remembering a national treasure, a hollywood legend. betty white died yesterday, just 2.5 weeks shy of her 100th birthday. unlike most celebrities, her star seemed to shine brighter as she grew older. looking back at her remarkable

career. ♪ thank you for being a friend ♪ >> for america's last golden girl. >> actually able to deceive me once. >> do tell, rose. >> most famous obnag. >> what's that? obstetrician magician. >> pouring in around the world. >> led an incredible life, was a wonderful person. on the screen and off the screen. >> reporter: betty white, shy of her 100th birthday remembered for her perfect comedic timing. >> facebook is a great way to connect with old friends. at my age, if i want to connect with old friends, i need a ouija board. >> reporter: youthful age of 88, became the oldest person ever to host snl after a million people petitioned to get her on the

show. >> i heard about the campaign to get me to host saturday night live. i didn't know what facebook was and now that i do know what it is, i have to say, it sounds like a huge waste of time. >> reporter: in later years, betty white's instoppable nature took on a life of its own. >> what do you do on your free time? >> most anything, play with animals mostly, and vodka is kind of a hobby. >> reporter: celebrated in super bowl commercials. >> to the universe. >> reporter: told people magazine, her secret to longevity, i try to avoid anything green. co-produced her own comedy show "life with elizabeth." >> terrible about spiders. >> they go doing. >> she showcased some of her other talents.

♪ one who'd watch over me ♪ >> reporter: on the mary tyler moore show, stealing performances was supposed to be a small and insignificant role to the america's happiest homemaker. >> it means i've been smiling for 11 years. >> reporter: the beloved golden girls. in a land of romantic comedies, lived a love story for the ages, meaning allen on game show password. >> the password tonight is. >> home. will you take me home? >> i certainly will. >> reporter: his death with cancer in 1981, never remarried. during spare time, a fierce friend of animals, raising money and always advocating for their

protection. hollywood star celebrated by those who took her as inspiration. her passing marked an end to a golden era. >> i know i finished several episodes of the golden girls last night. she was so funny. gadi schwartz and the betty white, who died at the age of 99. died at the age of 99 and it's easy to customize your insurance at libertymutual.com so you only pay for what you need. isn't that right limu? limu? limu? sorry, one sec. doug blows several different whistles. doug blows several different whistles. [a vulture squawks.] there he is. only pay for what you need. ♪liberty, liberty, liberty, liberty♪

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biden expected to speak with ukraine's president days after a tense conversation with russian president vladimir putin. mike memoli is spending the weekend there. what do we know about the nature of tomorrow's call? >> nothing about you with you, that is the promise he made to

president zelenski after the conversation with president putin saying he won't have discussions about ukraine's future without ukraine being at the table. that's why it's so important to be at the table tomorrow just two days after his conversation, of course, with president putin. now the white house said, in that conversation two days ago, offered putin two paths. the path of diplomacy but the further economic sanctions if he were to further escalate the situation in ukraine. talked about the call with putin yesterday as he and the first lady left a new year's eve lunch year. here's what the president had to say. >> made it clear to the president putin, that he makes any more moves, to go again to ukraine, we will have severe sanctions, we will increase our presence in europe with our nato allies and be a heavy price to pay for it. laid out some of his concerns

about nato and the united states and europe and will negotiate some of those issues, but i made it clear they could only work if, in fact, he deescalated, not escalated the situation. >> the crisis in ukraine, obviously, at the top of the president's foreign policy agenda as we head into 2022 but as world leaders are going to be meeting in geneva next sunday, they're also going to be talking about the iran nuclear program, another hot topic for the president in areas of concern for 2022. as we look at the domestic agenda into the new year, it starts with two issues i hoped the white house would be in the rearview mirror as they start the new year. covid, dealing with the omicron surge across the country right now and two, the build back better agenda. legislation he hoped to have signed by now and looking at some of the domestic priorities with criminal justice reform, it leads up to the end of the year,

what's going to be the focus, whether democrats can keep the majorities in congress for another two years, joe. >> the agenda in an election year. mike memoli, thank you so much. joining me now, democratic member of the house of appropriations and intelligence committees. happy new year. glad to have you with us. >> thank you, happy new year. >> real quick before we dive into the latest on january 6th, i do want to talk about what we were just talking about with mike. what's your sense of how close we are or are not to the brink when it comes to russia and ukraine? >> look, it's apparent that putin can go when he wants. he's got everything in place. this is clearly whether or not diplomacy will work and fundamental to that is how strong our allies are and our relationships with them to stand by us because we can't do this unilaterally. we'll need those particularly in western europe to push back

against putin and show the thing he carries about probably most which is his energy supplies won't be used if he's aggressive. >> let's talk about the january 6th committee's latest request. they're requesting the supreme court to reject shield from white house records. maintained the house panel probe lacks a legitimate legislative purpose. what do you say to that argument? >> having been in the room where this happened on january 6th of last year, i think it is perfectly appropriate, one of congress's key roles here. we have to hold accountable, i think of the police officers who fought overwhelming odds. i'm not sure i'd be here for the interview without them. this is an assault on our democracy and the electoral process. they have to be allowed to do this and this is an extraordinary stretch for the

former president to think he is somehow protected and i would argue, absolutely no protection against what i would view as criminal conduct. >> congressman, is the january 6th committee weighs the possibility of a criminal referral against trump, a new opinion piece in the "washington post" calls that a bad idea saying a criminal referral would be worse than unnecessary, it would be counterproductive. the piece says a criminal referral has no legal effect and it would work against attorney general merrick garland's attempt to keep politics out of criminal prosecutions, warning, quote, it would be that much more difficult that later prosecution was a political witch hunt and garland was simply carrying water for the democrats. do you agree with that? >> look, let me say that. i'd be satisfied if we had complete cooperation with the former president and all those who conspired with and including some of my colleagues.

the american people have an absolute right to know how this happened and who is involved, who instigated it. at this point in time, i think i would settle for that. but it's hard to ignore the fact that the former president of the united states instigated an assault on the citadel of our democracy and i try to overturn the unlawful election. if we don't have some accountability, our democracy will be very fragile. something like this could happen again. >> what are your reflections as we prepare this upcoming week to mark one year since the attack on the capitol. how you were there, are you taking parts in the event planned? how do you plan to acknowledge the day? >> i plan to go back on january 6th and speak on the house floor. i did want to thank those who protected us. i think we all need to reflect on what we need to do to protect our democracy as we move

forward. and i think on january 6th, my colleagues and staff that were there were extraordinary. as we escaped, i was walking with two of my colleagues. walking with the kean because of the surgery and as we walked away, quickly as we could, she was upset because she thought her slowness would allow them to catch her. brad schneider heard this and he walked on one side, i walked on the other and brad said, then we'll all walk together. i think there was a lot of courage shown there and the fact that all the members were ready to go back and finish the job to protect our constitution and move forward. that was quite moving. the fact that while we were saying, i said, what does it say to the rest of the world that i'm waiting for the national

guard so i can go back and vote on the peaceful transfer of power, i think that will stay with us for a long time. we have a lot of work to do. >> i'm sure we'll have a lot of people recounting stories like yours. we want to turn to chicago which ended deadliest year more than a quarter century. more than 800 suicides in 2021. the police superintendent promising more detectives to solve murders, more officers on the street to engage in, quote, positive interactions in neighborhoods. what do you make in the spike of violence and how it's being handled and do you think in 2022, democrats in cities grappling with crime will need to change their messaging at all on policing? >> i know there's a lot of talk because we passed george floyd, that public safety of police accountability aren't contradictions. indeed, they have to work hand in hand.

most police officers are dedicated public servants. and we appreciate their work. maybe the resources they need to do the job as chicago police superintendent just said at the same time, those who don't follow the line could be held accountable. but it's hard to carjack someone. it's hard to have an armed robbery without a gun in the flood of particularly illegal guns have to stop. start supporting reasonable gun control legislation. and the vast majority of americans believe that you shouldn't get a gun without a background check.

when the cdc cut isolation times for covid to five days, it may come as a relief for some but the union in the head of the industries raised big concerns. two of those tweets say it all. we'll talk to her next. all we'll talk to her next unlike other sleep aids, our extended release melatonin helps you sleep longer. and longer. zzzquil pure zzzs all night. fall asleep. stay asleep.

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we're helping even more. by the end of this year, subaru will have donated over two hundred and twenty five million dollars to charity. this is what it means to be more than a car company. this is what it means to be subaru. more breaking news. travel for united airlines announcing a short time ago it will cancel another 155 flights day. severe weather and nationwide covid surge and one of the busiest travel weekends of the year leaving thousands of travelers stranded. >> as i was pressing the button to come in, i checked my phone and looked on my phone and it just said flight cancelled. >> the wait time was one hour and 50 minutes to get through. >> already today, more than 2400 flights, two from or within the

u.s. have been cancelled and that number is only going up. within 1600 flights were cancelled yesterday. this is as the cdc announced it will shorten the isolation period from ten days to five days for people who at the scene positive but asymptomatic. this could help the airlines with the staffing shortages and not everyone can on board. joined now by sarah nelson, president of the association of flight attendants. why are so many flight attendants frustrated with this? >> this was done at the behest of delta airlines to address staffing issues rather than have them plan properly. we've negotiated incentives for those who are well and can pick up extra time at other airlines and there's other things that can be done rather than asking

our public health officials to reduce the public health measures that are in place to keep us from extending the life of this pandemic. so we're very concerned that we know that cdc says that they're doing this based on what they think people can tolerate. i think they're talking about the ceos or talking about people who don't have sick leave and a are trying to provide for their families, who don't have any contracts and feel real pressure to go to work even when they're sick. not good for us. and what they said is during that five day time period, would get 90% of the infectious rate. we know we're sending people who still infect others into the workplace and into our communities. so we're saying, it's not okay for one single airline employee or any worker anywhere to die

because of this. we need to talk about what makes sense but delta airlines put this in place right away to encourage people or cutting their sick leave pay because they don't have a contract there and that's what they're pushing. they're pushing people to come back to work before they're better and this is maybe a short-term fix, problems possibly but long-term hurt as more and more people are infected and we extend the life of the pandemic. >> let's talk more about what cdc director rashell walensky appeared on five network agencies to defend the isolation time. here's what she said on the today show. >> what we have right now is science that looks at the decay of the virus. how much transmission is happening in the period after you've been infected.

>> all the right choice? >> my work space is the entire world. credibility in this country have the freedom of flight and only after vaccines became readily available that demand returned for air travel.

working on supporting and recognizing some people cannot get this who fly planes out of medical necessity. we've got to protect everyone and make decisions that are going to keep everyone safe so everyone can be certain when they buy an airline ticket, they're not asking to get covid or spread covid to their families. there has been too much hurt, too many people suffer from long covid, too many people who have had friends and family members died and affirmation of our position that we are admitting infectious people into the workplace.

>> airline policies over and above what the airlines require and in most cases, they are working with us right now. many of them have not put this new five day quarantine into place and many of them have kept the ten days, kept the continued sick leave that supports that. we're talking about what they were advocating for which is only for breakthrough cases what they said is people vaccinated and boosted more like to have more of that virus stick around for a longer period beyond those five days so it's only for breakthrough cases and we have a test negative before people are coming back. that is going to give people a level of assurance and we can assure the public we are doing everything we can to keep them safe and they can continue to buy airplane tickets with

confidence. if we don't do this now, we're going to have more people infected. this is going to extender for more months into 2022 and we're going to have a longer term pain here rather than dealing with this now. i want to address these flight cancellations not just about omicron. we have seen holiday travel before get disrupted because of weather. so let's not lose what's happening here. this is the airline industry and we're only going to take off if it's safe but we need to be very exacting about how we get people back to work. five days may be okay in a breakthrough case where someone is testing negative and we say that's okay. we're working with the airlines to try to address that. >> sarah nelson, thank you so much for your time on this holiday. we appreciate it. the at home rapid covid tests are a crucial tool in the battle against covid but how accurate are they? agastin coviw accurate are they?

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new on the coronavirus front, highest hospitalization numbers ever. calling in the national guard as many hospitals are pushed to the brink and experts warn that the number of positive cases is likely higher because of at home testing, most of the results from the rapid tests are not reported. bring in dr. chris purnell at the college of preventative medicine. good to have you with us. i want to ask you about this headline from the "new york times."

scientists predict omicron will peak in the u.s. in mid january but still may overwhelm hospitals. what's your understanding on how this will peak in the u.s. and how bad will it get until it does hit the peak? >> thank you, joe, and a hardy happy new year to everyone out there. we've been looking at the various models estimating we could peak about that plateauing at a high level before we see a dipoff. we look at this data in light of what you see in south africa and britain and other places, but i want to caution people. just because we're thinking that we may peak soon does not mean that we will be out of the woods because of what that surge could do to our hospitals.

we're already dealing with a mixed surge. delta and omicron. though omicron is dominating. a non-covid surge. people had delayed care now coming into the hospitals and we're dealing with a beleaguered and exasperated health care workforce because they themselves are battling this most recent variant. we definitely need to be girded and vigilant and do whatever is best as possible to keep as many people protected. >> when we peak on our actions right now. the u.s. saw nearly 2.5 million new cases of covid just this past week. how much of that is a result of more people actually getting tested and how much of it is because we truly see an actual rise in cases? >> it's an interplay of factors. people are scouring their surroundings looking for an opportunity to test.

even most recently last night, my 84-year-old aunt, she tested positive on an at-home test because she had been displaying some symptoms and went ahead and tested her. we know our hospitals, federally qualified centers, mobile vaccination sites and testing sites all being swamped. >> i want to ask you about test. the quick rise of at-home testing causing some concern for public covid counts. do we have a sense for how many are accounted for and how are these rapid tests in detecting omicron?

>> there has been some concern even coming out of the fda recently about whether or not these at home tests are less in the face of omicron. we knew at home tests probably had a sensitivity around 85% meaning they would miss 15% to 20% of cases with the false negative. that being said, about i'm confident if we use at home tests in the way they are designed, we use it if a person has symptoms to say, hey, is this the cold, flu, or covid? and we use it if we're doing travel or you're concerned about whether or not you are in a high risk setting or going somewhere where you have vulnerable persons in groups and beginning to test yourself in a serial fashion days before you return home. that's where we know the sensitivity can grow. and i tell people, if you test positive at home, report to your primary care physician that you tested so that we can get this information logged or reported to your local health department.

in addition to that, you want to follow up and demonstrate that you have tested negative before you stop your isolation period. i know the cdc doesn't recommend that, but i recommend that because that's a way to capture if someone is still infectious and get that positive logged. >> next, the potential political flash points in the year ahead. how 2022 could greatly alter the political and societal landscape. he t political and societal landscape. how bout sushi? i just had sushi for lunch yesterday. indian? ehh, maybe... how bout seafood? you know i don't like seafood. [collision beeping warning] [silence] how bout tacos? tacos. automatic emergency braking — one of six advanced safety features standard on every 2022 chevy equinox. find new technology. find new roads.

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a final good-bye, today a state funeral was held in south africa for tutu, the peace prize winner was instrumental in abolishing nearly 50 years of apartheid in the early '90s. at the end of today's services his remains will be cremated and

the ashes will be interred at the cathedral where he served. 2022 is shaping up to be a monumental year in american politics with the midterm elections quickly approaching and the battle over voting rights ramping up. on top of that, the january 6th committee is entering a more public phase of its investigation. the supreme court isset to make landmark rulings including potentially overturning roe versus wade. covid is still wreaking havoc, and the list goes on. joining us, lindsey johnson and ashley pratt oats. good to have both of you with us on this new year's day. alensia, i want to start with you. we are looking forward here with this panel. what political story are you going watching closely in 2022? >> there are many to choose from but i think the one that's most

important and a threat to all of them is the battle around voting rights. it is the core of our democracy for people to be exercising their right to vote. i think it should be biden's number one priority next year. we want to make sure it is easy for folks to get to the ballot box. we don't want it to be harder. it dove tails into the midterm strategy, dove tails into what we see coming out of the supreme court. we know it is going to be politicized with any decision that comes out of the supreme court next year. we have to think, what does that mean to people who vote with integrity. it circles around voting rights. that's why i think it is one of the top stories for to us to pay attention to next year. >> ashley, what's the political story you are going to be watching most this year? >> i think in addition to the voting rights act, i think it is almost resurfacing the build back better act, which i know there is some conversation right now about those negotiations

resurfacing. but i do think going into 2022 mid terms it does give democrats a real leg up which right now polling shows hear the within .8% of the republicans, and trailing them by .8%. at this point, they are really going to need some sort of advantage going into that. and there is a lot of policies in the build back better act that poll favorably where the majority of americans, both democrats and republicans, which is why it was going to be the hallmark legislation of the biden administration. so i really think we need to pay attention to that this january and where those negotiations go. >> let's talk more specifically about the biden administration. what are the agenda items you think should be at the top of the list this coming year, keeping in mind if history sort of goes as it usually does, it could be the last year the white house holds majorities in the house and senate. that being said, what do you think should be the focus for the president? >> i mean, you said the thing that's on all of our minds, what

happens in mid terms if and there is a lickly chance that democrats could lose power. and so the biden administration has to go forward with voting rights w. build back better, with a covid-19 new package to make sure that the american people feel as though we are protected, that our public health is at the forefront of our minds as well as the economy. the biden administration has all of these things to tackle as well as grappling with the ability to have control and leadership of the democratic party. you know, the filibuster is in place blocking a lot of important key legislation for his agenda. and a lot of people are concerned that the joe manchins of the world and the kristen sinema's of the world have too much influence. while we are trying to move forward on some of the big policies we have got to take control of the party and show the leadership and the bold leadership that joe biden was elected for. >> ashley, it is the midterm.

so what is your advice to your party as a republican? how confident should they be? are you worried they could be overconfident? >> i am a former republican for the record. i have been a public never trumper since 2016. but my advice to them would be to detach themselves from donald trump. we are seeing the opposite. he has an iron grasp on the party. they are pushing themselves more to the right. honestly, at this point, if the supreme court moves forward in overturning roe v wade that gives the republicans a way to win over the senate? we are trying to purge our 2021 energy here. real quickly, what do you think america should leave behind in

2021? >> we have got to the leave behind the big lie. that is literally part of our political discourse so much so that it led to the january 6th insurrection that we are still investigating. so let's please get rid of the big lie and stop listening to that so we can move forward as a nation and protect and save democracy. >> ashley, what are you leaving behind? >> i was going the say donald trump because of the big lie. but i will say donald trump in general. let's stop giving him air time. at this point he needs to be put in the past and the republican party needs to be rebuild and move forward. >> all right. thank you to both for joining us on this holiday. we do appreciate it. happy new year to both of you. up next an answer to the question that is on your screen -- when will omicron end? and how bad could it get until that happens? that happens ♪ ♪ ♪ i'm so defensive, i got bongos thumping in my chest ♪

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for staying connected. the questions they weren't able to ask. show up for the first day of school, the last day at their current address. for the mornings when everything's wrong. for the manicure that makes everything right, for right now. show up, however you can, for the foster kids who need it most— at helpfosterchildren.com good day, and happy new year. welcome to alex witt reports. i'm joe fryer. we start this hour and start 2022 with series of unfolding sorrylines. first, more flight disruptions. right now, more than 2,400 u.s. flights have been canceled. today's disruptions not just due to the virus, but also from wintry weather in parts of the country this. comes after americans rang in the new year in a tempered fashion in new