. >> your daughter spent weeks in the nicu, i can only imagine the stress as a mom to experience thatry scary time. spending that time in the nicu and my health complications, it was all just a lot to handle. >> we mentioned how women of color are so much more at risk. black women in particular are three times more likely to die from pregnancy complications than white women, and the racial disparity remains despite a mother's income and education level. why do you think that is? and what needs to change to fix it? >> yeah, there are several issues, but one is there is this implicit bias in our medical system, and a lot of times, women of color, our pain isn't heard. things are missed, and we really have to speak up and advocate for ourselves. unfortunately, that's the case until the systems in place really change, and so raising awareness and events like today really a commitment to further research and resources to this problem. >> you've talked about finding your voice on this issue, and given your platform that you have an opportunity to really shine light on a number of different

being overwhelmed in terms of the number of— being overwhelmed in terms of the number of people in nicue number— whether we have enough for the number of— whether we have enough for the number of serious legal patients but there is— number of serious legal patients but there is this other important part of that— there is this other important part of that which is the nhs and medical staff are _ of that which is the nhs and medical staff are just as likely if not more likely— staff are just as likely if not more likely given when they were in hospitals to get sick from covid in the number of people who as you say you're _ the number of people who as you say you're up— the number of people who as you say you're up 54% of the previous week of health— you're up 54% of the previous week of health workers who were off with covid _ of health workers who were off with covid and _ of health workers who were off with covid and there is 19,000 people off i’ilht covid and there is 19,000 people off right now— covid and there is 19,000 people off right now due to having configure the virus — right n

without a skilled nurse to actually work in _ without a skilled nurse to actually work in nicu bed it's's really not anywhere near as useful as it would be otherwise. so we have a lot of things— be otherwise. so we have a lot of things going on and we expect that to be _ things going on and we expect that to be a _ things going on and we expect that to be a significant strain on the healthcare system. in to be a significant strain on the healthcare system.— healthcare system. in terms of restrictions _ healthcare system. in terms of restrictions in _ healthcare system. in terms of restrictions in the _ healthcare system. in terms of restrictions in the united - healthcare system. in terms of| restrictions in the united states and different restrictions in different countries all around the world, what do you make of what the government and the various state authorities are doing? is it enough? it's not really enough to prevent omicron — it's not really enough to prevent omicron seriously. the problem is it's quite _ omicron seriously. the problem is it's quite difficult to see exactly w

because even those mild and moderate symptoms who don't wind up in nicu and still overwhelm an already busy and started -- settled system. kristen: i want to talk about the travel component. the ministration is requiring incoming travelers from foreign countries not only to test -- i guess shortening the test window. i guess three days. now it's one day. does that make a difference? do you seal adjustable challenges with that? dr. patel: i think the logistical challenge is implementation. let's see how we're going to verify those and make sure people are getting those tests. is there going to be a quarantine period if you don't get tested? i don't want to put this in the atmosphere. what is going to be the penalty if people don't do it? we've heard people all over the world say you go to a specific center where they monitor you, you have to get rapid testing before you can get out and leave the airport. i'm curious to see what that's going to look like. in theory, this does make sense, especially people traveling to other countries. we're unsure of their vaccination status. it would be

selling weapons to the military to prevent more atrocities and comes as the military were cced power. nicu in february, continues an offensive against armed groups. in the southeast, thousands of people have fled into neighboring thailand. tony chang has more from the ty, bought a town of may salt. it's a lot quanch's day. we have had a few little clashes. we heard her some bangs inside miramar, but the fighting seems to have moved in from the immediate border area. that's what the time military were telling us. they seemed a lot more relaxed, very different from yesterday when we saw her fighting really right up to the river more that the, the border itself and villages pouring across. we even saw an attack helicopter operating along the border. a lot of villages said that that was the thing. they were really most scared about. the air strikes that had been coming in or to the places they lived there. still on the tie side, there are more than 5000 people who came across in the last couple of weeks that we spoke to a couple of them who said they still don't want to go home. they're still

it will shut down a bit disrupting, to make his protest since the nicu in october or less, get more now from val who's in court to mohammed, what's happening right now in the streets. so we have a situation there in the central larry of cotton where you see crowds trying to approach the presidential police, but they, they, they are never able to really stay there all to be united in one in one contiguous group. so skirmishes, air, a security forces in huge numbers, unprecedented at numbers, are in every street in every corner. and they are attacking the protesters, dispersing them every time we try to, to approach you know, that the protest as have always been trying to get it to gather in front of the presidential palace. the, those who try to cross into central cartoon coming from the other a sides of the city of the capital, which is made up of 3 different cities, have been unable to do that because the bridges have been closed since yesterday night or more success on the on the side of the security forces his time around for probably because of the big numbers that they are using a

the military, which these power nicu back in february has been accused of committing atrocities against villages thousands now fleeing violence. and heading over into thailand, that is where tony cheng reports from the ty bought a ton of my thought the we're now in a small forest area, we're, some of the m refugees have come across the border a staying. they come from just across the river here. they've been filtering over in the last week or 2. some have only come in the last couple of days. they don't want to join the, the mass of refugees that the tie authorities are trying to assemble in one place because they say they want to go home. they just don't feel it's safe yet. even though there's been very little gunfire to day. that said, i think the tie authorities are facing this problem now they are trying to get the situation under control in some areas yesterday we saw them putting up the razor was trying not to encourage people to come across. and in some places, they were very happy to stay put, just as long as they had an easy access. if the fighting got any closer, we have heard

at ten hours old, she had a brain bleed, yet after months of round the clock care in the nicu, kara finally came home and diagnosed with cerebral palsy. they thought this would be her biggest challenge. christie kept careful tract of her daughter's progress as he learned to walk and talk. by october of 2002, kara was almost three years old. >> in october of 2002, the list ends. >> yeah, right. i heard her say mama. >> i know it's hard to imagine that. >> i do hear her in my dreams. so that's -- that's hurtful. >> i can imagine. i'm so sorry. i'm so sorry. as the words stopped, the hitting started. >> from age four to age six was really hard, because we would take turns on who was going to hold and lay with her and make sure she's not going to punch her face and break her nose and break her eye sockets. the developmental pediatricians say it's autism. >> and that was around age four? >> uh-huh. >> what was that like to hear? >> terrifying. i knew nothing about it. >> what christie would learn, there's no cure or effective treatments. kara is completely nonverbal. one night she repeatedly hit

yet, after months of around-the-clock care in the nicu, kara finally came home, diagnosed with cerebral palsy. they thought this would be her biggest challenge. at nine months she started intense physical and speech therapy and christie kept careful track of her daughter's progress as she learned to walk and talk. by october 2002, kara was almost 3 years old and could speak 68 words. >> apple, bubbles, knock knock. >> wouldof. >> and then october 2002, the list ends. >> right. >> you know, i heard her say "mama." >> i know it's hard to manalen that. >> i hear her in my dreams. so that's hurtful. >> i can imagine. i am so sorry. i'm so sorry. as the words stopped, the hitting started. >> age 4 to age 6 was really hard. we would take turns on who was going to hold and lay with her and make sure she is not going to punch her face and break her nose and eye sockets. >> watch what you are doing. that's right. >> and the developmental pediatricians say it's autism. >> that was around age 4? >> mm-hmm. >> what was that like to hear? >> terrifying. i knew nothing about it. >> but christie would

at atrium health, babies in the nicu are all dressed up in jolly outfits as they celebrate their first christmas. despite newborns being away from the comfort of home, their families are able to make the most of it with a little help from preemies of the carolinas. >>> we're grateful to have you with us this christmas. thank you so much for joining us. cnn "newsroom" continues with my friend amara walker right now. >>> you're live in the cnn "newsroom." i am amara walker in atlanta. merry christmas to you. >>> any minute now, president biden will be speaking virtually with service members around the world on this christmas day. you can see live pictures as they get that address ready. we'll bring that to you live as soon as it happens. >>> we're beginning with new covid cases racing toward a record high in the u.s. and the fast spreading omicron variant. the u.s. is averaging more than 182,000 new cases a day. that is a 48% jump from last week. also, covid deaths are up more than 30% from a week ago but are still far from where they were at the peak of the pandemic. we're heading to th

. - i had to leave my baby in the hospital nicu. - [narrator] because of the support of caring people is helping fight for the health of moms, babies, and families every day. but there are still so many more who need your help. - with your help, stories like mine will not remain unspoken. with your help, moms and babies can survive. - [narrator] please call march of dimes right now. your gift of $19 a month, just 63 cents a day will provide the support and services needed to improve maternal health and infant survival. your monthly donation can keep moms and babies healthy. march of dimes funded the research that beat polio in the us and funded breakthrough treatments that have helped millions of moms and babies survive and thrive. - [woman 3] but we won't win this battle without you. - [narrator] please call now with your gift of just $19 a month, only 63 cents a day. use your credit card to receive this free blanket to show your support. if operators are busy, please call again or go to helpmarchofdimes.org to give. - your gift of any amount will help save a life. together, we can e

so people have this idea -- and there has been progress in nicu medicine for sure, but not the astronomicaless that it sometimes painted as because today at about 24 weeks, if a person whos continuing the pregnancy go into premature labor, they're somewhere in the ballpark of a 50% chance of survival of that fetus, maybe a little higr these days, and often with significant moderate disability. so the medical profession has pegged it there. there's no problem with the viability standard because it moves with medicine. th signicant shame about the viability standard is it is the only principled standard to use the term of lie rikelman who argued the case, and argue this in my book, because it is the only gestational or developmental standard that accounts for the pregnant person. it is the only one that acknowledges the person inhom that embryo or fetus lives and is dependent on. so what the court did in roe very wisely is to say essentially the biological goal of pregnancy is to deliver an independent person, a baby. and so at the point of development, when at least theoretically that fetus

at atrium health, babies in the nicu are all dressed up in jolly outfits as they celebrate their firstake the most of it with a little help from preemies of the carolinas. >>> we're grateful to have you with us this christmas. thank you so much for joining us. cnn "newsroom" continues with my friend amara walker right now. >>> you're live in the cnn "newsroom." i am amara walker in atlanta. merry christmas to you. >>> any minute now, president biden will be speaking virtually with service members around the world on this christmas day. u

. - i had to leave my baby in the hospital nicu. - [narrator] because of the support of caring people like you, march of dimes is helping fight for the health of moms, babies, and families every day. but there are still so many more who need your help. - with your help, stories like mine will not remain unspoken. with your help, moms and babies can survive. - [narrator] please call march of dimes right now. your gift of $19 a month, just 63 cents a day will provide the support and services needed to improve maternal health and infant survival. your monthly donation can keep moms and babies healthy. march of dimes funded the research that beat polio in the us and funded breakthrough treatments that have helped millions of moms and babies survive and thrive. - [woman 3] but we won't win this battle without you. - [narrator] please call now with your gift of just $19 a month, only 63 cents a day. use your credit card to receive this free blanket to show your support. if operators are busy, please call again or go to helpmarchofdimes.org to give. - your gift of any amount will help save a

understand why it would be valuable to not have to decide between keeping your job and like staying in the nicuink resonates with a whole heck of a lot of people so it's almost a given. it's almost obvious. that nonobvious thing is the fact that even if you don't care at all for the benefit it provides for american families, care about it for the very selfish, economic reality that we need more children in this country. and it should go without saying that plenty of politicians have made great campaigns about supporting children and thinking of the children. here is something that can really create a policy that incentivises and motivates american to not just have children which is an important need right now, in the long-term picture of the country. but also give them the best possible foundation to start. >> alexis, always good to talk to you on this subject. i hope next time we're talking about it with better news. >> you and me both, katy. thanks. >>> coming up next, something of a miracle in puerto rico. rain forests once decimated by farming are back. voya doesn't just help me get to reti

she was taken by a nurse to the nicu unit of that hospital, and she is still alive and thriving today. i satha there with that abortion survivor, thinking that abortion is not about random tissue. it's about a person. quite frankly, this morning the person who was sitting right in front of me. now i understand full well of a pastor who is now a senator. i'm fully aware that i've a biblical worldviewot and my dedication to children is not just because i'm a follower of jesus and believe that every person is created in the image of god. i also firmly can look at the science, the science is clear to anyone who's willing to get past the talking points and actually look into the womb. at the moment of fertilization a new distinct human being comes intoer existence. it's not just a fertilized egg. it's a new human. this new cell which is called a zygote shows behavior that's unlike the behavior of any other cell around itth if it's in the woman's body. the t dna inside that cell is different than the dna inside anyl other cell in the mom's body. that cell has everything that he or she needs

nicu babies meeting santa claus for the first time.those are your headlines. steve: you know what they need to come up with? they need a mask that looks like santa's bearded. ainsley: that would be cute. reporter: that would be a winning mask. steve: wonderful program. thank you. ainsley: cute little babies. so sweet. steve: so little. ainsley: adorable. 8:12 a.m. on the east coast and head, bad news for joe biden. a new op-ed is begging the president not to run for the reelection. the shocking pleas published in the "new york times". brian: plus, general hospital star speaking out after he was forced to quit because of disney's a vaccine mandate. now, he's taking a stand to up others protect them. >> if we don't choose what we are allowed to put in our bodies, we don't own our bodies anymore. switching wireless carriers is easy with xfinity. just lean on our helpful switch squad to help you save with xfinity mobile. they can help break up with your current carrier for you and transfer your info to your new phone. giving you a fast and