changing. omicron is not a wave, wolf. it's a tsunami. there are huge numbers. but the more we learn, the more it's clear that it's not causing anything like the kind of severe illness that prior waves did. that means nothing about what the next wave may be. maybe delta will come back. maybe another variant will come. maybe no other variants will come and that kind of uncertainty means at the beginning of every statement we should say, based on what we know now, here is our best advice for how you can be safe and keep your family and community safe. >> still a lot of confusion out there. dr. tom freeden, thank you for joining us. these are important issues. coming up, new insight right now to the courageous escape by hostages held at gunpoint inside a texas synagogue. the fbi calling the standoff an act of terrorism. this is "the situation room special report."