republican senator in u.s. history. senator hatch who passed away yesterday at the age of 88. biden referring to hatch as a fighter who never humored a bully or shied away from a challenge, but also a gentle soul. he served for 42 years in congress, retiring in 2019. in his farewell speech, he said his heart was heavy because it longed for the days in which democrats and republicans would meet on a middle ground. every year, viewers nominate, vote for and support cnn heroes. every day people from around the world serving others. last december, you chose to honor shirley raynes as the 2021 cnn hero of the year for her work bringing hope and healing to homeless people on skid row. this week, we wanted to check in on her give you a peek inside her big win night and what she s
curricular activities because of it. regina, you are so inspiring and impressive. thank you for your service. congratulations on the home. pam, thanks for all your hard work helping folks like regina and giving back to them for so much they ve done for us. merry christmas to you both and thank you for the time. have a happy christmas. merry christmas. thank you. merry christmas to you. the best story on christmas day. thank you so much. coming up, we re going to introduce you to the 2021 cnn hero of the year, and her inspiring work with california s homeless. some of my best make this the year of less stress and more yes with northwestern mutual. so when she moved in with us, a new kitchen became part of our financial plan. i want to make the most of every meal we have together.
this month, cnn named its hero of the year. and she is impressive. kaitlan collins has more. the 2021 cnn hero of the year is shirley raines! shirley raines runs a nonprofit called beauty 2 the streetz, transforming part of skid row to an outdoor beauty salon, offering hair cuts, facials and meals and hugs. cnn s shirley raines joins me now. a., i loved your outfit so much. perry meek, he did that, de not? it was perfect. obviously, there was so much behind this. but how did you start this project? what really helped you to get this started? i think everyone knows at this point, my son passed away many years ago, and i broke. emotionally, spiritually, i have
christmas morning. she ll joining us later this hour. and we ll hear from one woman who s inspiring work with the homeless has earned her the title cnn hero of the year. all that and more is coming up this christmas morning. first, let s get a check of your news headlines. good morning and merry christmas to you. i m jessica dean. the omicron surge means getting home for christmas is a challenge for many travelers today. both delta is united flight cancellations are in the triple digits for the second straight day. delta canceled 268 flights. united had 196 cancellations. jetblue canceled 120 flights. the airlines are blaming staffing shortages stemming from the omicron variant. pete muntean has details. reporter: as these cases cause their staffing levels to
and we ll introduce you to this year s cnn hero of the year. shirley, how she plans to continue her important work with the homeless and less fortunate in the year ahead. all that and more, let s get you caught up on this morning s top stories. thanks so much to boris and amara. good morning, and merry christmas to you. i m jessica dean in washington. the omicron covid surge is making holiday travel a headache for a lot of people today. both delta and united flight cancellations are in the triple digits for the second straight day. delta canceled 268 flights while united at 196 cancellations. jetblue canceled 120 flights. the airlines are blaming staffing shortages stemming from the omicron variant. they want the cdc to cut the isolation period in half for employees who develop breakthrough cases from ten days down to five. nasa will attempt to launch