be met with a cost that will be severe. here at home, after biden s domestic agenda takes a hit again, the president is now considering changes to his economic strategy, including breaking up the build back better plan into what he called chunks. will senators manchin and sinema get on board? and a brand-new report released just moments ago, states with weaker gun laws have higher rates of firearm-related homicides and suicides. we have those numbers ahead. but we begin with what by all accounts could be an impending invasion. joining us now is cnn international diplomatic editor nic robertson live from moscow and cnn national security correspondent kylie atwood at the state department. nic, let s begin with you on the latest, that russia says that it would welcome another call between biden and putin. of course, this coming after president biden saying yesterday that he would be open to perhaps another summit between the two leaders as well. what more are we hearing?
identifying the suspect who held four people hostage at a texas synagogue for nearly 11 hours saturday. president biden calling it an act of terror. now chilling new audio released of the gunman ranting during that standoff. also this morning, voting rights legislation stalled on capitol hill, but republican senator mitt romney says there is growing bipartisan support for some changes, those to the electoral count act. we ll have more on that and what it means in a moment. let s begin with our wondwinter storm coverage. polo sand volume live in pittsburgh. dianne gallagher, it s the ice, the heavy snow wreaking travel havoc there this morning. what are you seeing? reporter: you mentioned travel havoc, jim, look, yesterday out of charlotte s international airport, 90% of the flights were canceled. a little bit better today with just over a third canceled but significant travel issues threw the carolinas. this is why. you see this slick ice on the ground, you can hear it,
makes his mid-term year debut. he still leads the republican party, and he is still all about the big lie. we begin the hour though with a calendar collision. this year s martin luther king holiday and the teetering democratic push for voting rights. right now the house speaker and others from congress, members of the king family as well, at union station here in washington, d.c., about to demand action on voting rights. just moments ago the vice president of the united states adding her voice. we must not be complacent or complicit. we must not give up, and we must not give in. to truly honor the legacy of the man we celebrate today, we must continue to fight for the freedom to vote for freedom for all. the outlook though is beyond bleak. the top senate democrat chuck schumer plans an up or down vote on voting rights legislation tomorrow, and the math seems certain, certain that it will fail. so it is normally a holiday of tribute and reflection is raw this year. martin
heads to to florida. a full page ad from the new york times from the post popular democrat on the planet, the former first lady michelle obama. we begin this hour with the coronavirus and its staggering across-the-board disruchts the numbers are simply numbing. the united states is now averaging more than 100,000 new infections daily. that leading workers to call out sick at record numbers. up analysis estimates more than 5 million americans could be stuck at home ice late over the coming days meaning, of course, disruption across the economy. today in chicago some 340,000 students missing school for a fourth consecutive day as the teachers union and the city continue to fight over safety and reopening. their alliance cancelling thousands more flights over the weekend as covid outbreaks among workers continue, and the health care system is teetering. nearly one in four hospitals report critical staffing shortages. cnn s senior medical correspondent elizabeth cohen is live w
and under staffed. surrounded by ice and snow, drivers look for a ways out of one of america s busiest enter states. and boycotts and covid until the beijing winter olympics. we look at the challenges facing the organizers. announcer: live from london, this is cnn newsroom with isa soares. welcome, everyone. it s great to be back with you. it is tuesday, january 4th. and for the first time in nearly four months, the u.s. is reporting more than 100,000 people in the hospital with covid-19. i want to show you this, a look at this map. really a sea of dark red there. the vast majority of the country seeing high levels of transmission right now. the latest data from the cdc shows unvaccinated adults are eight times more likely to end up in the hospital compared to vaccinated adults. now, states are also reporting surges in the number of children in the hospital. former acting director of the cdc, seeing an intense strain on america s health system. have a listen. if y