alone. airlines say positive cases have hit their pilots and crews hard this holiday season. so far this month, 3.4 million americans have contracted covid. the states that you see here in red and orange report a rise in cases over the past 72 hours. meanwhile, it s a wild christmas weather wise in the u.s. parts of the pacific northwest are getting a rare white christmas. the sierra nevadas could get up to ten feet of snow, and then in the southwest storms and high winds could knock out power lines and make driving pretty tricky. and pope francis delivering his annual christmas message in vatican city. the pontiff talked about keeping peace in our heart despite all the conflicts and crises in our world today. that s a quick look at this hour s top headlines. the cross connection with tiffany cross continues after the break. merry christmas. the break. merry christmas. how liberty mutual customizes their car insurance. ow! i m ok! only pay for what you need. liberty. liberty.
make sure it is a live operator so that you know it is real. we will check it out. thanks for watching. cbs evening news is next and ll captioning sponsored by cbs it s the nightmare before christmas, thousands of flights canceled as the omicron variant takes a toll on airline workers. hole day travelers stranded as covid infects flight cruise. i want to cry. yuccas: could the c.d.c. step in and shorten isolation periods for airline employees? plus smashing covid records. wild christmas weather. a powerful storm and record warm temperatures. your christmas day forecast. team tragedy, a officer s stray bullet hits a 14-year-old reportedly trying on dresses for her quinceañera. why l.a.p.d. opened fire in the first place. > these are a tragic and
uncertain future. we missed christmas and nears coming up, we have a big fear. we are trying to clear out beds but there are quite literally no beds in this hospital. it s just as easy as getting vaccinated, being wise about who you re around. at this point, i m just asking for your help. reporter: and we also learned tonight the white house lifted a temporary ban on travel from eight south african countries nears day, a decision the world health organization has been urging, jamie. reporter: and the the world health organization also said today santa is immune from covid so we have good news ahead of christmas. nancy chen, thank you. a. yuccas: a powerful winter storm could bring five to eight feet of snow to the sierra nevada, while other parts of the country could be in store for a record warm christmas day. cbs s lonnie quinn joins us now with the latest forecast. talk about extreme, lonnie.