now a community is mourning the loss of three young lives. u.s. officials consider new travel requirements for everyone as the omicron coronavirus variant raises concerns around the world. and open to engaging, donald trump's former chief of staff agrees to cooperate with lawmakers investigating the january 6 capitol riot. ♪ ♪ >> announcer: live from cnn center, this is "cnn newsroom" with rosemary church. it is wednesday, december 1st, and we are following two big stories this hour. the omicron variant of the coronavirus now in 22 countries and territories, saudi arabia being the latest. but it has not yet been detected here in the u.s. health experts stress vaccines are still key to controlling its spread. israel's health minister is the latest to voice his optimism that the current vaccines and boosters will offer protection against this variant. we are also following a deadly shooting at a high school in michigan. the three teen victims have been identified. the gunman is in custody and on suicide watch, and we will have much more on that in just a moment. first up, the u.s. centers for disease control and prevention is stepping up surveillance at four major airports to keep an eye out for the omicron variant in travelers. they are newark liberty in new jersey, john f. kennedy in new york, san francisco international, and hartsfield-jackson in atlanta. >> we are actively looking for the omicron variant right here in the united states. right now there is no evidence of omicron in the united states. >> also the biden administration is thinking about stricter rules for people flying into the country, including u.s. citizens. cnn's kaitlan collins has that. >> reporter: well, the united states is currently considering imposing new testing requirements on travelers returning to the united states. that includes u.s. citizens, even those who are vaccinated and, of course, foreign travelers as well. right now the period to get tested before getting on a flight to enter the united states is about three days. 72 hours before your departure time. and now we are told officials are considering shortening that time frame to one day. of course, that would also come in conjunction with something else they are weighing, which is requiring all travelers who get to the united states to have to take a test several days after their arrival. essentially, retest to make sure they are still negative following that negative test to get on their flight. these are things that are coming up now. officials are racing to figure out what kind of threat is posed to the united states by the broader community by this new omicron variant. something, of course, the white house has made clear they still don't have the answer to. but it comes as there has been criticism over the travel restrictions that president biden imposed on monday as other world leaders did as well. for south africa and neighboring nations. they were exempt from the travel restrictions but they could still carry the omicron variant just as much as anyone else can. the white house seems to be adjusting to that, trying to make sure they are taking these efforts to contain this variant in case it turns out to be a worst case scenario. something they hope to learn in the coming days. kaitlan collins, cnn, the white house. well, now to europe and asia where leaders are anxiously tracking cases of the omicron variant on their own shores, dutch officials say the new variant was in the netherlands a week earlier than previously thought. the strain was found in two test samples taken on november 19th and 23rd. and as concern spreads across the uk, the prime minister says he is making sure that all adults are able to get their booster shots by the end of january. meanwhile, germany is considering tougher restrictions for the unvaccinated. several proposal are up for debate including limits on private gatherings and expanding rules that require proof of vaccination or recovery from covid to enter all stores. and japan is further tightening its border due to the variant. starting today, foreign nationals with japanese residency will be banned from re-entering japan if they have traveled to one of ten african countries. our will ripley is standing by for us in hong kong, but first let's go to cnn's cyril vanier who joins us live from paris. so, cyril, what is the latest on these rising covid cases in france and these possible new restrictions on the unvaccinated in germany? >> reporter: yeah, two things we're looking at, rosemary, with concern, are confirmed cases of the omicron variant in europe and there has been one confirmed case in france although not on the mainland. this was in the reunion, indian ocean island. and the second thing we're looking at, of course, is the surge of cases due to the delta variant. so, in france yesterday we had almost 50,000 new infections. that is the highest number since april. this is, of course, concerning especially for a country that has a high vaccination rate. 75% of the overall population, 90% of the eligible population. france is now banking on boosters, and boosters are open to all adults, rosemary. meanwhile, on the other side of the french/german border, there is still a great deal of concern over the current surge of cases, especially in the eastern regions. saxony, bavaria, the worst affected where i.c.u. beds are at capacity in multiple places. that's why the incoming chancellor mr. olaf scholz did say yesterday and confirmed to tv he was favorable to a vaccine mandate. this is a complete new turn because the germans were not open to that earlier this year. but given the surge in cases that they've had, given the difficulties they've had, and baffling and containing covid, mr. scholz now open to this. if it were approved for multiple months, he wants this to be raised by german lawmakers as opposed to the leaders of the executive branch. so that's not to say that a vaccine mandate will exist in germany, but that does mean that there is now a lot more openness to it than there has been in the past, rosemary. >> indeed. and, will, we want to go to you because japan has tough new border restrictions. what's the latest on that? >> reporter: just in the last few minutes, rosemary, we have learned there is now an additional hurdle that japanese, even citizens will have in getting back to the country. we have just confirmed that the japanese government has requested all international airlines stop accepting new flight reservations. that means if they haven't booked their travel in advance, even japanese citizens may have a very difficult time getting back into the country for christmas or the new year holiday. this is new information added to a whole host of restrictions that japan has put in place as they have just identified their second case of the omicron variant. this was in a man in his 20s, tested positive in narita airport traveling from peru, which curiously hasn't reported a single new case of the new variant. apparently this traveller has tested positive along with a man from namibia who tested positive as well. japan is going to bann entry of all new arrivals, even foreign arrivals. japanese residents coming from ten southern african countries, namibia, south africa, angola, they are now banned from entering the country. so you can see that they're really stacking on the restrictions, rosemary, to try to keep omicron out even though they have already detected two cases coming in. >> all right. our thanks to cyril vanier and will ripley joining us bringing us up to date on the situation. appreciate it. and do join us for a cnn town hall, coronavirus facts and fears hosted by anderson cooper and dr. sanjay gupta and featuring dr. anthony fauci. that is wednesday at 8:00 p.m. in new york, 9:00 a.m. thursday in hong kong, and 5:00 a.m. in abu dhabi. a horrifying but sadly familiar scene unfolded in michigan on tuesday. three people died and eight others were injured in america's latest school shooting. a 15-year-old boy is in custody and under suicide watch at a juvenile detention facility, and the hand gun at the scene was purchased by the suspect's father on friday. >> the deputies removed from the suspect the 9 millimeter sig sauer sp 2022 pistol. it was loaded at the time and still contained seven rounds of ammunition. when they took it from him, he had a loaded firearm, and he was coming down the hall. that, again, i believe interrupted what potentially could have been seven more victims. >> teachers and students barricaded doors and hid in classrooms. one class feared the shooter was trying to lure them out into the hall so they escaped through a classroom window. >> we're not willing to take that risk right now. >> i can't hear you. >> we're not taking that risk right now. >> okay. well, open the door, bro. >> yeah, bro. >> no. >> he said bro. red flag. >> [ bleep ]. >> just terrifying for those students. and one of the victims, a 16-year-old boy, died in the deputy's car on the way to the hospital. michigan's governor rushed to the scene and had this to say. >> this is a uniquely american problem that we need to address. but at this juncture i think we need to focus on the community, the families, supporting all the first responders, including incredible people at our hospitals that are working so hard to save the lives of those who are fighting for their lives right now. i think this is every parent's worst nightmare. >> aden paige is a senior at oxford high school. he says the shooter was so close to his classroom that a bullet pierced one of the desks that was barricading the door. the class was in lockdown for an hour. >> we heard two gunshots. after that my teacher ran to lock t we barricaded and covered the windows and hid. the very first thing in my head was, this is actually happening. i'm going to text my family, say i love them just in case if i were to die. and then after everything kind of calmed down for a second, i was able to like get my breath and rationalize things. >> community members gathered at a local church tuesday night to mourn the victims. >> they didn't deserve it, you know. they deserved to be known, but they didn't deserve to die tonight. and just everybody who went through it, we're all family, a community, and i think we really need to go through this together. >> today was really traumatic for all of us, and just seeing everybody together here in each other's presence was really good for everyone. >> cnn's adrienne broadus spoke to some community members about how they learned of the shooting. >> reporter: i spoke with a grandmother earlier in the day. she said she got the alert that the school was on lockdown minutes after leaving a funeral. she lives about an hour north of here in saginaw, michigan. she said the first call she made was to her pastor to request prayer because she didn't know what was going on. she later found out her two grandchildren who were at the school were okay. her oldest grandson, who is a senior and also a friend of tate meyer, was able to escape. he ran to a nearby grocery store. folks here know that grocery store as meyer. his younger brother was still inside of the school, barricaded in a classroom with his teacher and a few other students. he was hiding under a desk when he called his father to let his father know what happened. tonight that grandmother told me those prayers she requested from her pastor now turn to this community. at least 1800 students attend this school. and in the interest of full transparency, that grandmother i've known since i was a child, and her pastor is my father. and they told me, we see this on the news all the time, adrienne, and we never knew it would show up in our community. >> hannah, juliana, and madison baldwin were killed. seven other students were shot. three of them are in critical condition, including a 14-year-old girl who is on a ventilator after having surgery. one teacher who was shot has been treated and released. and we'll be right back. with mucinex nightshift you've got powerful relief from your worst nighttime cold and flu symptoms. so grab nightshift to fight your symptoms, get your zzz's... and get back to your rhythm. ♪ the relief you need. the cash you want. nurse mariyam sabo knows a moment this pure... ...demands a lotion this pure. new gold bond pure moisture lotion. 24-hour hydration. no parabens, dyes, or fragrances. gold bond. champion your skin. dog barks you're right bunker, the medicare enrollment deadline is almost here. if you're on medicare and you want to explore your options, the deadline to enroll is december 7th. so, you should act now. were do i find the right medicare plan? at healthmarkets, they search many of the nation's most recognized carriers so they can help you find the right plan, at the right price that's the right fit for you. how long does it take? just minutes. my current plan only covers 80% of my 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cnn's eleni giokos joins us live from johannesburg. eleni, what are you learning about the three confirmed cases in nigeria? >> reporter: well, the nigerian center for disease control says they have embarked on sequencing on recent cases and they have discovered three cases of people that had recent travel to south africa. we are talking about in the past week, and these are three cases that have been verified with the omicron variant. so now we are seeing a little bit more data and understanding of just how widespread omicron is. as you said, it's now been identified in 20 countries or territories around the world. interestingly, where you're seeing the most aggressive travel bans being instituted in the southern african region, only botswana and south africa have confirmed variant cases right now. in south africa you're seeing a very big surge of positive cases. over 4,000 in yesterday's session, but again, a very vast difference to what you're seeing in countries across europe where you're seeing tens of thousands of cases. but south africa is starting to post a lot more omicron variant cases, specifically here where i am in houteng. there is anecdotal evidence coming through, not as much as previous variants. but is it transmissible? in terms of efficacy, the pharmaceutical companies are trying to ascertain that. the health minister says the biggest deterrent remains vaccines. what we've also heard, and this is again anecdotal evidence coming through the center of disease control in south africa, saying some of the most concentrated cases of covid-19 you're seeing hospitalizations still being prevalent among the unvaccinated. so perhaps that's one clue in terms of vaccine efficacy against the omicron variant. in terms of travel bans that you're seeing, emirates says it is going to continue flying to south africa, but only bringing people in, not taking anyone out. british airways saying they will resume flights again a few times a week, only for uk citizens and people with visas, and they will then have to quarantine once they get to the uk. you're seeing this widespread reaction on travel bans coming through from across the world, and this is sort of the panic that has now come through because of this new variant that has been dubbed as a variant of concern. but again, rosemary, not much is known. what we just do know is south africa's advanced genomic sequencing was one of the most important steps in understanding the variant that perhaps might be the next dominant variant around the world. >> so important what they did, and now of course, paying so very dearly for it with these travel bans. eleni giokos join us live from johannesburg. many thanks. refusing to accept the shower sharing agreement between the prime minister and the military, tens of thousands of demonstrators filled the streets of khartoum tuesday demanding full civilian rule. police responded with tear gas. the civilian aligned sudan central doctors committee say 43 people have died since the october 25th takeover. a german court has issued a landmark ruling, the first in the world, to recognize crimes by isis against the people as genocide. an iraqi man who was a member of isis was sentenced to life in prison after being convicted of enslaving a yazidi girl in 2015 and chaining her up outside where she died in the scorching heat. the court ruled he was involved in a wider campaign of genocide and crimes against humanity against the yizidi people. isis militants persecuted the kurdish speaking minority in iraq and syria for years, killing and enslaving thousands. well, russian president vladimir putin is stepping up his rhetoric, warning nato not to send military forces or missile systems to ukraine. he says russia has no intention of invading ukraine, but warns moscow would be forced to take action if it's threatened. meantime, cnn has just learned that u.s. secretary of state anthony blinken will meet with the foreign ministers of russia and ukraine thursday to discuss these growing tensions. cnn's alex marquart has more now on blinken's diplomatic efforts, including his meeting with nato in latvia. >> reporter: secretary of state tony blinken warned there would be severe consequence for russia if there is, what he called, renewed aggression. blinken was speaking with reporters here in latvian capital. he said the u.s. is very concerned about the russian military troop buildup along the border with ukraine as well as increasingly belligerent rhetoric. blinken said russia often pairs these moves with efforts to destabilize a country from the inside. that was in response to a question about an allegation made by the ukrainian president vladimir zelensky about a coup plot against him. blinken said he did not know whether that was true or not, but he did say this. >> we have seen russia's playbook many times over, and part of that playbook is to attempt to create and manufacture a so-called provocation as justification for something that russia is planning to do all along. and so whether what's been reported fits into that playbook, i don't know. >> reporter: this nato summit that blinken is attending here in latvia is right on russia's doorstep. that is sure to anger russian president vladimir putin who has worked relentlessly for years to undermine the nato alliance. blinken said he would have more to say about the situation between russia and ukraine following these nato meetings. the u.s. has already shared some intelligence that it has about russia with nato allies. meanwhile, the secretary-general of nato said that russia needs to de-escalate. >> we stand united in our aim to deter russia from any further aggressive actions. we call on russia to be transparent, de-escalate, and reduce tensions. any future russian aggression against ukraine would come at a high price. >> reporter: from here, secretary blinken travels to the swedish capital stockholm to meet with other european allies as tensions between russia and the west heat up. alex marquart, cnn, latvia. donald trump's chief of staff agrees to cooperate with lawmakers investigating the january 6 capitol riot. what this means for mark meadows and the insurrection probe. and in new york, the first accuser in the sex trafficking trial against ghislaine maxwell takes the stand. hear some of her emotional testimony. that's next. elief vicks sinex. instantly clear everyday congestion. and try vicks sinex children's saline. safe and gentle relief for children's noses. start your day with crest 3d white and from mochaccinos to merlot, your smile will always be brilliant. crest 3d white brilliance. 100% stain removal, 24 hour stain resistance to lock in your whitest smile. crest. the #1 toothpaste brand in america. do you struggle to fall asleep and stay asleep? qunol sleep formula combines 5 key nutrients that can help you fall asleep faster, stay asleep longer, and wake up refreshed. the brand i trust is qunol. re-entering data that 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[screams and laughter] yeah! xfinity brought us together after all. get started with xfinity internet and ask about wifi speed fast than a gig. click, call or visit a store today. welcome back to "cnn newsroom." i'm rosemary church. if you are just joining us, let me bring you up to date on our top stories this hour. three people are dead and eight others injured in america's deadliest school shooting of the year. authorities say the 15-year-old suspect is in custody under suicide watch, and we will continue to bring you the latest as the story unfolds. meanwhile, u.s. health officials are considering new requirements for all travelers to help detect omicron variant cases. the variant is now confirmed in 22 countries. in the coming hours, the u.s. supreme court will hear arguments in a case that could have major implications for abortion rights across the u.s.. the court will decide whether to uphold the mississippi law that bans most abortions after 15 weeks. the case is a direct challenge to the roe v. wade decision, which established a woman's constitutional right to end a pregnancy 50 years ago. and some fear the majority conservative court may be primed for action. the secretary of state here in georgia says he's spoken with the u.s. house committee investigating the january 6th capitol riot. republican brad raffensperger tells cnn he spoke with the committee for about four hours on tuesday about election lies. he says, claims of stolen elections damage democracy. during a now infamous phone call in january, former president donald trump pressed raf ensberg you are to find more than 11,000 votes to overturn the election in georgia. raf ensberg you are refused. the chief of staff is cooperating with the house select committee. it is a long time coming for mark meadows as he and others have claimed executive privilege. cnn's paula reid has details. >> reporter: former trump white house chief of staff mark meadows is cooperating with the house select committee investigating the deadly january 6th insurrection. >> good morning. >> reporter: two months after being subpoenaed, cnn has learned he is now providing records and has agreed to appear soon for an initial interview, signalling a critical shift in the relationship between house investigators and one of trump's top advisers. in his statement, chairman bennie thompson said the panel expects all witnesses, including mr. meadows, to provide all information requested, and that the select committee is lawfully entitled to receive. the agreement staves off a criminal contempt for meadows now. but the deal could fall through if the two sides could not agree on what is privileged. meadows' attorney george terwilliger said in a statement, we continue to work with the select committee and its staff to see if we can reach an accommodation that does not require mr. meadows to waive executive privilege or to forfeit the long-standing position that senior white house aides cannot be compelled to testify before congress. this comes as trump lawyers argued in front of a federal appeals court in washington that the former president should be able to block the committee from getting some of his white house records. the three-judge panel appeared skeptical about trump's power to assert privilege over certain documents when the current president says they should be released. >> this all boils down to two decides. who decides when it's in the best interest of the united states to disclose presidential records. is it the current occupant of the white house or the former? >> reporter: trump argues he should be able to protect records like call logs and handwritten notes from his top advisers. but president biden has declined to keep any january 6th documents confidential, citing the extraordinary nature of the insurrection. today georgia secretary of state brad raffensperger spoke with members of the house select committee for roughly four hours. trump's efforts to pressure him to overturn the results of the election have become significant areas of interest for house investigators. paula reid, cnn, washington. well, more feuding within the u.s. republican party over calling out racism and antiislamic bigotry in congress. but now it's marjorie taylor greene doing all the talking, and the gop for the most part staying silent. greene attacked a fellow republican congresswoman on tuesday after she blasted lauren boebert for herb bigotry agains lawmaker ilhan omar. she called nancy mace trash on twitter saying, and i i'm quoting, you can back off of lauren boebert, or just go hang with your real gal pals, the jihad squad. you're out of your league. mace responded by calling the georgia congresswoman bat cat crazy, quoting again there. she later explained that comment. >> what it says to me is that if you say something that's [ bleep ] crazy, you say something extreme, you're going to raise money. that is the only reason that she does that. i mean, she is a grifter of the first order. she does it to make money. she does it to vulnerable americans and conservatives and makes promises she cannot keep. >> she's crazy, she's insane, she's bad for the party and i'm not going to put up with that and i'm not going to tolerate it, i'm not going to be bullied, i'm not a door mat. >> and mace was one of the few republicans to speed out about the video that emerged by boebert suggesting ilhan is a terrorist. it turns out it wasn't a one and done situation. that video was from less than two weeks ago. now cnn's k-file uncovered this from september. >> one of my staffers on this first day with me got into an elevator in the capitol, and in that elevator we were joined by ilhan omar. >> oh, my god. [ laughter ] >> well, it was just us three in there and i looked over and said, well, look there, the jihad [ laughter ] [ applause ] >> these are members of congress, people. well, top republican leaders like house minority leader kevin mccarthy have still not condemned boebert's anti-muslim comments. meanwhile greene has a history of violent rhetoric and was stripped of her house committee assignments earlier this year. well, surgeon and tv personality mehmet oz says he is entering the race for u.s. senate as a republican. he criticized the federal government's response to covid and said he wanted to run for office to help fix the problems and to help us heal. he will be joining a crowded republican field in a race that may be crucial to determining the senate majority next year. well, now to emotional and disturbing testimony in the ghislaine maxwell trial. a woman identified by the pseudonym jane said jeffrey epstein started abusing her when she was 14 years old and tied maxwell to those incidents. randi kaye has more on the sex trafficking trial. >> reporter: a british socialite now having to answer for her alleged twisted behavior. ghislaine maxwell was born in 1961 and grew up in the english country side. in the 1990s, she dated jeffrey epstein and they remained close after the relationship ended. epstein would later face federal charges of sexually abusing young girls and running a sex trafficking ring. prosecutors believe maxwell essentially served as epstein's madam, recruiting girls and grooming them for epstein to sexually abuse, even allegedly taking part herself. >> maxwell was among epstein's closest associates and helped him exploit girls who were as young as 14 years old. >> reporter: one of those allegedly abused at age 14 took the witness stand today, identified only as jane. prosecutors say jane met maxwell and epstein at a michigan summer camp in 1994. after they realized they all lived in palm beach, florida, prosecutors say maxwell and epstein asked for jane's number, describing them as, quote, predators. jane testified that back in florida, maxwell began talking to her about sex and taking her to epstein's house. jane testified that epstein said he could introduce her to talent agents, then took her to his pool house, pulled down his pants, and pulled her on top of him while he masturbated. jane told the jury she was frozen in fear, that she'd never seen a penis before. adding she was terrified and ashamed. jane recalled epstein touched her breasts and vagina. she says the abuse also included oral sex and inter course. testifying that sometimes maxwell took part in the sex acts along with others, turning it into an orgy. maxwell's defense attorney rejected the allegations and questioned jane's credibility. epstein's former pilot also testified, larry visoki flew epstein for nearly 30 years along with some very high-profile passengers. on the stand, the pilot recalled flying donald trump, prince andrew, bill clinton, maine senator george mitchell, ohio senator john glen, and actor kevin spacey. none of those high-profile passengers are alleged to have committed any wrongdoing related to the ongoing trial. regarding ghislaine maxwell, the pilot called her epstein's number two, his, quote, go-to person. >> maxwell enticed minor girls, got them to trust her, then delivered them into the trap that she and epstein had set for them. >> reporter: in 2019, epstein took his life while awaiting trial on charges of sex trafficking young girls. then last year maxwell was arrested. the 59-year-old has pleaded not guilty to six counts, which include conspiracy to entice minors to travel to engage in illegal sex acts, and sex trafficking of children by force, fraud, or coercion. >> ghislaine is looking forward to that trial. she's looking forward to fighting, and she will fight. >> reporter: randi kaye, cnn, new york. now to the jussie smollett trial, they will testify tuesday that he rehearsed a dry run with the two brothers he paid to attack him. they said the men also bought supplies, including a rope. the actor is charged with making false reports to the police after claiming he was the victim of a violent hate crime in 2019. prosecutors say smollett staged the hoax in the hope of boosting his career. the actor has pleaded not guilty. well, rapper travis scott said he would pay the funeral costs of the people killed in a crowd crush at his astroworld festival last month. but the family of the youngest victim, 9-year-old israel blount, has rejected that offer. their attorney wrote that scott must, quote, face and hopefully see that he bears some of the responsibility for this tragedy. blount was injured at the concert, and placed in a medically-induced coma due to massive injuries to multiple organs. well, investigators in new mexico were granted a search warrant for a prop store believed to be the source of some of the rounds used in the shooting on the "rust" film set. one person was killed and another injured when alec baldwin fired a gun he believe contained blanks. according to the warrant, the film's armorer said either she or the prop master picked the ammunition up at the store. authorities are trying to determine how live rounds ended up on set. and still to come, u.s. president joe biden is touting his infrastructure bill, but with more to do, will the new coronavirus variant overshadow the rest of his agenda? the details ahead. every day in business brings something new. so get the flexibility of the new mobile service designed for your small business. introducing comcast business mobile. you get the most reliable network with nationwide 5g included. and you can get unlimited data for just $30 per line per month when you get four lines or mix and match data options. available now for comcast business internet customers with no line-activation fees or term contract required. see if you can save by switching today. comcast business. powering possibilities. wall street is looking for a major comeback from sharp losses on tuesday. the dow and s&p 500 were both down almost 2%. the nasdaq lost 1.5%. concerns over the omicron variant and u.s. inflation dragged down the markets, when you th-- but things are lookingp for u.s. markets. and in europe markets are trending higher as well. well, omicron variant fears have also become a roadblock for u.s. president joe biden's infrastructure bill, with officials shifting focus to deal with the pandemic. cnn's jeff zeleny has more on how the president aims to tackle the rest of his agenda. >> reporter: president biden in minnesota touting the benefits of the new infrastructure law. suddenly overshadowed by the stubborn fight against coronavirus. the white house waiting to learn more about the new omicron variant, but bracing for a potential threat to the nation's economic recovery, which fed chair jerome powell warned congress of. >> greater concerns about the virus could reduce people's willingness to work in-person which would slow progress in the labor market and intensify supply chain disruptions. >> reporter: the president is urging caution, not panic as he traflds to cities across the country, explaining how the $1 trillion infrastructure investment could improve the lives of americans. through new roads, bridges, broadband internet service and more. the administration is also intensifying its push for the second piece of the president's economic agenda, still stuck in the senate. at the same time, the white house is ballet two-tiered crisis. rising covid cases and inflation. both global challenges hitting close to home here in the u.s. >> this mutational profile is very different from other variants of interest and concern. and although some mutations are also found in delta, this is not delta, it's something different. >> reporter: the president set to deliver a comprehensive covid strategy on thursday. >> i'll be putting forward a detailed strategy outlining how we're going to fight covid this winter. not with shutdowns or lockdowns. more widespread vaccinations, boosters, testing and more. >> reporter: from new hampshire to michigan to minnesota, the white house is working to boost the president's standing and that of other democrats as he leads a sales pitch of a major bipartisan accomplishment that has eluded so many presidents before him. today's visit is designed to show the job opportunities coming to communities across the country as the law begins to be implemented. treasury secretary janet yellen told lawmakers there is bright economic news ahead. >> our unemployment rate is at its lowest level since the start of the pandemic, and our economy is on pace to reach full employment two years faster than the congressional budget office had estimated. >> reporter: even as president biden travels across the country to sell this bipartisan infrastructure law, the white house is also focusing on the second part of his economic agenda. as they head into the final month of this first year in office, the question is will that be passed before this first year ends? jeff zeleny, cnn, rosemont, minnesota. up next, a dire warning about the future of greenland's ice sheet. what a new report is saying about global warming in the arctic, and what it might mean for rising sea levels. one role of a lifetime...one sore throat. but she had enough. she took new mucinex instasoothe sore throat lozenges. show your sore throat who's boss. new mucinex instasoothe. works in seconds, lasts for hours. dog barks you're right bunker, the medicare enrollment deadline is almost here. if you're on medicare and you want to explore your options, the deadline to enroll is december 7th. so, you should act now. were do i find the right medicare plan? at healthmarkets, they search many of the nation's most recognized carriers so they can help you find the right plan, at the right price that's the right fit for you. how long does it take? just minutes. my current 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[♪] looking to repair dry, damaged hair without weighing it down? try pantene daily moisture renewal conditioner. its color-safe formula uses smart conditioners to micro-target damage helping to repair hair without weighing it down. try pantene. are you a christian author with a book that you're ready to share with the world? get published now, call for your free publisher kit today! the first supervised drug use sites in the united states. new york city became the first city in the country tuesday to allow facilities where people can use illegal drugs without threat of a risk and under the watchful eye of trained staff. the initiative comes amid historic highs in overdose deaths, both nationally and in new york. rain fell at greenland summit for the first time this year, and according to a new report, it could be a sign of things to come. the study predicts the arctic will experience more rain than snow sometime between 2060 and 2070 due to global warming. researchers say the rise in rainfall has the potential to destabilize greenland's ice sheet and trigger a global rise in sea levels. meteorologist pedram javaheri has more. pedram. >> yes, good morning, rosemary. this particular study from the university of manitoba in winnipeg, some of the data revealed here going back to the 1990s, the earth has lost 28 trillion tons of ice, a lot of this happening across the arctic in the greenland region. as we noted here, when you take a look at what just occurred in august, that alone was pretty impressive. on the 14th of that month above the elevation of 3200 meters at the greenland summit which is about 10,500 feet high, they saw rainfall the first time in recorded history. of course, this region typically stays below freezing the entire year. and what happened here a third time in the past decade we've seen temperatures exceed the freezing mark. and the first time again recording a significant amount of rainfall across that region. but the study essentially is suggesting this is going to happen far more frequently. initially, the lead scientist in the study was michelle mccrystal. she spoke to cnn saying initially they thought around 2090 to 2100 is when they expected to see this event begin to take place more frequently of seeing rain across the arctic region. but now recent modelling suggesting the warming continues. that number, the year is coming certainly much closer, about 2060 to 2070, 30 years closer than initially estimated. it speaks to what is happening across the arctic as far as warming is concerned. we know a lot of this has to do with the loss of sea ice. we've seen significant loss of sea ice take place. you've put the feedback loop in place of losing sea ice, warmer air on exposed oceans allows evaporation to take place. weather take place, and that's what's concerning. you take a look, when it comes to the arctic, people often forget it is warming at a much more disproportionate rate than the rest of the world, some three times faster. since the 1970s, it's warmed 3.1 celsius. it is showing how things are playing out in an important part of the world as it relates to climate, that being the arctic. rosemary? >> many thanks to you, pedram. appreciate it. and finally, adele is headed to sin city. the pop star has announced that her las vegas residency will begin in january. her concerts will be called "weekends with adele" and will be held at the coliseum of caesars palace hotel. that's great for her. that is much shorter than i expect it to be, but thank you so much for your company. i'm rosemary church. enjoy the rest of your day. "early start" with christine romans and laura jarrett is up next. with mucinex nightshift you've got powerful relief from your worst nighttime cold and flu symptoms. so grab nightshift to fight your symptoms, get your zzz's... and get back to your rhythm. ♪ the relief you need. the cash you want. wondering what actually goes into your multi-vitamin? at new chapter its innovation organic ingredients and fermentation. fermentation? yes, formulated to help your body really truly absorb the natural goodness. new chapter. wellness well done this is elodia. she's a recording artist. 1 of 10 million people that comcast has connected to affordable internet in the last 10 years. and this is emmanuel, a future recording artist, and one of the millions of students we're connecting throughout the next 10. through projectup, comcast is committing $1 billion so millions more students, past... and present, can continue to get the tools they need to build a future of unlimited possibilities. good morning, everyone. it is wednesday, december 1st. it's 5:00 a.m. here in new york. thanks so much for getting an early start with us. i'm laura jarrett. >> shocked me a little bit. december 1st. >> it's real. >> i'm christine romans, welcome to our viewers in the united states and around the world. we begin in michigan this morning. families there are grieving after a horrific shooting at a high school in suburban detroit. the shooter, a 15-year-old student at