secretary of state anthony blinken warns russia ahead of meetings over tensions of ukraine at the top of the agenda this shower. and true to his word, the women's tennis association boss puts principle ahead of profit, suspending tournaments in china over the safety of peng shuai. ♪ ♪ >> announcer: live from london, this is "cnn newsroom" with isa soares. hello, everyone. welcome to the show. it is thursday, december 2nd. we begin with the omicron variant of the coronavirus, now confirmed in the united states. now, dr. anthony fauci says the person is fully vaccinated and had recently traveled to south africa. the u.s. is now among many countries, at least 20 countries, in fact. have a look at the map. and territories with confirmed omicron cases even though the world health organization says it remains dominant around the globe. have a listen. >> having a single person who had what would be considered a breakthrough infection because the person was fully vaccinated doesn't really tell you much at all because we have breakthrough infections with delta where people who have been vaccinated, fully vaccinated, very often, more often than not, they have mild illness. they don't go on to any serious consequence. from what we've heard from our colleagues at ucsf in san francisco, that this person had mild symptoms and is actually improving. but it's only a single person, anderson, so you really can't make a broad jgeneral statement or extrapolation for what would go on with unvaccinated people or people who are boosted. so there's a lot still to be learned. >> dr. anthony fauci giving us more perspective on that first case in the united states. president joe biden will layout the strategy for fighting the omicron variant. he will extend masks for people on planes, trains through march, and how they are advising the president on the pandemic. >> we are emphasizing and he is accepting very readily the kinds of things that we're talking about, of making sure that the unvaccinated get vaccinated and that people who are fully vaccinated get their boosters as quickly as they possibly can, if they are eligible, because the question arises you jump ahead of yourself and you say, well, is there going to be a variant-specific boost? and if so, should i wait to get that boost? and the answer is no. if you are eligible, namely if you've had the moderna or the pfizer and you're six months following your primary regimen of vaccination or your two months following j&j, don't wait. get that extra boost now. >> but not everyone is on the same page about restrictions on travel. the u.n. secretary-general says the sudden rise of bans amount to, quote, travel apartheid. on wednesday he said it is unacceptable for condemning one part of the world for being responsible and reporting the new variant which has been found in other parts of the world. have a listen. >> this is a very strong appeal that i launch, appeal to common sense. we have the instruments to have safe travel. let's use those instruments to avoid this kind of, allow me to say, travel apartheid. >> well, the variant has become a global concern. cnn has correspondents positioned right around the world to bring you the very latest. kaitlan collins is in washington for us. jim bittermann is in paris following the vaccine mandates, eleni giokos is in south africa where it is on the rise and paula hancocks is in seoul. first let's go to the white house where kaitlan collins has more on the biden administration's plan to deal with the omicron variant. >> reporter: this is what they have been bracing for, finding the first variant in the united states, in san francisco, an individual who returned from south africa to san francisco. felt symptoms. went to the doctor and tested positive. it took 30 hours for scientists to figure out, yes, it was the omicron variant. they said the person had mild symptoms, was vaccinated with the moderna vaccine but had not yet gotten a booster shot. of course, they are conducting that aggressive contact tracing for this person. though dr. fauci said all of their close contacts had tested negative. of course, the broader question is what this means for the united states. the white house, while they are still waiting to get more information about this variant and whether or not the concern over it is justified, says they are encouraging the people who are eligible to get booster shots to get them. that's about 100 million people, judging by white house estimates. so that is what dr. anthony fauci is calling on. you will see president biden deliver a speech today saying the same, maybe some new regulations, of course, as they are tightening those testing restrictions for entering the united states, for international travelers. but when it comes to those booster shots, dr. anthony fauci said also do not wait for an omicron-specific booster shot. if it ever comes to that and you need that, don't wait for that. go ahead and get a regular booster shot now. of course, the questions of whether or not there are further restriction to come, more travel restrictions or the lifting of those travel restrictions remains to be seen. >> our kaitlan collins there. thanks very much. europe's surge in coronavirus cases and growing number of infections of the omicron variant, a fifth wave is hitting france you can sigh on the screen. 50,000 infections were reported in 24 hours. a new record since april. the european commission president said it's time for europe to consider vaccine mandates. >> i think it is understandable and appropriate to lead this discussion now, how we can encourage and potentially think about mandatory vaccination within the european union. this needs discussion. this needs a common approach, but it is a discussion that i think has to be led. >> well, german citizens especially the unvaccinated may face tough restrictions as the country battles the fourth wave of covid-19 infections. outgoing chancellor angela merkel and her successor are holding crisis talks today. and britain has sped up its contracts to buy 140 million more vaccine doses in light of the omicron variant. for the latest let's go to jim bittermann in paris. jim, we'll talk in a minute about the underlying suggestion europe may need to do mandates, vaccine mandates. i'm seeing france has confirmed its first omicron case in mainland france. what can you tell us? >> reporter: well, it was confirmed just a few hours ago by the health authorities here that basically the omicron virus is in the paris region. with a man that is between 50 and 60 years old. he returned from nigeria on the 25th of november and was tested on his return. this is something the french are requiring, test as you return here to make sure that you don't have coronavirus. he tested positive, however, and they have further sequenced the positive test and it indicates it is the omicron variation. they are now also trying to verify what kind of covid his wife had. she also tested positive. and it there is a then person that lives in the household that is also being tested. there are potentially three cases here of the virus. one of the things we heard this morning, isa, from the head of the health authority, scientific council that advises the government, basically he was on television saying people should make no mistake about it. the fifth wave of the delta variant is really the thing that is concerning. the omicron virus will take sometime to take hold in france. it's really the delta variant people should be worried about. one of the things that indicates he's right about that is that practically 50,000 cases of covid have been determined over the last 24 hours in france. that's way up, and the incidence rate is double what it was ten days ago. so, isa, a lot of problems here concerning covid, and omicron is here as well. >> jim bittermann for us in paris this hour. thanks very much, jim. and we will head to south africa and seoul in about 20 minutes or so from now to hear more about omicron concerns there, so do stick around for that. now, abortion rights in the united states could be on the line as u.s. supreme court starts looking into one of the most important cases in decades. it involves an abortion law in mississippi. the end result could be of overturning the roe v. wade ruling which legalized abortion for women in america. our jessica snyder has more. >> the reason this issue is hard is you can't accommodate both interests. you have to pick. that's the fundamental problem. >> reporter: for the supreme court, six conservatives, their questioning during two arguments on mississippi's 15-week abortion ban signalling they are inclined to uphold the law. >> if it is an issue about choice, why is 15 weeks not enough time? >> reporter: the chief justice john roberts seems to be pushing for compromise. let mississippi have its law, but stop short of striking down roe v. wade, the landmark 1972 case that established women have a constitutional right to get an abortion. the chief justice emphasizing the importance of precedence. >> we look at today's perspective, it's going to be a long list of cases we're going to say are wrongly decided. >> reporter: the courts other conservatives question why roe should be upheld when the constitution says nothing about abortion. >> the constitution is neither pro-life nor pro choice on the question of abortion. >> reporter: it is a case that could re-make the legal landscape surrounding abortion in the united states. the arguments drew hundreds of protesters on both sides of the emotional debate to the steps of the supreme court. the stakes high as a dozen states have trigger laws on the books that would immediately ban abortions if the court overturns roe. >> will this institution survive the stench that this creates in the public perception that the constitution and its reading are just political acts? >> reporter: the three liberal justices railed against the possibility that conservatives could rule against roe, saying it would call the court's legitimacy into question. >> to overrule under fire in the absence of the most compelling reaso reason, to reexamine a watershed decision would subvert the court's legitimacy beyond any serious question. >> reporter: all sides seem to be bracing for seismic change. >> almost 50 years of the slaughter of innocent babies is too much. we're done. >> i am just full of angst that we could take this huge step backwards. >> reporter: the justices questioning points of the strong possibility that abortion rights will be rolled back by this court, and the impact could be immediate. if the court limits their ruling and simply allows mississippi's 15-week abortion ban to take effect, other states could write similar laws. but if the court overturns roe v. wade completely, abortion rights advocates estimate that half of the nation's states would then quickly act to completely ban abortions. jessica schneider, cnn, washington. well, the u.s. how committee investigating the january 6 insurrection at the capitol signalled it may pursue a criminal contempt report against jeffrey clark if he stone walls their investigation any further. he is a justice official who promoted trump's false claims. he will submit to questions on saturday but intends to invoke the 5th amendment against self-incrimination. liz cheney warned no one is above the law including the former president. have a listen. >> any communications mr. trump has with this committee will be under oath, and if he persists in lying then, he will be accountable under the laws of this great nation and subject to criminal penalties for every false word he speaks. >> trump's former chief of staff mark meadows is scheduled to appear before the committee next week. he tells a right-wing broadcaster here in the uk they will honor trump's claims of executive privilege and only discuss nonprivileged information. he already had given the committee thousands of emails as well of documents. now, a teenage suspect makes his first court appearance as the michigan community mourns the victims of the deadliest u.s. school shooting this year. we have the details for you ahead. and as the omicron variant spreads across the globe, new infections spike across asia. we'll have the latest in the live report next. you are watching cnn. ♪ wait, oh, yes ♪ wait a minute, mr. postman ♪ yeah, yeah, mr. postman - "dear michael, i appreciate your help, patience, and support through the reverse mortgage loan process. you are an asset to aag." this is from helen, a happy customer, who got a reverse mortgage loan from aag. you see, a lot of people aren't sure if a reverse mortgage is really right for them. so michael and all the experts at aag work hard to make sure you understand exactly what you're getting. they want to make sure you're happy. - [announcer] call aag today and find out how a reverse mortgage can help you eliminate monthly mortgage payments, pay for living expenses, and even high interest credit card bills. call now at the number shown on your screen. - a reverse mortgage with aag can be easier than you might think. or as ann says, "working with folks at aag was like dealing with a friend who had our interests at heart". whether that's for paying off medical costs, or as dennis says, "finally getting that new truck i needed". reverse mortgage loans have helped over a million families get tax-free cash for a better retirement. - [announcer] if you're 62 and own your home, aag could help you get the right loan for extra retirement money. call today for your free no hassle reverse mortgage guide. call the number on your screen. - these letters show why aag has such a high customer satisfaction rating. 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first degree murder and terrorism charges, authorities said school officials met with him at his parents' house before the shooting to discuss behavior they found concerning. cnn's adrienne broadus reports for you. >> reporter: the suspect appeared virtually in court as police describe the shooting and his attorney asked the court to enter a not guilty plea on his behalf. >> he methodically and deliberately walked down the hallway aiming the firearm at students and firing. right outside the bathroom, he began firing, judge. this continued on for four or approximately five minutes. the defendant went to another bathroom as deputies arrived, he set the firearm down and surrendered. >> reporter: the suspect's parents watching via video. the details the suspect recorded on his cell phone and his journal writings. >> the night before the incident wherein he talked about shooting and killing students the next day at oxford high school. further, a journal was recovered from ethan's backpack detailing his desire to shoot at the school including murdering students. >> reporter: the oxford student shot 11 people, killing four. after a meeting with his parents and school authorities earlier that same day. we were with the pittman family learning about one of the victims tate myre from his friend jovan. >> he was probably the most, best person i probably met besides my dad, and besides god. tate was always -- he's smart in class. me and him used to joke around, me and him used to play. >> reporter: and news another classmate died. >> justin, no. i knew justin. >> reporter: jovan described calling his dad during the shooting. >> i was whispering because i didn't want the shooter to hear me and my classmates. and my dad was just asking me, what's going on, what's happening? and i told him it's a shooting, somebody is here shooting up the school. and he told me, he said, okay, i'm on my way. >> why your dad, is he your superhero? >> yes . >> you can't save your kids, that's devastating. i'd rather been the one that got shot than my kids. >> reporter: afraid for their lives, other students sheltered in their classroom, barricading the entry, refusing to open the door for authorities. >> open the door. >> we're not taking that risk right now. >> reporter: and then escaping through a classroom window following the training they never wanted to use. when police took the suspect into custody on tuesday, he still had 18 rounds of ammunition. in oxford, michigan, families are now left with a nightmare that for some will never end. >> i'm turning off the light and i have my kids, but sherri and buck don't have tate. i feel like they're in the rain, but there are some parents that it's going to be iffy. >> reporter: we also learned the suspect's father purchased the gun that was used in the shooting four days prior to the shooting. on wednesday, the prosecuting attorney said the suspect's parents could face potential charges. when asked if there was evidence to support those potential charges, she didn't go into detail. meanwhile, jovan pittman and his family were vulnerable with us, as you just saw in this story. jovan said he will miss his classmates. every thursday he and his varsity teammates met up at tate's house for dinner ahead of their football games. this is their senior year, a time when they are supposed to create memorable moments. but what happened inside of the high school behind me is something jovan says will haunt him forever. adrienne broadus, cnn, oxford, michigan. >> terrifying experience for the pittman family and all the other children, of course. now, actor alec baldwin says he didn't pull the trigger of the gun on the movie sethat killed the crew member hutchins. he made the claim in an interview. sarah zackery denies she handed him the gun while baldwin was holding it. he said two people were responsible for the gun and ammo, and zackery wasn't one of them. now, the first accuser to testify in the sex trafficking trial of ghislaine maxwell broke down on the stand during her second day of testimony. when asked about money she received from the epstein victim compensation fund, she said sometimes it's the only thing victims can get to move on with their lives. the woman said she was 14 years old when jeffrey epstein began sexually abusing her and testified maxwell would sometimes join in. the british socialite is charged with six federal crimes including the sex trafficking of minors. she has pleaded not guilty. we'll stay, of course, on top of that story for you. still to come right here on the show, south africa is reporting a high number of omicron cases as scientists race to figure out more about the variant. we are live in johannesburg. that is next. plus, the women's tennis association takes a stand against china over tennis star peng shuai. why the organization says it is suspending all tournaments in the country. that is next. introducing the all-new gillettelabs with exfoliating bar. it 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chance to win tickets to see watch what happens live. hey, it's me. plus, get holiday gifts for everyone on your list with great deals on fan favorites from today. join over a million members by signing up for free on the xfinity app. our thanks. your rewards. welcome back to "cnn newsroom." i'm isa soares. if you're just joining us, let me bring you up to date with our top stories this hour. a michigan community is mourning the four people killed tuesday. seven others were injured. ethan crumbly is facing first degree murder and terrorism charges. the united states confirmed its first omicron coronavirus case. dr. fauci said they were fully vaccinated and recently traveled from africa. we'll bring that live in the coming hours. meanwhile, the president of vaccine maker moderna says the omicron variant is giving his company kconcern. boosters will provide at least some extent of protection. have a listen. >> what is clear right now, we're in the throes of a pandemic and the virus continues to mutate and evolve, and breakthrough some of our defenses. whether it's vaccine-induced or previous infection induced. so in the face of all that force of infection, that much virus circulating, we do believe it is important that we continue to boost populations because we have seen the damage that can be wrought when you see breakthrough infections, hospitalizations, even breakthrough death. >> the president was commenting after the c.e.o. sent stock markets tumbling when he suggested the current vaccines would struggle with omicron. now, more countries around the world are reporting cases of the omicron variant as new infections spike. south africa, where the variant was first discovered, reported nearly 75% of covid tests taken in the key province, all sequence for the omicron variant. japan's prime minister has reversed the decision of the travel ministry to ban new resi reservations allowing japanese citizens to return home. and the chinese border city has launched mass testing for its 300,000 residents after dozens of local covid infections were reported. and in south korea reporting the first cases of the omicron variant along with record surge in new covid cases for the second day in a row. let's put this all in perspective for you. our coverage continues tracking the spread of the corona variant. first i want to go to where eleni giokos is standing by. there are surging cases in south africa, 8,500 i saw in the last 24 hours. >> reporter: yes. >> how dominant is omicron and what are you hearing in terms of symptoms from physicians there? >> reporter: so, it's interesting you mentioned the caseload, and that seems very low if you compare it to what we're seeing in parts of europe. but important to note that we've seen a doubling of cases over the past week, and that is absolutely of concern according to scientists. that being said, we've only seen around 52,000 tests being conducted over 24 hours for a population of around 15 million. what is concerning, and you have already said that, that there is a province here that you're seeing the major caseload coming through from the omicron variant. it is important to note this is just a sample. so of that sample, around 250 samples that have been focused on for sequencing, 74% of those show that it's the omicron variant. so this basically shows us that the omicron variant is now overriding the delta variant which was dominant for the month of october. in terms of severity of illness, we're hearing from scientists, we're hearing from hospitals that the symptoms are not as severe, specifically for people under the age of 40. the big concern is, as you start to look at the older demographic, what wroteould tha mean? what would that mean for kaef city? scientists are worried about immunity escape right now. they are concerned about what it means for fully vaccinated people as well. the hospitalizations in the country right now are still dominated by unvaccinated people. the genetic sequencing that's occurring in south africa right now, isa, is focusing on trying to collate clinical data to understand the variant a lot more, but right now the surge in cases, as you start to see omicron starting to become a lot more dominant in keynotes in the country, is starting to help us understand a little bit more about its spread and transmiss ability. >> very briefly, what are we talking about? >> reporter: exactly, it's 35%. it's very low. it's much better than the whole of africa which is sitting at 7%, isa. >> thank you very much, eleni there. let's go to paula in seoul. i want to focus on china because despite the zero covid policy in china, we are seeing an increase in covid-19 cases in one of china's northern border cities. what more are we learning this hour? >> reporter: isa, this is a city of some 300,000 population which is just bordering russia. they have had an outbreak there of recent days and dozens more, over 50 more people were -- tested positive, it was reported today. and what we are seeing from china is, as you say, the zero covid policy is still in place. they're one of the very few countries around the world that haven't moved away from the zero covid policy and they are sticking to it. what we're seeing is many people unable to leave their homes. there is an effective lockdown of this particular area, something that they have done time and time again when trying to restrict the spread of a particular cluster. now, they are also doing mass testing. this, again, something that china has done repeatedly so, some 300,000 people are being tested to see just how widespread the community transmission is. but we really are seeing the zero covid policy and, of course, just a couple of months away from the beijing winter olympics, china is doing everything it can to make sure that these outbreaks do not spread. >> eleni giokos in johannesburg and paula hancocks in seoul, thank you very much. well, in an unpress debted move, the women's tennis association is suspended all tournaments in china and hong kong. the wta says chinese officials have failed to address sexual accusations against the party leader. cnn's will ripley has more for you. >> translator: i shouldn't have come into the world, but i don't have the courage to tie. >> reporter: three-time olympian, sexual assault accuser. >> translator: why did you have to come back to me? take me to your home to force me to have sex with you? i couldn't describe how disgusted i was. >> reporter: those allegations against a retired senior communist party leader made one month ago on chinese social media censored by the government, erased in less than 30 minutes. the women's tennis association suspending a lucrative ten-year deal in china and hong kong, demanding a full investigation and direct communication with peng. >> we are planning to suspend our events until such time as the chinese authorities do the appropriate thing. >> reporter: the head of the wta telling cnn china's leaders left him no choice. >> i can only imagine the range of emotions and feelings that are likely going through peng right now. >> reporter: two emails to the wta supposedly from peng walk back her accusations. the wta not buying it, not backing down. >> the wta has really turned in an exemplary performance, essentially saying that her well-being is more important than business. >> reporter: the wta's strong response in stark contrast to the international olympic committee. the ioc released this single photo of its video call with peng last month, an attempt to calm the controversy. the beijing winter games right around the corner. >> best evidence we have -- >> reporter: the ioc's longest serving member telling cnn that call alone is proof enough for them she's okay. >> she's fine, and she's not under any court of coercion or confinement. >> reporter: chinese state media ignoring the story inside their country. outside, tweeting updates and videos of peng, videos activists say are almost certainly staged. aimed at a foreign audience to repair china's reputation ahead of the games. one high-profile state prop da saying they are trying to cover the attack. the decision was based on fictitious information. the foreign ministry says china has always been firmly opposed to any act that politicizes sports. some of the world's most famous athletes praising the wta for not staying silent. who is staying silent about peng? olympic partner sponsors. >> they are aware that taking a stance against an individual from china or against the country itself can have damaging repercussions. >> reporter: with billions of dollars at stake. >> i feel like a walking corpse. >> reporter: her call for help goes largely unanswered. >> cnn's will ripley joins me now live from hong kong. will, wta clearly standing up to china. the ioc, though, going a different route. talk us through the repercussions of whether that's enough pressure here on china and what the reaction has been there. >> reporter: well, if anybody had the leverage to really take a stand in this issue, it would have been the ioc. but what did they do? the opposite. they essentially collaborated with the chinese government to provide this proof of life video. not even a video. it was one still image of a video call, but the ioc, and you heard dick in the piece there saying everything is fine, this is okay, she's relaxed. they walked away without any sort of sense she might be speaking under duress. and now the chinese state media blitz against the w t a is happening. you have the chinese tennis association expressing indignation and firm opposition. but i thought the most ironic tweet actually came from hu xi zb zen, he said it is the west depriving her of freedom of expression. we heard in her own words in the initial post. sporting organizations that choose to stay silent, sponsors, they continue to do business with china, but they will go down in history as having been on the side of putting this business before a very personal, very painful account of alleged sexual assault that now essentially is being brushed aside. by the time there is the opening ceremony of the beijing 2022 games, they're going to try to pretend like this never happened, isa. >> and i know, will, you are going to stay on top of this story for us. will ripley for us in hong kong, good to see you. thank you very much, will. still ahead right here on the show, a stark warning from america's top diplomat on russia's intensifying aggression towards ukraine. will a meeting between blinken and his russian counterpart ease tensions? we are live next. do you have a life insurance policy you no longer need? now you can sell your policy even a term policy - for an immediate cash payme. call coventry directo learn more. we thought we had planned careful for our retirement. but we quickly realized we needed a way to supplement our income. our friend sold their licy to help pay their medical bills, and that got me 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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, everyone. the u.s. secretary of state is set to meet with his russian counterpart in stockholm in the next 30 minutes or so at a time of heightened tensions between the two nations. it comes just a day after blinken warned that russia is setting the stage for a possible invasion of ukraine as moscow significantly increases its number of troops along the border. america's top diplomat said there will be consequence for any russian military action against its western neighbor. cnn's alex marquart is traveling with secretary blinken and joins us now live from moscow. we heard strong words and warning from secretary blinken. what can we expect to come out of this meeting with the russian foreign minister here? >> reporter: well, that meeting as you just said is due to get started in just around half an hour's time. it is not expected to be terribly long, but it will be, we are told, a direct message from the united states as well as nato that it there will be severe consequence for russia should they choose to invade ukraine. now, just moments ago, secretary blinken met with ukraine's foreign minister. the ukrainian foreign minister said he is calling on the u.s. and other partners to prepare what he called a deterrence package. that is really the name of the game right now. they are doing everything they can to try to deter russia from invading ukraine. and yesterday when secretary blinken laid out, not in great detail, what the consequence would be, he called them high-impact economic sanctions which had never been levied against russia before. take a listen to how he described these severe consequence. >> should russia follow the path of confrontation when it comes to ukraine, we've made clear that we will respond resolutely, including with a range of high-impact economic measures that we have refrained from pursuing in the past. we will, at the appropriate time, share that with moscow so that they, again, understand fully what's at risk, what the consequence would be if they commit further aggression against ukraine. >> reporter: so, blinken there saying he would not necessarily go into great detail with lavrov today, just saying he would share those details with russia at an appropriate time. isa, blinken also said that it is not clear to nato whether russia intends to invade ukraine. what is clear is that they have created the capacity to do so in short order. and what the u.s. and the rest of nato is seeing right now is very similar to what they saw back in 2014 when russia then built up its troops along the border with ukraine and then invaded, of course, and annexed crimea. it's not just the military movements that are similar. it's also what they're doing to destabilize ukraine internally in terms of disinformation campaigns. blinken said on wednesday that there had been a ten-fold spike in social media accounts posting anti-ukraine propaganda. so russia has created this capacity to invade ukraine. of course, the u.s. and nato are very, very concerned. but blinken making clear that there still is time for a diplomatic solution, a diplomatic off-ramp to de-escalate this entire situation, isa. >> yeah, its historical context is very important. alex marquart in stockholm, sweden there when the meeting kicks off 30 minutes from now. thanks very much, alex. now, the secretary of state also announced the u.s. is preparing new sanctions against belarus using migrants as political weapons. belarusian security officials used dirty tricks to fuel the crisis at the poland/belarus border. damian sullivan has this for you. >> reporter: the belarusian kgb set up fake accounts on its platform designed to look like activists and journalists as stoking tensions at the border between belarus and poland. here's what facebook said the accounts were doing. these fictitious person as posted english, polish and kurdish about guards allegedly about migrants' rights and make the accounts look realistic, the belarusian kgb had used pictures generated using artificial intelligence. so faces that appeared to look like they belonged to real people but were actually generated by a computer. now, interestingly here, facebook also pointing to a separate set of accounts run from poland, run from inside poland. and these accounts posed as migrants telling and trying to encourage other migrants not to come into the european union, and not to come into poland, pointing to neo-nazi groups in poland as one reason why people should not try and cross the border. facebook not saying who is responsible for those accounts, not tying it to any particular group or government. they said they have not been able to determine that yet. but what we see here, of course, is how both sides are being played on these platforms and how easy it is to covertly run these campaigns online. do donie o'sullivan, cnn, new york. >> thank you, donie. the president said supply chain issues are beginning to ease. it could threaten the progress. how markets are responding. that's ahead. a triple-lift serum with pure collagen. 92% saw w visibly firmer skin in just 4 weeks. neutrogena® for people with skin. look, i gotta say something. 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get published now, call for your free publisher kit today! i can't promise that every person will get every gift they want on time. only santa claus can keep that promise. if you watched the news recently, you might think the shelves in all our stores are empty across the country. that parents won't be able to get presents for their children on holidays this holiday season. but here's the deal. for the vast majority of the country, that's not what's happening. >> u.s. president joe biden says the u.s. economy is in strong shape ahead of the holidays you heard there. business leaders stay supply chain issues are easing, but they warned the omicron variant could be a threat. add to that a looming deadline as the u.s. federal government is on the brink of a shutdown. lawmakers are struggling to pass a stopgap measure before funding runs out friday at midnight. and between the potential shutdowns and the variant concerns, u.s. stocks lost steam on wednesday with the dow falling more than 400 points as you can see there on your screen. but futures are looking in the green. we have a look. green arrows right across the board. well, the calendar says december, but in parts of the u.s. l weather didn't get the message. pedram javaheri has the records this time of year. >> we have a lot of weather to tell you about across the united states. the central u.s. 30 degrees above average. any time you put 30 degrees above average in the gold season, you're tapping into record warmth. that is precisely what is happening here for a large area of the u.s. where really from the western portion of the u.s. spanning across the entierety o the united states, the eastern corner of the u.s., as many as 40 records could be tied or broken on thursday. and tell you what, we've seen plenty of it so far this week. in fact, on wednesday places such as burbank, california, phoenix, arizona, hit temperatures that were into record territory, the middle and upper 80s in december. las vegas at 75 degrees. a record that's been standing since 1940, even into washington state and the state of oregon, an incredible run of warmth here. some of these records dating back decades, where the middle 70s. these are more in line with what you would expect in the spring season and we're seeing those, of course, just a couple weeks before winter gets officially underway. here's what's happening. some flood alerts still in place across washington state. the rain showers will be limited the next couple of days. the energy now general into portions of the higher elevations of british columbia where snow showers are going to be the main threat. in seattle, it is all about the colder air. look what happens. saturday into sunday, well below average. moderates out a little bit into next week, but the gloomy pattern you expect this time of year certainly in place. the warmth, that's going to begin to break down across the central united states. eventually much colder air in store. portions of the western united states that have been in the 50s and 60s, chicago at 54 degrees, all of that is changing. even a clipper system here to bring a shot of wintry weather across the region. isa? >> thank you very much, pedram. now, next year's major league baseball season is in jeopardy after players and owners failed to reach a new collective bargaining agreement. players are locked out of team facilities and we could be without baseball for the first time since the 1994 and '95 seasons. if the issue is not resolved, the economic impact could be huge. 30 teams times 136 games adds up to, well, a lot of money. forbes magazine says major league baseball grossed a record $10.7 billion in 2019. that's the last pre-pandemic season. now, the music that dominated the streaming world this year has been announced. it should come at no surprise olivia rodriguez "driver's license" was spotify's most streamed song. it was streamed more than 1 billion times. ♪ dynamite by k-pop group bts was apple's most played song even if it failed to make spotify's top five. and bad bunny was the most streamed artist in the world with more than 9 billion streams, he beat out taylor spot and drake for the top spot. and that does it here on "cnn newsroom." i'm isa soares in london. our coverage continues on "early start" with christine romans and laura jarrett. we'll have much more on the omicron variant. i shall see you tomorrow. bye-bye. feeling sluggish or weighed down? 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