week was 0.4% cases. as the cases climb and the holidays collide with covid exha exhaustion. >> we are in a war now between the delta variant and omicron variant as to who will become king of the hill. >> how quickly is the virus doubling in terms of its proportion? with delta, it was doubling every couple weeks, this seems to be doubling every few days. it's pretty clearly more transmissible. >> there is a lot of moving parts to this very, very fast-moving epidemic here in the united states, and i think we have to take it very seriously. >> we're going to try to curtail the spread of omicron very seriously, and at the same time, we're trying to educate people that we're going to have to live with covid. there maybe other variants down the road and we'll have to adjust what we're doing along the way. we begin with our brand new cnn poll. the numbers are bleak, beyond bleak for the president and for his party as we now count the days to the midterm election year and the midterm fight to control congress. economic pain and anxiety are behind the country a sour move. and that coast-to-coast covid frustration you just heard is the driving force of this stost sobering, very sobering year-end report card. the president's approval rating is the north star of politics. our new poll shows the president at 49% approval, 51% disapproval. our poll has a number slightly better. when you average out the last five or six polls, which is the smart thing to do, never invest in just one poll, you see the president's approval rating at the end of the year averages 45%, 51% disapprove. donald trump was lower than that at this point in his presidency. this is the challenge for democrats. can you change that number over the course of the next few months? let's look at why. why is the president's approval down near historic low? on covid he is still above water, if you will. 54% of americans approve of the president's handling of covid, 45% disapprove. a majority disapprove in the economy. a big majority. nearly 56% disapprove. many disapprove on what joe biden promised to do. 45% say they disapprove. foreign affairs, the president also under water. let's walk closely through this. this is a signature number here. listen to these numbers. remember, joe biden ran. i get it, i'm not donald trump. i can fix it. your life will get better. only 30% say biden's policies have improved the economy. 45% say they have worsened things. and 25% say no effects. add this up. 70% of americans say things are either the same or worse when it comes to the economy in joe biden's presidency. that is alarming for the democrats. and it translates again this way. remember, he said, i get it. i have all this experience. i am ready to lead. well, 56% of americans, two-thirds, that means two-thirds of democrats have doubts about president biden's leadership. why is this happening? 80% of you, 80% say food costs are a problem in the economy. 79% say supply chain. 65% say covid. you see it on gas costs, housing costs, government spending. this is what's critical about this poll. look at our numbers. people feel this. that's why the president is down. this is personal. 70%, nearly 69% of americans say they've been unable to find something they want to purchase, supply chain issues. 57% say they face delays in receiving something they want to purchase again. back to the supply chain. 50% of you say you bought fewer groceries or changed what you bought at the store. it's a smaller number, but still 40% of americans say they cut back significantly on driving because gas prices are up. the president understands these numbers. he understands your frustration. he says, i get it. >> every other aspect of the economy is racing ahead. it's doing incredibly well. we've never had this kind of growth in 60 years. but inflation is affecting people's lives. prices have gone up because of supply chain concerns. it's a real bump in the road. it does affect families, but you walk in the grocery store and you're paying more for whatever you're purchasing. it matters. it matters to people. >> on this day to share their support and insights, jonathan martin of the "new york times," cnn's lauren fox and cnn political director david chalian. the key point, as you look through these polls, the last point i showed you, people feel this. this is not a debate in washington between republicans and democrats. this is pain in their everyday life, disruption in their everyday life. there is also, as we head to a midterm election year, the intensity question. how do people feel about things? among those who approve of the president, 60% said they feel strongly of joe biden's performance. 45% wonder who is coming out. that's a problem for democrats. >> 33% of democrats, only a third of democrats approve strongly. 75% of republicans disapprove strongly. so you see the intensity out there wh there. when only a third of your team is feeling strongly, you have real world outcomes in getting people to actually vote in an election year. >> let's look at this over time. if you want to look at how the president was back in march or april to where he is today. i'll walk you through there and follow it from left to right. the green is the economy. do you disapprove of the president's handling of the economy? watch the green line. it's up ten points since march. the thirpurple line is covid. even that is down six points since march. and this is a question that has nothing to do with biden. we asked in the poll, do you think economic conditions in the country are good right now? that's the gold line. again, look from march to now. that is down 17 points. if you're trying to frame into the election the president's approval, jonathan martin, those are troubling numbers. >> they are, and this was always the risk of nominating joe biden was that he was seen as the best possible pick to beat donald trump. he wasn't seen as the most inspirational, transformational leader, he was the safe bet. a lot of democrats last year said, how do we get trump out of office and biden was seen as the easiest way to do that. i have a vivid memory over a year ago talking to people outside the white house the day the race was called for joe biden. what sticks out from that day is they were excited trump was gone. i would ask, aren't you excited about joe biden being president? they would be polite, but there was nobody among democratic partisans, those who were at the white house celebrating, who were thrilled with joe biden. they were thrilled that trump was gone. that is coming home to roost, because with trump out of the picture, it's about biden, and people aren't thrilled about what they have. they're happy about who left. >> there is also, no matter how you look at the numbers, there is covid fatigue throughout. no matter what number you're looking at, there is a covid exhaustion and how people feel personally about this. now, 11 months is a long time. that's a cliche. 11 months is a long time. we have no idea what covid will look like. we have no idea what the economy would look like. but when you have 7 to 10 americans say they're unable to find something, when you have 54% of americans saying they need to change the way they buy groceries, it's a problem. >> the white house is trying to figure out how to message around this, joe biden seen as somebody who is em patpathetic because os personal life. they haven't really mastered how they feel about the pain of americans. you heard them say this is just a bump in the road what's going on with the economy. it doesn't feel like a bump in the road for most americans. when you go to the grocery store and you have to change your driving patterns because of the price of gas which people haven't really thought about for years and years because it was such a stable, good number, and now they have to rethink all of their habits and they don't necessarily connect that the real problem is still covid, all of these economic problems are obviously connected to this pandemic. >> and joe biden is not on the ballot next year, but democratic candidates for governor are, the president's approval rating, what the people think about the president and the economy. an economist working in the white house wrote a memo today. it's not about our new poll but it's about polls that are similar. he says, this is the best political environment for republicans since 2010. the country has voted for change in 7 out of the last 8 elections. his party has lost control of the senate, and he goes on to note that joe biden's numbers are the only numbers in modern presidents, and below where biden is right now was donald trump. >> and perhaps to change the tide was to accomplish something on capitol hill. they passed that bipartisan infrastructure bill but they quickly pivoted to when they were going to do this bigger safety net bill. that's in limbo in the senate, and likely lawmakers are going to go home before christmas without having passed it. that's a problem, because lawmakers could potentially change or help their fortunes, but it's not clear they're in a position right now to do so. >> i made a trump comparison. there is an obama comparison that's interesting, too. remember, barack obama lost the house in the first midterm, he lost the senate in the second midterm. are conditions worsened? 28% said that about barack obama, so people feel worse about the biden presidency. have conditions improved? 36% obama and 30% biden. >> the battle of obamacare, it was not yet a popular program at all. there was concern about the effect on the economy, and yet still nearly half of americans today say biden was making it worse, not even close to how americans were responding to obama back then. that to me suggests this may be even a tougher mountain to climb. i know there aren't as many competitive seats. i'm not suggesting democrats are going to lose 63 seats next year, but i do think the political terrain is every bit as tough as it was for democrats. >> these numbers are bad, 11 months are a bad time, but if we get to the spring and they start to harden some, that's where it gets difficult. again, covid driving the economic anxiety. next, we'll follow the conversation. covid is stirring old challenges. but just moments ago, dr. fauci said our covid vaccines will work, he says, against the fast-spreading new variaiant. c'mon caleb, you got this! and if you don't, there are other options! umpire: ball! good eye! good eye! eyes are good for lots of things. like reading! be the best, caleb! statistically impossible, caleb. umpire: strike three, you're out! you'll get 'em next time! or you won't, probably won't. and it won't impact your future whatsoever! talk to us about college planning today. feel comfortable about tomorrow. massmutual. look, serena williams... matrix... serena... matrix... serena... matrix... ♪ get your tv together with the best of live and on demand. introducing directv stream. ray loves vacations. but his diabetes never seemed to take one. everything felt like a 'no'. everything. but then ray went from no to know. with freestyle libre 2, now he knows his glucose levels when he needs to. and... when he wants to. so ray... can be ray. take the mystery out of your glucose levels, and lower your a1c. now you know. try it for free. visit freestylelibre.us ♪ the only thing a disaster can't destroy is hope. ♪ donate now at redcross.org >> man: what's my safelite story? 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because he was a government official and he would have, while in office, had some privileges. >> i think the biggest difference is that he actually has produced some documents. so from my perspective, that's the biggest difference between him and the bannon case. bannon just said, i'm not cooperating and that's the end of it. meadows did produce thousands of pages of documents. the difference is the referral statute says it also includes someone who refuses to answer any question. so the big difference for him is that he is refusing now to be interviewed in any way. whether he would need to take the fifth amendment on certain questions, he has that right, but he's just completely refusing to answer any questions. >> and the committee in revealing over the course of several days, carrie makes a key point, he was cooperating at first, turned over reams of documents, reams of text messages, then he pulled back. the committee failed to lay out how central this was. and then on january 6, the president's son said get the president to do something about this. now yesterday, lauren fox, we her say i don't think this is productive. meadows said the legislation should have the power but the vp has the power, too. please check your signal, meaning please check an app where maybe it's not a government record and maybe there's another conversation. we know some of these messages, because meadows has cherry-picked, saying you can have these. what didn't he share? >> also encrypted messaging, they want to know what communications he was having offline which they may not have access to, ever. so that's a concern of the committee. they are not only trying to understand what happened in the capitol on january 6, what was happening in the president's mind and within his inner circle on that day, but what happened leading up to it and what role did meadows have and what role did other members of congress have? because, remember, some of those text messages made clear that there were members of congress who were texting with meadows and uts it's going to become a r question mark of whether or not and when the select committee unveils who those lawmakers are. some of them are sitting members of congress. >> which is important because the chairman says he'll decide in the next week or so whether to release those names. you're getting to what we know, but there's a lot we still don't know. a more complete picture of what happened essentially from the day after the election up until january 6, and mark meadows' role in it, but one can't forget donald trump's central role in it. staff members trying to overturn the results, working with congress saying, on certification day, what can you do to gum up the works by objecting? mark meadows sending texts saying mike pence should jump in front of a train. the coup plot becoming more clear. >> this was a coup plot that began before january 6, before election day. it was in donald trump's messaging about the election. it most certainly was going to be rigged, he kept saying over and over and over. i think this committee which seemed to run aground because people weren't cooperating clearly has troves of data from mark meadows, and i think they have done a masterful job over this last week. you saw liz cheney somehow be the face of this committee reading those text messages in prime time for all americans to see. if nothing had broken through before about this coup plot on january 6, certainly it's starting to break through now with text messages to fox personalities to mark meadows in this central role and sort of absent of donald trump on that day as this was all unfolding on tv. he seemed to be mia just watching it on tv. >> here's what i will call a delicious political wrinkle. mitch mcconnell, senate republican leader, who has a lot at stake in next year's midterm election season, a lot at stake trying to manage his difficult relation sship with donald trum. no, he was not messaging mark meadows, but he was integrial i this committee. >> it will be interesting to reveal all the participants involved. >> very dry, but that's the idea of keep going. >> he wants to see trump lose altitude every day. anything that takes the air out of it he's thrilled with. trump is not only hammering him every day as the old crow, but he's also screwing around in these private areas and trying to, for example, unseat murkowski in alabama. he's trying to push through brooks in alabama. folks mcconnell does not want to see come to the senate. mcconnell isn't going to do too much more, though, because he wants to keep the focus on biden. he's not going to spare any sympathy at all for donald trump. i think the challenge here for the committee and for cheney is this will get the attention of a lot of folks who follow politics very closely. what does it do for the average american? 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yeah, hang on, i'm about to break my own record. only pay for what you need. ♪ liberty. liberty. liberty. liberty. ♪ we've had nba games postponed. four campuses say they'll go to online learning for the rest of the semester. omicron is making a statement, but this is important. moments ago the nation's top infectious disease doctor, dr. fauci, said no, we do not need a vaccine as long as you get boosted. >> our booster vaccine regimens work against omicron. at this point there is no need for a variant-specific booster. >> dr. rechita mccain is here. doctor, i want to make a point. delta is driving the case surge right now, and they say, why are we so obsessed about omicron? there was 0.4% a week ago, now there's almost 3%. by sunday it was 43,33, then moy it was 44%, now 50%. are you okay with just getting a booster, or do we need a vaccine? >> the problem there is not everybody is eligible for a booster. you have to wait for six months after the pfizer or moderna vaccine or two months after the johnson & johnson to get a booster. that's one issue. the other part we're not looking at is although the boosters and vaccines may protect against disease, they do that at a less efficacious rate than the prior variants. when we have a higher caseload, even though less people are becoming ill, when the numbers start to spike, that still causes a strain in the health system. >> three out of four teams have had to postpone games because of covid. cornell one of four college campuses saying they're going to partially shift things online. omicron is only 3% of the cases. even when we have to deal with delta, how do you do that juggle? >> it's hard to juggle. we don't know exactly what we're dealing with. keep in mind omicron was discovered a little under three weeks ago and we're already seeing it in 77 countries and 36 states within a month of being discovered. there is still a lot about omicron we just don't know. >> if you come through, if you look at cases in the united states right now, we're just around 120,000 cases, 119,888. back on november 14, that was 80,000, so it's up 60% since last month and most of this is delta. are you worried that as omicron starts to double as we have seen in south africa, as we've seen in london quickly, that this number will go even higher as we go more into winter? >> absolutely. when delta emerged, it was the most transmissible variant we had seen to date and omicron is quickly taking that title. it has become the most dominant strain in stoutouth africa and most dominant strain in the u.k. as of today. the u.k. is seeing cases they hadn't even seen in the winter surge, so yes, i'm worried we'll experience the same as what's happening in europe. >> dr. fauci's message was clearly, please, go out and get vaccinated. vaccinations are up, if you look at the numbers, but most of these are boosters. what is more important right now with the dual threat if you have delta or omicron? is it to get those who are vaccinated a booster shot, and as you noted, shrink the wait period for that, or to get the completely unvaccinated to get a shot? >> i'm not sure if we can place importance on one thing over the other. when it comes to fighting covid and combatting this pandemic, all the different things, vaccines, boosters, masks, social distancing, these are all tools in our arsenal and we have to employ all of them in order to be able to win this war against covid-19. >> so i asked you this question last time ump you were here, i' going to ask it again. based on what you know today, what should people be thinking about in terms of holiday travel, holiday gathering? >> you know, those thoughts change day to day. i particularly had plans to travel over the holidays and i had to change my plans. i think that what's going to be important is looking at the virus spread and the rate of cases in wherever you plan on traveling to. that's number one. number two, you have to remember that even if you're vaccinated, going through traveling and airports and buses and trains, you're going to be around a significant amount of people whose vaccination status you don't know which, in and of itself, poses a risk. so for those people who are older in age and those who are compromised or vaccinated, i would significantly rethink any travel plans for this holiday season. >> sober message, but as always, very grateful for your time and insights. thank you. >> thank you. up next for us, the numbers simply don't lie. president biden is running ahead of donald trump on an issue that is defining to the trump legacy. it's the most joyous time of the year. especially at t-mobile! let's go to dianne. i got the awesome new iphone 13 pro and airpods, and t-mobile is paying for them both! and this is for new and existing customers. upgrade to the iphone 13 pro and airpods both on us. only at t-mobile. hello, for the last few years, i've been a little obsessed with chasing the big idaho potato truck. but it's not like that's my only interest. i also love cooking with heart-healthy, idaho potatoes. always look for the grown in idaho seal. >> man: what's my safelite story? 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(vo) buy your car online. love it or return it. with carvana. - san francisco can have criminal justice reform and public safety. but district attorney chesa boudin is failing on both. - the safety of san francisco is dependent upon chesa being recalled as soon as possible. - i didn't support the newsom recall but this is different. - chesa takes a very radical perspective and approach to criminal justice reform, which is having a negative impact on communities of color. - i never in a million years thought that my son, let alone any six-year-old, would be gunned down in the streets of san francisco and not get any justice. - chesa's failure has resulted in increase in crime against asian americans. - the da's office is in complete turmoil at this point. - for chesa boudin to intervene in so many cases is both bad management and dangerous for the city of san francisco. - we are for criminal justice reform. chesa's not it. recall chesa boudin now. the biden white house is doing a little bit of bragging today as it nudges past donald trump on an issue that for conservatives was the holy grail of trump presidency. today president biden made his 33rd nomination to the federal bench. this eclipses 72 that president trump made his first year. phil, it is a big deal. >> there's no doubt about it. the push from the white house, the emphasis on this from the white house and senate democrats came in large part of biden's recognition of sheer success that then-majority leader mitch mcconnell had on clamping down, and they said this needed to be a focus, and a focus it has been. you mentioned the top number, 73 total nominees. also the president is on the verge of having 31 confirmed between circuit courts and district courts, that's more than any other president since ronald reagan. it's not just the top numbers, it's the picks themselves. the president is focused on the personal and professional side of things. you're seeing labor lawyers, civil rights lawyers, public attorneys that perhaps wouldn't have necessarily been filling the public bench in the past that have been selections. more than 70 of the selections have been women, 15 hispanic. you go up and down the list and you see the administration takes a new tack on who they're selecting but also the focus of naming those selections. obviously no supreme court picks up to this point, but in a matter of moments he'll have his 11th circuit court judge pick. >> phil mattingly, i appreciate you kicking it off. let's go to the numbers that were right up there. candidate biden did promise more diverse across government. 2 73% are women, 27% are black, 21% hispanic, 18% asian. how does that do for adversity? >> they're creating a pipeline, so they'll obviously be considering the case that's before them, but they're also considering a pipeline for judges that can be future considerations for appellate level judges, also for justices in the decades to come. so he has an opportunity here, president biden, to reshape the federal judiciary in a way that is more representative of america, is not just comprised of all former federal prosecutors, for example, phil's emphasis on the civil rights backgrounds of some of these nominees and new judges is an important one. >> a lot of conservatives who get the downsides, the many downsides of donald trump, this is where they hide, if you will. look what we got. we got all these judges. donald trump was never shy, listen, about saying, i'm breaking records. >> something the people are talking about is how many judges we've had approved. i want to say that we will set records in terms of the number of judges. >> a big percentage of the court will be changed by this administration over a very short period of time. i don't believe anybody has come close. >> well, again, those clips serve a purpose because they haven't come close. we'll do this every year. we'll see where we are the first term. in terms of confirmations, president biden has not had a supreme court pick. that is huge. we'll get to that in a second. the district level tied at the appeals court level, puts people on the job. >> canexactly, and this was a lesson that was learned in the biden administration. when mitch mcconnell took back the senate, it became a focus for him. it laid the groundwork so that when president trump was in office, he could move very swiftly and that relationship now, obviously, not you can talk about this. >> we've seen the kbaimpact bece so many people have vaccine mandates, border policy, pick your issue. >> exactly. the shadow politics of our time have taken over the legislative branch in many respects. this oftentimes is where big issues are finally decided in the courts, and i think both parties have come to recognize that this is now increasing where the action is and that's why they move swiftly. >> it's interesting to see the grassroots liberal voters and activists see this in a way we've seen from conservative voters. it really is a way for conservative voters, never really has been for liberals. it will be interesting going forward in the lesson the obama administration learned. you've got a 16-member supreme court that could overturn massive rights for women in this country. >> it's a great point and a great question. the numbers don't lie, but do democratic voters care about this as much ? >> steven breyer will be one of the major story lines. do you benefit from a child tax credit? it ends today. can help support a healthy heart. lipton. stop chuggin'. start sippin'. at intra-cellular therapies, we're inspired by our circle. a circle that includes our researchers, driven by our award-winning science, who uncover new medicines to treat mental illness. it includes the compassionate healthcare professionals, the dedicated social workers, and the supportive peer counselors we work with to help improve - and even change - people's lives. moving from mental illness to mental wellness starts in our circle. this is intra-cellular therapies. look, serena williams... matrix... serena... matrix... serena... matrix... ♪ get your tv together with the best of live and on demand. introducing directv stream. what can i du with less asthma? with dupixent, i can du more....beginners' yoga. namaste... ...surprise parties. aww, you guys. dupixent helps prevent asthma attacks... ...for 3!... ...so i can du more of the things i love. dupixent is not for sudden breathing problems. it's an add-on-treatment for specific types of moderate-to-severe asthma that can improve lung function for better breathing in as little as two weeks. and can reduce, or even eliminate, oral steroids. and here's something important. dupixent can cause serious allergic reactions, including anaphylaxis. get help right away if you have rash, shortness of breath, chest pain, tingling or numbness in your limbs. tell your doctor if you have a parasitic infection, and don't change or stop your asthma treatments, including steroids, without talking to your doctor. are you ready to du more with less asthma? just ask your asthma specialist about dupixent. >> man: what's my safelite story? i spend a lot of time in my truck. it's my livelihood. ♪ rock music ♪ >> man: so i'm not taking any chances when something happens to it. so when my windshield cracked... my friend recommended safelite autoglass. they came right to me, with expert service where i needed it. ♪ rock music ♪ >> man: that's service i can trust... no matter what i'm hauling. right, girl? >> singers: ♪ safelite repair, safelite replace. ♪ emergency planning for kids. we can't predict when an emergency will happen. so that's why it's important to make a plan with your parents. here are a few tips to stay safe. know how to get in touch with your family. write down phone numbers for your parents, siblings and neighbors. pick a place to meet your family if you are not together and can't go home. remind your parents to pack an emergency supply kit. making a plan might feel like homework, but it will help you and your family stay safe during an emergency. important news in to cnn. a source in conversations with president biden and senator joe manchin tells us the two, quote, are very far apart from reaching a deal on biden's safety net package. the holdup? manchin wants to cut the child tax credit from the bill. this news comes the same day as millions of you u.s. parents will receive what could be the last parent under an expanded child tax credit that began in march. cnn economics commentator katherine lapel is here with us. the data has been an overwhelming plus when it comes too fighting child hunger, fighting child poverty. why would a senator want to rip it from the bill? >> nathat's a good question. the research suggests that the payoff for this kind of child poverty is enormous. it comes with better health outcomes, higher earnings for those kids who receive the child tax credit when they grow up, initially, so there's a lot of solid evidence to suggest this is beneficial in particular. they have a relationship with state senators even though they have a lot of different kinds of benefits including things like disability, there is a lot of political aversion, nonetheless, to those very same transfers. people think i deserve this benefit but everybody around me is on the dial. i think he's feeling pressure in his state. >> he says the child tax credit is the biggest inflation driver in president biden's plan. this is an issue he's raised significantly and this benefit does cost a lot of money. is this the kind of government spending that drives inflation? >> it is fair to say that putting more money in people's pockets so they can spend it, yes, could lead to higher demand and, therefore, inflation. there are ways to counteract that. this is a tax cut for low-income families and middle-income families. you could counteract that by saying we're going to raise taxes on billionaires and corporations. that's sort of the argument that democrats have been making but they've gotten cold feet. >> if you extend this tax credit and it drives inflation, what happens if you take it away? we're showing 39 million americans benefit from this. 36 million children benefit from this. it phases out depending on how much money you make. what if you take all that mona w -- money away? what would be the economic -- a census, and if they don't have that funding, kids will suffer deprivation. taking that money away will increase it. >> they are seeing these higher prices, and they are blaming anyone they can, including the president. his approval ratings are way down. is this a fix for the fed or a long-term issue? >> it's a difficult issue the fed has been working on for decades, figuring out that tricky mix between balancing employment and prices set by congress. yeah, they got things wrong earlier this year. now they have to figure out how do they change their messaging and their policy tools so they can get these price increases under control. >> the guy who lives at the white house will be watching closely. catherine, thank you for your insights right now. a close look at kentucky, the devastating tornadoes that killed more than 70 people. we'll be live on the ground next. ow! i'm ok! only pay for what you need. ♪ liberty. liberty. liberty. liberty. ♪ only in theaters december 17th. subway's eat fresh refresh™ has so many new footlongs. refresh! here's how they line up. we got the new chicken & bacon ranch, new baja steak & jack, and the new baja chicken & bacon, aka “the smokeshow”" save big. order through the app. the living room slash yoga shanti slash regional office slash... and this is the basement slash panic room. maybe what your family needs is a vacation home slash vacation home. find yours on the vrbo app. hello, for the last few years, i've been a little obsessed with chasing the big idaho potato truck. but it's not like that's my only interest. i also love cooking with heart-healthy, idaho potatoes. always look for the grown in idaho seal. ho ho ho! not again. oh no. for the gifts you won't forget. the mercedes-benz winter event. get a credit toward your first month's payment on select models. 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. your record label is taking off. but so is your sound engineer. you need to hire. i need indeed. indeed you do. indeed instant match instantly delivers quality candidates matching your job description. visit indeed.com/hire ray loves vacations. but his diabetes never seemed to take one. everything felt like a 'no'. everything. but then ray went from no to know. with freestyle libre 2, now he knows his glucose levels when he needs to. and... when he wants to. so ray... can be ray. take the mystery out of your glucose levels, and lower your a1c. now you know. try it for free. visit freestylelibre.us president biden is in kentucky right now. he is there to get a firsthand look at the catastrophic damage from those deadly weekend tornadoes. at least 70 people were killed in the state of kentucky. thousands of people are displaced. kaitlan collins is there. kaitlan, what do we know? >> reporter: you saw him getting a briefing from the governor of kentucky, fema, the secretary as well, they're all here on the ground talking about what the efforts are going to look like, because this will be a very long road to recovery, sadly, for people here in kentucky and several other states that were hit by these storms. so the white house says the message that president biden is bringing with him as he's about to tour a neighborhood in mayfield where we know the damage was incredibly extensive is that they will be here to do whatever it takes as long as it takes. of course, they know there is a lot going on here. you know, john, the message the president brings with him is not just about federal resources. he's also here to listen to people, and that is certainly what people want to hear. what they are going through is incredibly overwhelming. we just spoke with someone earlier, a man who was about as kind as they come who lost his mother here in dawson springs. now not only is he dealing with the sudden loss of that, john, he also can't go to her house and just reminisce over photos and memories as you would expect someone to do when you lose someone like that. he's also going through rubble and looking for anything he can find, mementos, her cell phone, her letter jacket from high school, moments like that. they said they do welcome the president's visit here today to put the spotlight on emotions here today of people feeling a lot of pain. >> the community is grateful for the visit from the president. the pictures even days later just heartbreaking. kaitlan collins, thank you. topping our political radar for the first time in our city's history, the next police commissioner will be a woman. keechant sewell will become the first woman to lead the nypd. >> i am mindful of the historic nature of this announcement as the first woman and only third black person to lead the nypd in its 76-year history. i bring a different perspective. to all the little girls within the sound of my voice, there is nothing you can't do and no one you can't become. the national archives, get this, just released a tranche of secret documents about the assassination of john f. kennedy. jfk researchers do not expect these documents to reveal a smoking gun. but some historians do hope documents show otherwise and clear up some of their questions about the 1963 assassination. the secretary of state tony blinken cutting short a trip to asia after a journalist traveling with him tested positive for covid. the state department said instead of having meetings in thailand, he will instead travel back to d.c. on sunday join dr. sanjay gupta about how some families with autistic kids are finding hope in cannabis. hope comes at a great risk. "weed 6: marijuana and autism" begins at 8:00 p.m. sunday. you can also watch our podcast wherever you get your podcasts. ana cabrera picks it up right now. have a great day. hello, i'm ana cabrera in new york. thank you so much for being here. we begin with brand new warning signs. the pandemic is getting worse here in the u.s. as concerns mount over the omicron variant. just in the last couple hours, cnn has learned that at least four more colleges and universities, including nyu and princeton, are shifting classes and finals online due to an increase in covid cases. this is after cornell university announced this week it's shutting down its main campus after more than 900 new cases of covid were reported in just th