still, covid is once again dominating our daily lives. schools, sports, work, all face this uncertain future. >> colleges are sending students home. more and more companies are delaying the return to the office. the nba and nfl rolling out new safety measures and cancelling games. even secretary of state anthony blinken cut his trip to southeast asia short after a journalist on the trip tested positive for covid. five months ago president biden said the virus no longer controls our lives. now people everywhere are lining up to be tested before joining family for the holidays. >> and to be clear, that's a good thing. new projections show winter holiday travel is about to roar back, so people should get tested. aaa estimates that more than 109 million americans will travel during the week between christmas and new year's. a number approaching the pre-pandemic record. and after sacrificing so much for so long, people want to be together again. it's understandable, but the reality is part of the reason we are seeing so many new cases right now is all of those holiday gatherings around thanksgiving. >> if we're all going to get together, we should all be vaccinated and preferentially boosted. we should wear our masks if we're uncertain. and another thing we can do is we could all get tested the morning of our getting together. >> right now cases are skyrocketing, but more critically hospitalizations have spiked 30% in three weeks overwhelming i.c.u.s again. >> hospitals are already completely full. i mean, there are some i.c.u.s in the twin cities where 100% of the beds are unvaccinated covid patients on ventilators. and so to think about what it means for another surge or a burst of patients is -- i mean, i can't even grasp what that means for us. >> remember, about 25% of eligible americans have yet to receive even one dose of a vaccine. dr. anthony fauci blames misinformation. >> the only way we can think of, of countering misinformation and disinformation is by literally flooding the system with correct information. >> new york city, wow, finds itself back on the front line in the battle against covid. the audience at meoulin rouge hd already been seated. >> they will require shots for staff and audiences. why not start right now? new york city officials are considering whether new year's eve at times square should go ahead as planned. cnn's nick watt has more. >> reporter: well, christine and laura, in new york city they are handing out a million dollars worth of masks. and a half million at-home covid tests, putting up new testing sites around the city. why? because in the space of just four days, the positivity rate on pcr tests in new york city doubled. an adviser to the mayor said, we have never seen that before in n.y.c. delta, the variant still around the country and the omicron variant on the rise, a dire warning from president joe biden. >> new steps we've taken, omicron has not spread as fast as it otherwise would have done. and that's happening in europe. but it's here now, and it's spreading, and it's going to increase. for unvaccinated, we are looking at a winter of severe illness and death for unvaccinated. for themselves, their families, and the hospitals they will soon overwhelm. >> reporter: dr. fauci says that the omicron variant will pretty soon become the dominant variant here in the united states. the vaccines do still provide protection against severe disease and death, especially with a booster. now, more vaccines news, the cdc's vaccine advisers voted to put this recommendation to the cdc. they want the mrna vaccines, the pfizer and moderna, to be, quote, preferred to the johnson & johnson vaccine. why? well, because of those very, very rare, but sometimes fatal blood clots associated with the johnson & johnson vaccine. christine and laura, back to you. >> nick, thank you so much for that. health officials fear a double whammy of covid and flu outbreaks this winter. they now have another reason for concern. researchers at the university of pennsylvania say that flu shot you got this year may offer less protection because one of the main influenza viruses in circulation has mutations that make it a poor match for this season's vaccine. the report which has not yet been peer reviewed says while the current vaccine may not prevent infection, it is still likely to ward off severe illness. to washington now, president biden acknowledging that his huge build back better plan will miss his christmas deadline for passage in the u.s. senate, but he says he's determined to see it on the chamber floor as early as possible. cnn's jasmine wright is live for us in washington this morning. the president made a point of noting where he and the key swing vote here, of course democratic senator joe manchin agree, there are plenty of points where they don't agree, and we're in the midterms next year. >> reporter: that's exactly right, laura. those differences, the points where they don't agree are clearly large enough that they had the impact of punting this bill into next year. really kind of a setback for the biden administration for this key hallmark bill here, something they wanted to pass in just a few day's time. kind of the writing was on the walls here, laura. senator joe manchin has not been shy about voicing his concerns, his deep concerns about the things from the size and scope of this $1.75 trillion bill, two things inside of it fro, energy producers and the child tax credit. they have credited themselves with cutting childhood poverty in place since it's been in place. senator manchin talked about his concerns with how the bill is paid for. he has called them gimmicks. for the child tax credit, officials have told cnn he wants to zero it out, telling president biden himself that the way it's paid for, funded for just one year is hiding the true cost of the bill. now, of course, senators disagree with that. democratic senators disagree with that, but president biden also disagrees with that. but joe manchin, he doesn't seem like he is going to be pressured any type of way. take a listen to this exchange with manu raju and manchin from yesterday. >> at first you changed your position -- >> no one pressures me. i'm from west virginia. >> are you going to change your position on that? the way it's in the bill, one year extension. >> i've always been for child tax credit. >> reporter: so, laura, i'm not sure how many democratic senators would agree with that statement from senator manchin, but clearly there are some real differences here. and they have moved the bill beyond what they wanted to see. president biden in the statement released yesterday said that they will continue their discussions into next week, making sure that this is not the end. but he did not put a really deadline on it, something that democrats had been putting on this bill and the buy part a san infrastructure bill before it passed. really time and time again. as they really try to advance this larger bill, one house official told me this is not a pause. these talks will continue into next week and beyond as they try to really advance this bill. laura? >> well, what it shows you is he knows the child tax credit is popular and it is unpopular for him to be against it. jasmin, thank you. >> 93% of west virginia children benefit from the child tax credit. 93% of the children in west virginia have that extra benefit. taking it away means essentially raising their taxes. extra security at schools across the country after a revolting social media challenge promising a wave of school shootings. just an investor, you're an owner with access to financial advice, tools and a personalized plan that helps you build a future for those you love. vanguard. become an owner. trelegy for copd. ♪ birds flyin' high ♪ ♪ you know how i feel ♪ (coughing) ♪ breeze driftin' on by ♪ ♪ you know how i feel ♪ copd may have gotten you here, but you decide what's next. start a new day with trelegy. ♪ ...feelin' good ♪ no once-daily copd medicine has the power to treat copd in as many ways as trelegy. with three medicines in one inhaler, trelegy helps people breathe easier and improves lung function. it also helps prevent future flare-ups. trelegy won't replace a rescue inhaler for sudden breathing problems. tell your doctor if you have a heart condition or high blood pressure before taking it. do not take trelegy more than prescribed. trelegy may increase your risk of thrush, pneumonia, and osteoporosis. call your doctor if worsened breathing, chest pain, mouth or tongue swelling, problems urinating, vision changes, or eye pain occur. take a stand and start a new day with trelegy. ask your doctor about once-daily trelegy. and save at trelegy.com. ♪ this holiday, let them shine like never before. ♪ ♪ ♪ this is how we shine. ♪ find the perfect gift at zales. the diamond store. firefighter maggie gronewald knows how to handle dry weather... ...and dry, cracked skin. new gold bond advanced healing ointment. restore healthy skin, with no sticky feeling. gold bond. champion your skin. 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. ok everyone, our mission is to provide complete, balanced nutrition for strength and energy. whoo hoo! ensure, with 27 vitamins and minerals, now introducing ensure complete! with 30 grams of protein. ♪ [laughing and giggling] (woman) hey dad. miss us? (vo) reflect on the past, celebrate the future. season's greetings from audi. an unforced error for airline executives, public disagreement now over masks on planes. it began with the southwest c.e.o. gary kelly. >> yeah, i think the case is very strong that masks don't add much, if anything, in the air cabin environment. it's very safe and very high-quality compared to any other indoor setting. >> that got immediate pushback including from delta c.e.o. ed bastian. >> i don't know that i agree with gary's remarks. i think particularly as we see omicron continuing to, to enter into our country, masks are going to be important as a safeguard for awhile yet. >> and even more pushback from doctors. >> the data supports use of the mask, but use of masks -- but also why say this now when we have the most transmissible variant of all accelerating? i don't know. some of these c.e.o.s, they have the emotional intelligence of a doorknob. i don't know why they would say that kind of thing. >> also frustrated are flight attendants who are already dealing with passengers who are fighting any mask rules. >> the biggest problem for flight attendants is that when there is inconsistency in communication, that puts us in harms way because we are charged with enforcing that mask mandate. >> american airlines c.e.o. doug parker who appeared to agree with no need for masks at that hearing, now walking it back. he says he should have been clearer and was only agreeing that being on board a plane has proven to be a safe and healthy indoor environment. the tsa mask mandate on planes expires march 18th. it really kicked up a kerfuffle because so many people are working so hard to make sure people are wearing masks on airplanes. to hear a c.e.o. say, no, i don't think we might need them really stirred the pot. >> i think it's the timing of it. just odd. well, a federal judge has overturned a $4 billion opioid lawsuit settlement with purdue pharma. the settlement had shielded the stackler family who owned the company from future lawsuits. the bankruptcy court didn't have the authority to give them those protections. big pharma plans to appeal. the cdc says opioids were behind overdoses in the u.s. between 2020 and 2021 when the toll topped 100,000 for the first time. a new fund opening in the battle of abortion, the fda is dropping the requirement that pills used to induce abortion be picked up in-person. meaning they can now be prescribed by a telehealth doctor and sent in mail where permitted by law. that's the main catch. abortion laws by telehealth already banned in 19 states and abortion rights are working to add more states to that list. this move by the biden administration comes as a supreme court is considering a major challenge to roe v. wade and adds one more wrinkle to the possible fallout from that decision. >> so in other words, it doesn't help women in red states where they already can't get it. >> exactly. a little weekend programming note here. some families that have kids with autism are finding hope in cannabis. for some, though, that hope comes at great risk. join dr. sanjay gupta for a new cnn special report "weed 6 marijuana and autism" sunday at 8:00 p.m. only on cnn. the experts at safelite autoglass came right to me... with service i could trust. right, girl? >> singers: ♪ safelite repair, safelite replace. ♪ 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 (vo) what's better than giving a better phone this holiday season? it's giving a better phone on a better network. ranked #1 in network reliability 16 times in a row better. holiday better with 5g from america's most reliable network. (burke) this is why you want farmers claim forgiveness... [echoing] claim forgiveness-ness, your home premium won't go up just because of this. (woman) wow, that's something. (burke) you get a whole lot of something with farmers policy perks. [echoing] get a quote today. ♪ we are farmers. bum-pa-dum, bum-bum-bum-bum ♪ 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. kim is now demonstrating her congestion. save it slimeball. i've upgraded to mucinex. we still have 12 hours to australia. mucinex lasts 12 hours, so i'm good. now move! kim, no! mucinex lasts 3x longer for 12 hours. hey, angie! you forgot your phone! hey lou! angie forget her phone again? yep. lou! mom said she could save up to $400 on her wireless bill by switching to xfinity internet and mobile. with nationwide 5g at no extra cost. and lou! on the most reliable network, lou! smart kid, bill. oh oh so true. and now, the moon christmas special. gotta go! take the savings challenge at xfinitymobile.com/mysavings or visit an xfinity store to learn how our switch squad makes switching fast and easy this holiday season. new friction between beijing and washington, president biden plans to sign a bill passed by the senate thursday banning imports from china's xi jinping zhang region over concerns about forced labor. cnn's steven zhang is live in beijing for us. steven, this is part of a broader series of push back by washington toward china, isn't it? >> reporter: that's right, christine. especially over the xinjiang issue. we've seen the u.s. government announcing a diplomatic boycott of the beijing winter olympics next year because of china's human rights record and especially shin zhang. in the past few days we've seen new and strengthened sanction targeting chinese companies that help conduct surveillance against the muslim population. that list includes some prominent chinese companies, dji, the world's biggest commercial drone maker and schmidt, the country's biggest computer chipmaker. if and when all those measures including this new law are fully implemented, they will have some teeth because xinjiang does play a role in the national and global supply chain. this is going to affect industries such as the manufacturing of solar panel making, for example. i think that's why beijing has been increasingly furious over those actions. the latest response from the foreign ministry here is calling the latest passage of this law in the u.s. showing how the u.s. has become hysterical towards china, and vowing, again, to retaliate. but all of this is really going to reinforce the notion here in beijing that decoupling between the two countries, at least in certain industries and sectors, is happening no matter what the two leaders said during their virtual summit. xi jinping keeps reminding officials of the need to become technologically self-reliant. that's the new keyword, christine, self-reliance as xi jinping keeps saying china needs to free itself from the u.s. choke hold in key technologies. christine? >> self-reliance, all right, thank you so much for that, steven zhang in beijing. still ahead for you, the shocker in the uk. the prime minister's party loses a seat they held for 200 years. warning signs for boris johnson. we are live from london next. 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. there's a different way to treat hiv. it's once-monthly injectable cabenuva. cabenuva is the only once-a-month, complete hiv treatment for adults who are undetectable. cabenuva helps keep me undetectable. it's two injections, given by a healthcare provider once a month. hiv pills aren't on my mind. i love being able to pick up and go. don't receive cabenuva if you're allergic to its ingredients or taking certain medicines, which may interact with cabenuva. serious side effects include allergic reactions post-injection reactions, liver problems,...and depression. if you have a rash and other allergic reaction symptoms, stop cabenuva and get medical help right away. tell your doctor if you have liver problems or mental health concerns, and if you are pregnant, breastfeeding, or considering pregnancy. some of the most common side effects include injection site reactions, fever, and tiredness. if you switch to cabenuva, attend all treatment appointments. with once-a-month cabenuva, i'm good to go. ask your doctor about once-monthly cabenuva. when it comes to autism, finding the right words can be tough. finding understanding doesn't have to be. we can create a kinder, more inclusive world for the millions of people on the autism spectrum. go to autismspeaks.org. age before beauty? why not both? visibly diminish wrinkled skin in... crepe corrector lotion... only from gold bond. find your rhythm. your happy place. find your breaking point. then break it. every emergen-c gives you a potent blend of nutrients so you can emerge your best with emergen-c. welcome back. an election shocker this morning in the uk. the conservative party of prime minister boris johnson has lost a seat it has held for almost 200 years. >> tonight, the people have spoken on behalf of the british people. they said loudly and clearly boris johnson, the party is over. >> cnn's salma abdelaziz is live for us in london. salma, this was one election to be fair. but it is clearly another blow to johnson in this series of crises he's facing. >> reporter: never did i think we'd be talking to our american audience about the small rural community of north yorkshire, but i am. because this is really important, laura. this is yet another hit to prime minister boris johnson, yet another indication that his power, his political status is weakening just a bit more, that his authority is under question, because this seat, this mp seat was a guarantee. it should have been won by a conservative. for 200 years they've held that parliament seat. in the last election they won by over 20,000 votes. so this is a huge upset, a massive defeat, and all conservative lawmakers this morning are on the airwaves, on the radio stations talking about it and they're pointing to prime minister boris johnson as the culprit. and specifically the multiple scandals he's been plagued with over the last couple of weeks. you will remember the allegation is that prime minister boris johnson's own senior staff were holding christmas parties at downing street during lockdown last year. one conservative lawmaker saying, one more strike, and you're out, boris, because this is the second strike, laura. we saw nearly 100 mps vote against the prime minister, vote against boris johnson in parliament for covid restrictions. now this is the second strike, a conservative seat being lost to a lib dem candidate. every single conservative lawmaker now is looking at their parliament seeing and they're wondering can i hold onto power if i continue to support the prime minister? can i continue to win elections if i support prime minister boris johnson? and if the question, if the answer to that question is no, that's when you could see his party turn against him. and we don't have an election for a few more years, but the conservative party always has that possibility of calling a no confidence vote. what i'm saying is could this be the beginning of the end of the prime minister? it's not a time for weak leadership. we're dealing with a variant, a serious variant, laura. >> we know you're staying on top of it all. thank you. "early start" continues right now. ♪ good friday morning, everyone. this is "early start." i'm laura jarrett. >> it is friday, thank goodness. i'm christine romans. 30 minutes past the hour. time for our top stories to keep an eye on today. covid whiplash across the country as infections and hospitalizations skyrocket. the nba cancelling games and adding safety poultry kohl's. and president biden warning of severe winter and death for the unvaccinated. more on this in a moment. the former minnesota police officer who fatally shot daunte wright during the traffic stop could take the witness stand today. kim potter claiming she mistook her gun for a taser. a search warrant has been issued for alec baldwin's cell phone. investigators are looking for data as well as messages on social media in the accidental shooting of cinematographer of ma lena hutchins on the "rust" set in october. the voting defamation case against fox news can move forward. the suit alleges fox personalities and guests spread lies about the 2020 election. this ruling now allows dominion to gather evidence within the halls of fox, including potential interviews with network stars and executives. a source in haiti's security forces tells cnn the last 12 hostages released by an armed gang have been flown back to the u.s.. the kang kidnapped 17 missionaries outside port-au-prince. american officials say ransom was paid but not by the u.s. government. didn't do so well on the s.a.t.s? harvard is waiving the standard admissions requirement for college graduating classes through 2030, extending a policy that they started because of covid. >> great. now i can get into harvard. >> there's still time. all right. covid fatigue is hitting americans hard for a second holiday season. a school and businesses are wasting no time implementing new restrictions, new mandates. switching back to remote learning and working as the omicron variant spreads quickly. >> i think we're really just about to experience a viral blizzard. if you look at what's happened in south africa, you look at what happened in europe, in the next three to eight weeks we're going to see millions of americans who are going to be infected with this virus, and that will be overlaid on top of delta and we're not yet sure how that is going to work out. >> it's time for three questions in three minutes. so, let's bring in dr. chris purnell. doctor, we need your help this morning. we need your calm and measured response here because our families clearly have to live and coexist with covid this winter, and yet there seems to be all of this confusion and reaction like it's 2020 when the reality on the ground has changed. we are all vaccinated. we are all boosted, and yet cases are spreading like wildfire with both omicron and delta. don't we need to find a way to live with this virus that matches the moment? >> good morning. yes, we need to find a way to live. but that doesn't mean for us to live without vigilance or to live without good public health and pandemic sense. there's just too much we still don't know about omicron other than the fact that it spreads very easily, and that those who are fully vaccinated, as it has been defined, the complete series of a dose, are still susceptible to infection. so what does that mean? everyone in your household should be vaccinated and boosted if eligible. so that's everyone 16 and above. and continue to wear your mask in public indoor spaces. continue to test early or test often when there is a risk of exposure. what am i telling you? don't forget those bread and butter public health tools that got us to this point in 2021. if we don't forsake those, we can mitigate the omicron surge. >> to be fully vaccinated, that's two doses and a booster. three shots to be fully vaccinated, we should start thinking of it like that. >> i do. some public health bodies and agencies aren't there yet, but we know that with omicron, just having two doses of an mrna vaccine will not quite cut it. the efficacy drops terribly. it can drop to 30% against severe disease and restore to 70% once you have three doses. what's unknown is if three doses is a complete series, christine, or will it be four. but i do want to caution the american public that this is how public health figures out what is the right measure, the right size of that measure in order to keep the most people safe. >> i think that's important because you hear from some people, you know, some will say, oh, the public health guidance is always changing. it's changing because the conditions on the ground are changing. we have to be flexible. that doesn't -- that's not a reason to, you know, understate the importance of public health. it shows you what's really happening. >> the truth is people are exhausted and so they're sort of throwing up their hands. but at the same time we have omicron, delta and now this flu strain that apparently we didn't get vaccinated against or so it looks like. i wonder, doctor, how do you think we should be dealing with this when it comes to schools? you see more and more going remote. again, like it's 2020. is that the right response when so many kids are still unvaccinated, we're all going to get together for the holidays? >> you know, i do think it's the right response because so many kids are unvaccinated. and because kids also live in households where they may have an adult that's unvaccinated. remember that children can get infected. children can experience severe disease even if that is not the majority of cases. but children also can spread it. so as soon as we see cases rising in schools, we should look in our tool chest and say, what's the appropriate public health tool for what we're seeing on the ground right now? and then apply that tool. remember, it's multi-layered mitigation strategies that's going to help us beat back this pandemic. >> so what i'm personally doing in my family, vaccinating, boosting, mask wearing, testing. is that going to get me through the holidays if i continue to just keep it real like that? >> it will. and require that of others around your family. that's the exponential effect that we need. >> dr. chris purnell, public health physician, as always, thank you. >> thank you, dr. purnell. >> have a great day. >> you, too. all right, pray away the virus. a new lawsuit claims conservative radio host dave ramsey discourages people from working from home during the pandemic. brad amos says he was fired in july 2020 after requesting to work from home. the suit accuses ramsey of telling workers they were weak and should pray away the virus instead. in a statement to cnn, the company denies those claims saying amos was fiertd for poor performance and insulting his boss. an army colonel is the latest to retire. his name might not ring a bell. they pointed out you don't have to have a high-profile name to play a role in the capitol attack. cnn's whitney wild has more on this story. >> reporter: good morning, christine and laura. the house investigation committee has issued a newest subpoena against phil wall drone, a retired colonel who circulated misinformation fraud and details to undermine the 20120 election outcome. this 30-page document was circulated to trump allies and even lawmakers on capitol hill. waldron previously told "the new york times" he did not directly send the document to then white house chief of staff mark meadows, but did say it was possible someone on his team passed it along. separately he told the "washington post" he spoke with meadows maybe eight to ten times, and visited the white house on multiple occasions after the 2020 election. >> we've interviewed over 300 people and i know, you know, things like meadows contempt and bannon contempt get a lot of attention as they should. but there's a lot of people that are giving us a lot of information and this can be a key piece to that. but there was this kind of fever pitch to not accept the fact that a legitimate election had happened. and that's why the committee is so important. it's not just about the day of january 6. that is an important point. but it's about what is the rock that led up to that. snoogs >> reporter: in addition to his sharing of the powerpoint, the committee wants to ask about reports that he participated in meetings at the willard hotel in early january 2021. this news comes as a long list of witnesses have appeared in front of the committee this week, and today roger stone is scheduled to appear. cnn has learned he intends to plead the 5th. christine and laura? >> whitney, thank you for that. now to the disturbing wave of online threats that's got schools across the country stepping up security today and leaving parents unnerved. it's a challenge that originated on tiktok and spread to other social media sites daring students to send threats of school shootings and bombings today. now, authorities haven't identified any specific or credible threats, but schools aren't taking any chances. closing early or beefing up security in districts nationwide, including new york, california, michigan, arizona, texas, florida and others. one cyber security expert says tiktok needs to do more. >> you know, instead of waiting for another 24 hours before flagging that account, you're seeing something which is threatening somebody else, this should have the highest priority for them. >> look, it's literally disrupting education right now. tiktok says it is working with police, but, quote, has not found any evidence of threats originating or spreading via tiktok. oxford hasn't opened since a 15-year-old killed four classmates there two weeks ago. according to homeland security and defense, there were nine active and 235 non-active shooter incidents this year. >> you got one of these notices. >> i got a notice from the school saying they are taking it seriously, working with the police department. talk to your kids about what they're seeing in they're seeing the threats on tiktok. this is the worst of social media when you can disrupt education. remember, earlier this fall there were social media challenges, tiktok challenges to destroy stuff in schools. >> yeah. >> destroy the bathrooms and to break things and vandalize, and kids did it. it's the worst of social media right there. all wrapped up. >> just don't do it. >> talk to your kids. read the social media posts. we'll be right back. 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. ♪ and i'm gonna keep on lovin' you, ♪ ♪ 'cause it's the only thing i wanna do. ♪ turns out everyone does sound better in the shower. and it turns out the general is a quality insurance company that's been saving people money for nearly 60 years. ♪ 'cause it's the only thing i wanna do ♪ shaq: (singing in background) can't unhear that. for a great low rate, and nearly 60 years of quality coverage - make the right call and go with the general. ♪ this flag isn't backwards. it's facing this way because it's moving forward. ♪ just like the men and women who wear it on their uniforms and the country it represents. they're all only meant to move one direction which is why we fly it this way on the flanks of the all-new grand wagoneer. moving boldly and unstoppably forward. i've been telling everyone... the secret to great teeth is having healthy gums. crest advanced gum restore. detoxifies below the gumline... and restores by helping heal gums in as little as 7 days. crest. the #1 toothpaste brand in america. small businesses like yours make gift-giving possible. now, comcast business has an exclusive gift for you. introducing the gift of savings sale. for a limited time, ask how to get a great deal for your business. and get up to a $500 prepaid card with select bundles when you switch to the network that can deliver gig speeds to the most businesses. or get started with internet and voice for $64.99 per month with a 2-year price guarantee. give your business the gift of savings today. comcast business. powering possibilities. well, president biden's build back better plan will have to wait for 2022, but reality check, the midterms will not make it easier to get anything done. cnn's daniela diaz is live on capitol hill with more. daniela, senate democrats met yesterday and frustration is clearly showing. sort through this mess for us. >> reporter: laura, the frustration is peer and we heard it repeatedly yesterday from rank and file democrats in the senate who were upset that they, despite having the priority in the senate, they are unable to get president joe biden's priorities for the end of the year across the finish line. on one hand, of course, you have the build back better act which was the biggest priority by christmas, which is what senate majority leader chuck schumer wanted for it to be passed by christmas. it's already passed the house. and because of one senator, senator joe manchin, he was -- he has not offered any assurances for this legislation. and as a result, they will not pass this before the new year. and, on the other hand, you had this last-ditch effort by rank and file democrats to do something on voting rights in this country, trying to overhaul the nation's voter rights legislation, voting right laws. and as a result because of senator joe manchin and kyrsten sinema who did not support a filibuster carveout for this legislation, they were unable to do anything on that either. and i haven't even mentioned immigration reform. in the build back better act there were some immigration provisions that were included that would provide undocumented immigrants work permit. but in the end the senate parliamentarian who decides what is included in legislation that's passed using budget reconciliation which means it only needs 50 votes in the senate, she ruled against including this because of the budgetary effects which means democrats are back to square one on immigration reform, which was another priority for the biden administration. take a listen to what senate democrats told us yesterday about how frustrated they were that despite having the majority, they weren't able to get these things a i don't say the finish line. get these things across the finish line. >> we are frustrated. >> frustrated and disappointed. >> at this point it's time to think about breaking up bbb into die je digestible pieces? >> i don't know if that's what it is. i don't know where we are today, i don't know where we'll be tomorrow. >> one person can stop everything, and that is why people in our country should know that a 50/50 senate sucks. >> reporter: the bottom line here is, laura and christine, is that democrats are aware that the midterms are next year. the 2022 midterms, and the house as poised, the democrats are poised to lose the majority in the house and possibly republicans could flip the senate as well. this is really their last effort, the last chance to pass these bills through congress with the majority, and even with a majority they are unable to do that. laura, christine? >> daniela, great reporting. thank you. all right, now to this. "sex in the city" star now facing two accusations of sexual assault. the hollywood reporter reports that these alleged incidents took place back in 2004 and 2015. two women say seeing he was reprizing his role as mr. big in the hbo max series motivated them to come forward. >> he said, quote, the accusations are categorically false. no always means no. that is a line i do not cross. meantime, peloton has now pulled its ad with the actor that went viral earlier this week. five people were killed in wednesday's rare storm front that caused widespread damage from new mexico to wisconsin. in michigan and wisconsin, there are still about 200,000 people without power. in iowa one homeowner found a tree limb crashed through her roof. >> the loudest kind of wind burst you could hear, and then this big huge loud thud. >> i looked outside and there were all these lights and big trucks and i realized that tree had split in two and fallen across my power lines. >> this is just five days after a series of tornadoes torah cross kentucky and five other states killing at least 88 people. it could take weeks for one of the largest human resources companies to recover from a crippling cyberattack. kronos has a long list of notable customers including the city of cleveland. new york's mta, tesla and hospitals across the country. now some employers find themselves having to make contingency plans to pay workers, such as shifting to paper checks. all right, let's look at markets around the world to close out this week. asian shares have closed friday lower. europe has opened mixed heere, although paris and franklin are following asia's lead. stock index futures down a little bit. you can see the declines are really focused in tech here. u.s. stocks fell thursday. the biggest sell off was in tech with the nasdaq losing 2.5%. that erased wednesday's rally after the fedde serve said it was pivoting to fight inflation. they will likely raise interest rates several times next year. at least for now, the big growth, big tech sector investors are thinking that could be -- slow the growth there. in economic data thursday, weekly jobless claims came in slightly higher than expected but remained near a 52-year low. a thriller last night between the chiefs and chargers, but the nfl and other leagues head into a very uncertain weekend because of covid and omicron. coy wire has this morning's bleacher report. hey, coy. >> hi, laura. as covid-19 cases surge across the country, the sports world also being hit hard with outbreaks. the los angeles rams tell cnn that 25 players on the team's reserve covid-19 list. that's more than a third of the team's roster. the nfl and players association have agreed to update the league's health and safety meme are restrictions immediately. masks required at team facilities, no team meals, restrictions through monday night's game. vaccinated players will continue to test weekly. unvaccinated players daily. quarterback baker mayfield is one of 20 browns on the reserve covid-19 list, and he's taken to social media to criticize the nfl in its latest changes to the protocol. tweeting, quote, actually caring about a player's safety would mean delaying the game with this continuing at the rate it is. but to say you won't test vaccinated players if they don't have symptoms, then to pull this randomly doesn't make any sense to he am, unquote. the nba and the players union have reportedly agreed to implement new health measures during the upcoming holiday season. according to espn there will be daily testing from december 26 through january 8th. but if players two weeks removed from receiving a booster shot, they will not have to be tested every day. coaches, players and staff members will also have to wear masks on the side lines, inside team facilities and during travel. cnn has reached out to both the nba and the players association. last night's flyers canadians game in montreal playing in an empty arena because of the rise in covid cases. quebec health officials said to close bell center to fans to help slow the spread of the virus. and duke having to scramble to find a new opponent after their game originally scheduled for tomorrow was canceled due to covid issues with the cleveland state basketball team. the number 2 blue devils will now play loyola in maryland. all right. let's go to thursday night football a. first place in the afc west was on the line for chiefs and chargers. kansas city tight end travis kelsey came to play. catching the game-tying 7 yard touchdown from patrick mahomes with a minute 16 left in the fourth, sending the game to overtime. get tiki with it. he throws for 110 yards. kelsey goes for 191 yards, including the 34-yard gain and their k.c. is back. rolling 34-28 to their 7th straight win. and michigan state honoring one of the heroes from last month's school shooting in oxford on national signing day. the football team making tate myre an honorary member of their recruiting class. he was killed while reportedly running toward the gunman, trying to save his classmates' lives. tate was a lifelong spartans fan, standout for his high school team. dreamed of playing for michigan state. now, christine and laura, he'll forever be a spartan. christine says all the time the power of sports, right, laura? this is incredible stuff that they're doing. hope lift the spirits just a bit of the family and those hurting. >> we're thinking of those families. way to go, spartans. >> thanks, coy. >> thanks, coy. >> yeah. >> 54 minutes past the hour. a real life dare devil becoming the first person to fly in and out of an active volcano, only in a wingsuit. sebastian alvarez wanted to show off his countries's beauty and incorporate one of chile's active dangerous volcano aptly named the devil's house. the jump is by far the most extreme of his career. that whole thing is like a 10 on my -- wrapped in volcanos, fear of heights, all of it. >> i don't see why he had to go so close to get such great pictures. >> thanks for joining us. have a great weekend, everybody. great rest of your day. i'm christine romans. >> i'm laura jarrett. "new day" is next. ...demands a lotion this pure. new gold bond pure moisture lotion. 24-hour hydration. no parabens, dyes, or fragrances. gold bond. champion your skin. ♪ this holiday, let them shine like never before. ♪ ♪ ♪ this is how we shine. ♪ find the perfect gift at zales. the diamond store. >> man: what's my safelite story? my truck...is my livelihood. so when my windshield cracked... the experts at safelite autoglass came right to me... with service i could trust. right, girl? >> singers: ♪ safelite repair, safelite replace. ♪ ♪ after a night like this, crest has you covered. crest, the official toothpaste of santa. follow us @crest to celebrate the 12 days of crest smiles. 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 mom, hurry! our show's gonna start soon! i promised i wouldn't miss the show and mommy always keeps her promises. oh, no! seriously? hmm! it's not the same if she's not here. oh. -what the. oh my goodness! i don't suppose you can sing, can you? ♪ the snow's comin' down ♪ -mommy? ♪ i'm watching it fall ♪ watch the full story at www.xfinity.com/sing2 ♪