shutter and "snl" scraps tonight's live music and audience. and in europe, the mayor of london declaring a major incident as the netherlands enforces strict new lockdown measures. ♪ rising numbers and very real concerns tonight. americans can no longer ignore the surging pandemic looming over their holidays and intruding on their lives. president biden acknowledging the growing public concerns, will deliver a speech on tuesday focusing on the omicron variant. here in the u.s. omicron is expected to become the dominant variant, but as of now experts say it is delta driving the latest surge. both cases and hospitalizations are now at levels not seen since september at the end of the summer spike. this afternoon "saturday night live" cancelled its live studio audience for tonight along with musical guest charlie xcx. the radio city rockettes cancelled their famous christmas spectacular show because of breakthrough infections in the production. broadway has pulled down the curtain on shows. the nfl and nhl postponed games and big-name players tested positive. all several colleges have shifted classes and exams online. for many americans there is a growing sense of a weird new reality. >> i mean it is weird that now it is -- there is almost a feeling, especially in new york, that this is like a new normal as the omicron wave is hitting. i feel like it is all picking up again, and it feels similar to the beginning but now, having been boosted, having, you know, had all of the shots and done all of the things, there's a little bit more of like, oh, this is what we have to do just now. >> joining me right now is dr. craig spencer. he is the director of global health and emergency medicine at columbia university medical center. dr. spencer, you have been in the thick of it. what are you seeing in the e.r. right now? >> honestly, our e.r.s in new york city have been full for quite sometime and it hasn't just been covid patients. it has been patients who have been putting off routine care since the pandemic started, quite honestly. the other day i saw a patient who had been putting off a heart surgery that he needed from before when the pandemic started, and he waited until his symptoms got so bad it brought him into the emergency room and he got much worse. so right now we're seeing nursing shortages all throughout the city. we are seeing doctors and nurses leave their job because they're exhausted, they're burnt out, and we are still seeing a lot of patients pile into emergency rooms, hospitals that are full. we just don't have a lot of capacity and wiggle room for another surge of cases. >> yeah, and what is your concern looking ahead? i just spoke to a doctor in the last hour who predicted it is going to be a tsunami in the coming weeks and months. >> we are definitely going to get a tsunami of cases, right. we know that today we had record level cases here in new york city that only eclipsed yesterday's record level of cases. we know a lot of people are going to test positive. but if you are vaccinated, and especially if you have had a third dose, the likelihood you will have severe disease or i will see you in the emergency room is still incredibly low. the majority of people that we are seeing are still those that are unvaccinated. so take this opportunity, especially before we have the tsunami of omicron, to get vaccinated if you haven't been or to get a third dose, especially if you are older, if you are 50-plus, if you have underlying medical issues. the big question is going to be will we have a surge of hospitalizations and deaths after we see a big surge of cases, and we still don't exactly know. we are looking to the uk and south africa for some of that information, but the u.s. is quite unique. so i think we all need to be on alert and be careful. >> the lines in new york city for testing are around the block. look at this video right here. here in d.c. it is the same story. how problematic is it that tests aren't more easily accessible during this critical time? >> it is upsetting for many reasons. one, because we are two years into this and we are facing some of the same problems we had in march 2020, rights, where we don't have enough access to tests. we should be doing better than this right now. what is also really frustrating is that i think soon we will probably run out of testing capacity. you know, not everyone can wait for four to six hours in a line to get a test and we'll have people that ultimately end up leaving, some of whom have covid, don't get a positive test, don't really know, and they may not act as if they have covid and may spread it to others. it is also going to limit our ability to have a good understanding of, you know, how quickly and where omicron is spreading because i think testing capacity is just not enough in the country as this virus continues to spread. we just don't have the capacity to do testing for all of the people that are going to need it, and that's really going to hinder our ability to understand exactly what is happening on a local level. >> i want to talk about travel bans. the u.s. has restrictions on south africa where omicron was first reported and seven other countries. the u.s. is re-evaluating that now. but from a medical and scientific perspective, are travel restrictions the right approach? >> if you remember within really a few days after omicron was identified in south africa, the u.s. and many other countries put in place travel restrictions from multiple countries in southern africa, the majority of which had never seen a case of omicron. that was really just three to four weeks ago, and today here in new york we had 21,000 cases today. south africa, the country of south africa had 20,000, meaning we have more cases in new york now, the majority of which are probably omicron or will be in the coming days. the point being that the travel bans were political theater. it made it look like we were doing something, but we knew that they weren't really going to help. the longer they stay in place, the more i think it really sets us up to perform poorly in the next pandemic. we are not accountable. we are putting in place things that really aren't public health driven but politically driven, and, frankly, it hasn't helped us. we have a big surge of cases here. i would prefer we stop stigmatizing countries that did the right thing, that did the science and notified the rest of the world and were transparent and were punished in return. >> to button up the segment as people are watching, trying to figure out what they should do with their holiday plans, there are a lot of comparisons with what is happening with the beginning of the pandemic. to be clear as there are these similarities, we are also in a much different place as a country, right? because we have so many people vaccinated, better understanding of the virus, more tools to fight it, right? >> absolutely. look, if it were me i wouldn't be going to any big indoor holiday parties with a bunch of colleagues where masks are off, but i will be seeing my family and we will do rapid tests beforehand to make sure we are all safe. you know, everyone that i will be seeing indoors will be vaccinated, and that is my decision for myself and my family. i have two kids under 3 that can't be vaccinated. we are in a much different place than we were a year and a half, two years ago. we have the tools where we can stay safe, and i think it is important for us to celebrate, to be with family, especially as it has been so hard over the past few years. but we need to be thoughtful. we need to make individual decisions that won't continue to burden collectively hospitals and everybody else that's still in the front line fighting this virus. >> that is such an important message, dr. craig spencer. thank you. >> thanks for having me. well, it seems that every day we are learning new things about the january 6th insurrection. new tonight, the man behind the stop the steal rally that led things off that morning has handed over thousands of text messages he sent and received leading up to that day. cnn's whitney wilde is tracking the story. whitney, court documents suggest many of the messages were to and from members of congress and people and then president trump's inner circle. what more are you hearing? >> reporter: well, this all comes in a court filing, allie alexander challenging a list of things about the select committee, namely their effort to try to get his phone records directly from his telecommunications provider. what this filing shows is that he passed along communications that he says are from representative mo brooks. he also says that he testified in front of house select committee investigators last week for several hours in which he discussed phone communications he had with another member of congress, specifically paul gosar. further, pamly, said he had a conversation with kimberly guilfoyle. this shows that the house select committee members have a wealth of information they're getting directly from the source, directly from the people who they subpoenaed who they think were at the central effort of the rallies that eventually preceded the violence at the capitol. further, pamela, it is refocusing their effort on what the members of congress know and what their efforts were leading up to the riot as well. so as we see this investigation unfold, you know, they have again this wealth of information provided directly from the source which may refocus investigators on people within that building, pamela. >> cnn has exclusive reporting that reveals new information about a text message sent to then-white house chief of staff mark meadows pushing a, quote, aggressive strategy to undermine the 2020 presidential election. the alleged source of that message may surprise some. what do we know about it? >> well, house -- members on the house select committee believe that this text message was sent by former texas governor, former energy secretary rick perry, and it was sent, pamela, november 4th, okay. so i mean this is, you know, the day after the election. what it shows is that basically from the gate there were members within the republican party who were strategizing ways to try to overturn the election. here is what the text message says. here is an aggressive strategy. why can't the states of ga, north carolina, penn and other r-controlled state houses declare it as bs where conflicts and elections were not called that night and send their own elections to vote and have it go to the scotus. this was another piece of information provided directly from the source. this came from this volume of records that then-white house chief of staff provided to the house select committee and it is would be of the things that the house select committee would question mark meadows about, pamela. however, he maintains he cannot sit for a deposition. he still says that because the former president is trying to exert executive privilege he simply can't give a deposition even about records he's already provided, pamela. >> i mean that should -- that text should make everyone feel sick to their stomach. whitney wilde, thank you so much. we want to talk more about the developments with the former u.s. attorney, cnn legal analyst and home of the "stay tuned" podcast. all right. let's start with the organizer of the stop the steal rally turning over messages. how significant is this? >> i think it is quite significant. the fact that you have a lot of people who are engaging in disputes in defiance with respect of the committee. he is doing both. he has turned over documents like mark meadows has, on the other hand he has filed suit to stop the obtaining of cellphone records. the fact it has been turned over and shows the origins is significant. the other thing that's significant about it as you pointed out in the prior segment is that what we're being set up for is a very, very significant and unprecedented clash between the members of the january 6th select committee, which is made up wholly of members of the house of representatives, and other members of the same body who have not been subpoenaed yet but who are being implicated by these documents and other documents and other reporting, and i think it will be interesting to see how it plays out, a fight between some members of congress and other members of congress to see if we get transparency into what happened on january 6th. >> i mean it would be a pretty big deal if they subpoena their fellow members of congress for more records. senate majority leader mitch mcconnell, he seems to be changing his tune. he is now showing support for the january 6th investigation, saying what the committee is trying to uncover is something, quote, the public needs to know. now, to be clear, he -- to the bottom of this. what do you think about mcconnell's sudden turnabout. what is going on there? >> that's an interesting question. i don't know how much of the turnabout is sudden from all of the words that he has spoken and reporting of things he has said to colleagues. he has a very dim view of what happened on january 6th, and i think he has a very dim view of what donald trump's participation was, but at the end of the day when it came time to vote in a particular way he didn't vote the way that he sounded in the speeches he gave. mostly, this is going to take place, unfold and be fought about in the house of representatives, so mitch mcconnell doesn't have a lot to do with it unless there's some future impeachment which i don't see happening with respect to the former president. so his words, i guess we can talk about it. i guess it makes some difference in the minds of some folks, but most people i think care more about actions and deeds and votes than words at this point. >> as you pointed out, his vote did not reflect his concern and his words. i want to turn to this sobering development, these three retired generals authoring an op-ed in "the washington post" where they say they are growing more and more worried at the potential for political violence in the u.s. military, writing, as we approach the first anniversary of the deadly insurrection at the u.s. capitol, we all, all of u.s. former senior military officials, are increasingly concerned about the aftermath of the 2024 presidential election and the potential for lethal chaos inside our military which would put all americans at severe risk. in short, we are chilled to our bones at the thought of a coup succeeding next time. these are strong words. what does it mean that these three former generals have gone public like this and do you think they're right? >> so they're the experts. i have never served in uniform and certainly haven't in recent times and some of these folks have. do they have combined service record of over 100 years among the three of them. so you take it very seriously. among the things they say in the op-ed, which has rightly gotten allot of attention, is there needs to be, you know, a certain kind of education and training within our military of civics and how the constitution works and how civilian rule is very important in the military. so i think they're sobering. i think they are patriots for bringing up the issue. it becomes a difficult thing to figure out what you do and see if there are folks who are going to be predisposed to engaging in violence of an unpatriotic nature like happened on january 6th. one of the sobering statistics they point out in their op-ed is something like over one out of ten of the people who were involved in the insurrection had a military record, u.s. military record. while we honor the sacrifices of veterans in this country, when they decide to do things like engage in a slow-moving coup on january 6th, that's sobering and in some ways very frightening. i think we should take their words very seriously. >> i think we should too. preet bharara, thanks so much. >> thanks, pamela. up next, the omicron variant breaking through the toughest covid-19 protocols and derailing the return of live professional sports. we will tell you who is affected. the covid surge now the biggest test yet for the biden administration. >> for unvaccinated, we are looking at a winter of severe illness and death, for unvaccinated. >> why the vice president says the white house didn't see these variants coming. and in europe, the mayor of london declaring a major incident as the netherlands enforces strict new lockdown measures. you're in the "cnn newsroom." we will be right back. easy so last minute guests are the only thing you'll be waiting on ♪ ♪ joy. fully. i brought in ensure max protein, with thirty grams of protein. those who tried me felt more energy in just two weeks! 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joining me cnn's chris salizza. thank you for coming on. >> hi. >> they are making efforts to get ahead of the pandemic in every country, i want to be clear on that. but the bottom loon is that president biden campaigned on getting rid of it. since april his approval rating has fallen 12 points. how big a problem is this for the president? >> i mean it is a huge problem, and i think that you can't blame this on joe biden. we are dealing with an infectious disease the likes of which we haven't seen in 100 years. so i mean i think it is important to establish that. at the same time to your point, pam, he did campaign on we're going to get this under control, we are going to get the economy started again, we are going to get back to, quote, unquote, normal again. when you campaign on that, and, of course, you are going to campaign on that. you're not going to say, oh, we're going to let it run wild. but when you campaign on that there is an expectation when you are president of the united states that you will get it under control. it was always a little bit of a -- i don't want to call it an empty promise, pam, but a home in the unseen. joe biden can't fix this. he can't tell the coronavirus to stop mutating, right. at the same time when you are president of the united states, these problems -- and this is the central problem facing the country. everything else comes from it, right. everything flows from the economy, education, et cetera. when you are president, these are the problems you have to handle even if it is everyone recognizes beyond your capability to sort of snap your fingers and fix it. >> right. and then, of course, on 4th of july he had said that -- declared independence from the virus, but as we know this is a virus that keeps on mutating. to that point, vice president kamala harris is taking some heat again. whether that's fair or not i'll let the viewer to decide. this time it is for appearing to admit the administration was caught flat footed in their response to the omicron variant. harris told "the l.a. times", we didn't see delta coming, i think most scientists did not. we didn't see omicron coming. and that's the nature of what this awful virus has been, which it turns out has mutations and variants. so was harris displaying some brutal honesty here or do you think it was another example of her being unprepared for a question? when i say unprepared, i mean, of course, the question about why she hadn't been to the mexico border and about israel. >> i don't know if it is unprepared. it is one of these difficult things in politics, pam. she is not wrong in that we didn't -- we don't know -- we know the virus is going to mutate. we don't know exactly what it is going to be. some of these mutations are not a big deal. some like delta and omicron are a very big deal, right. so she's not totally wrong. at the same time, again, this gets back to the first point. when you are the president or the vice president, there is an expectation, whether it is fair or not, there's an expectation from the american public that you are going to have foresight and you are going to fix things, particularly when you promised during your campaign that that's what you are going to do. so when you say things like, we were caught by surprise by this, it is not wrong, it is just not what is expected from the american public. again, you said fair or unfair, we can have that debate. is it fair to expect a president and a vice president, no matter who they are, no matter what party they belong to, to solve a once-in-a-100-years pandemic that mutates in ways that continues to baffle epidemiologists and experts? no. at the same time, we elect leaders to lead and in these moments that's what people want whether or not it is reasonable. >> and it is worth noting not long after that -- and i have no idea if there's any connection to those comments, but jen psaki, the white house press secretary, tweeted out that president biden will be holding this address on tuesday to talk about the omicron variant and all of the things that the administration is doing to combat it. >> yes. i mean, look, pam, i will put myself in this category. like i'm -- you know, i thought we were kind of getting to the point where everything i read, everything i heard, well, you know, there's not going to be another major surge. then not enough candidly, but enough, a chunk of the country is vaccinated and boosted, enough people have gotten it that we're not headed back to the delta surge we saw in august and september. well, you know, i think what this has taught every politician and certainly all of us is don't make predictions about what the future of the virus looks like, right. because you wind up looking dumb, and i think a lot of people look at it and say, i thought that we were headed into, well, this christmas is going to be different, and then once we get into the new year we are going to be different. now we are back to -- i know i am. we are back to the same thing. should we go to the holiday party? should we travel? should the kids go on play dates? you know, we are back to the same conversations that, candidly, we were having a year ago. i think that frustration is really hard because, again, when you are the elected leaders of the country it trickles up to you, and it is a very hard question to answer. >> and, by the way, you wrote this great op-ed for cnn.com just talking about that, what you have been going through in that frustration and anxiety stemming from the changes and sort of the whiplash. like, wait a seconds, we are at this place again? i encourage our viewers to check it out because i bet a lot of people are going through what you are going through too, chris. thank you so much. >> thank you, pam. thanks so much. well, no live audience tonight and no musical performance. "saturday night live" joining the growing list of shows grappling with covid concerns. how should we be absorbing pandemic headlines like these seemingly coming constantly now? brian stelter joins me on that, up next. at vanguard, you're more than 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. because you're forever connected by love... two touching center diamonds, representing the connection you share. forever connected. the perfect gift to give this holiday. exclusively at kay. it's the most joyous time of 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. ♪ all the gifts you really, really, really, can't wait to unwrap. ♪ joy. fully. ♪ hi sabrina! hi jen! hi. so you're the scientist here. i just have to ask. does my aveeno® daily moisturizer really make my dry skin healthier in one day? it's true jen. really?! this nourishing prebiotic oat formula moisturizes to help prevent dry skin. one day? for real! wow! aveeno® healthy. it's our nature.™ i gotta say i'm still impressed. very impressed. new daily moisture for face. everything you love for your body now for your face. ♪ you pour your heart into everything you do, which is a lot. so take care of that heart with lipton. because sippin' on unsweetened lipton can help support a healthy heart. lipton. stop chuggin'. start sippin'. xfinity rewards are our way of thanking you just for being with us. enjoy rewards like sing family fun nights! rent sing for $1, then belt out all your favorite tunes from the movie with sing karaoke. plus, see sing 2 in theaters with buy-one-get-one free fandango tickets. join over a million members by signing up for free on the xfinity app. our thanks. your rewards. how not to be a hero: because that's the last thing they need you to be. you don't have to save the day. you just have to navigate the world so that a foster child isn't doing it solo. you just have to stand up for a kid who isn't fluent in bureaucracy, or maybe not in their own emotions. so show up, however you can, for the foster kids who need it most— at helpfosterchildren.com ♪ tonight "saturday night live" episode will still air live on nbc but without a studio audience. the show cites concern about the omicron variant. "snl" will also use a limited cast and crew this evening. a short time ago the show ease musical guest, charlie xcx, tweeted about how she has to bow out because of the limited crew. she says she is safe and healthy. paul rudd is tonight's scheduled host. cnn chief media correspondent and host of reliable sources brian stelter joins me now. hi there, brian. no replacement act has been announced. can they still fill 90 minutes of live tv tonight? by the way, can you believe this, here we are again? >> this does have shades of march 2020, even though it is so different. >> right. >> i think the differences are more important than the similarities. you know, yes, we saw all of these programs shut down or scale back nearly two years ago. the difference now is that the people who are testing positive are mostly having a bad day in bed and they will be just fine. you know, what we are talking about vaccinated new york, seeing record numbers of cases, both new york state and new york city. largely vaccinated new york city, i feel like everybody in this town now knows ten people who tested positive, and that includes at "snl." that is why "snl" is scaling back, it is because crew members, perhaps others, tested positive. it will be hard to put on a normal show tonight. to answer your question, pamela, it will not be a fully live show. they will probably rely on some taped programs, some things in the can from earlier in the week, so it will be a very different "snl." as a symbol of where we are i think it is significant because these cultural moments, these entertainment icons, they are symbols of where we are, how far we have come, and yet how quality of life and how life is still being disrupted by this virus. i think, pamela, it is because nobody quite know was to do in this new normal where you have, again, in new york city a largely vaccinated community protected from the virus, and yet because lots of people are testing positive, having the sniffles, having a version of the flu or the cold, people are taking precautions. the right thing to do. what we have to figure out i think in the next few weeks and months, pamela, is what are the new rules, what is the new normal? what we're about to see in the two weeks leading to christmas and new year's, we will see offices start to scale back, staff start to stay home ago, retrenchment in a real way and "snl" is an example. after the new year, what will be the new solution when this very contagious virus is impacting basically everybody? >> right. i mean you have seen -- you have heard from doctors since all of this and just in the past few days saying, look, we are all basically going to get covid-19 at one point or another. i asked dr. reiner who was on earlier, in that case, you know, why are we taking all of these precautions and following these protocols and so forth if it is just this inevitable? he said it is still so important also because hospitals are still getting overwhelmed and we're still learning about omicron, the variant, and how it impacts people, even those who are fully vaccinated. so it is causing this quandary for entertainment shows, right? not just for sports. we have seen it in sports. you have a lot of late night comedy shows that are based in new york. they've been bringing back studio audiences. is that about to change, too? >> yeah, well, right now because of the christmas and new year holidays, this is a little bit of a lull. but that's going to be a big question in january for the media world. i think we will see this in all sorts of industries, in all sorts of sectors. and for people who have gone back to 95% normal, the idea of scaling back is very uncomfortable, very disheartening. i think that's the psychological story, right, here, pamela, there's so much discouragement and disappointment about this moment, so much anxiety and stress about this moment. i wonder who are the leaders that will provide a better path forward? is it going to be the nfl who are coming up with ways to have players play as long as they are not symptomatic? is that going to be the path forward? >> there's still a lot of questions people have on their minds tonight. brian stelter, thanks so much. join brian for much more on "reliable sources" tomorrow morning at 11:00 eastern here on cnn. well, as we just sort of noted there, it is a busy weekend, off the field, off the court and off the ice. how sports leagues and teams are navigating this covid surge, up next. for people who could use a lift new neutrogena® rapid firming. a triple-lift serum with pure collagen. 92% saw visibly firmer skin in just 4 weeks. neutrogena® for people with skin. ♪ you pour your heart into everything you do, which is a lot. so take care of that heart with lipton. because sippin' on unsweetened lipton can help support a healthy heart. lipton. stop chuggin'. start sippin'. ♪ fresh flavors... classic dishes... ♪ and a new seat at the table. ♪ ♪ this holiday, let them shine like never before. ♪ this is how we shine. ♪ find the perfect gift at zales. the diamond store. 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. 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. ♪ ♪ ♪ hey google. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ what can i du with less asthma? 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>> right there. >> that's where you were, right in there? >> yes. >> look at this. you were right in there. >> right there. laying down right there. >> right in there. >> that's where i was. >> what were you thinking when -- >> i was just praying. praying, you know, that god would take care of me and that my kids and family was okay. >> where were your kids and the rest of your family? >> they was in another house a couple of blocks over. they was okay. . >> you must be feeling very lucky to be alive. >> my first cousin lives across the street. he had to get me out. because i couldn't see. >> this basically almost protected you, though. >> but the house was right here. >> it was over there? >> the foundation shifted all the way. that's the foundation and the steps. this was the driveway. >> and you live right next to train tracks. you said it sounded like a train. >> it sounded like a train. i'm just thankful to be alive, thankful my kids and my family and thankful for the ones that did make it. i'm sorry for the ones that didn't make it but that's where i was. >> i'm so sorry. i can't imagine looking at -- >> pretty much the only problem i have i guess when the tornado hit it pulled the pipes out and came close to drowning. >> wait, what happened? >> the waterline, see they busted and the water was just shooting into the tub and i almost drowned, but other than that i was okay. >> and what happened it stopped under. i got out of there. i had water up to here and i couldn't see because it was so dark. and i had a first cousin that had to get me out. >> charles, first of all, how are you doing on the weekend? >> i'm doing okay. best as i can be at this moment. >> tell us what this last week has been like for you? since we met there when you were showing me the bathtub that you survived the tornado in. >> it's been hard. i've been just trying to take it day by day and just been staying with friends and relatives and just trying to make the best out of a bad situation. >> and how are you doing that because you don't even have a car. you showed us your car was severely damaged from the tornado. you don't have a home. how are you getting by day to day? >> i've got friends, some friends come check on me and they give me rides to different food supplies, to get supplies and food and personal hygiene and things like that. other than that i'm just trying to take it day by day. it's hard. >> are you running into red tape getting help from any government agencies? >> not at this time. i think i should be -- it's a long list, and i should get some kind of relief from fema. just haven't got it yet. >> but to be clear, you have talked with fema, right? tell us about that. >> i talked to them. they said it would be -- i had to go online to fill out the application, and they say it's on ongoing process. i think within 5 to 10 days. i think we're right at a week since we had the tornado so hopefully i hear something from them next week. >> what about on the ground there, local organizations, state officials? are they providing resources to you and help that you need to get through each day right now? >> actually, they have. they've been great. they've been good to the whole community. they've got food supplies, food trucks and water, pretty much everything you need, everything it takes to really make it. they've been pretty good at that. >> what help do you still need? what help do you still need, and what is your biggest concern as you look ahead to your future right now? >> right now i just really need a place to stay. i need a home. i need a car. and just don't have no transportation, nowhere to live, and that's the biggest problem i'm going through right now. other than that i guess it's -- it's just hard right now. >> it's just hard. well, charles sherill, thank you for giving us an update and we wish you the best. and for more information for all of our viewers who want to help, there's lots of great organizations to help those folks in kentucky like charles. just go to cnn.com forward slash impact. charles, thank you so much. >> yes, ma'am. >> and we'll be sure to keep in touch with charles and return to kentucky for an updated story in the months to come. worldwide not just in the united states, coronavirus cases are sharply rising, and that has more countries canceling holiday traditions to try and slow the spread. cnn has correspondence around the globe, and we'll check in with them. ♪ this is how we shine. ♪ find the perfect gift at zales. the diamond store. nicorette knows, quitting smoking is freaking hard. you get advice like: try hypnosis... or... quit cold turkey. kidding me?! instead, start small. with nicorette. which can lead to something big. start stopping with nicorette introducing the biggest advancement in the history of small business bookkeeping. having someone else do your books for you. i'm linda, your quickbooks live bookkeeper. let's do this linda! sounds good! a live expert bookkeeper who understands your business. felipe, i've categorized last month's hair gel expenses. steve, i just closed your books. great, how are we looking? 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