spread holiday cheer. we begin with the growing threat of the omicron variant. cases are rising quickly around the globe. less than a month after it was first detected. in the u.s., experts are warning that americans could be facing a dark winter as omicron collides with the surge of the delta variant. the country is now averaging more than 125,000 new infections a day. cases are rising, especially fast in the northeast, midwest, and south, but experts say that's mostly being fueled by the delta variant, not omicron that's expected to become the dominant strain in the coming weeks, but cdc numbers show that omicron accounts for just around 3% of new cases. u.s. hospitals are already peeling the impact around 69,000 americans are currently hospitalized with the virus. and experts say omicron is only likely to make things worse, putting more strain on an already-overwhelmed health care system. >> the sheer number of patients that will still generate for hospitals will overwhelm our hospitals, and our hospitals will no longer be able to care for the things we do every day. like taking care of heart attacks or taking care of strokes appen appendicitis. we need to protect our health care system, and that's why every american needs to mask up and vax up right now, because our health care infrastructure is at stake right now. >> new york just broke a troubling covid-19 record for the second consecutive day. the state is reporting more new cases than it did at the start of the pacific. cnn's polo sandoval explains. >> reporter: the state of new york reported its highest daily covid case count, nearly 21,000 earlier this week here. here in new york city, the city's health commissioner saying that they have noticed a tripling of new cases, just in the last month alone, is certainly why authorities are making sure, at least calling on people to take those steps to protect not only themselves, but others, especially because they have noticed two indicators or a trend in two indicators, including the seven-day average, and the total number of covid hospitalizations that exceeded 68,000. so authorities are certainly hoping that people will take those measures like getting vaccinated, getting boosted, and getting tested to try to lighten the load on those health care workers that have already been at it for quite some time. when it comes to getting tested, we have certainly seen an increase in the interest of people, including massive lines at facilities throughout the city here. in fact, just early saturday morning, there was a long line of people outside this urgent care clinic, of people hoping to be able to get an appointment, to come in and get tested, to make sure that it's safe to gather with their loved ones for christmas. >> because i've been potentially exposed, i've had pretends -- or i had a niece that was going to come up here to visit, and we canceled that. i had friends that were like, oh, like, let's have a little gathering, and already got texts saying, maybe next year. >> not too worried, because i already got the booster shot. about to travel, so it's a requirement to get the test. >> reporter: and there are already disruptions here in new york city alone, with broadway canceling several of their performances. those were sporadic cancellations that were announced after several of the cast and crew experienced some of those breakthrough cases and the radio city christmas spectacular that is extremely popular, they canceled their performances for the rest of the season. when you hear from many new yorkers, there's certainly a feeling of deja vu with these kind of closures and cancellations, although this time many people counting on that additional protection of their vaccines. polo sandoval, cnn, new york. and a possible sign of what may be in store for the u.s. a short time ago, the british health secretary reported that omicron is now the dominant strain in england. that came after the uk reported more than 90,000 new covid cases for the second day in a row. and now germany is adding the united kingdom to its list of area with variants of concern. only german citizens or residents will be allowed to enter germany from the uk. for more on all of this, i'm joined by scott mclean in london. scott, the situation in the uk seems to be getting worse even quicker than many expected. what's the latest? >> reporter: hey, kim, you mentioned the health secretary speaking this morning and that 90,000 number, he made clear, that is likely only the tip of the iceberg, because many people likely won't get tested and because of lags in reporting the actual data, health officials in this country believe that the true number of people infected is likely much, much higher than that 90,000 number, possibly in the hundreds of thousands per day. the health secretary also called on the 5 million, 6 million or so british people who have refused to get any kind of vaccination, saying that, look, you are putting your fellow citizens in danger by taking up hospital beds, badly needed hospital beds. he said that about nine out of ten of the sickest people in hospital right now are currently unvaccinated. yesterday, we know that the prime minister, boris johnson, met with his top cabinet secretaries and top civil servants to decide on what to do next. there has been some talk in this country about a two-week circuit breaker lockdown. this morning, the health secretary seemed to dismiss that. but said that, look, obviously, the health authorities are recommending that something more be done, beyond what's in place right now, if the uk wants to avoid getting near-peak levels of daily hospitalizations. that would involve really cutting down on social contacts and closing the places where those contacts are most likely to occur. we're talking places presumably like nightclubs, restaurants, bars, that kind of a thing. it seems, though, kim, that the prime minister is taking this more wait-and-see approach, because at least on paper, we haven't seen hospitalizations, people on ventilators, really changing significantly over the last couple of days. but in places where omicron is most present. we know, princfor instance, the of london is one of those places, they have seen a spike in hospitalizations, up about 30% over the last week according to the london mayor, and that is why he just yesterday declared this a major incident, allowing emergency services to access greater resources, to deal with their staffing challenges of people calling in sick. this major incident status kim is the kind of thing that's usually under normal circumstances reserved for the aftermath of terror attacks or other kind of large-scale disasters. >> that shows you how serious they're taking this. scott mclean, thanks so much. and the rapid surge in omicron cases in the uk is also putting a strain on the country's health care system. joining us now is dr. simon walsh, who's the deputy chair of the british medical association consultant's committee. he's also an emergency medicine doctor in london. thank you so much, doctor, for joining us. the predictions and modeling from the government scientists about the number of cases and deaths due to omicron are pretty sobering, but already, i mean, i was reading about ambulances stuck waiting in lineups. hospital patients waiting for hours and hours on gurneys. so paint me a picture of what you're seeing now across your hospitals. >> good morning, kim. so, yeah that description is a pretty accurate one of the situation. the problem is, we are just at the beginning of this anticipated, really large surge in omicron cases, of the pandemic. but we're starting from a point where the nhs is already under massive pressure. you're seeing queues of ambulances outside of hospitals at the peak times of activity. so the system itself is overpressurized. staff have been working really hard to try to free up capacity. but also to continue doing the non-emergency work, because, of course, the waiting list more that work are longer than ever. but it's really worrying what we're hearing from the experts, the scientists who have modeled the spread of the pandemic, and what we're seeing now in london, which is the beginning of that is that the rise in cases is massive, it's doubling every two days, as we've heard. and those cases are now already in london leading to a rise in hospitalizations, which we expect will continue across the uk. and it's difficult to see how, without further measures from the government at this point to reduce the spread, how the system is -- and the staff are working their best and being able to manage that. >> i do want to get to what the government can do about this. but touched on the staff and issued a fairly dire warning. you said this winter is going to be the most difficult those working on the front line have ever faced. why is that? is that because so many are getting sick? >> yeah, that's one of the aspects of it. that the rate of sickness due to covid-19, of course, is increasing, and health care workers, you know, like the rest of the population, are susceptible to the spread through the population. obviously, it's really important that health care workers are protected in the workplace from being in effected by the patients that they're caring for. and that's one of the things that we have been really pushing for improvements on, in terms of more widespread use of the protective equipment, the high-grade masks, which offer protection from the virus, as it's spread through aerosol particles in the air. so the staffing crisis is part of the pandemic itself. of course, staff are also, at this time of year, it's a difficult time of year for a staffing anyway, because we have all of the normal other winter viruses and illnesses that tend to increase sickness at any time of the year. but the sort of staffing is one aspect of it. the other aspect is the fact that our hospitals are already flat out at full capacity, trying to catch up with the waiting list, which are bigger than ever. and now we've got the additional impact of the rising cases coming into hospital in london already, which will be continuing without lowitt the uk. >> so let's get to what can be done to mitigate this. we've seen some countries now like the netherlands, locking down again. boris johnson has promised that that won't happen. is that a mistake? >> unfortunately, when we've looked back at previous waves, what we've seen is that the interventions to limit spread have come too late to have their best effect. and what all the scientific experts are saying, even the sage committees advising the government, they are indicating that we need to limit the spread now and it's difficult to get around the fact if this wasn't happening around christmas, it would seem very surprising that that weren't measures that were put in place right now to stop that spread. if we do put in what people call a circuit breaker, too late to stage, which is likely to be the case, it doesn't have the effect that it needs to have, which is to stop that massive spike in cases all at one time, which has the potential to overwhelm the health care system. >> we only have -- sorry, we only have one minute left. but i want to get to this. what happens in the uk usually ends up happening here in the u.s. we tend to be a few weeks behind. so what you're seeing now in uk, do you think that we're getting a preview of things to come here? >> yeah, it's difficult to take modeling from one nation to another, because there are so many differences, but clearly, what we do know about this virus, it spreads very rapidly. we're seeing indicators that it does increase hospitalizations, which we expect it to do. we done know how many of those turn into intensive care missions, but it would be very surprising if the same pattern wasn't followed in other nations. it's just the timing of that that's difficult to be clear about. >> very ominous indeed. thank you so much for talking to us, dr. simon walsh, really appreciate your time. all right. coming up next, the harshest sentence yet in last january's capitol riot could signal the fate awaiting more than 100 other people facing similar charges. plus, jurors will soon get to decide the fate of a former minnesota police officer charged in the death of a black man during a traffic stop. we'll revisit some of the emotional testimony, coming up. ♪ ♪ is someone trying to steal your butterfinger? 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my concern was survive and make it home to my family. i was -- it never occurred to me that it would be, an issue with getting help to officers that needed it. and seeing those text messages, i wish i could say i was surprised, but i'm not. closing arguments are set to begin monday in the trial of the former police officer chandler in the killing of daunte wright during a traffic stop earlier this year. the defense rested its case on friday after kim potter took the stand in a day of emotional testimony. cnn's adrienne broaddus has more. >> i'm sorry it happened. >> you didn't plan to use deadly force that day, did you? >> no. >> because you knew that deadly force was unreasonable and unwarranted in this circumstance. >> i didn't want to hurt anybody. >> under cross-examination by the prosecution, former minnesota police officer kim potter wept. >> you stopped doing their job completely. you didn't communicate what happened over the radio, right? >> no. >> you didn't make sure any officers knew what you had just done, right? >> no. >> you didn't run down the street and try to save daunte wright's life, did you? >> no. >> you didn't check on the other car that had been hit, did you? >> no. >> you were focused on what you had done, because you had just killed somebody. >> i'm sorry it happened. >> reporter: breaking down on the stand while testifying in her own defense about the day she shot and killed daunte wright. >> we were struggling -- we were trying to keep him from driving away. it just -- it just went chaotic. and then. i remember yelling, taser, taser, taser, and nothing happened. and then he told me i shot him. >> taser, taser, taser. >> reporter: back in april, life shifted in seconds. zpli >> i just shot him. >> do you actually remember what you said, not with help from my victim? >> i don't want remember what i said. >> reporter: but an officer's body camera capturing her response. >> let me kill myself, mike. >> reporter: potter testifying today that she never fired her gun or taser in the field before this incident. >> you have drawn your taser and not fired it in your 26-year career. >> yes. >> reporter: the prosecution continuing to challenge. >> you never saw a weapon on mr. wright, did you? >> no. >> never saw a gun? >> no. >> he never threw a punch? >> no. >> the prosecutor also focusing in on her taser training and decades of experience. >> these items look different, don't they? >> yes. >> the taser is yellow, right? >> yes. >> the firearm is black, correct? >> yes. >> and you've been trained on tasers since 2002, correct? >> yes. >> reporter: potter's defense attorney ask about the aftermath of the shooting. potter testified she sold her family home and moved out of the state. >> have you been in therapy? >> yes. >> you still work as police officer there? >> no. >> why did you quit? >> there was so much bad things happening, i didn't want my coworkers and i didn't want anything bad to happen to the city. >> reporter: potter is facing first and second-degree manslaughter charges. she has pleaded not guilty to all charges. just ahead on cnn, the u.s. vice president is coming under scrutiny over remarks she made about the delta and omicron variants. we'll look at what she said and how the white house is responding. and hong kong holds its first election under strict new laws that gives the government greater power to vet candidates. now some pro-democracy activists are calling for a boycott. stay with us. ♪ (man) still asleep. (woman vo)o) so, where to next? (vo) reflect on the past, celebrate the future. season's greetings from audi. ♪ 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'. my plaque psoriasis... ...the itching... the burning. the stinging. my skin was no longer mine. my psoriatic arthritis, made my joints stiff, swollen... painful. emerge tremfyant®. with tremfya®, adults with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis... ...can uncover clearer skin and improve symptoms at 16 weeks. tremfya® is the only medication of its kind also approved for adults with active psoriatic arthritis. serious allergic reactions may occur. tremfya® may increase your risk of infections and lower your ability to fight them. tell your doctor if you have an infection or symptoms or if you had a vaccine or plan to. emerge tremfyant® with tremfya®... ask you doctor about tremfya® today. 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 welcome pack to all of you watching us here in the united states, canada, and around the world. i'm kim brunhuber and this is "cnn newsroom." back to our top story. the omicron variant of coronavirus is threatening to send america's covid surge into overdrive. the country's already seeing spikes in cases, hospitalizations, and deaths from the delta variant. omicron is expected to become the dominant strain in the coming weeks. hospitals are stretched thin and one expert warns there's a tsunami coming for unvaccinated people. meanwhile, some countries have already reached the tipping point less than a month after omicron was first identified. a short time ago, the uk health secretary reported that omicron is now the dominant strain in england. now, the uk isn't alone in battling surging covid infections. the countries across europe are taking distraction action in an attempt to control the spread and some of those measures are being met with anger in the streets. so for more on this, let's turn to cnn contributor, barbie nadeau. and barbie, let's start with the netherlands, going into lockdown yet again. >> that's right. you know, just less than a week before christmas, now everyone in the netherlands told that they cannot have more than four people over to their homes during the holidays. limited to two people when it's not actually the christmas day or new year's day. and that's very dreadful for those people. people had plans made. now, you know, it's just back to where it was last year at this time. and people are angry about it, kim. >> you know, do you get a sense that there's more and more backlash to these restrictions? we're seeing more protests? >> there are protests. and right now, the protests have been mainly the anti-vaccination people, because they're the people who have been targeted. those that have a vaccine across europe are now very limited to what they can do. but when you look at a case like the netherlands, too, everyone's locked down. it's not just those people that aren't vaccinated. so the anger, of course, spreads. when these people gather, they're spreading the virus. especially those people who haven't been vaccinated yet. and we are expecting, as people clamp down, governments clamp down, that the anger is going to rise ahead of this second christmas season, very much like last year's, kim. >> but it's not just anger, right? it's sadness, because one by one, the holiday festivities and new year's events all seem to be getting canceled, including where you are, right, in rome? >> that's right. they've canceled a big concert here in the center of rome, fireworks in paris. last christmas was supposed to be one of -- you know, a christmas like no other, a holiday season like no other. and this year is just the same, despite the fact that there are vaccines and despite the fact that a lot of people are vaccinated, it just doesn't seem to be getting better. and people are not looking forward to another holiday season like last year's. >> understandably. barbie nadeau, thanks so much. earlier, i spoke with dr. james lawler, an infectious disease specialist about the omicron variant. he says the u.s. has just a short period of time to stem a wave of new infections. i asked him what specific actions have to be taken now to curb the spread. here he is. >> well, i think there are a number of things that can be done and need to be done. first of all, obviously, pulling out all stops on vaccinations, especially trying to get folks who have not yet been vaccinated to at least get a primary series. getting boosters into folks who have not yet been boosted. but we need to do more to step up non-pharmaceutical interventions. those things that we had and effectively used before we had access to vaccines. that's things like wearing face masks indoors and in the u.s., certainly, mandatory face mask ordinances and a number of state and local areas had a significant impact. also, limiting large indoor gatherings and attempting to contain and control spread in congregate environments, such as school. fortunately now, schools are mostly getting out for the holiday break, but certainly, we need to plan for what's going to happen in january, when schools go back in session. >> yeah, many of those dele decisions are made at the local or state level, but i want to look nationally here. the white house press secretary tweeted that we are prepared for the rise in case levels and potus will detail how he will respond to this challenge. so president biden will be giving an omicron-focused speech this tuesday. so what are you hoping to hear from him, and what concrete steps are you hoping he will take at a national level? >> right. well, i don't share that optimism that we're prepared, but i think there are some steps that we can take. and again, first of all, doing everything we can to increase vaccination, ramping up non-pharmaceutical interventions, including using all of the levers that we ha have wearing mandatory face coverings indoors, reducing large gatherings, the government can improve support for testing, to be able to get testing resources where we need them. that will be hard to do in a matter of weeks. some of that will take longer. but it's that old saying, when's the best time to plant a tree? 20 years ago, but the second best time is today. and the second best time to get testing improved is starting today. and then i think already a number of things that can be done with financial incentives to help businesses and other parts of our community that would be impacted by ramping up non-pharmaceutical interventions. and our thanks to dr. james lawler for his insights there. u.s. president joe biden will address public concerns about the omicron variant in a speech on tuesday. and the white house is clarifying remarks made by vice president kamala harris about mutations, like omicron and delta variants. cnn's joe johns reports. >> in a departure from a continuing message prosecute white house on covid, vice president kamala harris conceding in a wide-ranging interview with the "los angeles times" that the administration did not anticipate the omicron and delta variants. here's a quote from that interview. "we department see delta coming. i think most scientists did not, upon whose advice and direction we have relied, didn't see delta coming. we didn't see omicron coming, and hthat's the nature of what this -- this awful virus has been, which it turns out, has mutations and variants." a white house official claalso clarifying to cnn that the administration was aware of variants in general, and that's the reason for masking as well as encouraging the public to get vaccinated. on saturday, the white house press secretary announced on twitter that president biden will give a covid speech on tuesday, that will include a stark warning to americans who have not gotten vaccinated. joe johns, cnn, at the white house. >> voters in hong kong are casting their ballots in the first city-wide election since china imposed a sweeping national security law last year. under the new rules, a committee has to vet all candidates to make sure that only so-called patriots running for office, a move that further tightens china's kbgrasp on hong kong. cnn's will ripley reports. >> reporter: election day in hong kong. what a difference two years makes. in 2019, voter lines around the block. a landslide victory for pro-democracy parties. in 2021, those parties and most of their candidates, absent. just like many hong kong voters. this crowds at this polling site sunday, mainly media. covering hong kong leader carrie lam, arriving early to cast her vote. lam telling state media that low voter turnout could be a sign that the government is doing a good job. this is hong kong's first general election since china imposed major voting reforms. new mechanisms to vet candidates, making sure that only so-called patriots, those loyal to beijing, can run. those reforms and a sweeping national security law imposed by beijing, in the wake of 2019's pro-democracy protest, erasing many of hong kong's freedoms, promised for 50 years under one country, two systems. pro-democracy activists and former hong kong legislator, nathan law, now living in expile in london. he calls this weekend's vote a selection, not an election. >> it's impossible for us to get into the race. so, i think it's really clear that all of us that this is just not an ordinary or not a free and fair election. it's just a selection process by beijing and they're putting on a show. >> reporter: a show law says is part of beijing's bigger plan, to make hong kong just like any other chinese city. ruled by an authoritarian government, dissenting voices, silenced. either in exile or in jail. >> we've lost our autonomy, freedom. >> reporter: city leaders condemning activist calls to boy ko the election, or cast blank votes in protest. pro-beijing legislator michael teen says hong kong's election is legitimate. >> the competition is key in the stand that everybody wants to have the highest number of votes. he echos that china's criticism of american democracy. the democracy through people who at the end defy election result anyway. like donald trump. so they say, what's the difference? >> reporter: the difference at these polling stations is clear. democracy on china's terms means many hong kong voters simply don't show up. >> in the coming hours, voters in chile face a stark choice between far-right conservative jose antonio cass and leftist boric. cnn's rafael romo is following the race and shows us how the two men are at odds over gay marriage and other big issues. >> reporter: it's a signature that would have been unthinkable only a decade ago. conservative president who for many years opposed it, signed the law earlier this month that allows same-sex couples to marry and adopt. >> reporter: true freedom, he said, is built by acknowledging that we are all equal when it comes to dignity and that it should include the freedom to love. the new law gives spousal benefits to couples who are part of civil unions, like evelyn morales and jacqueline bias. what does the law mean to you? >> reporter: if anything happens to me, i know my baby will be taken care of, morales says. bias can now legally adopt the couple's child and get parental rights. but chile's national debate ant same-sex couples is parafrom over. it's one of several contentious issues driving voters, as the south american country gets ready to hold a runoff election on sunday. love shouldn't are borders or restrictions, says gabrielle boric, a 35-year-old leftist presidential candidate, who says if he wins, he'll fight to preserve the rights of the lgbtq community. his right-wing rival, jose antonio cass says that while he respects the rule of law, he believes marriage should be between a man and woman. chile is still dealing with the covid-19 pandemic, which has killed 34,000 people in the country of 19 million. and in the fall of 2019, the country was also rocked by a series of deadly protests over economic inequality. >> what we've seen in this election campaign is that one of the main factors has been fear. on the one hand, we have fear of violence, fear of crime, fear of more vinyl protests. and on the other hand, on the side of boric and his voters, there's fear of a kind of authoritarian regression. >> reporter: the country is as polarized as it's ever been, which explains why out of a field of seven, voters chose two candidates from the extreme right and left to advance to the runoff election. regardless of who wins the election, this will be the first time since chile's return to democracy in 1990 that the next president won't come from the traditional parties. the winner of sunday's runoff election will take office in march, replacing current president here for a four-year term. the choices between freedom and communism say right-wing candidate cast. his leftist rival says voting for cast is like asking to return to the 1970s repressive dictatorship. chilean voters will face a tough choice at polls between two extremes on sunday. rafael romo, cnn, santiago. people on opposite sides of the u.s. have more rain and snow coming their way. we'll have a weather forecast for today and tiger woods is back. the sports legend is returning to the competitive golf world alongside a very special teammate. we'll have details after the break. stay with us. ♪ you pour your heart into everything you do, which is a lot. so take care of that heart with l lipton. because sippin' on unsweetened lipton can help support a healthy heart. lipton. stop chuggin'. start sippin'. did you know some deodorants may not last all day? 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will we have the snow on the ground? well, historically speaking, you only have about 11% probability in the big apple, but higher chances as you head into the upper midwest. of course, chicago and zrdetroi and marquette, michigan. this is my last day on air before the christmas holidays. so it's happy holi-blaze across the u.s., because temperatures will be extremely warm and we bro probably won't have that white christmas. >> we had one last year here in atlanta. i won't see you again, happy holidays to you, derek van dam. appreciate it. >> same to you. well,t 'tis the holiday season. after the prbreak, we'll go arod the world meeting people were determined to spread holiday cheer, despite a really tough 2021. stay with us. driven by our award-winning g science, who uncover new medicines to treat mental l illness. it i includes the compassionae healthcare professionals,, the dedicated social workers, and the supportive peer cocounselors 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. ♪ 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'. this is the sound of nature breathing. and this is the sound of better breathing. fasenra is a different kind of asthma medication. it's not a steroid or inhaler. fasenra is an add-on treatment for asthma driven by eosinophils. it's one maintenance dose every 8 weeks. it helps prevent asthma attacks, improve breathing, and lower use of oral steroids. nearly 7 out of 10 adults with asthma may have elevated eosinophils. fasenra is designed to target and remove them. fasenra is not a rescue medication or for other eosinophilic conditions. fasenra may cause allergic reactions. get help right away if you have swelling of your face, mouth, and tongue, or trouble breathing. don't stop your asthma treatments unless your doctor tells you to. tell your doctor if you have a parasitic infection or your asthma worsens. headache and sore throat may occur. this is the sound of fasenra. ask your doctor about fasenra. have you tried crunching? crunching gave me resting fun face. crunching solved my tan lines and frown lines. 100% real milk chocolate and crispy rice really works. crunching solved my midlife crisis. start crunching today! tiger woods is back. the golf legend competing for the first time since a car crash crushed his leg in february. cnn's andy scholes tells us he had a pretty good and close partner in the team competition. >> tiger woods said he had a blast in his return to golf at the pnc championship here in orlando on saturday. tiger competing with his 12-year-old son, charlie, and his first action since his devastating car accident ten months ago, and tiger looked really good, hitting off the pro tees and taking some really hard swings in the fairways. he did use a golf cart get around the course, as it was allowed for this tournament. and tiger and charlie, they birdied four of the first five holes and on 15, charlie with a nice birdie putt that put a big smile on dad's face. team woods finishing 10 under for the day, just three shots back of the lead. >> we had a great time. it was just a blast and we had a blast last year on the first round and again, this year, it was the same. we had so much fun out there. i wish i could have walked with him and been with him each and every step like i was last year. physically, i'm unable to do that. so i was the guy going out there and getting golf balls from mike, who were offline, or i was offline, and bringing balls back around. you know, it was different, you know, trying to drive the cart slower with him and talk to him and make sure we were present and still a team, still doing it together. >> and tiger added that his shots still aren't coming off like he's used to and it's going to take some time for him to get back to playing at a tour level, but no matter what level tiger woods is playing at, the fans here and everywhere are just thrilled to have him back. in orlando, andy scholes, cnn. the rapid rise of covid cases in the u.s. prompted another new york institution to shut down most of its production. >> where's everybody? keenan, haven't you heard? >> heard what? >> just hours before airtime, "saturday night live" announced it was closing the studio to a live audience. most of the team were sent home, although actors, tom hanks, tina fey, paul rudd, and a few others carried on in the empty studio. the show consisted of best-of clips and new sketches taped earlier this week. well, 2021 will be remembered for lots of things. the never-ending pandemic, the angry volcano, deadly tornadoes, afghanistan, yet around the world, people are showing their inner strength, doing their best to recover and spread a little bit of holiday cheer. cnn's al goodman has more. >> at the end of another hard year, the festive lights in new york city are a soothing sight. the gift many of us wanted, a return to our normal lives and the vanquishing of covid-19 is still illusive. and even though it may be a struggle for some to see, there is something to celebrate this year, our resilience. traditions may be altered, but in many places, go on, like taking the children to see santa claus. in this winter wonderland in finland, there is no sitting on santa's lap and no whispering in his ear. mom and dad will just have to be in on that little secret. but santa has a wish, too. >> i've been hearing worrying news around the globe about well-being and coping of children and young people. now it's time to turn these worries into plenty of goodwill. >> people around the world are finding ways to make the season a little brighter, like this santa in peru, visiting children infected with covid-19, wearing a mask, santa didn't come down the chimney, but delivered presents instead through open windows, with the help of a fire truck. migrant children strike a piñata at a shelter in tijuana, a little holiday cheer, as families gather together for a limitation festival to commemorate mary and joseph's search for shelter before the birth of jesus. a quest close to the heart of many people here who have been stuck in this border town for months while they wait for permits to enter the u.s. a volcano plotted out the livelihoods of many residents of spain's la palma island. thousands were forced to evacuate, as rivers of lava incinerated houses, buildings, and farms. one church says it will rise above those ashes, and has even incorporated them into its nativity scene. >> to the church closest to the volcano, we wanted to make them have a smile. >> reporter: people in kentucky are still trying to come to terms with the devastation caused by tornadoes, that obliterated entire neighborhoods and killed dozens. one woman says she may have lost her house, but will keep a promise made to her daughter. >> i tell her, baby, we're going to have santa claus wherever we're at, you know? he's coming to visit and we'll do the best we can. >> reporter: doing the best we can when things seem to be at their worst. maybe that's the true spirit of the season. al goodman, cnn. >> that's all for "cnn newsroom." i'm kim brunhuber. if you're in the u.s. or canada, cnn "new day" weekend is next. for everyone else, it's "living golf." [laughing and giggling] (woman) hey dad. miss us? (vo) reflect on the past, celebrate the future. season's greetings from audi. ♪ 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'. 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. good morning. welcome to your "new day." i'm paula reed in for christi paul. >> i'm boris sanchez. a surge in coronavirus is once again threatening christmas plans, holiday celebrations scaled back, live performance canceled. some schools even returning to remote learning and now one doctor tells cnn, quote, there's a tsunami coming. the biden administration is working to reassure americans that it is prepared for the rise in cases with president biden himself set to address the country this week. and a busy holiday travel wein

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