in cases as delta and omicron fuel what experts call a grim pandemic outlook. the u.s. is averaging 130,000 new infections a day. that's 10% higher than a week ago and up from 70,000 at the beginning of november. new york city once again is the epicenter of this surge just days before thousands of people are expected to be packing times square for the big new year's eve celebration. dr. anthony fauci putting out this warning. >> this virus is extraordinary. it has a doubling time of anywhere from two to three days. right now, in certain regions of the country, 50% of the isolates are omicron, which means it's going to take over. >> that surge in cases includes three members of congress now and a sitting governor. senators elizabeth warren and cory booker as well as congressman jason crowe have tested positive. and maryland governor larry hogan as said he's tested positive, all of them vaccinated with booster shots and say their symptoms are mild, thankfully. there's also some promising news when it comes to the pandemic and vaccines. moderna is reporting preliminary data suggests its covid booster is effective against the omicron variant. the latest data from the cdc shows that omicron accounts for just 3% of covid cases in the united states. the delta variant, 97%, meaning it is still the dominant one today. jay jason carroll is live in times square joining us now. new york is reporting, what is this, a third straight day of record cases. what's happening? >> that's new york state. even looking at new york city, the numbers are trending up as well. new york city covid cases more than doubled compared to last week. and have to point out, according to all the data that's coming in, the rise in cases we are seeing mostly among those people who are unvaccinated. in terms of hospitalizations, those numbers ticking up as well. but they're not seeing substantial rising in those hospital numbers compared to what we've seen in the past, that according to health officials. so that's important to keep in perspective as well. meanwhile, kate, when you look across the city, we've seen a number of people waiting in long lines, sometimes for hours trying to get a test ahead of the holidays. in terms of going inside drugstores, trying to get a rapid test, a lot of folks going in and finding out they've been sold out. the health commissioner weighed in speaking to cnn about what the city is trying to do to meet that need. >> we did see unprecedented demand over the last few days. we've ramped up testing. we're doing more testing per capita than just about any other place in the world. we're going to continue to ramp it up to be able to meet it. for example, we're adding additional testing sites throughout this week. we have a total of 89 across the five boroughs of the city just in terms of city sites. and we're also distributing half a million rapid test kits through community-based organizations. we'll keep building upon that to meet the demand in the coming days. >> reporter: the mayor this morning, kate, a little while ago said, in addition to the 89 testing sites, they'll be opening 23 additional testing sites in the city by the end of the week. for now, all eyes are on times square and what's going to be happening here or not happening. the mayor saying that for now the ball drop is still a go, but he is going to make a final decision on that sometime before christmas. organizers who are putting on the ball drop say anybody who will be coming out here has to show proof of vaccination, although they are not at this point requiring people to wear masks, but they are highly recommending it. kate? >> and you may want to, considering how cold it is out there today. regardless, good to see you. thank you, jason. after nearly two years of this pandemic, it is evident that people are exhausted. and you probably feel it. new polling now shows it. adding to the challenge of keeping people safe when it can mean more tough choices for everyone. cnn's harry anton is more on this. some interesting analysis you've put together. americans are exhausted by this pandemic. everyone feels it. but does that mean that they are less worried or not worried about this omicron variant? >> if you look at the polling data, you see there are a few more folks who are extremely or very concerned about the coronavirus as compared to a month ago. it's up to 42 persian. it was 38% a month ago. compare that to a year ago when it was 62% of americans who were extremely or very concerned about covid. the numbers now are much lower. part of the reason that's going on, i think, as you pointed out, people are just worn out by what's happening. i feel worn out by coping with changes to daily life. it's 60% overall. in a pandemic in which there has been such partisan divides, there are no partisan divides when it comes to feeling worn out. the same percentage of republicans at 64% compared to 63% of democrats are worn out by covid and the changes to their daily lives. >> worn out is one thing. that seems to be pervasive. the question is how are people actually reacting to all of this? the surgery we're seeing. the concern over omicron. are people saying that they're changing the way they're living their lives? >> no. in fact, that's what to me is so interesting if you look at the polling data. social distancing obviously is something that has been sort of put out there, something perhaps we should do, but social distancing in the last week now, 45%. a month apg, it was 44%. basically, the same. compare that to a year ago when it was 79%. so many fewer americans are social distancing now as compared to a year ago. if they're going out, right, if you're going indoors and be outside, essentially go out maybe to the grocery store, in light of omicron, are you very likely to wear masks indoors? look at that. just 42% of americans overall say that. unfortunately, the unvaccinated, the ones who are most at danger are even less likely to say that at 28%. the vaccinated were the most protected. 47% say they're likely to wear a mask when they go out and indoors. >> that also gets to kind of what message works at this point, harry. even as omicron spreads, the data shows very clearly vaccines, especially with boosters, are effective and protect us from getting seriously ill. but at this stage, from what you're seeing in the polling is that fact likely to change any minds at this point among the unvaccinated? >> it really doesn't seem so. you know, if you look at the percentage of americans right now who say they've gotten at least one covid vaccine, very likely to get one, right now it's 80%. a month ago it was 78%. not much of change there, perhaps slightly higher than three months ago at 75%, but very small changes. when it comes to the booster, which could really be a game changer, it's true. more americans right now have got an booster than, say, compared to a month ago. but that's really just getting the piece of the pie of the folk who is said they were very lakely to get one anyway. the same percentage of americans say they're very likely to get a booster and have gotten one and it's just about half of all americans, 51%. get your booster if you haven't gotten one and you're fully vaccinated. it could save your life. >> good to see you. thank you very much for that. joining me now for more on all of this is the director of the center for infectious disease research and policy at the university of minnesota. it's good to see you again. it's been a minute. let's start with some of the promising news that has come out today from moderna, releasing new data saying that its current booster increases antibody levels 37 fold, a bigger dose even more so. i'm wondering what you think 37 fold should mean to everyone at home in this moment. >> well, right now, the public is incredibly confused by all of this. we have to cut through two different you might say buckets of issues around the variants and delta specifically and omicron. right now, you need that third dose. i wish we'd stop calling it a booster. it's a three-dose vaccine. full vaccination is that. remember right now delta is still responsible for so many of the people hospitalized. you need that third dose to keep you from having a breakthrough infection and possibly a severe illness and death. we've had over 800 people here in minnesota who have died, who have been fully vaccinated but now with the booster, and so that's important. with omicron right now, what we're up against here is the fact even with that higher level of and body being put forward by both the pfizer, moderna vaccines, you're still at risk of having serious illness and potentially death if you don't get that third dose. so it's very important for both delta and for omicron to get the third dose. right now, kate, only 33% of the u.s. population that had received their first two doses have had that third dose, what i consider the full vaccination. >> right. the way you're saying it i think is important. if we consider it a three-dose regimen, there is a very small proportion of the u.s. population that is fully vaccinated. that's something that everyone really needs to consider. so then you're dealing with omicron, right? there is some data, more questions than answers still, some data from south africa and some from the uk on omicron, but i wonder what you think in terms of do you think this variant is leading to more severe illness at this moment? >> well, at this point, i think the data do support the fact there is severe illness with it. what's important, though, and i think you have set this up nicely, there are two parts to the omicron challenge. the media keeps focusing on transmission, transmission, transmission, which is important. this virus is highly infectious. but the question is what proportion of those cases end up having severe illness. i think what we're coming to is the fact that there will be many, many more infections, less severe illnesses per 100 population or 1,000 population of those vaccinated. but because there are so many additional infections, that will still give us an absolute number of more serious illnesses in a health care system that is already breaking in many locations. so i think we are going to see that. the other thing, kate, that i think is the perfect storm phenomenon here is that come middle of january, this viral blizzard that i've talked about, we are going to see 20%, 30% of health care workers getting infected, who will then be off of work in a health care system that is already stretched to the point of breaking. so i think that we have a combination of the events about to happen in january. more transmission, yes, less severe cases per population, but overall more in absolute numbers because of the increased transmission and health care workers who are not there. >> when you talk about the viral blizzard, i was thinking about it this weekend and wondering are we in the midst of it right now? you still think that is yet to come? >> it's still coming. what you're seeing right now is delta. remember right now, there was not another delta virus transmitted in this country today, the cases we're seeing are already in the books, baked in. these are people who are infected who will get ill or are ill and after a week or two become seriously ill and then die. remember right now the vast majority of deaths in this country are due to delta. that will change potentially in the next month as all crime does beat out delta. and that, you can argue, is a good thing if it's less severe cases. as i've pointed out, there will be so many more cases because of omicron, the absolute numbers of severe illness could go up in this country at a time when we'll be the least prepared to take care of those patients at any time in the pandemic. >> professor, what comes after the viral blizzard? what does it look like? >> you know, i don't know. you know, a year ago, you know, we all thought that these vaccines were going to come in and basically save us and it would be over with. last april, right here on this network, i said i thought the darkest days of the pandemic are yet to come. nobody wanted to hear that. what drove me to say that was the variants. i keep hearing that old fifth dimension tune in my head every morning this is the dawning of the age of aquarius and i say this is the dawning of the age of the variants. delta, omicron, i don't know what's next. but we have to be honest with the public and say we are learning every day about this virus and the fact of the matter is i can't with any honesty say to you, well, it's over with after omicron. i don't know. and no one, i think, could provide any data to say it will be over with after omicron. >> professor, thank you for being here. appreciate it. >> thank you. >> thank you. coming up for us, the white house blind sided. senator joe manchin announcing he's a hard no on president biden's social spending plan, but in classic washington fashion, everyone is left wondering if that's really his final answer. welcome to allstate. where everything just seems to go your way. ♪ ♪ you're in good hands with allstate. click or call for a lower auto rate today. nurse mariyam sabo knows a moment this pure... ...demands a lotion this pure. new gold bond pure moisture lotion. 24-hour hydration. no parabens, dyes, or fragrances. gold bond. champion your skin. we've been waiting all year to come together. ♪ happy holidays from lexus. get $1500 lease cash toward a 2022 rx 350. ♪ at this hour we're learning former president trump is suing new york's attorney general letitia james. the lawsuit is trying to stop the a.g.'s lawsuit investigating the trump organization. paula reid is joining me with more details on this. what's happening here? >> reporter: in this lawsuit, trump's attorneys argue that this long-running investigation by the new york state attorney general's office violates his constitutional rights. he and his attorney have long argued that james is politically motivated in her investigation. but for nearly two years, her office has been looking into whether the trump organization lied about the value of its assets to obtain favorable loan terms, insurance rates, and to pay lower taxes. it closely mirrors an ongoing criminal investigation by the manhattan district attorney's office, this which has resulted in charges against the organization and one of its executives. in this lauts, trump's attorneys are trying to block james from participating in that criminal investigation. now to support their allegation against james, trump's lawyers lay out statements that james has made including her promise to target trump as one of her campaign promises and also subsequent statements that she's made that they argue are evidence of political bias. interestingly, this lawsuit comes as james is seeking to question the former president under oath as part of this investigation next month. >> paula, thanks for that. so let's tourn this now. democrats in washington are scrambling today as senator joe manchin torpedos president biden's build back better bill and thus a big part of his domestic agenda. the senator told fox news that he is now a no after months of negotiations. listen. >> i cannot vote to continue with this piece of legislation. i just can't. i've tried everything humanly possible. i can't get there. >> you're done. this is a no. >> this is a no. on this legislation. i have tried everything i know to do. >> all right. cnn's jeremy diamond is live at the white house with more on this. jeremy, how big of a surprise was this actually for the president? >> it was indeed a surprise as senator manchin drop that bombshell. the white house had about a half hour's notice that senator manchin was going to make those comments effectively dooming the future of the build back better act. president biden we're told tried to get senator manchin on the phone before he went on fox news to deliver that interview and those remarks, but he was not able to. and then we saw this scathing statement from the white house that really did reflect the anger and the surprise that many inside the white house including the president himself felt in the wake of senator manchin announcing that he would no longer be negotiating on this but that he could not move forward with this piece of legislation. the white house said in a statement that, quote, if his comments on fox and written statement indicate an end to that effort, meaning the effort to find common ground, they represent a sudden and inexplicable vereversal in his position and a breach of his commitments to the president and the senator's colleagues in the house and senate. the president said he was at a wit's end. the white house say they're not giving up, they'll try and find a path forward in the new year, but how exactly they move forward is very unclear at this point. kate? >> jeremy, thank you for that. so where does biden and the democratic agenda go from here? joining me now is catherine lucy, white house reporter for "the wall street journal." thanks for being here. so the white house, jeremy read part of the statement from jen psaki and the white house after this pretty remarkable slapping back on manchin. i want to read another part that stuck out to me from jen psaki's statement when she wrote after learning of this, just as senator manchin reversed his position on build back better this morning, we will continue to press him to see if he will reverse his position yet again to honor his prior commitments and be true to his word. they're saying he didn't keep his word. they're treading pretty closely to calling him a liar. is that their intention? >> i mean, you are right, and jeremy was right. this is really a blistering statement coming from the white house and it's particularly notable given the way they have tried to manage the manchin relationship and negotiations up until this point, which has been very careful. they've been very cautious prior to now in their public statements and consistently said they thought they could work with him. president has spent a lot of time as we know, both in person and on the phone with manchin. they really thought that, as that statement says, that they were making progress maybe not by the end of this year but they thought they were, you know, going to be able to continue to deal with him. this really reflects the fury that the white house is feeling right now and a question of what -- as you say, what do they do next. they continue this kind of rhetoric, they continue pushing back, or is there sort of a cooling-off period and are we going to come back in the new year and see them try and figure out what they could do in this space. and then i think the question there is do they try and scale this back more, do they try and do less programs. the complaints you've heard from manchin have been pretty consistent even though he's saying he can't do anything. he's consistently raised concerns about inflation and the fact this bill was going to fund a lot of programs for a short amount of time. so one question now i think is do they maybe try and do less programs for longer. but that's all going to have to play out and we'll see if both sides can kind of cool off. >> it's pretty messy how it's kind of rounding out at the end of the year. i mean, what they do next, how it might be changed, i mean, even before then, you have the senate majority leader chuck schumer still promising to hold a vote on this, on this version of build back better after the new year. he put out a letter to members saying senators should be aware that the senate will, in fact, consider the build back better act very early in the new year so that every member of this body has the opportunity to make their position known on the senate floor, not just on television. what does that mean when the white house thinks they don't have manchin's vote? are they trying to call a bluff? like, what is this? >> i mean, it is incredibly messy. i think part of what you're seeing, you saw this from some lawmakers yesterday and today, particularly progressives in the party, is a desire to really put more pressure on manchin, to make him take the vote, put that on the record in a formal way. but, again, the question is, you know, how do you then move on from -- if you do that, do you then move on from that and try and continue to work together? but particularly, you know, kate, as you know, as you guys have been covering in recent days, you step back and think about where the president is ending this year, i mean, it really is -- has turned into a winter of discontent for biden. you were ending the year with this blowup over the build back better social agenda bill, omicron cases rising, crashing into the u.s. as we speak, inflation still high, and his poll numbers are low. this is a very difficult moment for this white house and certainly not in the way they were hoping to end the year. >> that's for sure. we'll see what kind of reset or reconfigure or restart they can look for in the new year. good to see you, catherine. thank you. >> great to see you. coming up for us, closing arguments in the trial of former police officer kim potter for the shooting death of daunte wright. she took the stand in her own defense. did it help or hurt her? past, e the future. season's greetings from audi. deon, hand it over. now how does that make you feel? like a part of me is missing. gabrielle? this old spice fiji hand and body lotion has me smoother than ever. that's what it does. ♪ ♪ you are my fire ♪ ♪ the one desire ♪ ♪ you are, you are, ♪ ♪ don't wanna hear you say... ♪ ♪ ♪ i want it that way ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ no matter what you bring to the table, there's no place like wayfair. as i observe investors balance risk and reward, i see one element securing portfolios, time after time. gold. your 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arguments are under way in the trial of former police officer kim potter. potter fatally shot daunte wright, a 20-year-old black man, after saying she mistook her gun for her taser. in emotional testimony on friday, potter took the stand in her own defense and faced a tough cross-examination from the prosecution. >> 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 were focused on what you had done because you had just killed somebody. >> i'm sorry. i'm so sorry. >> adrienne broaddus has more from minneapolis. >> reporter: kate, good morning. court began promptly with the judge reading jury instructions, following those instructions, closing arguments, starting with the prosecution, who has to bear the burden of proof. prosecutors focusing in on potter's training, specifically the training with the taser. she became certified to use the taser back in 2002 and in order to continue carrying that taser she had to be recertified every year, in some cases, scoring perfect scores on her training. by contrast, the defense maintains this was a mistake. potter did not intend to pull her gun that day. she was reaching or thought she had pulled her taser, pointing back again to the body camera video where potter shouts, "taser, taser, taser!" poltder, as you all know, took the stand in her own defense on friday. she sobbed on the stand under cross-examination by the prosecution saying she was sorry. at that moment, daunte wright's mother, who was inside of the courtroom, also wept. potter, while on the stand, said she did not mean to hurt anyone. now later today, this case will be in the hands of the jury. kate? >> aid thank you. coming up for us, five days until christmas but survivors of those deadly tornados in kentucky are just trying to get through today. i'm going to talk to kentucky's governor about what the people there need now and will need in 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scammers now after multiple reports of attempted fraud by individuals posing as disaster relief workers. while those are signs of course of the worst of humanity, there are also signs of the best playing out in kentucky. more than 70,000 toys, games, and other items have been donated to the state's toy drive organized last week by kentucky's first lady. these can offer children at least a little holiday cheer as thousands have been left with utter devastation following the deadly tornado outbreak there. joining me right now for an update on where things are and will be, the governor of kentucky, andy bashear. thanks for being here. these fraudsters so cal louse taking advantage of people who have lost everything. how big of an issue is this right now? >> well, if there is one person out there trying to scam somebody that has lost everything, maybe lost their family, doesn't have a single possession, then it's too many. we have seen an amazing outpouring of love from across the country, and we're very grateful. but sadly, there are people out there that would take advantage of you at your lowest moment. so we're working, trying to work with each and every impacted family to let them know what fema, what the red cross, what the state looks like and to ensure that folks that have lost it all don't lose even more. >> absolutely. the good news, the best of humanity front, you announced this weekend the relief fund that has been organized has raised $19 million in one week and the first payments you announced will be going to help families pay for funerals. there is clearly a real need for help here. why is this area where you want relief funds to go first? >> well, first thing we've got to do is grieve together. you know, we are one people, and when we lose one of our neighbors, we all come together to try to share a little bit of that sorrow. i want to make sure that no family that doesn't have a house, their bank is probably di stroied, isn't struggling to make sure that they can give their lost relative the very best. the next thing we're going to do is help uninsured homeowners. there is a limit to what fema can provide, and we want to help on top of that. i was down yesterday. we're housing these individuals in our state park, so many from the town that my dad grew up in couldn't afford, couldn't afford to insure their homes. the spot they lived in in s whe this tornado wiped everything out. our goal with this fund is to be there with these families in the long haul. i've told them we are hurting but we are not broken. my commitment to them is we're going to rebuild every single brick, every single structure, and every single life. that's our commitment for the years to come. >> you've mentioned dawson, you know, one of the many towns that the country is learning more about in kentucky because of the devastation, and we're seeing images from last week from mayfield and what it looks like now. how long -- have you been able to assess how long you think it will be to rebuild these towns? >> some of them it's going to be years. i mean, mayfield, the downtown is just destroyed. i don't know how many buildings we're going to be able to salvage. you stand in the middle of it and you almost don't know where you are because the landmarks aren't there. in places 75% of the homes are gone. this is where my granddad put me on his tractor and trove me around, pretty big deal for a kid. while their house is standing, i don't think the church he preached at is going to make it. but there was good news on that yesterday and i can hope. it will take years. it will take years to rebuild both mayfield and dawson springs. it's going to take years to rebuild the houses and the lives of the families in bremen and in taylor county, but we feel the love from the country and we greatly appreciate it, and it will help us make sure we can get these families and these communities back on their feet and rebuilt and try to stand in the midst of a place i used to recognize and can't is close my eyes and envision a couple years from now the people in new, good homes, rebuilding their lives right there. >> christmas is this week, governor. one survivor in mayfield told cnn this -- there is no christmas, not this year. it's just a day. we're just thankful that we're actually still here. we can celebrate it maybe in february. what do you think of that, governor? what's your hope for christmas if there is one for these communities this year? >> first, i want to recognize their pain. these are my people and i want to give that person a hug and tell them we'll be there for them. we're also going to throw some christmas celebrations to try to do everything we can just to bring a good moment in what has been a difficult week-plus. we'll be in our state parks with more toyings raised from my wife, the first lady's toy drive than we could have ever imagined. i think there's over -- there's hundreds of thousands of them now. we'll be able to open store front where is these families can walk in and shop for what they want to give their kids at absolutely no cost to them. we're going to bring in some entertainment, and, again, we're going to be there with them, letting them know they are not alone at this most difficult moment and they don't have to walk one step of this recovery process by themselves. i hope that's the take-away from christmas. and, you know, that seems to be what christmas is supposed to be about, loving one another, being there for one another, living out our faith and values. >> the real reason, the real spirit of christmas, the real meaning behind it all. governor, thank you very much. >> thank you, kate. >> really appreciate it. if you would like to help the victims of these tornadoes, we have a list of vetted organizations that are on the ground and ready to give assistance. you can find much more detail on all of this. cnn.com/impact. coming up for us, a global surge of coronavirus cases is now triggering new restrictions around the world, including the uk. where health officials are planning virtual hospital boards to prevent joovercrowding. first, as 2021 comes to a close, we are all searching for a way to live healthier, of course. dr. sanjay gupta tells us how a little nudge can make a big difference in today's "chasing life." >> i'm dr. sanjay gupta, host of cnn's "chasing life" podcast. think about all the decisions you make every day, what to eat, what to wear. you may not realize this, but there are invisible forces guiding those decisions. it's something called nudge theory, and these nudges are just about everywhere. just think about the netflix auto play option. before you know it, you've watched five episodes. that's nudge theory. a cognitive scientist says we can also use nudges to our advantage. one way is the power of defaults. that may be as simple as putting fresh fruit on the counter for a snack while keeping the chips out of sight. the healthy snack becomes your default. you can also try something called temptation bundling. that means you pair something you love with something less fun. getting ice cream? yes. going on a long walk to get some instead of keeping it in the house, that's temptation bundling. finally, give yourself an emergency reserve. say your goal is to work out every day for a month but you miss a day. that might make you feel like you failed and you give up. instead say you're allowed to miss some days, maybe even five days. figure out a way to cut yourself some slack. hear more about how to optimize your health and chase life wherever you get your podcasts. it's our holiday savings event on the sleep number 360 smart bed. it senses your movements and automatically adjusts to relieve pressure points. and its temperature balancing so you both sleep just right. don't miss our weekend special. save 50% on the new sleep number 360 limited edition smart bed. plus, 0% interest for 48 months. ends monday. football, is a game of inches. but it's also a game, of information. because the nfl is connected. and at any moment, the fate of the season can come down to this. billions of secure connections, per second. when the game is on the line and the game is always on the line touchdown! the nfl relies on cisco. at this hour, experts in germany are warning new covid cases could double by the end of the week, and that may push that nation's hospitals to the breaking point. this warning comes as the country added the uk to its travel ban list sunday meaning only german citizens will be allowed to enter the country from the uk. germany far from the only nation wrestling with how to handle the latest round with this crisis. for more of these international headlines let's check in with our correspondents around the world. >> i'm scott mclean in london where british health authorities are bracing for a tidal wave of omicron infections. the head of the health service in england expects one in five health staff in london could be out sick with covid on christmas day because of the surge. government advisers say that without further restrictions new hospital admissions will peek at near record levels, and so to deal with the huge influx of patients and short staffing the health service is already planning to send about 15% of patients home with a monitor so that their oxyge can be checked remotely by hospital staff to free up bed safe. so far boris johnson's government is in weight and see mode waiting to see more data on omicron, particularly howie is veer an illness it really causes before deciding how and if they will and. good news is that booster shots have been going into arms with record pace but are omicron infections growing exponentially it will be impossible to keep up. ire cyril vanier in paris. it's going to be a lockdown christmas in the netherlands to curb the spread of the omicron variant, scenes that european leaders had hoped were behind them are playing out once again on the continent. empty streets, shuttered shops, sports closes competitions suspended and schools closed. most of these measures in place until mid-january to prevent the health system from being overwhelmed. in denmark the cultural centers have been closed meaning cinemas, zeus, amusement parks. denmark just one of several european countries reporting record or near record high infections recently. countries with the highest vaccination rates hope to get by with slightly less restrictive measures. for instance, an 8:00 p.m. curfew on the hospitality sector in ireland, and here in france, a less drastic but highly visible move. there will be no fireworks at the eiffel tower on new year's eve cancelled due to covid. >> step more countries including the u.s. and canada are added to the israel no-fly list as it braces for a full force of a fifth covid wave from. 5:00 p.m. on tuesday these countries will be off limits for israelis unless they get special permission. travelers arriving from there will to v to quarantine for search days and until they get a negative pcr test. this is being done to reduce the spread of the omicron variant. most of israel's 175 confirmed cases and 380 suspected ones recently returned from overseas. on sunday evening nestle bennett, the prime minister, held a news conference imploring israelis to take the new wave seriously and encouraging those in the private sector to work from home. public sector workers are expected to follow next week. he also sought to reinvigorate israel's stalling vaccination campaign especially among children where takeup has been especially weak. the time we bought is running out, said bennett. with god's help we will safely overcome this wave. >> thank you all so much for that. more of "at this hour" still ahead. in new york the surge of covid cases are straining city officials and forcing them to make a tough call on new year's eve. we'll have that report live from times square next. ♪ ♪ you are my fire ♪ ♪ the one 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plan might feel like homework, but it will help you and your family stay safe during an emergency. hello, everyone. it's top of the hour. i'm kate balduan. thanks for sticking with us. we begin this hour with a nation gripped again by the pandemic and now with potent weapons to combat the virus, the winter surge that we all feared is here. the u.s. is now averaging over 130,000 ne