get sick enough to be hospitalized. this treatment comes at a critical time as the nation is seeing a surge in cases driven by the highly infectious omicron variant, which makes up at least 73% of the cases now in the united states and is now in all 50 states. bill gates just today tweeting this, quote, we could be entering the worst part of the pandemic as the u.s. and the world are trying to navigate this new phase of the coronavirus. also, israeli health officials are now rolling out a fourth vaccine dose for the elderly and for immunocompromised people there. the uk is shrinking the number of isolation days for people who are infected, but also vaccinated. will the u.s. follow suit? let. >> it's going to be a tough few months for us in the hospital. >> america facing a season of setbacks. the now dominant, highly contagious omicron variant, first detected in the u.s. just weeks ago, helping drive new covid-19 case numbers back up to levels last seen three months ago in the midst of the delta surge. new infections jumping more than 20% over last week. nearly 70,000 people hospitalized with the virus. >> i'm pretty worried that the surge we're going to see in the coming weeks is going to be worse than the surge that we saw last winter. >> more than 200 military medical personnel deployed to help civilian hospitals in several states. covid deaths rising 11% over last week as the cdc reports covid-19 was the third leading cause of death in 2020. when life expectancy dropped by nearly two years. despite the spike in cases, the tsa screening around 2 million or more people a day for the past six days. the cdc director reminding holiday travelers -- >> so much about the safety of your gathering has less to do with the plane ride or the train ride that you're going to do to get there and very much to do with the behaviors that you have in the week prior to your gathering. >> the surge in cases prompting new rules and restrictions. in chicago starting january 3rd, proof of vaccination will be required for customers over 5 at gyms, theatres, entertainment and sporting venues that serve food and drink. atlanta's mayor reinstituting an indoor mask mandate. california requiring all healthcare workers to get a covid-19 booster shot. meanwhile, the quest for a covid test getting harder. >> certainly we need to do more on testing. the 50 million tests that the president spoke about a few weeks ago are actually on their way out to community centers, to healthcare centers, all around the country. to food banks. so people can come and get them free. >> long lines from new york city to cleveland. walgreens and cvs limiting the number of tests customers can buy at once. meanwhile after the united kingdom reduced the required isolation period for vaccinated people who test negative twice for covid from ten days to seven, new debate on whether the u.s. should follow suit. >> we're actively examining those data now and doing modeling analysis and we anticipate we'll have updates soon. >> when it comes to testing, new york city is working to ramp up efforts. the city setting a new record of 170,000 covid tests conducted in one day in recent days. that surpassed its previous record of 120,000 tests and the mayor says the city is adding seven city-run covid-19 testing sites, bringing the total up to 119 city-run locations. there's also going to be adding five locations for the sole purpose of handing out at-home test kits. that starts tomorrow. >> thank you for all of that reporting. joining me now, the director of the precision vaccines program at boston children's hospital. doctor, good to have you here. this breaking news does apply to some children, right? is news out of pfizer about this antiviral pill. anyone that is immunocompromised or at greater risk 12 years of age or older can get it. you're on the fda panel. how would you rate the impact on the pandemic overall? in terms of it now being arrived? >> well, first of all, thank you for that, poppy, and as you're lead in illustrated, we're seeing governments across the globe making efforts to protect their populations while still keeping their economies open and it's quite a task, isn't it, poppy? regarding the fda approval, that's welcome news. to clarify, i'm on the vaccine advisory panel, not the antiviral panel, but we welcome the authorization of pfizer's new antiviral pill that's swallowed by mouth. it's for as you mentioned, high risk individuals 12 years of age and up. and this can be a very important tool in the fight against covid. there are some questions that have been raised around the protection, supply limitations. i imagine there's going to be a lot of demand, but now let's see if the supply side can also be filled in. >> do you have any take? i know you're on the other committee, the advisory panel on vaccine approval, but do you have any read in terms of accessibility? yes, maybe limited in supply at the beginning here, but what about people who have less means? would this be free to those who need it the most just as the vaccine is for everyone? >> i would hope so. you know, under the other euas, the authorization, there was federal support and i hope that's the case as well for this drug. >> i want you take on bill gates and what he said today about this because when he speak, especially on these issues, people listen and let me read you a little bit more of what he tweeted this morning. quote, just when it seemed like life would return to normal, we could be entering the worst part of this pandemic. omicron will hit home for all of us. i canceled most of my holiday plans. he said it's spreading faster than any virus in history and it will soon be in every country in the world. the big unknown is how sick it makes you. we need to take it seriously until we know more about it, even if it's only half as severe as delta, it will be the worst surge we have seen so far because it is so infectious. again, this is from someone who chooses his words especially on covid, and who knows so much about viruses around the world. he chooses them carefully. for him to say this, do you agree with it? >> yes, sadly, i do agree with it, poppy. i've had the honor of meeting bill gates and our research program has been funded in part by the gates foundation and sadly, i think mr. gates is on target. as you know, for years, gates and the foundation have pointed out that coronavirus remains a real risk for the world and unfortunately, those prior statements from years ago remain crescent. even if the omicron is no more severe than delta or maybe even less severe than delta, that's still being analyzed, if it spreads so easily, and it does, it has the risk of filling our intensive care units beyond capacity. you know, i have friends who are on service now at the brigham and women's hospital for infectious diseases. i go on clinical service for infectious diseases at boston hospital and it's shaping up as a very difficult winter so i encourage you viewers to follow the public guidance. get immunized if they qualify. get boosted if they're in the right group or ages for a booster and to follow the cdc's guidance on common sense in terms of gathering in the holidays. >> well, what are you going to do for the holidays? how are you processing all of this and how can it inform what we decide to do? >> we have decided as family to make the gathering smaller. we will gather with our three children and my mother-in-law. we're making sure that everybody is immunized and boosted and we're going to keep it small. it is important to gather. it is important to practice our cultural and religious observances, but we have to find a balance that protects our lov loved ones and community. >> do we know if getting the booster shot for those who are eligible for it, obviously it helps protect you from serious illness, but does it also help mitigate the spread? >> we hope so and we believe at least because of delta, there's some hope there. it doesn't reduce it to zero. you're less likely to do so. the effect against spread for omicron may be less of a beneficial effect for the spread given how different omicron is. although the early data suggests that the vaccines will still protect against the most severe outcomes. so any way you slice it, i encourage you eligible viewers to get immune. >> absolutely. and the booster now available to every adult. thank you very, very much. >> thank you. always a pleasure. president biden says his administration will have 500 million new covid tests ready next month to mail out to anyone who wants them. that is too late though for these people lining up likely in your cities. i certainly see it all the time here in new york. around the block. they're trying to get tested. many of them before they travel or see family for the holidays. let me bring in dr. saed, former detroit health commissioner. doctor, it's very good to have you here. we heard the president yesterday talking about how quickly in his opinion they are doing this. they are ramping up, but there's been talk for a long time about a winter surge. yes, we didn't know it would be this variant, but we knew something could likely come. how would you assess the administration's response? >> that's right. first, it's always good to be with you and always challenging to be talking about yet another winter surge. millions of families out there are frustrated we're back here. the reality is that what they're saying is the result of not having kept ahead of where we were. the thing that public health is about is about prevention. it's about keeping us from getting into circumstances. once we're responding in tough situations, we're already behind. the reality of it is that though we did not know there would necessarily be a surge, to your point, it was a possibility and though we did not know we'd have a variant called omicron, it's astounding to be heading into another winter dealing with the same challenges that have dogged our covid response from the very jump. the fact people still can't get their hands on tests. the fact we are watching people line up to get their covid test and the reality we did not have to be here. that said, the point the president made yesterday about this not being march of 2020 is true. we do have the vaccine. many people have taken them and that has hopefully done its part. >> let's listen to what the president said on this yesterday. here he was. >> is it a failure that you don't have an adequate amount of tests for everyone to be able to get one if they need one right now? >> no, it's not because covid is spreading so rapidly. you notice, it just happened almost overnight. >> you believe there is more though, that the administration should be doing. can you outline those steps for us? >> yeah. well, we had good news this morning on the fda's emergency use authorization. that is a game changer when it comes to our covid response. it protects nine out of ten people from being hospitalized. that being said, we need more testing and the reality of the 500 million tests is it's just not enough. you have 350 million people in this country lining up to get our tests. we need more. the fact that the administration is not using the defense production act here should call into question why not. and then the other point here is that we've got to be shipping vaccines abroad. now i know that sounds inconsistent with what we're facing now, but the reality is that the fact that people have gone without vaccines in other parts of the world have left us vulnerable as a society, that's really critical here as well. >> in fact, the world health organization just said that today. that we will not get a handle on this until many, many more of the vaccines that are available here and in rich western nations or boosters, third and fourth shots, are shared more equitably around the world. that we will not see the end of this pandemic. >> that's exactly right, poppy. here's the sad thing is that it's not just about us, it's also about the fact there are millions around the world facing this pandemic just like march of 2020 because they don't have vaccines because we haven't done what it takes to get them out there. yes, vaccine hesitancy is a challenge just like it is here, yet having vaccines available to those who would take them is critical. delta emerged in india and it looks like omicron emerged in southern africa and the high probability is that they merged in unvaccinated people's bodies and we have an opportunity to do what's right to protect ourselves from the next one. because again, public health is about what you do before a surge like this happens. >> doctor, thank you very much. >> always a pleasure. happening now, jurors in the kim potter manslaughter trial are deliberating again today after signaling they were struggling to reach a indiaunanimous verdict. and president biden says gifts are being delivered on time after a supply chain crisis was feared to derail the holiday shopping season. ♪ and if you try a little kindness ♪ off menu: when you watch a chef do it, they don't rush through this stage. why we drive: few of us will ever dive so deep into our cars, but those who do venture down into the nuts and bolts... the dollar rebellion: when you wake up and face a challenge, you have to give all of yourself when you do something, and that's when you do your best. the happiness lab: when was the last time you took a second to look up at the blue sky and the trees? 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(vo) buy your next car 100% online. with carvana. welcome back. it is the trial of kimberly potter. she is charged with two counts of manslaughter in the killing of duante wright and jurors have met for 18 hours and have not been able yet to reach a verdict. what is your sense? they commsubmitted more questioo the judge. what's your sense? >> to those of you watching and listening, keep in mind this is a jury who listened to testimony over eight days. they heard from 33 witnesses. 25 called by the prosecution, eight from the defense. members of the jury took detailed notes. i get the sense that they're hung up on something or there's some sort of disagreement among the jurors based upon one question they submitted. so far, they've submitted three questions on the record, but the question that's signaling this disagreement in part the jury asked if the jury can't reach a consensus, what is the guidance? they wanted to know guidance surrounding the next steps and how long they should deliberate. judge chu instructed them to deliberate with the view toward reaching an agreement, but that's not all she instructed. listen in. >> you should decide the case for yourself, but only after you have discussed the case with your fellow jurors and have carefully considered their views. you should not hesitate to re-examine your views and change your opinion if you become convinced they are erroneous, but you should not surrender your honest opinion simply because other jurors disagree or merely need to reach a verdict. >> and the jury has now been deliberating 19 hours inside of the deliberating room, they have access to the taser potter intended to grab as well as the gun she used to shoot and kill wright. that was one of the other questions. they wanted to know if the zip ties could be removed so they could feel and touch the gun and the answer was yes and you might remember on monday, prosecutors told them they would have the opportunity to compare and contrast both weapons so they could see the difference. poppy? >> adrian, thank you very much for staying on top of it as the jury continues to deliberate right now. let me bring in lee merit. it's good to have you. thank you for being with us. you've got these three questions, but two really critical conditions from the jury so far. so let me begin with your reaction to that question that adrian just reported on, which is what if we can't reach a consensus? what has your experience told you happens when the jury submits a question like that? lee, can you hear me? all right, it doesn't sound like lee can hear me. let's take a quick break. we'll come back to him on the other side. ♪“i got you babe” by etta james♪ ♪ get groceries, gifts, & more fast and easy. so last minute guests are the only thing you'll be waiting on. ♪ joy. fully. ♪ ♪ limu emu... & doug ♪ ♪ superpowers from a spider bite? i could use some help showing the world how liberty mutual customizes their car insurance so they only pay for what they need. (gasps) ♪ did it work? only pay for what you need ♪ liberty. liberty. liberty. liberty. ♪ spider-man no way home in theaters december 17th jeff's been to the bottom of the ocean. the tops of mountains. and wherever this guy runs off to. a life well lived should continue at home. with home instead care, older adults can stay home, safe, and happy. home instead. to us, it's personal. this is your home. this is your family room slash gym. the guest bedroom slash music studio. the daybed slash dog bed. the living room slash yoga shanti slash regional office slash classroom. and this is the basement slash panic room. maybe what your family needs is a vacation home slash vacation home. find yours on the vrbo app. ♪ it's another day. and anything could happen. it could be the day you welcome 1,200 guests and all their devices. or it could be the day there's a cyberthreat. only comcast business' secure network solutions give you the power of sd-wan and advanced security integrated on our activecore platform so you can control your network from anywhere, anytime. it's network management redefined. every day in business is a big day. we'll keep you ready for what's next. comcast business powering possibilities. all right, we've worked out the technical issues. we're glad to be joined now by civil rights attorney, lee merit. we're talking about the trial of former minnesota police officer, kim potter, in the shooting death of duante wright. the question submitted by the jury here, key one by the judge, what if we cannot reach a consensus. how often does a jury come back hung when they submit a question like that? >> that's an indication we're moving towards a mistrail of hung jury. maybe a holdout or several. no way to tell who it's for. maybe there's someone who believes heavily this is a guilty case and someone else who does not. but when you're reaching a dead, the jury starts to ask questions like that. >> and the jury getting permission from the judge removing the zip ties holding the gun used in the killing to the exhibit, if you will, so they could hold it. how significant is that for you? because obviously her defense is that she thought it was a taser. >> right. so they really want to test the reasonableness of that. so much of that comes down to what a reasonable person would have believed and really the standard should be what a reasonable police officer in her situation would believe. but it shows that in the jury room weighing the evidence and they want to do some d demonstrations themselves. >> this is someone, who i should note, and has been discussed during the trial, was trained significantly in this, 26 years of training in use of force of a firearm. 19 years in training of a taser and also specific training on weapons confusion, but i was looking at the minnesota manslaughter statute because that's what she's charged under by the ag's office, both in the first and second degree and in the first degree, the prosecution has to prove it was reasonably foreseeable that this could have happened and in the second degree manslaughter that negligence created an unreasonable risk. how high of a bar is that in this case? >> comparatively negligence is a relatively low bar. anytime you're charged with a criminal statute, you have to prove your case beyond a ro reasonable doubt. which is now reasonable is it that she might confuse a gun with a taser knowing they're extremely different weapons. they weigh different. they look different. but the negligent standard is less difficult to reach. would a reasonable person in her situation make this same mistake or was she not paying attention? reckless? negligent? i think there's more than enough evidence to convict under the second degree. >> we all remember of course the killing happened during murder of george floyd and the protests pursued for days right outside of minneapolis and look, you're running now for texas attorney general and you have said quote, there are so many practical solutions to police violence that could have been implemented last year. what is top of mind for you as we see yet another officer on trial? >> i'm thinking a lot about the murder in the apartment complex. this case is like the officer who was on trial, amber guyger. she made a mistake, but it was based on a cultural of policing that encouraged violence to sometimes mundane threats. she said she saw -- and believed she was in her own apartment here. there was a young man who didn't want to be arrested, who was fleeing, but didn't actually pose a danger to anyone. we want a police culture, what we're fighting for is a police culture that responds to imminent threats with deadly force only when they're faced with deadly force. not in situations where they're scared, nervous, reluctant. and those taser weapons, they are not non-lethal weapons. they're considered less lethal. in other words, about 88 people a year are killed by tasers by being overtasered. that's not something we want law enforcement to rely on. as i run for attorney general as the attorney general prosecutes this police officer, what we're trying to push for is a culture that tells law enforcement officers that they recolshould thinking of alternatives to the use of force when trying to deal with crime. >> lee, thank you for joining us today on this, very much. again, we're awaiting a verdict in that trial. we'll let you know when we have updates. meantime, chuck schumer says he wants a vote on a key agenda item of the president's when congress returns in january. he laid out the timeline on a conference call with senate democrats. this happened last night. the first since the negotiations over the build back better bill really erupted on sunday. the white house says president biden will continue discussing the bill with members of congress including key senator in all of this, democratic joe manchin. let's go to jessica dean on capitol hill. so, we hear it was a cordial call. you know, manchin said what he said and the others said their piece so now what? >> right, so they all got all their grievances and talked to one another since this came out on sunday and we're told that senate majority leader as you said, chuck schumer, pushing forward on what we had known. he is going to bring this to the floor for a vote in january. they know full well, manchin i not going to vote for this. he told them according to sources that told us, he said on that call last night, he's concerned about inflation. we've also heard that from him in the hallways here, that some of his fellow democrats pushed back on that inflation argument but that everybody was able to say what they thought about everything. we know this will be brought to the floor for a vote. joe manchin not supporting it in its current form. the hope now is if they do that vote, can they move forward and slim down this bill to appease joe manchin? he has made it very clear he's not going to be quick to back any smaller version of this bill so it remains to be seen exactly how they will move forward on this, poppy, but a majority of senate democrats all 49 others would like to move forward with this in one way, shape, or form in the new year, so it remains to be seen how that will work. in the meantime, we are hearing from mitch mcconnell. he's doing several interviews here at the end of the year and he's talking about how once again, and he's been doing this for years, he's encouraging joe manchin to join the republicans and become a republican. acknowledging that that is likely not going to happen, but again, we see them talking on the floor all the time, but senator manchin has told us in the halls multiple times he has no intention to of switching toe republican party. senator mcconnell would love to see that happen. >> it was an interesting exchange for sure. thank you very much. joining me now to discuss, joe kennedy. good to have you. so let's start there. let me get this straight. so mcconnell says obviously we'd love to have him on our team. i think he'd be more comfortable. manchin says on west virginia radio, i'd like to hope that there are still democrats that feel like i do. i'm socially, fiscally responsibly and socially compassionate. what's your read? >> i don't think joe manchin's going to leave the democratic party and become a republican. look, joe manchin is joe manchin and he has been clear about his position on aspects of this bill. i think, i'm still optimistic they're going to get there. i think they're going to go through that process. i don't expect senator manchin to lead the democratic party. he has been where he has been politically now for a very long time. that part is consistent. the fact he's had a couple of conversations with mitch mcconnell, maybe he's trying to get mitch to be a democrat. >> it's so funny that it's you know, like, a huge headline when people from different parties talk on the floor. that's actually how a functioning democracy is supposed to work, but it's indicative of i think where we are now. i will ask you though, you say you think we're going to get there. get where? because manchin did lay out this top line number in a framework he was comfortable with a while ago. so get where? >> so poppy, just to be clear, i disagree with senator manchin. i think the package should be bigger and bolder and try to dr address a number of shortfalls that have lacked for a long period of time. that being said, i'm not joe manchin. so senator manchin has put forward a series of concerns in his own framework. now, months ago and he stayed largely within that framework. he's moved a bit on some and evolved on other places. what i think even from much of the public reporting this past week, you have saw him around a number of 1.7, $1.8 trillion. supportive of a number of aspects on climate. investments on issues around childcare and early childcare. offered healthcare measures and supports. and the other objections that he's had, issues on inflation and timing and trying to say now for a while to push this back past the end of the year and into 2022. that he wants a tighter accounting so that programs that are put into this package are actually funded for ten years, with the expectation they're going to get funded later. my point is there's still a significant area of overlap between what the white house is pushing for, the bill that made it out of the house of representatives and what senator manchin has said that he would support. is it anything i would like? no, but there's still a lot of overlap here. >> we did hear the president say this week voting rights is the single biggest domestic agenda issue for his administration. do you believe that democrats can effectively do what they need to do? which would be a whether or not he will whole lot of work because they're not going to get sinema and manchin on. maybe a carve out, different maneuvering changes to try to get voting rights through the senate. can they do that and retry build back better at the same time or do they need to table build back better for now? >> they have to do both. i think it's difficult to say which one of these bills is going to be a bigger priority without voting rights, and without voting rights codified, you don't have the ability to deliver on additional areas of sub substance. the united states senate has to do both. yes, they have an uphill battle to climb with a couple of senators that have been reluctant to endorse changes to the filibuster to allow that to happen. but the other piece here that i think is critically important for people to recognize, you can be the let the senate off the hook. you can't let the white house off the hook. you have to move, but much of the regulations around the way in which elections are return happens at the state level. so even if there's action at the state level, which is critical, but that does not an solve the need for democrats to engage in a state by state strategy to ensure there are not successful efforts to roll back the franchise. we've seen that already. the impetus behind this push federally. you're going to have to take this effort to the states. so i say this to say you have to play on multiple levers here. that's difficult. that's complex. our democracy requires it because of the consistent and strategic effort we're seeing from essentially a conservative effort in trump supporters to put in place these restrictions under the guise of a lie. >> lest we forget the power the states have in the system. especially in the wake of shelby b. holder. there's a lot on the states right now on that. thank you, joe kennedy. happy holidays. >> you, too. against the odds of supply chain issues and the delta variant, america's economy grew this summer at a faster pace than experts predicted. what the president says will help the economy grow next year. but first, here's a look at some other events we're watching today. >> just three words tell you everything you need to know. they tell you why we employ more than 2,000 workers at our factory in virginia beach and why over 10,000 local steel dealers are putting battery power in the hands of americans. not everyone can say that. but we can. made in america. real steel. find yours. from the very first touch, pampers, the #1 pediatrician recommended brand, helps keep baby's skin drier and healthier. so every touch will protect like the first. pampers is struggling to manage your type 2 diabetes knocking you out of your zone? 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(soft music) ♪ are you a christian author with a book that you're ready to share with the world? get published now, call for your free publisher kit today! this just in. president biden announced he is extending the pause on federal student loan payments. they were said to restart on february 1st. that's been pushed back to may 1st citing the ongoing covid crisis. the president also pointing to progress the administration has made getting the nation's economy back on track, keeping store shelves stocked through the holidays. speaking a short time ago, the president shared new figures showing gdp or economic growth was more than thought in the third quarter of the year. phil, let me start with you. he's giving his administration credit, saying look, there have been huge improvements in the economy, but he says more can be done. >> it's a complex balancing act that i think you've seen in the president and his top officials over the course of the last several months that underscore the moment. when you look at the recovery from one of the biggest shocks in history, in terms of growth, job gains over the last ten or 11 months. at the same time, we've seen price increases at a nearly four-decade high and the american people are feeling that. so the president trying to address that. part of a big reason for that supply chain meeting today, unlocking some of those pandemic-driven restraints, but the president trying to make clear that what he's done over the past 11 months has set the u.s. economy up for this moment and to get better. >> the economy i inherited nearly a year ago wasn't just in crisis, it wasn't working for working people. that's the reason i ran. over this year, we've acted from the american rescue plan to the bipartisan infrastructure law to change this trajectory. to build an economy from the bottom up and the middle out. >> and the key priority for the president today was to underscore the fact that for all the concerns a few months ago, i think we all heard them, that christmas gifts weren't going to be able to arrive on time, well, 90% of inventories are full at this point in time. in a typical pre-pandemic year, it was at 91. some delivery companies are faster than they were pre-pandemic. so trying to check the box a little bit, but some of the efforts appear to be paying off. >> amen to some happy kids. we just all have a lot of wrapping to do tonight. you've got $6 trillion in covid stimulus, but it's at, most of it's already spent and now you've got this huge omicron wave and i just wonder how much of these strong economic numbers are actually reflective of what's going on in the economy given covid was getting better and you had this huge, you know, artificial boost from stimulus. >> yeah, you ask all the right questions. you look at gdp in normal times, gross domestic product would be the best estimate of the economy. but in this case, we're not in normal times and with this virus, it just changes the economy from month to month. and especially since this gdp is looking back from july through september, so much has changed since then. if we walk down memory lane and think about what was going on during july through september, delta was a prevalent variant that was circulating. especially at the end of the summer. there was the expiration of all those cash payments to businesses and to people and to those forgivable loans. all of that stuff ended. the extended jobless benefits, those ended and the expiration of covid stimulus as well. that's why with the figure of 2.3% rate for the third quarter, it is a deceleration from what we saw because all that stimulus was gone. i think the best way to figure out how the economy really is doing is to take a forward approach, not a backward approach. even that's difficult and you alluded to that with the omicron variant. we don't know how much this variant is going to impact consumer spending and economic growth. throw in the questionable fate of build back better, which taking it out of the economy is already pushing economists to cut their expectations for gdp. there is a lot in question about the health of the economy moving forward. >> for sure. all right, guys. thank you. if i don't see you before, happy holidays. >> you, too. the tsa says the number of passengers traveling through the nation's asirports slowed slightly. we're live from reagan national in preparation of a busy holiday weekend. crepe corrector lotion... only from gold bond. ray loves vacations. but his diabetes never seemed to take one. everything felt like a 'no'. everything. but then ray went from no to know. with freestyle libre 2, now he knows his glucose levels when he needs to. and... when he wants to. so ray... can be ray. take the mystery out of your glucose levels, and lower your a1c. now you know. try it for free. visit freestylelibre.us earn about covid-19, the more questions we have. the biggest question now, what's next? what will covid bring in six months, a year? if you're feeling anxious about the future, you're not alone. calhope offers free covid-19 emotional support. call 833-317-4673, or live chat at calhope.org today. welcome back. well, u.s. travelers are not letting omicron slow them down. tsa screened 30 million passengers across the country yesterday. tomorrow will be one of the busiest of the traveling season. pete muntean joins us. he's our aviation correspondent. it seems like people are just saying we're going. >> reporter: you know, that's right. the omicron variant really hasn't stopped people from getting out. what's so interesting here is that the numbers just yesterday are so so close to where they were back in 2019 before the pandemic. the tsa screened 1.98 million people. that number, 99% than the same day back in 2019, only off by about 2,300 people. can you believe it? you know, the busiest days are ahead according to the tsa, you mentioned that tomorrow is going to be one of the busiest days. dr. anthony fauci says you can feel okay about traveling so long as you're vaccinated and boosted. travelers we have been talking to tell us they feel pretty confident. here's what they said. >> it's a little nerve racking, but when we flew out here, it was definitely safe. everything was wiped down. you could tell it was clean, so, you know, definitely a little nerve racking because you're always going to be nervous but i feel confident that we're going to be okay. >> reporter: we are in the rush now. the tsa says 20 million people in total will travel between tomorrow and january 3rd. aaa reminds us that, you know, a lot of people will drive, 100 million people in total will hit the road 50 miles or more. that number only about 7% off from what we saw back in 2019 before the pandemic. >> okay. they're going. they're masked and hopefully healthy. pete muntean, thank you very much for the reporting. live from reagan international. at any moment we're going to hear from the white house coronavirus response team. they're live across the country. you'll hear it right here. stay with us. ♪“i got you babe” by etta james♪ ♪ get groceries, gifts, & more fast and easy. so last minute guests are the only thing you'll be waiting on. ♪ joy. fully. ♪ this is your home. this is your family room slash gym. the guest bedroom slash music studio. the daybed slash dog bed. the living room slash yoga shanti slash regional office slash classroom. and this is the basement slash panic room. maybe what your family needs is a vacation home slash vacation home. find yours on the vrbo app. ♪ -fixed. -that's my son. he always takes care of his mama. ooh, what's up with granny's casserole? (mom) it's for after your uncle joe's funeral. i hear there's a collection to help aunt adele. (mom) yeah. a funeral costs north of $9,000 these days. that's a hefty bill for family to pay if there's no life insurance check to help. wow. makes you think, doesn't it? (mom) which reminds me, i've been meaning to tell you, i got that 995 plan from colonial penn. -the life insurance on tv! -just $9.95 a month to help you pay my funeral expenses. what about your family, son? maybe i should get the 995 plan too. thing is, this has been a rough year for my business, ma. money's tight. still, for $9.95 a month... i don't have a good excuse, do i? i'm jonathan for colonial penn life insurance company. if you're age 50 to 85, just $9.95 a month buys whole life insurance with guaranteed acceptance. you cannot be turned down for any health reason. there are no health questions. guaranteed lifetime coverage. your insurance can never be cancelled. just pay your premiums. guaranteed lifetime rate lock. your rate can never increase. it's locked in as soon as you're covered and stays the same for the rest of your life. call now for free information. (soft music) ♪ and that's just basic wavy guy maintenance, right? next up, carvana. oh, boy. carvana just doesn't seem to understand how the test drive works. they give their customers seven days. and if they don't like it, they give 'em their money back. wait, they take the car back? that's crazy! what if it was driven by like a zookeeper? or a mud wrestler? or a guy who's on the outs with the missus and he just needs a place to sleep for seven days? yeah. (vo) buy your car online. love it or return it. with carvana.