bars found guilty in the death of daunte wright. we'll share what she said about the verdict. a new variant could be causing more chaos than joy this holiday season. plus, we're live across europe where omicron is breaking records, and experts warn things will only get worse. ♪ >> announcer: live from cnn center, this is "cnn newsroom" with kim brunhuber. well, less than a day away from christmas and the omicron variant is throwing a last-minute wrench into some holiday travel plans. delta and united airlines have canceled hundreds of flights scheduled for today. delta scrapped 150 and according to the tracking site flight aware, and united more than 160. united said in a statement that the omicron-fueled case surge is hitting flight crews and ground operations, and it's not just happening in the u.s. dozens of flights have also been canceled in australia. but u.s. authorities are preparing for a crush of air travelers, warning numbers over the next ten days will rival pre-pandemic figures from 2019. here's pete muntean. >> reporter: things are getting busier by the moment at regan national airport and across the country. the tsa said it screened more people on wednesday than we saw in 2019 before the pandemic. 2.08 million this past wednesday compared to 1.84 million people back then. a little bit of context here, though. that same wednesday back in 2019, that actually fell on christmas day when passenger loads are lower. but even still, we have seen numbers about 2 million lower or higher, give or take, each day for about a week. the tsa says thursday will turnout to be one of the busiest days of the holiday travel season. january 3rd busy as well when everybody begins to come home all at once. the tsa says a total of 20 million people will fly over that ten-day stretch. we have seen lots and lots of people get tested for coronavirus at airports. a long line at b.w.i./thurgood marshall airport. airlines continue to insist that flying is safe, so safe that they are asking the cdc to shorten the isolation period for somebody who gets coronavirus who is fully vaccinated. right now it's ten days. airlines want that to go down to five days. they say that it will allow them to keep more workers on the job and avoid operational issues at airlines like we saw this fall. pete muntean, cnn, regan national airport. thousands of travelers in australia are looking at a blue christmas as their flights are being canceled. at least 80 domestic flights in and out of sydney have been called off today. cnn's selena wang is following live in tokyo. we heard how covid is throwing so many travel plans in the u.s., now in australia as well. >> reporter: exactly. unfortunately this holiday season is turning out to be incredibly stressful and frustrating for travelers around the world, including in australia. we've learned that at least 80 domestic flights, 40 inbound, 40 outbound, have been canceled friday. a spokesperson told us many of the flights were canceled because they had many of their front line staff members who were identified as close contacts of covid cases, so they need to test and isolate. the airline apologized, said the majority of passengers have been rescheduled on later flights. the other domestic airlines that fly from sydney include qantas, vir jen and rex. their domestic flights have not been canceled. we are seeing, kim, on social media, a lot of frustrated travelers claiming their christmas plans have been ruined after they've gone through all the efforts and hoops to make sure they could travel to see family on christmas including standing in long lines and dealing with the chaos at testing clinics in australia. this is as covid-19 cases are surging across the country. queensland reporting the highest number of covid-19 cases since the pandemic started. reporting nearly 600 daily covid-19 cases, and health authorities there warning that the numbers will get significantly higher in the coming weeks, and that it could put strain on the hospital system. and in new south wales, we've been reporting for several consecutive days there, they've been dealing with record high covid-19 cases. but despite the surge, prime minister scott morrison has said that the country is not going to go back to lockdowns. up until now, australia has managed to avoid the worst of the pandemic through strict border closures as well as these long lockdowns. but the prime minister saying they're not going back to that. he recently said in a press conference, australians have worked very hard to have this christmas together and we want to protect that. but, kim, it's proving very hard to do just that. >> yeah, the timing for all this couldn't be worse. selena wang in tokyo, thanks so much. americans are getting their covid vaccines, but not at the rate health experts would like. cdc reports more than 500 million doses administered in the u.s., more than a million and a half a day, but the pace of vaccinations is down 19% compared to last month. meanwhile doctors and nurses on the front lines of the pandemic will be spending a second christmas treating patients, many infected with the omicron variant. according to the health and human services department, more than 70,000 americans were hospitalized with covid as of thursday. u.s. regulators have authorized a second antiviral pill made by merck to treat mild to moderate covid-19. the food and drug administration authorized pfizer's antiviral pill on wednesday. and more americans are traveling during the holidays this year, just as omicron become the dominant variant in cases across the u.s., even though there are more weapons now to fight the disease, they fear the extent of the omicron spread over the holiday won't be seen for weeks to come. cnn's athena jones has details. >> reporter: with holiday air travel surpassing pre-pandemic levels, according to the tsa, long lines at airports and at testing sites. >> this whole thing is frustrating obviously. >> reporter: as people scramble to do what they can to keep themselves and their families safe through the holidays. doctors are applauding the fda's decision granting emergency use authorization to a second antiviral pill. this one from merck, that people can take at home. adding another covid fighting weapon to the nation's armory. but they stress even these game changing medications must be given within five days of symptom on set, making timely access to tests more important. >> we can't give medications to everybody. we want to give them to people who test positive. as you know, there is a real testing bottleneck. so we need to solve that problem first. >> reporter: omicron is now confirmed in all 50 states, but there is good news. three early studies now adding to the evidence it may be less likely to cause severe disease. still, experts warn it's too early to say for sure. >> it's dangerous business to be able to rely on what you perceive as a lower degree of severity. >> reporter: doctors fear even if omicron is milder than delta, the huge spike in case numbers particularly among the unvaccinated could still strain hospitals in some places, like cleveland, ohio. >> we are overwhelmed. our i.c.u.s, our hospitals are overwhelmed. >> reporter: but the hospital picture nationwide appears more promising. so far, while new daily cases average nearly 165,000, 36% higher than a week ago, and nearly as high as the mid september peak of the delta surge, hospitalizations and deaths remain well below their peaks during delta. washington, d.c. and new york state each setting single-day records for new covid cases this week. but new york's governor says the hospitalization rate is only two-thirds what it was this time last year. >> we're not panicking. we have the resources we need. >> reporter: the state's high vaccination rate may be helping to keep those numbers down as experts continue to stress getting vaccinated and boosted is the best way to fight the latest covid threat. >> and here in new york city, mayor bill de blasio celebrating a scaled down celebration, 15,000 instead of 60,000 to allow for social distancing. and revelers will be required to show proof of vaccination, a photo i.d. and they must wear masks. athena jones, cnn, new york. >> the last hour i spoke with infectious disease expert dr. peter joebach. i asked about the difficulty americans were having finding a covid test and what could be done about it. here he is. >> we have to remember actually one of the real risks with omicron now in this very rapid rise is putting a strain on every part of our response. even here in the uk where we've done a nice job of making free rapid tests available to everyone. there have been shortages and stock outs pretty widely. we're starting to see as a risk around the world the supply chain is not keeping up and so we are starting to see shortages. and i think that will only get worse in the weeks and months to come. president biden has talked about the possibility of invoking the defense production act to force production of more tests. i think more efforts like that are needed. >> stay with cnn for complete coverage of the omicron variant by reporters and correspondents all over the world. coming up, cnn's scott mclean has more of a new report out of the uk that omicron might be less severe. and the late nest rome how it is becoming dominant in europe. and larry is in nairobi, kenya. they may have passed the peak in south africa. that's later this hour. former minnesota police officer kim potter is now behind bars and facing up to 15 years in prison after a jury found her guilty of all charges in the shooting death of 20-year-old daunte wright. she was immediately taken into custody. the jury rejected potter's defense that she mistakenly fired her hand gun believing it was her taser during a routine traffic stop in april. cnn's adrienne broadus has more. >> we the jury on the charge of manslaughter in the first degree find the defendant guilty. >> reporter: former brooklyn center police officer kimberly potter guilty on both counts of manslaughter tonight in minnesota. daunte wright's parents relieved by the verdict. >> how do you feel? >> reporter: while potter's husband could be heard yelling, "i love you, kim" after her bail was revoked as she was escorted from the court in handcuffs. potter said she intended to deploy her taser during a traffic stop in april, but fired her gun instead, killing 20-year-old daunte wright, almost instantly. >> i shot him! oh, my god! >> reporter: shortly after the verdict, crowds outside the courthouse chanted wright's name. while the state pushed to reassure potter's police family. >> when a member of your profession is held accountable, it does not diminish you. in fact, it shows, it shows the whole world that those of you who enforce the law are also willing to live by it. >> reporter: the jury took nearly 27 hours to deliberate whether potter's actions were criminal. over eight days in minneapolis, jurors heard from 33 witnesses, including tearful testimony from potter herself. >> i didn't want to shoot anybody. >> reporter: the defense aimed to prove she was protecting her fellow officers during a risky traffic stop. >> she didn't cause this and she had a right to use deadly force. >> reporter: in closing arguments, they faulted wright for not cooperating with law enforcement. >> she says, taser, taser, taser, and he said, okay. stop, i give up. no, no, daunte wright caused his own death unfortunately. >> reporter: the state pushed back. >> carrying a badge and a gun is not a license to kill. >> reporter: the state asked jurors not to focus on potter's intention. but on the consequence of her actions. >> this was a colossal screw up, a blunder of epic proportions. it was irreversible and it was fatal. >> reporter: wright's family reacting to the news outside court. >> i only have one thing to say. >> we love you, daunte! >> reporter: adrienne broadus, cnn, minneapolis. daunte wright's parents expressed their relief and gratitude following the verdict. but earlier his mother told cnn there's still much more to be done to bring about justice. here she is. >> we'll never have daunte back. accountability is what we've been asking for since day one, so we're grateful as we were able to have accountability. but like everybody has been saying, you know, we still don't have daunte home. and this is just a step forward in the bigger issue with policing and hopefully there has to be no more daunte's, so many names we chant in our streets. >> one legal analyst believes this could be a game changer for future cases like this one. and she spoke with me earlier and explained why. here she is. >> historically we've not seen jurors being willing to convict police officers in cases like this. they've given police officers the benefit of the doubt. police officers have not historically been held accountable in cases like this. and so see non-white jurors in particular in the jurisdiction that this case happened in, in minnesota, hold kim potter accountable is significant. and i think is -- marks, perhaps, a new day in the way that police accountability will take place in this country. and i think signals that police reform is something that citizens, everyday people really want to see happen in this country. >> she also said prosecutors made a strong case to the jury in that potter's own testimony probably ended up hurting her. all right. up next on "cnn newsroom," the omicron variant is exploding across europe. a new day showing fewer people have to go to the hospital. hopeful news from south africa on the omicron variant may not hold true for other countries. we'll explain. stay with us. cold coming on? zicam is the #1 cold shortening brand! highly recommend it! zifans love zicam's unique zinc formula. it shortens colds! zicam. zinc that cold! the omicron variant is spreading at an unprecedented rate across europe with daily infections hitting record highs all this week. but new data from the uk show people infected with omicron are about 40% less likely to be admitted to hospital as those with delta. german agencies are reporting the first death of a patient with omicron. 40 people infected with the variant are being treated in hospitals and rally against covid restrictions turned violent in munich. police say 5,000 people took part. one officer was injured and 11 people were detained. greece is cancelling christmas celebrations. masks are mandatory in indoor and outdoor spaces. standing by this hour in rome, first to cnn scott mclean in lopped. scott, the nhs in the uk is warning folks to keep holiday plans small otherwise they could overcome the health system. what's the latest? >> reporter: you might say boris johnson got an early christmas present from science this year in a brand-new uk study this week that showed that the risk of hospitalization with omicron is 40% less than it was with delta, and now a real world analysis of actual cases in the uk health security agency found that that risk was cut by up to two-thirds with omicron compared to delta. this has undoubtedly helped to reaffirm the prime minister's decision not to go ahead with further restrictions ahead of the christmas holidays as was the case last year, despite the fact that scotland and wales have gone ahead and tightened measures. you could perhaps understand the difficult verging viewpoints on what to do. on the one case you have the evidence omicron is less severe. on the other hand, the number of cases is really staggering. one in 45 people the latest estimate got covid in just the past week. we're talking record high number of official case counts. almost 120,000. christmas is not canceled this year, but the prime minister is urging people to be cautious, especially with their older loved ones. he is also appealing to people's christian values to love your neighbor as you'd love yourself. in public health speak, kim, that translates to get your booster shot. listen. >> i hope i could be forgiven for taking pride in the immense spirit of neighborliness the people of this country have shown, getting jabbed, not just for themselves, for ourselves, but for friends and family and everyone we meet. and that, after all, is the teaching of jesus christ whose birth is at the heart of this enormous festival that we should love our neighbors as we love ourselves. >> reporter: now, omicron, of course, is surging throughout the country, but so is the booster shot program. 55% of eligible people in this country have gotten their booster shot already. they are giving them out at a rate of almost a million per day. and the clinics are going to stay open throughout the holidays as well. the concern now, though, is the sheer volume of cases of omicron could still put serious pressure on the health system. kim, lately, the number of health care workers calling in sick, especially here in london which is the omicron epicenter of the uk, that certainly will not help things either. >> very troubling there. all right. so, let's go to you, barbie, and start with germany. while huge protests were going on against restrictions, the country saw its first omicron-related death. >> reporter: that's right. germany has been the epicenter of this latest wave. they were delta cases, not omicron cases. you mentioned 5,000 people took to the streets against a restriction -- >> all right. we seem to have lost -- i think we may have lost our correspondent there. our thanks to scott mclane and barbie nadeau in rome. well, despite the explosion of omicron around the world, there is encouraging news out of south africa where new covid cases appear to be declining. a top researcher says the worst of omicron may be over. other global health experts are saying, not so fast. cnn's larry weighs in. >> reporter: despite the drip-drip of good news showing the omicron variant has been less severe in south africa, a caveat, a warning from the head of the africa cdc. the doctor cautioning the world not to extrapolate the south african experience to the rest of the world. it pointed out the uk appears to see more severe cases of the omicron variant compared to south africa. that said, a new study from respected scientists in south africa add to the dose of good news out of south africa. it found that only 2.5% of patients with the omicron variant ended up hospitalized compared to 12.8% of patients with the previous delta variant. that is promising and tracks with all the data we've seen from people treating omicron patients. epidemiologists and virologists in south africa who have been saying for weeks the omicron variant seems to be less severe. now we have a bit more data to work with in that respect. that is why more scientists and authorities are in south africa feel confident enough to say they think south africa has not gone past the peak of the omicron wave. this is largely driven by new cases detected in the province which is the epicenter of the outbreak. it includes a popular city of johannesburg and one of the busiest in africa. there are several other provinces reporting lower cases and nationally there is a drop in cases according to the latest data from south africa's national institute of communicable diseases. y whether the omicron variant is less severe, there is a bit more work. authorities around the world not quite confident enough to say, yes, the omicron variant will be less severe. it will take a bit more time. cnn, nairobi. all right. i think i am going to show some live pictures here. i think we have them. some events going on in bethlehem this christmas eve. that's right. these are live pictures you're looking at there. groups have been taking part in a parade. i'm not sure you can see them there, but they're passing through the famous manger square and by the church of the nativity. many of them are playing a mix of marches and chorals on their instruments. bethlehem, the birth place of jesus, is a huge event, hoping to attract a post-pandemic wave of pilgrims and travelers. those hopes were dashed after omicron shutdown international travel. and speaking of travel, the tsa estimates around 20 million people in the u.s. plan to travel this holiday season. after the break, we'll have tips on how to stay safe as the omicron variant surges. plus u.s. lawmakers make a plea to the supreme court over hundreds of disputed documents from the trump white house documents related to the january 6 riot. stay with us. one role of a lifetime...one sore throat. but she had enough. she took new mucinex instasoothe sore throat lozenges. show your sore throat who's boss. new mucinex instasoothe. works in seconds, lasts for hours. i'm jonathan lawson here to tell you about life insurance through the colonial penn program. if you're age 50 to 85, and looking to buy life insurance on a fixed budget, remember the 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with our top stories this hour. first prime minister boris johnson is using his annual christmas message to urge people to get their covid boosters. the uk reported nearly 120,000 new infections on thursday, its highest number of the pandemic. plus, the omicron is wreaking havoc on air travel this christmas eve. both delta and united airlines have canceled dozens of flights saying the spike in cases is having a direct impact on flight crews and ground operations. some international airlines are cancelling flights as well. now, a spike in covid cases aren't just interfering with air travel. they're impacting sea travel as well. royal caribbean's cruise ship odyssey of the seas was denied entry into aruba and curacao after 55 people on board tested positive for covid-19, but the company says the decision not to visit those ports was made in conjunction with local governments. 90% of those on board were fully vaccinated. royal caribbean says the ship has no more scheduled ports of call and is set to return to florida sunday. so, how can you stay safe traveling on packed planes and in crowded terminals? we sent cnn's brian todd to find out. >> reporter: from l.a.x. to atlanta's hartsfield, america's airports are jampacked. some passengers worried about daking to the skies during the omicron variant surge. >> i don't like the fact the planes are all full. we're squashed. when i came from california squashed then, and i anticipate the same thing going home. >> reporter: with some 20 million people estimated to be flying this holiday season in the u.s., health experts are urging passengers to take new precautions to avoid contracting the omicron variant. >> it's all about staying away from people you don't know, strangers. you don't know whether they've got the virus or not. >> reporter: are surgical masks still the best ones to wear on planes? >> the entire flying experience requires protection and using k-95s and n-95s is the gold standard now people should be considering and investing in. >> reporter: experts advise us to use layers of protection on flights, not just masks, but face shields, too, especially on longer flights. given the higher transmissibility of the omicron variant, should passengers avoid taking masks off completely, even to eat or drink during a flight? >> don't take it off at any time. this idea of eating or taking it off to have a drink, not worth doing that. >> reporter: but if you do have a drink, experts say, try to sip through a straw with your mask still on. we caught up with mcgregor skinner. we asked a key question. is a window seat the best protection from droplets? >> if you can sit on the window seat and not move for whatever duration of flight it is, then you've got less likelihood, less risk of being in contact with those people that are moving up and down the aisle. that's where it's safer. >> reporter: airlines tell us we can't go back to putting fewer people on flights so there can be more spacing. if they can, passengers should sit 6 feet away from others inside the cabin. still, one analyst says being inside the cabin in flight isn't as dangerous as many might think because of the sophisticated air filtration systems inside passenger planes. the riskiest places, he says, the terminals. >> the real risk is when you're waiting to board the plane, when you're checking in, when you're getting off the plane where people are congregating, people are tired, people are fatigued wearing the mask and it easily comes off their face. they want to get something to drink or eat, very vulnerable time. >> reporter: one expert said they should interact with personnel about safety. ask questions before you board a plane. when was the last time they fully cleaned the plane and whether the plane has certain safety features like hepa filters. brian todd at regan national airport. two years into the pandemic that gbegan when he was in office, donald trump made a rare public endorsement of vaccines. listen as he pushed back with a far-right media outlet when they suggested vaccines don't work because people are still dying. >> the ones that get very sick and go to the hospital are the ones that don't take the vaccine. but it's still their choice. and if you take the vaccine, you're protected. look, the results of the vaccine are very good. and if you do get it, it's a very minor form. people aren't dying when they take the vaccine. >> now, earlier this week, trump was booed by a crowd in dallas when he acknowledged getting a booster shot. in september, "the wall street journal" asked him if he'd get a booster. he replied, i probably won't. the committee investigating the january 6 insurrection asked the supreme court to decide quickly to take up trump's request. they asserted executive privilege and petitioned the high court to hear the case after two lower courts ruled against him. the committee told the court delay would inflict a serious injury on the select committee and the public. the committee needs the requested documents now to shape the direction of the investigation and allow the select committee to timely recommend remedial legislation. some of the documents in dispute are white house visitors lists and call logs, handwritten notes from former chief of staff mark meadows, draft speeches and correspondence of the january 6 documents alleging voter fraud. all right. still to come here on "cnn newsroom," the world, according to vladimir putin, delivered at a marathon news conference. we'll explain why he says nato is the blame for the ukraine crisis. plus satellite images and intel suggest a ballistic missile race in the middle east is picking up steam. an exclusive report on how saudi arabia is apparently making its own missiles with help from another former -- another major power. stay with us. age before beauty? why not both? visibly diminish wrinkled skin in... crepe corrector lotion... only from gold bond. small businesses like yours make gift-giving possible. now, comcast business has an exclusive gift for you. introducing the gift of savings sale. for a limited time, ask how to get a great deal for your business. and get up to a $500 prepaid card with select bundles when you switch to the network that can deliver gig speeds to the most businesses. or get started with internet and voice for $64.99 per month with a 2-year price guarantee. give your business the gift of savings today. comcast business. powering possibilities. new satellite images released on thursday appear to show russian forces gathering strength all along ukraine's eastern border. the photos show additional russian tanks, vehicles, artillery and long range rockets are now within striking distance of ukraine. a senior u.s. oi official says u.s. and its nato allies are ready to act if russia invades. an official said nato is beefing up its presence in eastern europe. comments came just hours after the russian leader held his annual news conference, again, deflecting any blame for the escalating tensions. we get the latest from cnn's melissa bell in moscow. >> reporter: it was a marathon press conference, nearly four hours of it, that did provide more insight into what vladimir putin is thinking when it comes to ukraine and how he sees the tensions there, but didn't provide any sense that an agreement might be found between moscow, the united states and nato when they get together in gianforte expected talks over ukraine. vladimir putin clearly laying the blame for recent tensions at the feet of nato, and reiterating his demand that for those negotiations to work, for any progress to be made, nato would have to announce, would have to decide that it was not seeking any further eastward expansion. something, of course, that nato has ruled out and the white house press secretary reacting to vladimir putin after the press conference said was clearly a non-starter. vladimir putin explained that the fears were what was happening in ukraine, his fears, his impression that a war was being planned and that those sanctions that are being threatened might be also part of that preparation for a ukrainian war against those russian-speaking populations in the east of the country. this gives an idea of the tone that he struck this thursday. >> translator: well, what's not clear here, are we deploying missiles near the u.s. borders? no, we're not. it was the usa who brought the missiles to our house, they are on the doorstep of our house. is this a redundant requirement not to install any more systems near our home? >> reporter: vladimir putin expressing his clear distrust of nato and fears of what an eastward expansion might mean for russia and for weaponry that might find itself on his borders. we heard mention a moment ago from the press secretary in the wake of the press conference, jen psaki pushing back that the tensions of ukraine aren't the fault of the united states or nato, laying the blame at russia. it is a defensive one, and while it was welcome news nato and the united states should agree on the principle of talks, there were clearly russian demands that were unacceptable either to nato or to the united states. melissa bell, cnn, moscow. now, while it's clear the west intends to respond forcefully to any russian aggression in ukraine, very few details have been provided. earlier i spoke with "the new york times" chief diplomatic correspondent steven erhlanger what the u.s. would do if russia invaded. >> i'm not sure that's the point. have we all decided with our allies what action we'll take given putin's various options, the u.s. will not act militarily. it made it very clear it is not going to go to war for ukraine. ukraine is not a member of nato. but it does promise, along with its european allies, punishing economic sanctions that are unprecedented that would go, it says, to the heart of mr. putin's personal wealth and his government, and will cause him enormous pain. >> that was steven ehrlenger of "the new york times" speaking earlier. zrap is taking a big leap forward in the development of ballistic missiles according to multiple sources that spoke with cnn. u.s. intelligence believes the kingdom is making its own missiles thanks to support from china. oren liebermann has this exclusive report. >> reporter: a building arms race in the middle east with chinese fingerprints. these satellite images show the site in central saudi arabia where u.s. intelligence officials se ri ay riyad is bui its own ballistic missiles. u.s. across multiple agencies have been briefed on classified intel revealing multipler large-scale transfers of sensitive missile tech from beijing to riyad. to use burn pit pour rocket fuel show the saudis are at work. china called it comprehensive, strategic partners. telling cnn in a statement, such cooperation does not violate any international law and does not involve the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. this comes as the biden administration is trying to negotiate a deal with iran. iran has taken a hard line approach to the talks and has refused to talk about limits on its own ballistic missiles. proliferation of ballistic missiles in an already unstable region threatens to trigger a middle east arms race where just about any out come is dangerous. >> we're seeing all of this really fancy military technology showing up in the region. and we don't have in place any of the kind of institutions or security norms that you'd like to see to prevent it from getting used. >> reporter: as the saudis are working quietly with the chinese, the russians are boasting about their relationship with beijing. president vladimir putin telling journalists at his year-end presser about all the areas the two work together. >> translator: the chinese army is equipped with the most advanced weapons systems. we've even developed some high-tech weapons together. we are collaborating in the fields of space technology, aviation, planes and helicopters. >> reporter: my colleague with the tremendous reporting on saudi arabia ballistic missiles. you see it play out in not only chinese, but diplomatic as well. for example, the upcoming winter olympics, the u.s. is conducting an olympic boycott of the games. putin said he's looking forward to going in his one on one meeting with chinese president xi jinping. oren liebermann, cnn, at the pentagon. cold weather is sweeping in for christmas in some parts of the u.s., and record warmth in other parts. after the break we'll have the latest in temperatures across the country from the cnn weather center. stay with us. college football will have one fewer bowl game this holiday season. the university of hawaii has pulled out of the hawaii bowl partly because of issues with covid. the rainbow warriors were scheduled to face the university of memphis tigers later today. now, earlier this week texas a&m pulled out of the gator bowl against wake forest. rutgers will take its place. it looks like some parts of the u.s. are going to get a white christmas. meteorologist karen mcguinness has the latest. >> for holiday travelers, very hazardous conditions we're expecting here thanks to that atmospheric river, the big push, stretch of moisture across the pacific and it's aimed at the west coast. so, coastal rainfall? well, there's going to be some coastal snowfall. places like seattle expecting snow for christmas. there is a state of emergency for the entire state of oregon. they're saying very hazardous condit conditions all the way from the coast to the mountains, sierra nevada, heavy snowfall for the mountains and reign fall could be heavy for southern california as well. then it pushes across the interior west. but a different story in the south central united states, and that is dozens of cities could see at or beat record-setting temperatures headed towards christmas. all right, this is the future radar. there you can see outlining where that snowfall is. could be heavy at times. donner pass, the famous donner pass in california. they're expecting maybe as much as 5 feet of snowfall. but also to the mountains and the front range for colorado, heavy snowfall forecast here. how about the general picture coming up for christmas eve, denver looking at 52 degrees coming up. atlanta about 65. new york, washington, d.c., boston, looks a little iffy, but it's going to be rain. and it looks like it's going to be rain for chicago, which is unheard of around christmastime. it's going to be a wet weather pattern there. but look at these temperatures, in the 80s around dallas, in the 70s, close to 80 around new orleans. same for atlanta as well. here we go, there's some of that wet weather expected to move into new york city. washington, d.c., boston, it might be an icy mix. a lot to talk about. hope everyone has a safe holiday. back to you. 2021 will be remembered for plenty of things. the never-ending pandemic, volcano, relentless fires, deadly tornadoes, afghanistan. around the world people are showing their inner strength doing their best to recover and spread a little bit of holiday cheer. here's cnn's al goodman. >> reporter: at the end of another hard year, the festive lights in new york city, the gift many wanted and return to our normal lives, and vanquishing covid-19 is elusive. even though it is a struggle for some to see, there is something to celebrate, our resilience. traditions may be altered, but many places go on, like taking the children to see santa claus. at this winter wonder land in finland, no sitting in santa's lap and no whispering in his ear. santa has a wish, too. >> there is worrying news around the globe about well-being and coping and children and young people. now it is time to turn these worries into plenty of good will. >> reporter: 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 pinata in a shelter in tijuana. a little holiday cheer as families gather together for a religious 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 stuck in this border town for months while they wait for permits to enter the u.s. a volcano blotted out the neighborhoods of spain's la palma island. many forced to evacuate as lava incinerated houses and farms. they will rise above the ashes and has incorporated them into the nativity scene. >> 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. 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. 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. i'm kim brunhuber. thanks so much for watching. 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(soft music) ♪ 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 ♪ it is friday, december 24th, 5:00 a.m. eastern standard time. merry christmas eve, everyone. thanks for getting an early start on this holiday for us. i'm christine romans. >> and i'm paula reid in for laura jarrett. welcome to our viewers in the united states and around the world. breaking overnight, a lump of coal for holiday travelers, hundreds of flights canceled just before christmas eve. the reason, omicron. united and delta lighting up most of the cancellation boards. united saying the nationwide spike in omicron cases this week has had a direct impact on our flight crews and the people who run ou