now, a public outcry and a district attorney pushing the court to reduce his time behind bars. live from cnn center, this is "cnn newsroom" with kim brunhuber. all right. we begin this hour with the growing concern over the rapid spread of the omicron variant in the u.s. it's driving daily covid infections to highs, not seen since last january. this is the scene at testing sites around the country. long lines with people often having to wait hours to get tested. the white house is facing increased criticism over its handling of covid testing. here is what top health expert dr. anthony fauci had to say. >> we should be using testing much more extensively than we have even in a situation where you have people who are vaccinated or boosted. we have obviously got to do better. i mean, i think things will improve greatly as we get into january, but that doesn't help us today and tomorrow. >> meanwhile, nearly 1,500 flights were cancelled sunday as staff and crew continued to call out sick due to the omicron surge. cnn's nadia romero has more from hartfield jackson's airport, one of the busiest in the world. >> reporter: some frustration here at atlanta's airport here at hartsfield jackson, for some travel whose flights were delayed or cancelledment one who am was hoping to get back because she has to go back to work and get back to her normal routine but that just can't happen because of that cancelled flight. that flight, one of more than 1,000 flights cancelled on sunday alone. bringing the total this weekend to about 2,000 flights. that's just domestic. and you add thousands more when you talk about international travel. but for some people, they said despite all the cancellations, delays, they had been checking their phone. when their flight was able to be on time, they came to the airport, they said they weren't going to miss it because they haven't seen family and friends since before the pandemic two years ago. listen to them talk about that experience of finally being able to get back home. >> this is my in-laws. first time i have seen them in about two years, so yeah it's been a while. and saw my mom over thanksgiving, first time in two years. goit my booster shot. that was first and foremost. i was due for it so i got that. been wearing my mask. and i actually ended up switching my seat to be next to one person, instead of three other people. so, just to keep my distance. so, um, yeah, my whole family is vaccinated and we felt safe. it was just immediate family. just like, ten people. >> now, tsa tells us that screenings through their security checkpoints is down this holiday season. christmas and christmas eve, compared to the same time period back in 2019, so pre-pandemic levels and you contribute some of that to the coronavirus, the omicron variant that is spreading rapidly with cases that we are seeing rising across the country. and also, all of the thousands of cancellations and delays. nadia romero, cnn, atlanta. carnival's freedom cruise ship returned on schedule to miami, florida, on sunday despite what the company calls a small number of covid cases detected onboard during the eight-day voyage. the carnival spokesperson tells cnn all passengers were fully vaccinated and tested before the trip began. the ship was denied entry to two ports at two caribbean islands but made two other stops before returning to florida. now, some passengers had positive things to say about the trip, while others said carnival left them in the dark. >> the only reason why we found out that people on the ship had covid is because the first, uh, de destination we were supposed to go to, we sat there for a couple hours and then we found out they wouldn't let us on the, um, destination because of so many people on the ship having covid. and they let -- just let everybody go about their business. >> cnn asked carnival about these specific claims but the company didn't directly address them. all right. joining me now is dr. esther chu, professor of emergency medicine at oregon health and science university. thanks so much for being here with us, doctor. so, from what you are seeing across the country and in places like new york state, which just broke its single-day covid case record on christmas, is this what you expected? >> well, certainly, watching omicron as it was identified in other parts of the world, um, and seeing the data that showed how rapidly the doubling time was and how highly infectious it was, we anticipated that omicron would be bad. um, and of course, there is a timing issue here, kim, in that omicron hit just as cold weather drives people indoors and the holidays drive people to gather. and, you know, so many of us have waited so long to see family members as you showed in the introduction and i think it was really hard to ask people to wait any longer, particularly people who are vaccinated and boostered and really had prepared to be safe when they traveled and saw family. so all these compounding issues coming together really meant that we were -- it is not surprising that we are where we are with cases just, um, just kind of exploding across the united states. >> yeah. and then, as you just referred to, those breakthrough infections, people have had the shots and still have been infected. so why don't i get your advice on what to do but first let's start with simple exposure. let's say, you know, this is happening all across the country. your -- your kid came from home from college for the holidays and tested positive for covid. i mean, the testing lines are so long, many people are saying, well, i will wear my mask, i will limit my contact with other people. but if i don't have stoim symptoms, i won't bother getting tested. is that wrong? even if you have no symptoms, should you be tested if you have been exposed? >> i think it still is so important to have testing as part of our strategy. first of all, testing allows us to know when we can reenter society, our jobs, our social lives. um, and also knowing whether you are positive or not kind of changes your plans going forward. so i know it is so frustrating to get -- it's so frustrating to get testing, particularly pcr testing. i do think we can do -- really lean on rapid antigen testing, these lateral flow tests that are commercially available. those have been so hard to get over the holiday, too, because people use them in order to gather of. but i think with the administration really trying to increase availability, manufacturers trying to increase availability, hopefully, these rapid antigen tests will be more available. but people really do need after exposure to go into quarantine, after a positive test, to go into isolation. and then, use rapid antigen tests and symptoms to decide when they can go back out. but you do need a negative test, um, in order to -- in order to reengage with people. >> yeah, well on the symptoms, i mean with omicron, are the telltale sails that we learn to look out for, like losing your sense of taste or smell, are those different? >> it seems like, um, you know, covid is still covid. um and so, the symptomology still includes the things that we are used to seeing, so cough, fever, losing sense of smell and taste. those things. but i will say, for people who are vaccinated, it seems like overall symptoms are milder and for whatever reason, i have heard that anecdotally from a lot of physicians. you know, we will have more information in a few weeks but it really seems like those mild symptoms tend to include sore throat, a kind of hoarse voice and then people have a milder and faster course. um, this is kind of what we are starting to expect from people with omicron if you are vaccinated, um, and triply vaccinated. it's mild and it's really upper upper respiratory. >> okay. so let's say you have tested positive. what now? obviously, you know, if the symptoms are serious, you go to the doctor, go to the hospital. but let's say you have mild symptoms. are there things you can do, first of all, to make yourself feel better? i mean, what works. >> yeah. i think, i like the way you put that . i mean, think there is always two stages with exposure or infection. the first is what do i need to do for myself? the second is how -- how i contain spread for other people? so what do you do for yourself? i think it's really just like any other cold or -- or infectious disease in that up to address your symptoms and that can be over-the-counter medications, ibuprofen, tylenol, you know, sore throat lozenges, things like that to address your symptoms, stay well hydrated, and rest. and then, i think we still don't know enough about omicron to really understand how severe it can be. but everything is still on the table, so just because we're sensing that it is more mild, particularly in vaccinated people, doesn't mean that in any individual they can't get sicker. so people need to watch for, um, worsening over time. and what we have seen with covid, in general, is that it starts mild and there is kind of this delayed on set of more severe illness so just monitor for symptoms, severe cough, high fever, shortness of breath, those things that seem to be getting worse and not better need to take people to their doctor or to the hospital. and then, think just really considering how you can limit exposure to other people. um, so any symptoms at all, especially in areas that are -- have high -- high, um, rates of covid, you can't assume that it's just a dry throat or allergies or a simple non-covid cold. i think you have to assume it's covid until proven otherwise. um, and really wait until testing before you allow yourself to gather with other people. particularly, you know, those who cannot be vaccinated. you know, or those like the elderly that -- that may not have responded fully to vaccination. >> absolutely. excellent and timely advice as always, dr. esther chu, thank you so much for being here with us. >> my pleasure, thanks, kim. and it's not just the u.s., the omicron variant is fueling surges in covid cases around the world in israel. prime minister naftali bennett is self-isolating after his daughter tested positive. the news comes as israel sees a spike in new infections with omicron cases doubling over the weekend. in the uk, new data shows vaccine uptake soared ahead of christmas. in the week leading up to the holiday, the number of people getting their first dose was up 46% compared to the week before. the government is ramping up its vaccination and booster campaign amid a record surge in new cases. in china, authorities in the city have started the process of disinfecting the entire city amid a growing outbreak of covid cases. it is the latest in a series of strict lockdowns aimed at stopping the outbreak before it spreads to other parts of the country. all right. we have cnn's steven jiang standing by in beijing, but let's start with barbie nadeau in rome. barbie, these cases leading to many governments in europe imposing restrictions, while the uk this week will do -- be debating whether to act with harsher measures, what is the latest? >> france is in an emergency meeting this morning. government officials there to determine what to do in terms of new restrictions. they topped over 100,000 cases in a single day over the weekend. um, noirks we are seeing all sorts of smaller measures, too. in belgium, they are closing movie theaters. in germany, they are not allowing people to attend sporting events. those games will be played at an empty stadiums. so you are seeing sort of little, mini lockdowns in the netherlands. you know, essential -- all but essential shops are closed. but going into new year's celebrations, you know, we are really looking at -- at cancellation of anything that even seems fun essentially. there will be no concerts, there will be no fireworks. here in italy, mask mandates are outdoors, gatherings are limited. you know, they are looking at -- at -- at -- you know, keeping people a way from each other and in their small, little bubbles, kim. >> another subdued holiday period in europe. i mentioned israel's prime minister having to isolate because of covid. now, this is as the country is expected to begin a health study into the fourth covid shot. what more do we know? >> well, you know, when you look at this kind of fourth booster shot, we see also here in europe the idea that these health passes are going to start expiring six months after your last booster. no one say he's saying you need another booster but logic would imply that if they are going to make a health pass which you need to go into restaurants or cultural events or even work in some places, as those are more restricted, then obviously in europe, too, they are going to be -- they are going to be asking people to get a fourth shot or, you know, those who haven't had their third shot yet. so, it's -- it's widespread. it seems that -- that, um, you know, israel led the way in vaccines. the vaccine campaign in the first place. so, we're -- we're sort of all going to be following that same step, it seems, kim. >> yeah, all right. thanks so much. let's pivot now to steven. disinfect the whole city, i have been there. it's not a small city by any means. some, you know, 9 million people in the -- in the city, itself, there. how will they go about doing this, exactly? >> well, they have one residence actually -- it's a large metropolis. 13 million residents in the metro area and officials have warned residents to close their doors and windows and not touch anything outside in terms of surfaces and plants as they try to spray the entire city with disinfectant. he even though the effectiveness of this kind of practice has been questioned by china's own health experts but this kind of rather over-the-top measures is probably because the cluster of cases, now more than 600 in the past two and a half weeks even though this still pails in comparison to what we are seeing in many parts of the world but here in china, as you know, they insist on sticking to this zero-covid policy. that's why we are seeing officials pretty much lock down the entire population to their homes homes since last week with very few exceptions, such as allowing each household to send out one repres representative every other day to buy groceries but even that privilege, if you will, has just been suspended according to the latest news reports from local media because they are conducting another round of citywide mass testing. so mass testing, mass quarantine, and extensive contact tracing. even though they have blamed the latest outbreak to a flight from pakistan in early december. there are still some unanswered questions in terms of this chain of transmission and the reason we are seeing a lot of these draconian measures make a return here, i think is because as we draw closer and closer to the winter olympics to be held here in beijing in just a month a and a half, nobody in this country wants to take any chances. kim. >> yeah, absolutely. all right. listen. let's thank our correspondents there. barbie nadeau and steven jiang. really appreciate it. still to come. the white house says it isn't giving up on its ambitious build back better legislation. we will have the latest from washington. but first, the world mourns south african archbishop desmond tu who passed away sunday in cape town. we will have look at his life and legacy after the break. music ♪ come together. ralphs club. the new fragrance. ralph lauren. pain hits fast. so get relief fast. only tylenol rapid release gels have laser drilled holes. they release medicine fast for fast pain relief. and now get relief without a pill with tylenol dissolve packs. relief without the water. 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rights leader died sunday in cape town. in the hours since, there's been an outpouring of love for tutu and respect for his legacy. here is cnn's david mackenzie. >> reporter: tributes are pouring in for desmond tutu, the global icon and anti-apartheid struggle hero from south africa, including from the president cyril ramaphosa who in a late-evening address on sunday, addressed the nation saying that flags will be flown at half-staff, both here in south africa and diplomatic missions around the world. really, speaking to his place in this country. he called desmond tutu an icon of freedom. >> archbishop desmond tutu was one of our nation's finest patriots. he was a man of unwavering courage, of principle conviction, and whose life was spent in the service of others. he, in many ways, embodied the essence of our humanity. >> reporter: now, tutu made his name during the dark days of apartheid. using his position in the church and underpinned by his faith, he was deeply involved in politics, though never a politician. he would be there, physically, leading marches against the apartheid regime in the mid-'80s as nelson mandela and other members of the now-ruling anc were either in prison or in exile. after the end of apartheid, he continued his moral standing as the chairman of the truth and reconciliation commission, which tried to build bridges between south africans and to try and heal the painful past of this country. but he was never, post-apartheid, afraid of voicing his concerns, his distaste for corruption and allegations of other wrongdoings of the ruling anc. and sometimes, he was the thorn in the side of this nation's leaders. but still, it was a tribute from the current president of south africa and tributes flowing in from around the world, which showed just what a special place this man has in, both, the history of south africa and the global scene. david mackenzie, cnn south africa. >> and messages of sympathy are pouring in from around the world. president and first lady released a statement saying born to a school teacher in and into poverty and entrenched racial segregation, desmond tutu followed his spiritual calling to create a better, freer, and more equal world. his legacy transcends borders and will echo throughout the ages. former-president barack obama called him a mentor, friend, and a moral compass for me and so many others. a universal spirit. archbishop tutu was grounded in the struggle for liberation and justice, in his own country, but also concerned with injustice everywhere. u.s. president joe biden won't be ringing in the new year with a build back better victory after west virginia senator joe manchin slammed the door on it. now, democrats are considering a new approach. cnn's jeremy diamond has more from washington. >> reporter: well christmas came and went and president biden still doesn't have the key piece of his domestic policy agenda secured. that is the build back better act, which is which the president hoped to pass in time for christmas but instead, that has been pushed back to early 2022. after senator joe manchin, last week, said that he could not support that bill in its current form. now, we know that those conversations, though, have resumed between the white house and senator manchin's office. president biden saying just days ago that he believes that he can still get large chunks of that bill pushed through congress. how, exactly, though, appears unclear. senator ben cardin, though, one of those members of the democratic caucus in the senate weighing in on how it might get done. listen. >> are democrats hope open to scaling it back even more? or passing various pieces as stand-alones, maybe attracting senator manchin or even some gop on some of these issues? >> well, that's a strategy decision that is being negotiated and we -- we are open to a way to reach the finish line. we want to make it as comprehensive as possible 'cause the needs are just there. >> getting that bill done in smaller bills, though, will be challenging, given that democrats need to use that reconciliation vehicle if they want to pass anything without any republican support. ultimately, though, one thing is clear and that is that different factions of the democratic party want to move forward and try and find a way to get large chunks of this bill passed. congresswoman pramila jayapal, the head of the progressive caucus, writing in an opinion piece in "the washington post" on sunday that she wants to continue working towards getting this bill done, and getting something as close to that framework that democrats have, previously, agreed to as possible. meanwhile, senator chuck schumer, the senate majority leader, has said that democrats in the senate will indeed vote on that build back better act in early 2022. he has not, though, officially set a date for that. jeremy diamond, cnn, the white house. the never-ending pandemic is taking a mental and physical toll on the people taking care of the patients. after the break, we'll meet some healthcare professionals who wonder how much more of the stress they can take. stay with us. for them both! and this is for new and existing customers. upgrade to the iphone 13 pro and airpods both on us. only at t-mobile. i lost 26 pounds and i feel incredible. with the new personalpoints program, i answer questions about my goals and the foods i love. i like that the ww personalpoints plan is built just for me. download the ww app today for a 14-day free trial. 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. the omicron variant is sweeping through the u.s., driving up case counts and leaving many americans hospitalized. now, with hospitals overwhelmed, health-care workers are being pushed to breaking point. cnn's sara sidner spoke with some of them in new mexico. >> reporter: in santa fe, new mexico, the annual holiday light display dazzles the eye and lifts the spirit. but these are the lights grabbing all the attention just g down the road. this is a covid icu. suddenly, as busy as it ever was. >> it is clinically, psychologically impossible to keep doing this day in and day out, especially for the past year or two. even the strongest respiratory therapists that i have, have broken down at times. >> reporter: the staff is resilient but despondent some days, and plain old exhausted most. suffering and death greet them every day. >> they come to me and they say i do need a break, help me. >> you know, when you talk about things like pulling them out and people breaking down, it sounds like a war zone. that is the same language that soldiers sometimes use. >> yes. >> reporter: is that what it feels like? >> yes. 6 um, to the point of it being almost unbearable. you see that these are very good people, good respiratory therapists, good clinicians, who want to do the best possible job and they just can't. they can't do it. >> reporter: there was a moment of light and hope. >> we thought the cases were going down. >> reporter: clinical nurse manager dominic was filled with hope when the vaccines were approved. he was one of the first in new mexico to get the shot. >> it was just that light at the end of the tunnel. and then, all the sudden, it was like, wham-bam, here we are again. >> reporter: he couldn't have possibly accounted for the number of people who would refuse the vaccine. >> i, in the beginning, was an anti-vaxer, only because of my immune system. but not anymore. >> reporter: what was it that sort of kept you from going to get vaccinated? >> i do not have a very good immune system. >> reporter: a lot of times, the doctors will tell you if your immune system is compromised, go get vaccinated. what was your concerns? >> my heart issues. um, i know there was a lot of clotting in the first few, and i did have an example of not a good reaction to a friend who did get vaccinated. >> reporter: buyers never got the vaccine, instead she got a bad case of covid and was unable to breathe. >> do you regret it now? >> do i regret it? yes and no. i wish i had gotten vaccinated sooner. i wouldn't be here. that's the regret. >> reporter: i talk to a lot of doctors and nurses and i have heard a lot of people say i want to retire, i don't know if i can do it. >> i am probably at the end of that spectrum, as well. but i just -- this is my family. and this is my community. we are the city of holy faith. >> reporter: the unending pandemic surges have taken a toll. >> we have lost 110 nurses this year. >> reporter: that's 25% of the hospital's nurses. >> it's across the board. i mean, most definitely, nursing, respiratory, but it's also food and nutrition and custodial support and techs and, um, medical office assistants and registration. it is across the board. >> reporter: the remaining staff are fighting back death alongside their patients. there is no respite, not even for christmas. the unfortunate thing that everyone is realizing, including, of course, this exhausted staff inside these hospitals, is that covid is here to stay. sara sidner, santa fe, new mexico. >> and joining me now is president of national nurses united. thanks so much for being here with us. so, as we just heard in that report, so many nurses out there are spending their holidays either working in short-staffed facilities or out sick themselves, is that right? >> yes, that's true. >> so, what is -- um -- that -- what -- what problems is that causing for the nurses? i mean, we heard some emotional, um, you know, staff in those hospitals sort of talking about what -- what this is doing to their morale and so on. how -- how are they coping with this? >> so, we are almost two years into this pandemic and we have not seen any, you know, light at the end of the tunnel. the problem is, is that here we are in the front lines fighting for our patients, fighting for our safety. and yet, our employers and our governments are not protecting us, and instead of strengthening the guidance so that we will be protected in order to do our job safely, they continue to chip away the guidance. and so, that's, again, another distressing factor that leads to the morale distress that we are all experiencing now. >> yeah, i mean, by the guidance, you are talking about the cdc's decision to shorten the isolation time for health-care workers who test positive, is that right? so, why is that particularly such a problem? >> well, yes, that's what i am talking about. because when -- when the covid first came about, it -- the isolation period when you are exposed even if, you know, you are awaiting your results for the covid test, you are put out for 14 days, you know, the incubation period of the virus. and then, they shortened it to ten days and now they want to shorten it to even, you know, half of that, which is five days. and shortening the isolation period or the quarantining period would only lead to more cases of transmission, more illnesses, and even deaths. and we have lost a lot of nurses and other frontline health-care workers through this pandemic. and so, once again, it adds to the moral distress that we are experiencing and we have been experiencing for the past two -- two years almost. >> yaechlt and especially, with mow owe micron, i mean we have seen in the uk much of the stress on the healthcare system is not just because there is an uptick in patients. it's because so many workers are coming down with covid, themselves. is that what you are seeing amongst your nurses? >> yes, that's true because, again, it goes back to the fact that instead of our employers and our governments protecting us, they're chipping away at the -- you know, the current protections that we have. i -- i still get choked up because this should not be happening. we are here to do our jobs but we need protection. protections. we need to be, you know, protected so that we can protect our patients, protect the public health and that's not what's happening. >> and i'm sure, making it all worse, i mean, nurses are also having to contend with -- with angry people out there. i mean, the mood seems to have darkened from those early days, you know, a year or two ago. of, you know, orchestrated applause, sending health-care workers free pizza. i mean, the health-care workers now have to face growing anger in the community from people who are resisting things like, you know, mask mandates, our public health measures, which i can imagine makes a hard job even harder? >> yes, that's -- that's the other thing that is's going on. instead of us, you know, doing our jobs, taking care of patients, we still need to look out for the safety of our patients and of ourselves, as well. because like you said, there are a lot of angry patients. patients who cannot get appointments or patients who cannot get tested. you know? and they all think that it's the nurses' fault and we are the main targets. we are the easy targets because we are there at the front lines. and yet, when we bring all these issues up to our employers, it falls on deaf ears. when the covid first hit, we were hailed as heroes. as, you know, the frontline nurse who will be there 24/7 taking care of patients. and now, they treat us like we are disposable. that, you know, it's okay for us to -- to get sick, to get ill, and to even die. they're -- they're -- they're not considering our safety. and so, if we're not safe, our patients are not safe. >> well, listen. we all know how valuable your work is and all the health-care workers out there, so we certainly wish you the best and -- and hope you can cope with -- with all of those issues, especially throughout these holidays. um, really appreciate you talking to us. thank you so much. >> thank you for having me. well, covid is, again, throwing the sports' world into disarray. the rising number of cases across the u.s. is impacted at least five bowl games in college football so far. the sun bowl is now searching for a replacement team after the university of miami dropped out due to covid protocols. washington state is still hoping to play a new opponent on friday. meanwhile, the military bowl planned for monday in annapolis, maryland, has been cancelled. and the fenway bowl in boston has also been called off. a district attorney in colorado wants a court to reconsider the 110-year prison sentence for a truck driver convicted in a fatal 2019 crash. we will have the details, ahead. stay with us. 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sink miami and boston and bangkok and shanghai because, just this part of greenland has enough ice that, if it all melts, we'll raise sea levels by two feet. a new study predicts that the arctic will see more rain than snow as soon as 2060. and in the meantime, the ice sheet, so vital to a planet imbalanced is melting at a staggering rate. at number nine, that icy surprise in texas, which illustrated how the climate crisis can run hot and cold. with windchills below zero on the rio grande, nearly 10 million lost power. the february blast became america's costliest winter-storm event, ever. at number eight, flash floods on three continents. in germany and belgium, modern-day warning systems failed as a month of rain fell in one day. in china, commuters clung to the ceiling of a subway as a thousand-year flood hit. and back in the u.s., the deadliest flood in tennessee history came like a tidal wave. at number seven, the u.s. rejoins the paris climate accord hours after joe biden became president. pledging to slash planet-cooking pollution by half this decade is one thing. convincing congress to take bold action is another. at number six, a code red for humanity as scientists around the world issued their most dire warning to date. the u.n.'s intergovernmental panel on climate change says it is unequivocal that human activity has cranked up the global thermostat by over 2 degrees fahrenheit, and that we are careening dangerously close to a point of no return. >> meet with the eyes of history upon us. >> reporter: and those warnings made number five all the more urgent. cop26 in glasgow, scotland. >> of the four main themes laid out by cop26 host boris johnson, coal, cars, cash, and trees, probably is going to be cash that provides the biggest challenge. >> reporter: for the first time in 26 meetings, the world's delegates agreed that fossil fuels are driving the climate crisis but not a single country committed to stopping oil or coal production anytime soon. >> a monster named ida. the hurricane is intensifying quickly, and drawing chilling comparisons to katrina. >> reporter: hurricane ida comes in at number four. as 150-mile-per-hour winds screamed ashore in louisiana, in early september. but that was just the beginning. ida's aftermath dropped a rain bomb on new york, sudden enough to drown families in their basement apartments. and all told, the single storm cost over $60 billion. >> we are following breaking news this morning. a dangerous and deadly night across the central united states. a powerful line of storms unleashing at least 24 tornados across five states. >> reporter: at number three, tornados in winter. december usually brings the fewest twisters of any month but record warmth in the heartland spun up funnel clouds from arkansas to ohio and weeks later, the damage is still being tallied. at number two, the pacific northwest heat dome, which pushed the mercuryian famously mild portland well over 100 degrees for days, creating a mass-casualty event of creatures, great and small. over a billion shellfish baked to death on the shores of british columbia. and the little town of litten broke the canadian heat record three times in a week before most of it burned to the ground. and at number one, america's mega drought. water can come from rivers, reservoirs or from wells. all of which, have been unpacted by a 20-year-old mega drought fueled by the climate crisis with 90% of the west starving for rain, the feds declared the first-ever shortage of the colorado river which is a source of life for over 40 million americans. meantime, smoke from western wildfires reached the east coast this year. from one to ten, it is all connected. and without dramatic changes on a global scale, scientists warn us the worst is yet to come. bill weir, cnn new york. everyone's friendly neighborhood spiderman is now a friendly neighborhood billionaire. spiderman no way home has grossed one billion dollars at the global box office. tom holland stars as peter parker who is tasked with saving the multi-verse from super villains spanning the character's nearly 20-year film history. the first film to reach the billion dollar mark since 2019's "star wars" rise of skywalker and it is the second largest domestic opening of all time. all right. that wraps this hour of "cnn newsroom." i am kim brunhuber. i will be back in just a moment with more news. please do stay with us. ♪ happy so happy ♪ ♪ let's hit the open road ♪ ♪ camp without a tent ♪ ♪ talk without a phone ♪ ♪ kick off your boots ♪ ♪ cook something new ♪ ♪ the meeting just started ♪ ♪ careful you're on mute ♪ ♪ catch a snuggle bug ♪ ♪ warm-up your buns ♪ ♪ bring your friend dave ♪ ♪ and the only song he knows ♪ ♪ host a movie night ♪ ♪ get your zen on ♪ ♪ nice to feel at home ♪ ♪ everywhere you go ♪ johnson & johnson is the world's largest healthcare company. building a future where cancers can be cured. strokes can be reversed. joints can be 3-d printed. and there isn't one definition of what well feels like. there are millions. we're using our world to make your world a world of well. it's the most joyous time of year. especially at t-mobile! let's go to dianne. i got the awesome new iphone 13 pro and airpods, and t-mobile is paying for them both! and this is for new and existing customers. upgrade to the iphone 13 pro and airpods both on us. only at t-mobile. hello and welcome to all of you watching us here in the united states, canada, and around the world. i am kim brunhuber. ahead here on "cnn newsroom." they didn't inform us of hardly anything. they let everybody go about their business. >> travel chaos on the sea. two cruise ships return to florida after passengers and crew members test positive for covid, despite being vaccinated. and i will speak with a clinical psychologist about the mental health difficulties some are facing under

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