season pandemic. plus, the life and legacy of desmond tutu, the nobel peace prize winning, anti-apartheid leader with a look at how he is being remembered. live from cnn center, this is "cnn newsroom" with kim brunhuber. >> as we approach the new year, it's looking more like 2021 will end the same way it began, centered around covid. daily new cases fueled by the omicron variant are spiking. racing towards highs not seen since last january. hospitalizations are also rising, although nowhere near levels seen during recent surges. and covid-related deaths are also up. and this is the scene at testing sites around the country. look at this. 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's 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. but the situation where you have such a high demand, a conflation of events -- omicron stirring people to get appropriately concerned and wanting to get tested, as well as the fact of the run-on tests during the holiday season. 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. >> the omicron variant is also causing major disruptions to travel. nearly 1,500 flights were cancelled sunday, as staff and crew continued to call out sick. but it's not only airlines that are being affected by the omicron variant. outbreaks on cruise ships threatened holiday plans for some travelers, while covid protocols just didn't measure up for others. cnn's alison kosik has the details. >> reporter: the cruise line industry is facing disruption, again, because of covid-19. over the past week, at least four cruise ships were turned away from ports of call and passengers were denied entry to ports because of cases of covid on their ships. now, u.s.-based ships resumed service just this past summer after being shut down because of the pandemic. now, there are vaccine requirements in place. and measures in place to try to keep the spread of covid from happening on these ships. but even since then, covid incidents have happened on some of these ships. one case in point, in august on a carnival cruise ship, 27 people tested positive for covid. they were isolated, and passengers were still allowed to disembark after they showed proof of a negative covid test. difference this time? the omicron variant. it's more transmissible. and a carnival spokesperson told cnn in a statement that the variant may shape how some destination authorities view even a small number of cases. now, carnival cruise ship "freedom" was one of the ships impacted over the past week with what carnival calls a small number of passengers testing positive for covid. that ship docked, as planned, in miami on sunday. and the passengers getting off the ship after their eight-day voyage had very different experiences. listen to what they had to say. >> we've heard varying stories. we we've heard five. we heard 12, we heard 25. >> they quarantined them. i mean, it was safe. we had a good time. we -- we'd do it again. >> i couldn't even go in the pool the whole time. we didn't touch one pool on that ship because everybody's in there, all over each other. nobody's wearing masks. it was disgusting. nobody cared. >> reporter: although, there is an uptick in the number of cruises that have had to alter their itineraries, the impacted cruises really only represent a small fraction of the dozens of cruise ships that are throughout -- that have sailed throughout the month and the disruptions are certainly a far cry from what happened in march 2020 when the entire u.s. cruise industry had to shut down because of the pandemic. and uh, there were weeks where there were efforts to get passengers and crew onboard those ships to get them home as ports were closed for vessels that were hit by outbreaks of covid. alison kosik, cnn, new york. earlier, i spoke with dr. esther chu about the spread of the omicron variant in the u.s., and she says multiple factors have contributed to a recent rise in cases, especially during the holiday season. here's part of our conversation. >> 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 just really hard to ask people to wait any longer. um, particularly people who are vaccinated and boostered and really have prepared to be safe when they travel 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 i want to get your advice on what to do. but -- but first, let's start with simple exposure. let's say, you know, this is happening all across the country. your -- your kid came home from college for the holidays and tested positive for covid. i mean, the testing lines are so long, many people are saying, well, you know, i'll wear my mask, i will limit my contact with other people. but if i don't have symptoms, i won't bother getting tested. is -- is that wrong? i mean, even if you have no symptoms, should you get tested if you have been exposed? >> i think it still is so important to have testing as part of our strategy. um, 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. >> and dr. chu says tracking symptoms and using at-home covid tests are the best way to gage when it's safe to go back in public after testing positive. now, it's not just the u.s. the mow micron variant is fueling surges in covid cases around the world. in western europe countries like france and the uk have seen daily case counts soaring to record heights. now, this map shows just how fast the numbers have been rising. countries in dark red have saw -- seen new cases jump by more than 50% last week compared to the week before. and the omicron surge is also creating problems for travelers. airlines have had to cancel thousands of flights since friday, as staff and crew call out sick. meanwhile, france is mulling new covid restrictions. president emmanuel macron meets with his cabinet today to discuss plans for tackling the omicron variant. and in china, authorities in the city of x i'llan have started the pro-e process of disinfecting the entire city amid a growing outbreak of covid cases. it is the latest in a series of strict lockdowns in x iian. steven jiang standing by in beijing. but let's start with barbie nadeau in rome. so, barbie, these cases are leading to many governments in europe imposing restrictions while the uk, this week, will be debating whether to act with harsher measures. what's the latest? >> well, you know, we are seeing all across europe here continental europe, especially, governments trying to figure out what to do. and france, they will be meeting this morning, to try to determine what to do about their soaring case loads. they had over 100,000 cases -- new infections in a single day. in italy, they have cancelled new year's eve celebrations and we now have to wear masks outdoors. in places like germany, sporting events are going to be held but without anyone -- any spectators in those stadiums. we've seen movie theaters closing in places like belgium. and -- and other restrictions across the board. and curfews and, you know, we've seen restrictions in restaurants, number of people that can sit together. you know, we got through christmas but now governments are looking at how to make sure that new year's eve doesn't become any kind of superspreader event, kim. >> yeah, and then, i mentioned israel's prime minister having to isolate because of covid. so, is this as the country is expected to begin a health study into the fourth covid shot. what more do we know? >> well, you know, the idea of the fourth booster is something i think everybody is expecting. here across europe, you know, almost every country uses some form of a health pass, and many governments, including here in italy, are looking at a new expiration of those, so six months after your last shot whether it's a booster or your -- your second injection, those health passes will expire. so, that -- you know, common sense leads us to believe that means there is going to have to be another booster after that if these health passes expire. israel led the way in the first round of vaccinations so if they are going to be requiring a fourth booster -- or a second booster, i guess it would be, a fourth shot, we can expect very much the same here across europe i think, kim. >> we will be watching as you say. turning now to steven, this plan to disinfect the whole city, xian. not a small city by any means, some 9 million people in the city proper. millions more in the greater area. how will they go about doing this? >> that's right, kim. you know, you probably went there for the terra-cotta warriors. it is a major tourist center and sprawling metropolis with 13 million residents in the metro area. but now, of course, it's pretty much all shut down with the local authorities you mentioned decided to -- to spray disinf disinfectants throughout the sprawling city, and warning local residents to close their doors and windows and not to touch anything outside in terms of surfaces and plants. they ever been pretty much placed the entire population under a strict lockdown since last week after reporting some 600 cases. locally-transmitted cases in the past two and a half weeks and this, of course, is a big deal for them because china insists on sticking to its zero-covid policy. but the thing is, as we draw closer to the beijing winter olympics, officials across the country are just not going to take any chances. already, we see 26 local officials being reprimanded for dereliction of duty because of this latest outbreak. so we are going to see how many more of these increasing draconian measures whenever cases pop up throughout this country. kim. >> all right. no doubt. barbie nadeau in rome and steven jiang in beijing. thank you so much. three members of the k-pop group bts have tested positive for covid-19. the group recently returned to south korea from a u.s. tour. big hit music said rm tested negative on december 17th but positive saturday before his scheduled release from quarantine. and jin felt flu-like symptoms and test $positive saturday. suga was the first to test positive friday. all three received two doses of the covid-19 vaccine. the world mourns the passing of a human rights icon. south african archbishop desmond tutu. we will take a closer look at his life and legacy, after the break. plus, a christmas morning security scare for the british royal family. we will share what we're learning about the armed intruder arrested at windsor castle. and facing disappointment and frustration with covid restrictions all over, again. we will have some expert advice ahead. stay with us. 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. 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. nurse mariyam sabo knows a moment this pure... ...demands a lotion this pure. new gold bond pure moisture lotion. 24-hour hydration. no parabens, dyes, or fragrances. gold bond. champion your skin. why choose proven quality sleep from sleep number? because every great play starts the night before. my sleep number 360 smart bed tracks my circadian rhythm, average heart rate, and breathing rate so i know how well i'm sleeping. it's also temperature balancing so i stay cool. and it senses my movement and automatically adjusts to help keep me comfortable all night. sleep number takes care of the science so i can focus on other things. the sleep number 360 smart bed is on sale now. only from sleep number. archbishop desmond tutu ones of our nation's finest patriots. he was a man of unwavering courage, of principled conviction, and whose life was spent in the service of others. he, in many ways, embodied the essence of our humanity. >> south african president cyril ramaphosa there paying tribute to his countryman archbishop desmond tutu who died on sunday. since then, tributes to the nobel prize winning anti-apartheid activist have been pouring in. ramaphosa says flags will be flown at half-staff in south africa and that diplomatic missions around the world. information on the archbishop's funeral service will be announced in the coming days. all right. let's bring in our larry madowo now. he joins us live from nairobi, kenya. larry, so many notable figures coming out to pay their tributes to this human rights icon. a real reflection of his status around the world. >> reporter: and that's what president ramaphosa of south africa said. that south africa -- really global bereavement and you see tributes coming from kings, queens, prime ministers, presidents, and royalty. and everyone in between, from the dalai lama to the pope to the queen of england, prince harry and meg meghan. and prime ministers, president of kenya, africa. all these people are mourning who they consider one of the greatest africans to have lived. a tireless, tireless voice for the voiceless and somebody who spoke out against injustice wherever they saw it and that is why you saw these people. president obama described him as his moral compass and a friend. the dalai lama said they enjoyed a long friendship. remember back in 2015 when they spent some time together and praying for his family that he has left behind. and this is kind of truly the testament to the work of desmond tutu that cut across the world and so many people he inspired in every corner of the globe. >> yeah, absolutely. in terms of official plans to commemorate him, they still haven't announced the -- the official funeral arrangements as i said but do we know any more about how south africa is planning to commemorate him? >> to hear a bit more about what south africa will do. we know south africa is now in national mourning. flags are to fly at half mast across south africa and embassies abroad. and south africa has began to release some details and the family also releasing some details. for instance, cathedral in cape town where he preached for many years, they will be ringing bells for ten minutes every day and the archbishop of cape town has asked those who hear the bells tolling to pause their busy schedules and to pay tribute to remember the work of archbishop desmond tutu. the arch, as they called him. for instance, some key sites in cape town in remembrance of him. we are now starting to hear from the tutu legacy foundation that they are planning a funeral service on new year's day on 1st january, 2022. and from friday, he will lie in state again at the cathedral will people can come pay respects to him as a final sendoff for him. they are also planning a memorial service later this week and which will be held in collaboration with the arch diocese of pretoria. so, a few more details and they are saying they expect to announce a few more in the days ahead. >> so many people around the world touched by his life. larry madowo, thanks so much. and as bhengz mentioned, tributes to the late archbishop are pouring in from around the world. the u.s. president reacted to the news in a statement writing in part, his courage and moral clarity helped inspire our commitment to change american policy towards the repressive apartheid regime in south africa. his legacy transcends borders, and will echo throughout the ages. in a tweet, former-u.s. president barack obama called tutu a mentor, a friend, and a moral compass for me and so many others. a message from the vatican says, pope francis was quote saddened to learn of the death of archbishop desmond tutu. and he offers his heartfelt condolences to his family and loved ones. mindful of his service, the gospel through the promotion of racial equality and reconciliation in his native south africa and britain's queen elizabeth wrote i remember with fo fondness my meetings with him and his great warmth and human ever. archbishop tutu's loss will be felt by the people of south africa and so many people in great britain, northern i-ireland and across the commonwealth where he was held in such high affection and esteem. archbishop tutu was 90 years old. in the coming hour, we will have more on his legacy and global reaction to his death. hey hun hey, get your own vapors relax with vicks vapobath or with vicks vaposhower. take a soothing vicks vapo moment wherever you chose. is now a good time for a flare-up? enough, crohn's! for adults with moderate to severe crohn's or ulcerative colitis, stelara® can provide relief, and is the first approved medication to reduce inflammation on and below the surface of the intestine in uc. you, getting on that flight? back off, uc! stelara® may increase your risk of infections, some serious, and cancer. before treatment, get tested for tb. tell your doctor if you have an infection, flu-like symptoms, sores, new skin growths, 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is causing massive disruptions to holiday plans. u.s. airlines cancelled more than 1,500 flights sunday, as staff and crew continue to call ott outsick with covid infections. meanwhile, two cruise ships returned to florida after several passengers and crew members tested positive for covid despite all adults being fully vaccinated. and a holland america cruise ship was forced to return to san diego after 21 of its crew members tested positive for covid. now, while some u.s. teens have been vaccinated for so long, they are now eligible for a covid-19 booster, children under the age of 5 still haven't gotten their first shots and now setbacks in vaccine trials for that age group could push shot force them back into well into 2022. health experts are concerned about the mental health toll the pandemic is taking on children. >> i'm so concerned about our children because there is an epidemic, if you will, of mental health challenges that they have been facing and it's partly because of the pandemic. we have seen, certainly, that many children have lost loved ones during this pandemic. 140,000 kids lost a caregiver. we know their lives have been turned upside down. they haven't been able to see friends as often as they would and that's taken a toll. >> dr. jeffrey is a clinical psychologist and associate professor at college of ots on about yosteopathic medicine and joins me from new york. christmas holidays are even in normal circumstances, a tough time of year for many people of all ages for many different reasons and here we are, second holiday season in a row. many of us living under some form of covid restrictions, whether official or self-imposed. i know so many people who thought hey i'm vaccinated, i got the booster. so they plan to -- to get together with friends and family. and many of those plans have now just fallen apart. so, how extra hard will this holiday season be do you think this year? >> i think a lot of people are very frustrated with what's going on. they felt probably by this time, especially during the holiday season, that we would have gotten over the hump, if you will, with regard to covid-19. and now, with the omicron variant, a lot of people are very upset. they're feeling like that this will never come to an end and it's been a real downer for a lot of people, especially when you see all the flights that are being cancelled in the u.s. and around the world. people are really feeling frustrated right about now. >> yeah. just so -- so -- you know, depressing because, um, you know, the end seemed in sight, right? normalcy, even if we had made allowances for the so-called new normal, it was all, you know, so cruelly snatched away by omicron as you mentioned. and then, as i said in the intro, young people facing even more issues with vaccine delays for the younger kids. we know from studies that covid isolation, remote learning, and other factors have had a huge impact on -- on so many young people. and now, they face going gothroh this again, in some places including my home prorchs of quebec, kids will start the year out of classes in remote learning so this could be really detrimental to their mental health, right? >> yeah, absolutely. we know that with regard to the pandemic, k through 12 student learning was significantly impacted. we're talking about, on average, five months behind in mathematics and reading and certainly not learning the interpersonal skills that they needed. not having the camaraderie, especially growing up in this age group. so, many of them, once they were back in school, were really very happy about that with the in-person learning and so i have talked to a lot of kids who have said, wow, here we go again. and they don't like working from home as some of the adults do and older persons, like myself actually who like working from home. they need that face-to-face interaction. they need that energy. so, it's been really tough for students but it's been really tough for the younger generation. >> yeah, absolutely. and of course, if people are struggling, you know, they should seek professional help. but i heard anecdotally from some mental health practitioners that because of demand, because of the challenges posed by some people not being able to do in-person visits, that getting access to mental health services has been a problem? >> from what i hear from my colleagues, they have been booked solid with regard to people coming in, especially around issues of anxiety and depression. where we've learned that four in ten adults, for example, in the u.s. -- but i'm sure in many parts of -- of the world, including the great canada -- have reported symptoms where they felt that they just could not get some of the online or certainly the in-person attention that they needed. so, there certainly has been a backlog with regard to mental health services, which makes this whole situation around covid-19 even more frustrating. >> so, finally, this is -- this is a very broad question. but, you know, what advice do you have for people who are struggling with the isolation, with the issue of feeling like this is just never ending? >> well, they need to be realistic. we're -- we're going to be going through this for quite a while, evidently. there will most likely be more variants out there. but we are becoming habituated to it. but at the same time, we shouldn't get used to it to the point of where we're not keeping our guard up. we should have our social distancing. people should get their boosters, of course. but more than anything else, we are learning the importance of even though there is social distancing, um, it's important to stay connected even if it means doing it online. calling people on the telephone. being able to talk about what their issues are. and what you talked about earlier -- as much as possible, getting that checkup from the neck up, if you will, especially for, um, employees, especially for students so that they can talk to someone as to what this is all about. and what they need to do to empower themselves to continue the good fight against covid-19. >> yeah, very important advice if you are facing issues, talk to somebody about it. there are resources out there. thank you so much for your time, doctor, really appreciate it. >> pleasure, thank you. and if you are worried about a friend or loved one or would like emotional support, the u.s. national suicide hotline is 1-800-273-talk. again, that number is 1-800-273-8255 in the u.s. and for international resource, head to save.org. mental health issues may be behind a security scare at windsor castle in the uk. police arrested a 19-year-old man after he reportedly broke into the castle grounds on christmas morning. while searching him, police say they also found a crossbow. officials say he has been detained under the mental health act and is in the care of medical professionals. queen elizabeth and other members of the royal family were inside the castle celebrating christmas when he was arrested. all right. for more, we are joined by cnn's salma abdelaziz in london. shocking event there, salma, what more do we know about the incident? >> reporter: truly shocking but we understand that security services acted within moments of this individual, this 19-year-old man, entering the grounds of windsor castle. we understand that surveillance footage and security teams immediately detected him, that he was not able to trespass on any buildings actually on the grounds of windsor castle. although he made it into the grounds, he was call -- rather, the police were called to those grounds at 8:30 a.m. on saturday morning. christmas morning. it was tim's valley police and metropolitan police, so two police forces there which immediately detained the man. 19 years old from southampton. we understand he was carrying a weapon but we later found out that weapon was a crossbow as you mentioned in your lead there. so, we do understand now that he has gone under mental health assessment, this 19-year-old man, and that he is in the safe custody of authorities. and of course, the queen and her family are safe and well. but yes, indeed, a shocking incident on christmas day. although, the authorities acted quickly, and again, there are concerns here about potential mental health issues. now, the queen is not normally -- not traditionally at windsor castle for christmastime but she was this year. she had her plans cancelled. she generally goes to her estate in norfolk but she did in not go this year due to abundance of caution, the spread of the omicron variant. so bit of concern there about the queen but all for now at least appears that man is now in custody and getting the help that he needs with the authorities. >> salma, you mentioned the queen. let's turn to the queen's christmas message. even more poignant this year. take us through what she said. >> reporter: the deeply personal message this year, kim. generally, the queen uses the christmas message as a way to kind of wrap up the year, talk about the events of the year. but this year was different. she lost her husband, of course, prince philip at the age of 99 in april this year. so, this was an extremely personal moment, in which she was able to share her grieving, her mourning, her suffering. take a listen. >> christmas can be hard for those who have lost loved ones. this year, especially, i understand why. but for me, in the months since the death of my beloved philip, i have drawn great comfort from the warmth and affection of the many tributes to his life and work from around the country, the commonwealth, and the world. >> reporter: now, there is some symbolism, as there always is, with the queen in that video message. she is wearing the she weer during her honeymoon in 1947. you can see that image, the picture in the frame of the two together that is from her diamond jubilee. so a lot of meaningful symbols there in that video message, as well. she didn't touch quite as much on covid, only a brief mention that it had disturbed our lives once more. but really wanted this message, which she personally chooses along with the help of her assistants and staff, she chooses the words to this message. she obviously wanted it to be a deeply personal one. the queen did, of course, spend christmas day with her family, with her loved ones. she was at windsor castle with prince charles and camilla and we understand other relatives there as well. again, her plans to go to the norfolk estate were cancelled. so it was a warm christmas this year, kim. >> salma abdelaziz in london. the president of the democratic republic of congo is strongly condemning an attack on christmas day. at least eight people were killed saturday when a suicide bomber targeted a crowded bar as people gathered to celebrate the holiday. a government spokesman says 20 others were wounded. negotiations on reviving the iran nuclear deal will resume in austria in the coming hours. according to iran's state media, the country's foreign minister doesn't find the position of some european countries constructive to the talks. negotiations have made little progress since they resumed earlier-this month after a five-month pause. the head of iran's atomic energy organization told russian media that tehran doesn't intend to enrich uranium beyond the 60% level, even if sanctions aren't lifted. all right. after the break, from tom brady winning a seventh super bowl to athletes kamg paining for melgt mentle health awareness, it has been an eventful year in the world of sport. we will look back at the top stories of 2021. plus, snow is making travel difficult in the western u.s. and in nevada, it caused a massive pileup. we will have details ahead. stay with us. ob's dry cough? works on that too, and lasts 12 hours. 12 hours?! who studies that long? mucinex dm relieves wet and dry coughs. everyone needs health insurance. covered california is making sure more people can get it. new federal funding of $3 billion is available to help more californians get covered. julie and bob are paying $700 less every month. dee now gets comprehensive coverage with no monthly premium and the navarros are paying under $100 per month. check coveredca.com to see your new lower price. covered california, this way to health insurance. enroll by december 31st. ♪ 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 still hoping to may a new opponent on friday. mean while, the military bowl has been cancelled and the fenway bowl in boston is also called off. and in the english premiere league, a couple matches scheduled for tuesday ha v been postponed. the league says arsenal will take on hampton another time due in part to covid issues on the wolves' squad. match between leeds and the villa will be rescheduled. at least 15 matches have been rescheduled or post toned due to covid issues. the pandemic brought sports to a grinding halt in 2020 but 2021 saw athletes back on courts and fans back in the stadiums and arenas. and as always, 2021 was a year in which sport stars made headlines on and off the field. cnn's andy scholes shares his top ten sports stories of 2021. >> reporter: number ten. in 2021, age proved to be just a number. 50 years old, phil mickelson becoming the oldest golfer ever to win a major, earning his second pga championship 16 years after his first. this was phil's sixth major title. first since 2013. >> it is very possible that this is the last tournament i ever win. but there is no reason why i or anybody else can't do it at a later age. it just takes a little bit more work. >> reporter: number nine. tom brady, meanwhile, looks like he may never age. >> 43-year-old tom brady wins an historic seventh title in his first season with a new team. >> reporter: brady leading the buccaneers to a convincing 31-9 win over the chiefs. the bucs the first team ever to win a super bowl in their home stadium. brady and the team celebrating with a boat parade that saw him completing yet another pass out on the water. >> oh, wow. >> reporter: 2021 was the year of the bucs. milwaukee also claiming their first nba title since 1971. giannis antetokounmpo capping off an incredible playoff run becoming the finals' mvp. >> major league baseball is moving its all-star game out of georgia because of the state's new law that critics say suppresses voting. >> reporter: in april, major league baseball pulled the all-star game from atlanta. in october, atlanta hosted the world series and pulled off one of the most unexpected runs in baseball history beating the astros to win their first world series title in 26 years. the team's unlikely championship coming in the same year that the world lost braves' legend hank aaron who patsed away at 86 years old. number seven. ncaa march madness, the biggest tournament in college basketball for women. this is our weight room. let me show y'all the men's weight room. >> the ncaa admitting failing the women in providing facilities for the ncaa tournament last march and vowed to do better after being cancelled in 2020, march madness was back in 2021. but it wasn't the same with limited fans and men's tournament taking place solely in indiana. the women's, in texas. >> i am not a racist. i don't -- i can't tell ya how sick i am. >> breaking overnight. john gruden stepping down as head coach of the nfl's las vegas raiders hours after "the new york times" reported on homophobic, misogynistic, and racist remarks that he made in e-mails over a seven-year period. >> the e-mails discovered during probe into workplace misconduct within the washington football organization. after resigning, gruden filing a lawsuit against the nfl accusing the league of selectively leaking his e-mails to ruin his reputation. >> reporter: number five. vaccinations in sports were a polarizing topic. >> yeah, i have been immunized. >> superstar quarterback aaron rodgers defending his controversial comments where he raised doubts about the covid vaccine after he tested positive for covid. aels addressed when he lied and claimed he was immunized. >> i misled some people about my status which i take full responsibility of. >> reporter: rogers missed one game for the packers while battling covid. >> golf legend tiger woods hospitalized right now after a very serious rollover car crash. >> reporter: golf legend tieg words is in the hospital right now after having to be cut out of his vehicle. >> i am lucky to be alive but also still have the limb. um, that -- those are two crucial things. >> reporter: nearly ten months after the crash, tiger hosted his golf tournament in the bahamas and said he continues to make progress in his recovery. and in december, he surprised many by competing in a tournament with his 12-year-old son charlie. number three. despite the pandemic and calls to cancel the games, the tokyo 2020 olympics taking place without spectators in most venues and it was another historic games for team usa. >> the most decorated u.s. traj trak and field olympian ever. allyson felix secured that title at the tokyo summer games. >> it is an historic moment for team usa. >> suni lee wins gold. >> katie ledecky basking in the glory of having made olympic history like again and again and again. number two. a big theme in 2021 was athletes continuing to campaign for meantli mental health awareness. >> sorry. >> no, you're supergood. >> okay. i think we are just going to take a quick break. just, we'll be back in one moment. >> naomi osaka revealing press conferences give her anxiety and she had dealt with depression since winning her first u.s. open title. the four time grand slam winner powelling out of both wimbledon and u.s. open to work on her mental health. and number one. major breaking news out of the olympic. we just learned simone biles has pulled out of the team competition. >> at the end of the day, we are not just entertainment. we're humans and there are things going on behind the scenes that we are also trying to juggle with as well. >> a spotlight on mental health showing the world no matter who you are, even if you are superwoman, it's okay oh not feel og. she is going to go down as one of the greatest ever for the impact she had. she took the bronze medal on the balance beam. from terrible snow in the west, to record-warm temperatures in the south, we will go to cnn weather center for the latest on conditions across the u.s., ahead, stay with us. with mucinex all-in-one you've got powerful relief from your worst cold and flu symptoms. so when you need to show your cold who's boss, grab mucinex all-in-one... and get back to your rhythm. ♪ the relief you need. the cash you want. at least 18 people are dead and dozens more hurt as heavy floods hit eastern brazil. officials say thousands have been displaced and left homeless in bahia state. rain is possible through tuesday raising the threat of more flooding and landslides. stefano pozzebon reports on the crisis from neighboring colombia. >> reporter: torrential rains and floods left more than a dozen deaths and hundreds of injured in the northeastern brazilian state of bahia over the weekend. bahia is one of brazil's poorest states and the region had been suffering from a drought in the year so far. the state's governor said to reporters that tens of cities have been impacted by the catastrophic damage caused by the floods. >> translator: this is a massive tragedy. i can't remember seeing anything like this in bahia in recent history given the amount of cities and houses involved. it is truly terrifying. there are so many houses and streets that are completely under water. >> the state civil protection agency says at least 16,000 people have been left homeless and thousands more displaced. the local meteorological service is forecasting even more rain through monday and tuesday. potentially, inflicting even more damage on the population already impacted by the disaster. for cnn, this is stefano pozzebon, bogota. white-out conditions led to a 20-car pileup in nevada. just have a look at this scene here. the wintery-weather mix sunday morning made it a nightmare for drivers. i mean, you can barely see anything there. truckee meadows fire and rescue said conditions were extreme with 50-mile-per-hour winds. three people were taken to the hospital. the national weather service in reno said today is the type of day to just stay home if you can. more snow expected in the area. all right. joining me now is meteorologist pedram javaheri. pedram, as if all the cancelled flights because of covid aren't causing enough trouble, bad weather might cause even more travel chaos, so what and where are you looking at right now? >> it's right across that same area. the western united states, as incredible as it gets with the -- the persistent amount of snowfall and rainfall we have seen in recent days and i counted parts of at least 13 states across the western half of the united states where winter-weather alerts are in place. and we are talking about significant amounts of snow coming down across portions of the sierra, across the work your way toward the rockies, even toward the cascades and the olympic mountains the northwestern united states. significant amounts of snow in place. and you will notice, into southern california, one of the wetter spots in the u.s. into los angeles and points just to the south, so really speaks to how wet across that region has been and more on that momentarily. but notice this. lot of cold air to be had, as well, as we head in toward the new year. seattle average temperature is around 46. they will struggle to get out of the 20s over the next several days and before it is all said and done, maybe get a couple more shots of snow showers. they had some on sunday and another round possible thursday and maybe even a mix on new year's day going into saturday. so plenty of snowfall potentially in store there. but you will notice, into southern california, that is where the impressive amount of rainfall has been in place. portions of california have seen rainfall 14 of the first 26 days in the month of december. los angeles, the average, about 2.5 inches of rainfall in the month of december. almost 200% of normal has come down in southern california and another round in store here in monday and again all of that on the colder end of things. while on the eastern half the united states, it is all about the excessive warmth. get this, upwards of nearly 200 more record highs and even warm record lows possible there from today through at least friday for really the southern tier of the u.s. look at these temperatures, kim. temps running 20 degrees above average in atlanta where it should be in the 60s in new orleans, they will be in the 80s. even houston, 80s for the forecast where the 60s are normal this time of year. >> yeah, i was checking out that map in disbelief. so incredibly warm here in atlanta, where we are. pedram javaheri, thank you so much. appreciate it. ft. meyers, florida, where all eyes are on a pair of bald eagle eggs expected to hatch soon. parents spent more than a month guarding and incubating the eggs. right now, the mother harriet is doing her part. on sunday, a small crack appeared on one of the eggs. the first sign of a hatching. well, everyone's friendly neighborhood spider man is now a friendly neighborhood billionaire. spidey's latest outing spider-man no way home has crossed $1 billion at the global box office. tom holland stars as peter parker who is tasked with saving the multiverse from super villains spanning the character's nearly 20 year film history. no way home is the first film to reach the billion dollar mark since 2019's "star wars" the rise of sky walker and it's the second largest domestic opening of all time. all right. that wraps this hour of "cnn newsroom." thank so much for watching. i'm kim brunhuber. our news continues with max foster, next. feeling sluggish or weighed down? it could be a sign that your digestive system isn't working at it's best taking metamucil everyday can help. metamucil psyllium fiber, gels to trap and remove the waste that weighs you down. it also helps lower cholesterol and slows sugar absorption to promote healthy blood sugar levels. so you can feel lighter and more energetic metamucil. support your daily digestive health. and try metamucil fiber thins. a great tasting and easy way to start your day. new vicks vapostick. strong soothing vapors... help comfort your loved ones. for chest, neck, and back. it goes on clear. no mess just soothing comfort. try new vicks vapostick. want to save on your home internet? xfinity is proud to support the emergency broadband benefit program. for a limited time, you may be eligible to qualify for a credit of up to $50 a month toward your internet service through this program. that's right! you could qualify for a credit of up to $50 a month toward your internet service and equipment. for even more value, switch to xfinity mobile, and you could pay as little as $15 a month for wireless. click, call, or visit a store to learn more. hello and warm welcome to our viewers in the united states and all around the world. i'm max foster in london. just ahead on "cnn newsroom." >> and possibly even february we are going to see a spike in cases. >> this is just one of the most stressful and discouraging times for us in the hospital. >> all that we're asking for in return is for people to take a damn shot. >> we have the power today to have an impact on tomorrow. >> the omion