would have predicted us we are in the position we're in now, which is entering year three. >> it's clearly not enough. if we had known we would have gone harder, quicker. >> the virus is playing games with us. >> amid the omicron surge, the cdc recommends shortening the isolation time. but is it the right decision? with more americans flocking to testing sites across the country, president biden reassures state officials more covid tests are coming. and police officers are under scrutiny after body cam footage shows the moments before a 14-year-old girl was killed while shopping. ♪ >> announcer: live from london, this is "cnn newsroom" with max foster. it is tuesday, december the 28th. despite a surge in covid cases in the u.s., the centers for disease control is issuing a new set of guidelines to shorten the isolation time for people who test positive for the virus. the cdc now recommends people can stop isolating after five days rather than ten. if they don't have symptoms and they wear a mask another five days. experts say transmission usually happens early in the course of the illness, a day or two prior to symptoms, and two to three days after. >> it just makes sense if you keep them out for five days, keep them isolated for five days, then get them back doing their job, doing their work, keeping a mask on to protecting themselves from infecting other individuals. >> well, the guidance comes as the number of covid cases continues to rise quickly. the u.s. is now averaging nearly 200,000 new infections every day, and the new guidelines for recovery apply to both the vaccinated and the unvaccinated. >> the thing that concerns me, as you said, is that this covers not just the vaccinated and asymptomatic, but also the unvaccinated. and i feel like we already saw in may what happens when we see, hey, the vaccinated can go without a mask, but the unvaccinated need to wear it. well, nobody wore masks after that point. and my worry here is that we're going to be having a bunch of folks who are still infectious out and about unmasked, spreading the virus further. >> experts agree that access to testing is one of the keys to keeping the spread of covid in check, and the biden administration admits it has work to do in making more tests and testing sites available. >> how tough it was for some folks to get a test this weekend shows we have more work to do. it's not enough. it's clearly not enough. if we had known we would have gone harder quicker if we could have. we have to do more. we have to do better, and we will. >> testing is in much greater demand as people are traveling for the holidays and spending time with their families. you can see the long line of cars here at the site in dallas, texas. miami sites were also overwhelmed. one official says his health care system is seeing more than 50,000 daily tests across the state of florida. >> what we're seeing is just the volumes are coming through and it's a higher degree of volume, so that is volume that would have happened anyway because of the holidays. i just think with the rapid spread of omicron, it's also created a little bit of panic. so, but people are doing the right thing. they're at least going out and seeking a test. >> the omicron variant is also causing big problems for the airline industry. more than 1,000 u.s. flights were canceled on monday following a wave of cancellations over the weekend. many passengers find themselves stranded after christmas, just wanting to get home. cnn's shimon prokupecz has more from new york. >> reporter: more than 13 flights canceled and hundreds more expected on tuesday as airlines try to keep up with crew members and pilots calling out sick because of the coronavirus. they're moving crews around trying to get passengers home after the holiday weekend, which saw thousands more cancellations. of course, all of this coming as the omicron virus continues to spread through the country. the big question that was asked of dr. fauci, if passengers should be vaccinated, should there be a mandate for passengers to be vaccinated? here's what he said. >> everything that comes up as a possibility, we put it on the table and we consider it. that does not mean that it is going to be likely to happen. right now i don't think people should expect that we're going to have a requirement in domestic flights for people to be vaccinated. when i was asked that question, i gave an honest answer. it's on the table. >> reporter: with the new cdc guidelines, shortening the amount of time people need to quarantine or isolate because of the coronavirus, that could potentially help airlines ease some of the staffing shortages they now have. shimon prokupecz, cnn, new york. >> dr. fauci's thoughts on airline vaccine mandates appeared on another network and seemed to express a different opinion. here he is saying it might be a wise thing to do on u.s. flights. >> when you make vaccination a requirement, that's another incentive to get more people vaccinated. if you want to do that with domestic flights, i think that's something that seriously should be considered. >> meanwhile, the association of flight attendants is criticizing the cdc's new guidance to reduce isolation and quarantine times for people with asymptomatic cases. the great worry is that airlines are more concerned about keeping passengers happy than keeping employees safe. here's what the president had to say about the new guidance. >> we want to know that the airlines are then, and the rest of corporate america, is focused on public health and safety, and make sure that they have supportive policies that help workers understand that they have the right not to have to come back to work if the airline is calling them. delta airlines announced right away after the cdc guidance they didn't have any kind of public health measure. what they said is this is going to give delta more flexibility to schedule crews. we're concerned that is going to put workers in a bad position of whoozing whether to stay home and be safe and take measures for public health or be forced to come to work and feel like they're going to lose their job if they don't. >> she said sick travelers are getting flight crews sick and vaccine mandates would help them stay safe. traveling during the pandemic means plans could be disrupted at any point. expert travel tips put you at ease if you experience unexpected delays. first, avoid getting trapped at the airport. check your flight status at the hotel or at home. if you're already at the airport, speak with the agent to fooit find ou-- find out if yout is rescheduled. airlines may have different policies on this. and finally, be open to rescheduling your trip because you may be eligible for free flight changes without penalty. you can find these tips and more on our website, cnn.com. the u.s. national football league says 106 players have tested positive for covid-19 since christmas. the nfl reported ten positive tests over the weekend. a whopping 96 additional cases on monday. meanwhile, the national basketball association shortened its required quarantine time for vaccinated players and coaches who test positive. they will only spend six days in isolation, down from the previous ten days. and in the national hockey league, at least three more games have been called off due to covid issues. that brings a total to 70 games postponed this season because of the pandemic. and in american college football, the arizona bowl has been canceled after covid-19 issues forced boise state to withdraw. boise's scheduled opponent central michigan will now play in the sun bowl, taking the place of the university of miami who also had to withdraw because of covid issues. bulls running meanwhile on wall street and the s&p 500 has hit a new record high. the dow climbed to 352 points on nearly 1% on monday. the tech-heavy nasdaq and broader s&p gained 1.4%. a report from nascar shows u.s. retail sales soared over the past two months. u.s. futures have been in and out of positive territory overnight, trading in europe about an hour ago in asia-pacific markets moved into positive territory as well. in europe, authorities -- china, rather, authorities are racing to contain a growing outbreak in the city of xian. 150 military medics have been deployed to help local hospitals in the city which recorded 175 new infections on monday. while small compared to other countries, that's the highest daily count in any chinese city since march 2020. cnn's steven zhang joins us now from beijing. are they trying different methods to contain the virus in xhen? >> reporter: well, they are sticking to what they know. the fast spread of omicron variant outside the chinese borders really have further convinced the authorities here the effectiveness of their zero covid policy. in xi 'an, they are putting on brave face saying alarming numbers are to be expected as they continue to conduct multiple rounds of city-wide testing for 13 million residents. but state media has quoted experts here as saying these numbers will soon stabilize and start decreasing, and this outbreak could be over in a month because the spread of the virus is being stopped as the city continues to be placed under a strict lockdown with local officials saying that what the city needs right now is to come to a complete stand still with most residents confined to their homes, that is actually the best form of protection. as you mentioned, flight disruptions around the world has come under a spotlight. but here in this country that has become quite part of the new normal for travelers. in xi'an, the aviation hub handling more than 31 million passengers last year. but since last week, all domestic flights have been canceled, terminals abandoned since then. max? >> steven, thank you. one method being carried out there, other methods elsewhere. the effectiveness of a second round of covid boosters is underway in israel. workers are getting a fourth shot to see if it will help contain the spread of the omicron variant there. a panel of experts recommended the second booster last week. the final approval is still pending. elliott gotkin has the details. >> reporter: it's another shot in the arm. this, says the chief of medical center, is the first time in the world healthy subjects are receiving a fourth shot of covid vaccine. >> i don't feel much as a guinea pig. my own immunity has dropped below the threshold and, therefore, not only am i myself exposed, potentially exposed to the omicron, but more importantly, i might be a potential hazard to my heart transplant patient i take care of. >> reporter: his colleagues, all of whose antibody levels have also dropped, were lining up to play their part in this trial to show if a fourth shot of the pfizer vaccine is safe and effective. among the first of 150 health workers just outside tel aviv to receive the fourth dose of the vaccine. it is a much publicized rollout of the fourth vaccine. that is what prime minister naftali bennett seems to want. he recommended additional panel. the health ministry's director general has yet to scientific it off. some health experts remain unconvinced. >> i didn't think that it's right, right now at this moment. it may change in a week, you know. it depends on what we see is happening in england, what's happening right now here. if we see that there's more severe disease, maybe it will be correct. i think that's why it's so important to start a research as soon as possible. >> reporter: initial results from the study are expected by the end of the week, by which time israel's rising caseload will likely be even heavier. >> elliott joins me now from jerusalem. it doesn't seem to be the same sort of vaccine hesitancy in israel as there are in other countries. is that a fact? is that helpful to the authorities there? >> reporter: well, we're talking there in that report about health workers, so i guess they're probably among the keenest to be vaccinated. the panel of coronavirus experts recommended, the second booster for over 60s and health workers. there is still a degree of vaccine hesitancy. if you look at the overall figures for the number of people in israel, out of the total population that have received their third shot, which is what is required to be deemed to be, you know, properly vaccinated here, we're still talking about half the population. when it comes to two shots, about two-thirds. israel is no longer a world leader in terms of overall shots. but if you look at the amount of population that's had three shots, it is a leader. there is a bit of less hesitancy in terms of the booster, but overall i think vaccine hesitancy is probably as much of an issue here as it is in other countries. it is still especially with regards to children, only about 15% or so of children have been vaccinated so far, and the government very keen to boost that number as well as the adults unvaccinated or yet to have their booster shots. max? >> elliott in jerusalem, thank you very much indeed. still to come, california authorities are investigating after a police officer's stray bullet killed a teenage girl. ahead, body cam footage of the moments leading up to that tragedy. and a colorado judge is scheduling a hearing to reconsider the 110-year sentence for a truck driver convicted in a fatal crash. we'll have the details ahead. 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. blendjet's holiday sale is on now for the #1 gift this holiday season, the blendjet 2 portable blender. it packs the power of a big blender on the go, and it crushes right through ice. just drop in your favorite ingredients, even frozen fruit, and make a smoothie any time, anywhere. blendjet cleans itself. just add a drop of soap, water, and blend. recharge quickly with any usb port. order now on blendjet.com and get our best deal ever! tony here from creditrepair.com taking to the streets to talk about credit. can you repair your credit yourself? 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(swords clashing) -had enough? -no... arthritis. here. aspercreme arthritis. full prescription-strength? reduces inflammation? thank the gods. don't thank them too soon. kick pain in the aspercreme. this is the scene after a leer jet crashed in san diego, california. firefighters say they haven't found any survivors. it is unclear how many people were on board. the federal aviation administration and the national transportation safety board are handling the investigation. in colorado, at least five people are dead including a suspect after a killing spree across the city of denver. police say the suspected shooter opened fire at four different locations on monday evening. three people were killed before police identified the suspect's vehicle and pursued him. the suspect opened fire on police, and then tried to run away on foot. after shooting an officer, the suspect was killed at the scene by officers. so far the motive for the shootings is unknown. now a warning. the next story contains images that may be hard to watch. they lead to a deadly shooting of a teenage girl by los angeles police. the 14-year-old was in a store dressing room when her mother -- with her mother when a stray bullet passed through the wall. police were aiming at an assault suspect who had been attacking women at the store. cnn's kim law picks up the story. >> reporter: this video is from the perspective of the los angeles police department. it was released so that people in the community could understand what responding officers were arriving to. there were reports of multiple reports of a possible shooting happening inside a store, so the l.a.p.d. released 911 call, store surveillance video and body cam footage video. we want to warn you the video you are about to see may be upsetting. in the store surveillance video you see a man acting erratically and randomly attacking one of the women. he strikes her multiple times, pulling her by her hair and then strikes her until she is bloody. officers enter the store. they see the injured woman as well as the attacker, and then they fired. >> slow down, slow down. >> she's bleeding, she's bleeding. >> reporter: one of the bullets fired by one of the officers skipped off the floor and went through the drywall into a dressing room where 14-year-old valentina peralta was there, hiding with her mother, hugging her mother and praying, according to her family. the l.a.p.d. did not recover a gun from this attacker. kuehne lah, cnn, los angeles. >> the teen was from chile. they told local media she was in the u.s. studying to become a resident. the uncle said he feels dead inside. >> translator: they took away her american dream. they took this girl's american dream away. everyone fled the dressing rooms and unfortunately the bullet caught her while she was hugging her mum and praying. they killed her. they killed her. they're supposed to be the best police department in the world, and they shot her. >> earlier cnn spoke with a former captain of the missouri state highway patrol, vonn johnson weighed in on whether the los angeles police officers acted appropriately. >> what i can see they did to the best of their ability, the rifle was in the front. and i think that officer wanted to be in the front. you hear a supervisor or someone say put the rifle in the front to be more accurate in your encounter with the suspect. you didn't see a bunch of officers firing. i think we see a total of two or three shots. and so i think once they neutralized the subject, they stopped, and so they were working as a team. it is tragic, you know. when i hear that the young lady died in her mother's arms, i have kids, so it is tragic. i think after incidents like this, they'll go back and look at everything and see what could have been done different, if something should have been done different. i do like they were transparent in releasing this video. >> well, the victim's family expected to hold a news conference later today. we'll bring you updates. jury deliberations will resume in the coming hours in the sex trafficking charge of ghislaine maxwell, the long-time companion of jeffrey epstein. jurors have asked for transcripts of witness testimony and the legal definition of enticement, which is part of two of the six charges. the jury had earlier asked for transcripts of testimonies from all four women whose claims form the core of the case against maxwell. cnn legal analyst joey jackson weighs in on what this could mean for the case. >> reporter: i think what the jury wants to do is they want to get it right. one of the notes saying, hey, can we have supplies? we want highlighters. we want a chalk pad. we wanted so many things because i think they're looking at the time line. they're looking at any consistencies or inconsistencies. they're looking at any corroboration with respect to jane, with respect to kate, with respect to ms. fara, right now women, with regard to those allegations and what they were. and do those allegations make up enough of a crime which would constitute miss maxwell being guilty. not mr. epstein, miss maxwell being guilty. i think it's a massive responsibility they have. if i'm the defense, i'm feeling not so bad. >> joey jackson there. maxwell faces up to 70 years in prison if convicted on all six counts including sex trafficking of a minor. she has pleaded not guilty. a colorado judge has now set a hearing for next month to reconsider the 110-year sentence for a truck driver. he was convicted in 2019. a crash that killed four people, cnn's lucy cavanaugh has that. >> reporter: the district attorney alexis king asked the judge to reconsider the 110 year prison sentence, potentially reducing it to 20 or 30 years. she said this was based on the facts of the case as well as conversations with the victims and their families. now, when the court reconvenes next month, it will be an in-person hearing. the judge said he does not want the defendant to testify. maderos was driving 75 miles an hour causing the crash. four people died, others were injured. he was found guilty of several charges including vehicular homicide and vehicular assault. because colorado's mandatory minimum sentencing laws requires sentences for each of those counts to be served consecutively rather than concurrently, he is facing more than a century behind bars. his attorney calling for legal reforms. take a look. >> the law doesn't really distinguish between people like mr. maderos who is not a danger to society, and other people that are sentenced to life that are a danger to society. and i think the law needs to make those kind of exceptions, and understand that there is a difference between mr. maderos and those other kinds of people. >> reporter: this case sparking nationwide attention. nearly 5 million people signing the petition asking the colorado governor to reduce the driver's sentence or to grant him clemency. the governor's office meanwhile telling cnns it reviewing the clemency request. lucy kafanov, denver. in harris county texas, headliner travis scott was performing in the outdoor music concert when a packed crowd charged towards the stage. ten people were killed and hundreds of others were injured there. you are watching "cnn newsroom" live from london. just ahead, covid testing isn't keeping pace with the omicron variant in the u.s., but president biden has plans to fix that. >> this is not like march of 2020, the beginning of the pandemic. we're prepared and we know what it takes to save lives, protect people and keep schools and businesses open. 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. welcome back to "cnn newsroom." i'm max foster. if you're just joining us, let me bring you up to date with our top stories this hour. authorities in china are trying to contain a covid outbreak in the city of xi'an. they recorded the highest number of daily cases in any chinese city since march 2020. and the cdc has updated its recommended covid isolation time. people who test positive can stop isolating after five days instead of ten if they don't have symptoms, they should still wear a mask another five days. the decision comes as covid cases in the u.s. are nearing 200,000 a day, but testing across the country is falling well short of demand, especially during this busy holiday travel season. president joe biden is coming under criticism for not doing enough to address the problem even though he's been talking about it for months. >> every school, every worker, every american should have easy access to regular reliable free testing. after ten months of the pandemic, we still don't have enough testing. we're going to put the full force of the federal government behind expanding testing by launching a covid-19 pandemic testing board. we continue to work on making at-home testing available. from the start, america has failed to do enough covid-19 testing. seeing how tough it was for some folks to get a test this weekend, shows we have more work to do. >> well, president and his administration have plans to ramp up testing. cnn's jeremy diamond has the details. >> reporter: with coronavirus cases skyrocketing across the country and only expected to rise further after the holiday season, president biden on monday huddling with the nation's governors to get on the same page about this coronavirus pandemic and the spread of the omicron variant. the president making clear to governors that he will get them all the support that they need, and he also acknowledged what has become an obvious failure on the testing front to meet the enormous demand we have seen over the holiday season, propelled by this omicron variant. the president, in fact, citing those long lines over christmas weekend that were apparent for all to see, saying that that makes clear that there is still a lot more work to do. at the same time, the president trying to talk about the progress that his administration has made with the response to the pandemic, particularly as it relates to testing, talking about the fact that when he came into office, there were no at-home rapid coronavirus tests approved for use. there are now nine nearly a year into president biden's term in office. ultimately, though, president biden is set to send those 500 million rapid at-home covid tests, those won't hit until early next month. in the meantime, the president signing a memorandum authorizing emergency funding to help the department of health and human services set up more testing centers across the country in partnership with state and local governments. jeremy diamond, cnn, traveling with the president in rehoboth beach, delaware. we are seeing a rise in the number of children hospitalized across the u.s. in new york city, pediatric hospital admissions have jumped nearly five fold over a three-week period. in washington, d.c., nearly half of covid-19 tests at children's national hospital are coming back positive. in chicago, hospitalizations at one facility have quadrupled over the past week. in houston, pediatric hospitals are now bracing for more cases than they've ever seen before. and in cleveland, one pediatric doctor says her hospital system is, quote, waiting on the edge as it prepares for an influx of cases. with the omicron variant spreading and cases surging, health experts warn americans should brace themselves for a tough start to the new year. >> people with covid stay in the hospital an extremely long time. so as cases around here are starting to trend down just a little bit, as we are seeing those test positive rates down in the mid teens than around 30 where they were a couple weeks ago, the hospital numbers are very slowly coming down. we are still scrambling for beds every shift, and we're somewhat terrified about what could happen with omicron. >> people should just brace themselves for a month where lots of people are going to get infected. unfortunately unvaccinated people, people who have not gotten the vaccine are going to end up getting pretty sick. and it 's going to be pretty disruptive. my hope is by the time we get into february and into march, infection numbers will come way down, and it will also start hitting spring, the weather will start getting better and that will also help. that combination means to me late winter, early spring should be much, much better. >> things aren't looking up much here in europe either. countries are imposing new restrictions amid a staggering wave of infections. in italy, officials are battling some of the highest numbers of the pandemic so far, with nearly 55,000 cases reported on christmas alone. for more let's go to cnn contributor barbie nadeau live at a testing site in rome. a similar sort of pressure on testing there that we've seen in other parts of the world? >> reporter: well, you know, actually testing is fairly easy to do here in italy. you've got these sort of pop-up t tents outside of pharmacies in rome and villages. people getting tested not because they feel symptomatic. but because they want to gather with friends on new year's eve or they want to travel. it took a year to get a test here. free testing if you have a prescription from your doctor as well. we're not seeing that sort of pressure whatsoever. we are seeing, though, a lot of new restrictions across continental europe. in italy it is mandatory to wear a mask eating outdoors now, and we've seen so many cancellations, max, from new year's eve. there will be no fireworks in paris, no concert in rome, and we've seen resistance to some of that. in germany there were violent protests against restrictions there with 12 police officers being injured in clashes overnight. so it's just really across the board. every country is handling it a little differently as they go into this holiday -- the next phase of the holiday season with new year's coming up. max? >> it could be, couldn't it, because so many people are testing that the numbers are going up. so that might be skewing the omicron variant numbers slightly. is that a theory? >> reporter: well, you know, you look at the number of positives against the number of swabs. in italy over the weekend, they didn't do very many tests. the positivity rate was over 11%. positivity rate yesterday was around 9%. so that's what they're really looking at. a lot of times on the holiday, people were getting tested before they met for christmas and got together with friends. so you had a lot of tests. christmas day there weren't many tests. now we're seeing tests ahead of new year's because people want to know if they're positive or not, ore maybe they came into contact with someone who was positive. maybe their kids can come home sick with coronavirus. the reasons for testing are very different. you're right, the more tests you do, the more cases you find. but the health authorities all agree that's the way to go. it's better to over test than not test enough, max. >> barbie, thank you. south africans lone erring the late desmond tutu, with glowing tributes and cathedral bells. they will be ringing all week, in fact, in this former cape town parish. funeral details, and russia said some of the troops left the ukraine border. they are still worried about tensions. details on that ahead. you don't know how much pressure you put on your septic system. but rid-x does. in a 21 month study, scientists proved that rid- x reduces up to 20% of waste build up every month. take the pressure off with rid-x. blendjet's 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chaos brought on by the omicron variant keeps growing. more than 2,000 flights canceled today globally, including around 600 in or out of the u.s. that is according to tracking website flight aware. more than 6,000 flights have been canceled globally since christmas eve. now, cape town's city haula wash in purple light in honor of late archbishop desmond tutu, he was well known for his purple clerical robes. a week of mourning is underway across south africa. tutu who won the nobel peace prize for his campaign a against apartheid will be laid to rest new year's day. cnn's larry madowo explains why it will be a large elaborate affair. >> reporter: he will not get a stadium funeral service like nelson mandela. it is because of current restrictions, because of the pandemic in south africa. only 100 people will be allowed for the funeral service at st. george's cathedral in cape town. his ashes will be interred behind the altar in the church once called the people's cathedral during the apartheid struggle. this is in respect of his wishes and in consultation with his widow blair tutu. president visited with his family in cape town and afterwards this is what he had to say. >> if ever there was one person who really promoted social cohesion, it was archbishop desmond tutu. a lot of great things can be said about him. his global status, the love that he was and is being showered with across the various countries in the world just speaks volumes of what he stood for. >> reporter: because of that love that president ramphosa talked about, south africans are asked not to travel across cape town. instead services will be held in parishes and cathedrals. the body of des mourned tutu will lie in state at st. george's cathedral to allow people to pay their respects. beyond the tributes from kings and queens and royalty and leaders from around the world, ordinary people are also remembering him on social media. and one of the quotes really coming through is, if you're neutral in situations of in justice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor. that is why this south african national treasure, african hero and global icon has touched so many lives and will be remembered by so many. larry madowo, cnn, nairobi. >> the white house is tracking reports that russian troops have ended training near the ukraine border and are back at their permanent bases. russia's defense ministry said more than 10,000 military personnel have finished combat training as part of their regular winter military drills. but the troop movement had raised western concerns moscow might be preparing to invade ukraine. for more on this, cnn's nick joins us now from moscow. is it panic over there, nick? >> reporter: i think with a new face of the assessment, have these troops gone back to base. these mobilized infantry units, special units have been on their routine winter training according to the kremlin. the u.s. hasn't said yet in their assessment whether the troops have gone back to base. that leaves the question in the minds of many european leaders at the moment, what about the remaining estimated 70 to 100,000 russian troops that are relatively close to the border of ukraine, sort of the recent concern. what's going to happen to them? are they going to phase down and return to base? is their standard winter training coming to an end as well? so that's sort of on the military side. but on the diplomatic front, we do seem to be headed towards a period of discussions and talks. russian officials are now saying that they are expecting talks with the united states to happen on the 10th of january, and it appears as if talks between russia and nato officials will happen soon after that, a couple of days after that. so, you know, the assessment has to be made, is russia contributing to an air of open and free and forward-moving discussion in these talks that it's been pressing for to make sure nato doesn't allow ukraine to join it, to make sure that nato doesn't expand any further eastward? to make sure nato doesn't base any military equipment and personnel inside ukraine? all these are the main issues of concern for russia at the moment. i think it's just too soon to say. i think that's one of the reasons why we have heard very little comment so far from the white house. but this trajectory of serious military concerns about that buildup remain, but it now has augmented onto it a period of potential diplomacy. max? >> okay, nic in moscow, thank you. talks on reviving the iran nuclear deal resumed on monday in austria. teheran is focused on having sanctions lifted. there are weeks, not months left before the original 2015 deal becomes meaningless. after former u.s. president donald trump pulled washington out of the deal, teheran breached the restrictions and pushed beyond them. coming up, the u.s. is seeing record high and low temperatures from coast to coast. this week's forecasts just ahead. cold coming on? zicam is the #1 cold shortening 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"it's like a savior to me." so you wrote this. - yes. - thank you, edna. - [announcer] don't wait. see if a reverse mortgage is right for you. call now, the number is on your screen. amazing video out of brazil where rescue crews saved 60 people from their homes amid deadly floods. you can see a hole in the roof where this man was pulled to safety. elsewhere, crews used rafts to rescue families from isolated homes as the muddy waters crept higher and higher. to dams in the northeastern state burst due to the flooding which has left at least 18 people dead and hundreds more injured. officials warn more rain could be possible in the coming days, too. now, from extreme cold in the west to unusually warm weather in the southeast, parts of the u.s. are seeing record breaking temperatures this week. cnn meteorologist pedram javaheri has the details for us. >> max, what a way to wrap up 2021 across the united states. the eastern half of the u.s. under excessive warmth that has been in place while the western half of the u.s. the opposite spectrum where record cold temperatures are in place. notice the cold air does want to eventually shift farther and farther toward the east by saturday, new year's day. the eastern third remains above average. we do see a gradual shift toward colder temperatures. my goodness, the cold temperatures have been supporting snowfall. also the cascade mountains, all of which have seen an incredible amount of snow come down. yes, winter weather alerts in parts of 11 states to support all of this. the sierra nevadas, we often talk about this mountain range. we know with the drought situation in california, we know 40% of the state's drinking water comes from sierra snow melt. there's been little of it here to go around in recent decades, of course. in the month of december 94 feet of it has been observed where 179 feet is actually the record there for the month of december, from 1970. so, an historic amount to be had across the area. this round of weather comes in with extremely cold temperatures. look at parts of montana. temperatures running 10 to 20 degrees below zero, besting previous records held from the 1940s and 1960s. even in eastern washington, temperatures dropping off to 11 degrees. and incredibly seattle running well below average as well after a run of snow showers and going to transition to new year's day with a potential of flakes. seattle you might recall in june set a record of 108 or 42 celsius. 90 degree difference in the past 24 hours, dropping off 17 degrees, widest spread of temperatures for the city in one calendar year in recorded history. notice the eastern u.s., warmth, this is running 20 degrees above average, max. and, yes, upwards of almost 200 records could be set across the eastern u.s. before all this warmth is done with. maybe severe weather later in the week as well. max? >> thanks to you, pedram. now, a los angeles woman is facing a federal assault charge after allegedly hitting and spitting on another passenger. the incident occurred on a delta flight two days before christmas. court documents say patricia cornwall was returning from the rest room when the aisle was blocked by flight attendants doing service. she allegedly punched him and spat on his face. delta has put cornwall on the no fly list. if found guilty, she could face one year in prison and up to $100,000 worth of fines. now, a mystery that is lasted 134 years might be solved. officials in richmond, virginia, believe they discovered a time capsule buried beneath the confederate statue from 1887. it's the one they were expecting to find whilst removing a pedestal that supported the statue of robert e. lee. another time capsule was recovered earlier this month, but it was buried by the men who constructed the pedestal. conservators are planning to open the newly discovered capsule on tuesday. they expect to find confederate memorabilia inside if the capsule is authentic. thanks for joining us on "cnn newsroom." i'm max foster in london. 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