with covid. as for adults, hospitalizations are nearing the peaks we saw in september. the spike is in undating medical staff overwhelmed for months. now health officials fear that it will show up at new year's celebrations. tom foreman has the latest on how omicron is derailing holiday plans and travel and much more. >> reporter: the crowd in times square will be held to about a quarter of the usual. masks and proof of vaccination required. latest surge has new york city once again an epicenter of the pandemic. with statewide cases up more than 80% since monday. and the man who becomes mayor tomorrow is vowing to shut the surge down and keep the town open. >> we must learn to live with covid, adjust and pivot at the right times and we're doing that in new york and i'm extremely optimistic on how the city is going to respond. >> clearly new york and washington, d.c. are ahead of the curve. but not by much. and so expect that in the next three to four weeks we'll see everyone really hit with this. >> reporter: the risk of new year's eve celebrations becoming coast to coast superspreaders is for health experts terrifying. >> and i'm really worried that we're going to be in a tidal wave of admissions, particularly for kids in the coming weeks. >> reporter: hospitals in many places are already flooded with patients, even as nurses and doctors fall ill, prompting desperate measures. in new hampshire, yet another federal medical team, the department of defense deploying around the country for months will arrive next week to help with the over load. in oklahoma, the national guard is barring unvaccinated members from joining in drills. in new jersey, princeton you've will delay the return to class by one week in alabama, auburn will require masks whether you're vaccinated or not as pr primary schools hope that masks and testing will keep the virus at bay. >> i think parents have had enough of closures, so let's keep our communities thriving. >> and the call for one critical action is louder than ever before. >> if you have eligible to get vaccinated, please do. there is no better time than now if you haven't already. >> reporter: it is a measure of how tough this is that in the past week 11,000 flights have been canceled so. if you are trying to get home, that is one thing to worry about. and now the federal aviation administration said it's staff is being so effected by positive tests for the virus that they may have to slow things down even for the flights that are taking off just to handle the crowds. brian. >> tom foreman, hard to believe we're stig still talking about this. let's discuss it further with dr. jonathan reiner, a professor of surgery at the george washington school of medicine and health sciences and also a cnn medical analysts and given us so much good information over the past years. you don't think that new york should still hold the times square celebration, you've been clear about that. but what the fact that all of the attendees must be masked and they will be vaccinated and a quarter of number that would orig originally be at an event like this. does this he's any of your concerns that this could become a superspedder event. >> happy new year, brian. look, i think it is better for a celebration to be outside. that is pretty clear. and it is better for the number to be small. but it is not a small number of people that are getting together. i think they're going to have about 15,000 people there which sounds like a reduced number but that is a good sized crowd for madison square garden in a tight footprint. and this virus is extraordinarily contagious and new york is being over run with cases. new york state yesterday had about 70,000 cases. 70,000 cases. and hospitalizations are rising. now there is still some capacity left in new york hospitals but we're in a race now and the race is to see when this peaks in cities like new york or where i live in d.c. and whether that is going to occur before our hospitals are saturated. where i work at the george washington university hospital, cases are rising dramatically. and even if there are still beds and nurses available in the hospital to take care of patients, our emergency rooms are swamped. every day i hear of another taf member or colleague who is out with covid. so it just doesn't seem like we're doing all we can to keep the cases down. and if we were doing that, yeah, we would not have the big mass celebration. we could be smarter. so, i mean, look what is happening in new zealand. new zealand, which has had perhaps the best strategy anywhere on the planet canceled their new year's eve celebration and they have very modest levels in new zealand. we just seem to keep tripping over our own feet. >> you talk about just how infectious this particular variant it and a pathologist at a texas children's hospital said that omicron has reached a level in terms of contagiousness that is now in the same category of measles which is one of the most highly transmissible viruses. in fact, i think we're going to play a sound bite from him. take a listen to this. we don't have that sound, i'm sorry. so just from that perspective, dr. reiner, would you agree that the level of communic ability, of this variant is equal to something like measles. >> at the beginning of this pandemic, now hard to believe almost two years ago, we were all taught, you know, you have a significant exposure if you're within six feet of somebody and in contact with them for more than 15 minutes. all of the rules are out of the window. this is a hyper contagious virus. you can have a very transient encounter with somebody, maybe your mask is a little bit loose, maybe they pulled their mask down a little bit. maybe you've walked into an elevator where somebody has just coughed. this is how you can contract this virus. and it is going to go away. it is going to -- if we follow what is happening in the united kingdom and what happened in south africa, this is probably going to peak in new york and d.c. sometime in the next two to three weeks. and then it will spread throughout the country. but we need to protect our health care enterprises until then. and it is going to be close. you know, because even though it seems like this virus is less virulent and fewer people on a per capita basis are needing hospitalization or advanced care, the denominator is immense. so the united states had about 600,000 cases reported yesterday but so many people are simply testing with rapid tests and none of those are being reported. >> right. >> so the u.s. is probably seeing on average now every day at least a million cases and it is rising. so, you know, look, my sense is that when we're at the hottest point in this pandemic, which is right now, we should be doing what we can to reduce cases. i think it is insane that bars in new york city are open. if you go into have a drink in a bar you're going to come out with the virus. that is just mathematics. >> so you mentioned that about where you see the peak going. but maybe kind of drill down on that with a level of specificity, because we're seeing hospitals in the midwest and northeast and all parts of country under extreme pressure from covid patients. you think the next two to three weeks before we hit the peak of that surge. is there anything that could make it come quicker, that it could tail off or do you think that we're going to have the worse in front of us before it gets better? >> well, i don't think there is anything that could make it come quicker. the concern is that it might take longer. but throughout this pandemic, we've followed the united kingdom very, very closely. and if you look at what is happening in london now, it looks like they may have peaked and have started to decline in london. and if that is the case, then new york should perhaps start to see the same thing in again in the first parts of the middle of january and then t-- and then start to decline rapidly. the problem with this country is we didn't start this omicron wave from zero cases per day. our baseline had sort of leveled off around $50,000 to 60,000 cases per day and we built from that. our hospitals weren't empty. we had about 50,000 people in the hospital, right. so while we still have capacity, a lot of people are getting sick and a small percentage of a very, very large number is a lot of people being hospitalized or needing care. and we cou we could pretend we this go away more than i do but we have to get there and we will get there and for the next few weeks we need to take care of each other and we take care of each other by not getting sick and not stressing our health care system because otherwise we can't take care of heart attacks or strokes or gal badders and that is happening in many parts of the country. crisis medical care in places, in michigan and in rhode island, where elective cases have been held. >> well dr. reiner, hopefully we are not having the same conversation on new year's eve next year and the worse will some day be behind us. we appreciate it. have a happy new year. >> happy new year, ryan. >> a disaster in fast motion. that is how colorado's governor describes the wildfires that forced whole community to evacuate and destroy nearly a thousand homes. we'll take you there after the break. it can all add up. kesimpta is a once-monthly at-home injection... that may help you put these rms challenges in their place. kesimpta was proven superior at reducing the rate of relapses, active lesions, and slowing disability progression vs aubagio. don't take kesimpta if you have hepatitis b, and tell your doctor if you have had it, as it could come back. kesimpta can cause serious side effects, including infections. while no cases of pml were reported in rms clinical trials, it could happen. tell your doctor if you had or plan to have vaccines, or if you are or plan to become pregnant. kesimpta may cause a decrease in some types of 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questions. your acceptance is guaranteed. and this plan has a guaranteed lifetime rate lock so your rate can never go up for any reason. so call now for free information and you'll also get this free beneficiary planner. and it's yours free just for calling. so call now for free information. a state of emergency in colorado. wildfires so far destroying nearly 1,000 homes and forcing about 35,000 residents to evacuate the towns of superior and lewisville, the governor said he doesn't know of any fatalities. hurricane-force winds fueled the wildfires scorching parts of boulder area and giving many residents just minutes to escape. entire homes engulfed in flames. the superior mayor telling cnn he saw homes explode right in front of him. >> it is complete devastation. i was able to tour the area yesterday evening with the town manager and sheriff sergeant and we just witnessed incredible devastation around the town and then also witnessed houses just exploding right before our eyes. it was bun of the most disturbing situations i've ever been in. >> unbelievable. natasha chen joins me now from superior colorado. these pictures are just unbelievable. it is one of the most devastating fires in the state's history and what is even more remarkable is that it came through with almost very little warning. >> reporter: yes, ryan, these people have just minutesed to get out of think homes and in some of the cell phone video, you could barely see ten feet in front of the person. it is a haze of orange and gray debris and ash just raining on them. and it is a frightening moment. they had to take what they could and get out of there. you could see snow flurries in front of me. it was snowing a bit harder earlier which is a good sign. that is a helpful situation to bring more moisture needed in this fight against these flames. behind us is the town of superior where we could earlier today still see some smoke plumes there of hot spots that still exist. here is the governor talking about how fast this came through. >> the other unusual factor is just as the blink of an eye this was a disaster in fast motion, all over the course of half a day. nearly all of the damage, many families having minutes, minutes to get whatever they could, they're pets, their kids into the car and leave. the last 24 hours have been devastating. >> reporter: one person talked to cnn about how she got away in her car. only to have a trash can hit her vehicle as she was trying to drive away. a lot of stories like that and now we're hearing stories of people finding out that they've lost everything. including the university of colorado boulder assistant football coach. he's love every material possession he owns, has to start over completely. real miracle here is so far there are no reported fatalities and if holds, that is a new years miracle. >> thank you for being on the ground in superior colorado. and there could be many relief in store for folks in colorado. there are domminishing winds and as natasha reported there is even snow and that is expected to improve conditions. let's drill in with this on all allison chinchar. tell us about the impact of how it could effect things in colorado. >> moisture is the thing that colorado needs. they are very dry and snow is a form of moisture. so getting some of the snow showers in are likely going to help to bring up the humidity levels an the moisture for the state. now we've got winter weather advisory in purple on the eastern side of the rockies and then the winter storm warning, the pink when you start to get much higher into elevation there. we've got snowe snow showers around the advicin of boulder, superior and even moderate to heavy bands at times. although most of the snow showers have been on the light side. temperatures also big drop in temperatures in the last 24 hours. 32 right now in boulder. just about 37 in denver. again those cooler temperatures, that is why you're seeing that transition into snow. more snow is going to be expected, not only to the evening hours tonight but also even as we go into tomorrow. again, the key thing really is going to be the next couple of hours because by tonight and by saturday, the snow really begins to lighten back up. so the best chance to really bring up a lot of those accumulations is going to be in about the next six to 12 hours. in terms of accumulations, around the boulder area, especially the east and southeastern side where a lot of the communities were ravaged by the wildfires, you're looking at about 8 to 12 inches for the forecast. that does include what is falling now and then what is still expected. higher amounts obviously going to be in the higher elevations. but again at this point, ryan, any little bit helps in terms of what they can and in terms of potentially kind of keeping some of that fire to limit there. however it does make it more difficult for the clean-up efforts in the next couple of days. >> that is true. allison chinchar, thank you. many kid going back to school next we're raising concerns across the country as omicron cases surge. the largest teachers group in massachusetts is even calling for schools to remain closed on monday so that teachers and staff could get tested. i'll have the president of that teachers association to tell me what comes next. plus, the january 6 committee asked the supreme court not to take up the case of former president trump's efforts to keep his white house records secret. we'll have those details ahead. . aspercreme arthritis. full prescription-strength? reduces inflammation? thank the gods. don't thank them too soon. kick pain in the aspercreme. it's a thirteen-hour flight, that's not a weekend trip. fifteen minutes until we board. oh yeah, we gotta take off. you downloaded the td ameritrade mobile app so you can quickly check the markets? yeah, actually i'm taking one last look at my dashboard before we board. excellent. and you have thinkorswim mobile- -so i 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is how the chief pathologist said that variant is spreading. >> this omicron variant has now reached a new level in terms of infection and in terms of contagiousness, it is now in the category of measles, the most highly transmissible viruses known to mankind. we've been vaccinated against measles for a long time, we need to do the same thing with sars cov 2 and the variant. >> reporter: schools go back into session next tuesday. they expect that will be another vector and not just here in texas but across the country. that is a big concern. one specific concern here in texas is that the governor has banned mask mandates in public schools. so everybody is waiting to see what happens there. they believe that they are still climbing, that the cases as sharp as they are rising here will till go up for next couple of weeks. they think mid-january and into february will be the worst of it. texas children's hospital said they are prepared for whatever omicron brings. ryan? >> miguel marquez, thank you so much. let' head to florida and happening now, the broward county public schools are meeting to consider whether adults should wear masks upon return from the winter break. this is after miami-dade county decided that wearing a mask would be mandatory for all adults inside of the school facilities or, excuse me, on our school buses. leyla santiago is outside of the school board meeting with more on that. what are you hearing about this decision? >> reporter: ryan, right now broward county looking into requiring masks for employees, vendors and visitors. when they come back to school next week. and if they move forward with that, they will be one of at least three school districts that are making revisions to their protocols when it comes to covid-19 because of the rapid spread. but remember these are some of the same school districts that year had mask mandates despite the governor's objection. so what has changed. last month the governor signed a new law that bans those mask mandates and a lot of the school board members that i'm talking to are saying they feel that their hands are tied when it comes to protecting students when they return from the winter break. listen to the superintendent from miami-dade county. >> as an educator, as a parent, i cannot application my true belief in expert advice of scientists and it is clear to us, as it clear to any single reasonable scientifically oriented expert across the country and internationally, that some of the recently adopted legislation and practices in the state of flaw fall short of meeting that basic standard. >> reporter: so let's go to the other side of the argument. there are certainly a lot of parents that say this is a parents' choice. we just heard from the broward teachers union speak at the broward county extol board meeting saying they don't want a mandate because they abelieve the adults are already wearing those masks. but really we're not seeing any school districts moving on any sort of requirement to have students wear mask when they return. when i checked in with the governor's office, they said that the governor has made it clear and he will stand by the schools will be open, no mask mandates will be in place and any testing done on students will require written consent. ryan. >> okay, with the latest from florida. thank you for that. so in massachusetts, the state's teachers association wants schools to stay closed on monday so teachers and staff could have an extra day for testing. the state's department of education is sending out 200,000 test kits to every school district. they were supposed to arrive yesterday but supply chain issues are delaying them to this weekend. nevertheless, state said they are still planning to have in-person learning on monday. and mary is the president of the massachusetts teachers association, she joins me now to talk about the latest in terms of schools returning after the holiday break. so mary, what is your plan right now with the return to school just two days away? >> hi, ryan. it is such an important subject to be talking about. we absolutely are committed to having our schools reopen in person as safely as they can be. and in fact the massachusetts teachers association has been advocating for a very long time to have a robust in-school testing program. but the level of incompetence and the false promises by our massachusetts governor and commissioner of education puts us in jeopardy, the tests were announced wednesday of this week, on the heels of a long vacation holiday weekend, that there is 200,000 test kits coming to massachusetts. we got the news just last night that they're going to be delayed. so what we're calling for now is using monday to get those tests distributed to educators, keep thes closed, make it a day for testing, so that the school district could analyze the results and make decisions about school opening or contingency plans according to what the science of the testing is telling them. >> so have you heard just anecdotally from fellow teachers, have there been a lot that tested or don't feel well. >> we have part of the challenge is that access to testing is low, we do know we have lots of cases that are going unreported. when people take rapid tests at home, and they don't test positive, that doesn't mean that they're not asymptomatic and carrying the virus. so the governor has to do all in his power to get us as many tests as soon as possible and give us the time that we need to make good decisions to keep schools open and safe. >> so do you have a sense for how many of your fellow teachers are vaccinated? is it the majority of them? is it mandated in massachusetts. what is the vaccination levels like among the teachers and staff. >> the teachers association doesn't collect that data but i could tell you last february, when it was announced that educators in massachusetts would be in line for the vaccine, we were rolling up our sleeves, demanding that we get those shots. and that turned into a struggle. we didn't get fully vaccinated until the end of april. i know the national education association which is our national affiliate has done polling and 86% of any members including our state affiliates are vaccinated according to their polls. but we also know that vaccinated people can be asymptomatic and carry and transmit the virus. >> all right. well there is a lot of uncertainty not just in massachusetts but across the country as kids are supposed to be back in school on monday after the holiday break and with the omicron cases skyrocketing, mary, good luck to you and your fellow educators as you start 2022. we appreciate you being here and happy new year. >> thank you. the biden administration and the january 6 committee are asking the supreme court to deny former president trump's efforts to keep his white house documents secret. do they have a strong argument? we'll take a closer look. but first, here is a look at some other events 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thank you. - [girl 3] please, call or go online right now to loveshriners.org with your monthly gift. - [boy 1] you'll make a difference in our lives, every day. the january 6 select committee and the white house are now calling on the supreme court to deny donald trump's request to block over 700 pages of records about the insurrection. the documents include white house visitor logs, call logs and notes from former chief of staff mark meadows. cnn's whitney wild is following developments. how quickly could the supreme court respond? >> reporter: well, they could respond as soon as january 14th. that is because they have a conference scheduled for that day. so the house and the biden administration both hoping that it is in that meeting that the supreme court will decide whether or not they're even going to take up this case. so here is a breakdown of what basically both sides are arguing, the house and the biden administration are on the same page and they argue that lower courts have ruled in their favor correctly for a list of reasons, not the least of which is that the former president has not articulated a harm that would arise from releasing these executive privilege documents. further, and here is a quote directly from the doj filing, other white house officials have that have an identifiable factual foundation and relate to a specific attack on the capitol, that is investigation unquestionably served legitimate legislative purposes and, ryan, it is that last sentence that takes takes direct aim which. >> the commit is illegitimate and operating a law enforcement investigation pretending to be a legislative investigation. however the committee continues to double down and say this is not a law enforcement investigation. it does have a legislative purpose. so we'll see what the supreme court said. but this is a very hurried timeline for something that is enormously consequential because we know there is not a lot of definitive case law here and only a short time to do it. >> that is right. and of course the accessing of these documents by the committee is vital to their investigation. thank you for that update. so let's talk more about this now with former federal prosecutor ronaldo maryatty, thank you for being here. from your perspective, how likely is it that the supreme court eaven takes this issue up and if they do how likely is that st that they would side with the former president and block these records. >> you could always assume the supreme court is not going to take a case. they have many cases that are put before them and they could only take a small fraction of the cases so it is a safe bet to assume they're not going to take it and allow them to duck a politically divisive issue. in which a lower court decided because courts don't want to be in the middle of second guessing every investigation launched by congress and whether or not it is actually a legislative purpose, courts generally try to stay out of examining and questioning whether congress is acting with a proper legislative purpose. so i think that the court won't take the case and i think it is pretty unlikely that they'll side with -- [ inaudible ], i think open up a flood gates of courts essentially having to evaluate and second guess every request that is made by a congressional committee. >> okay, so let's talk about how the former president and his allies have basically attempted to use the courts to try and at least grind the gears of this investigation. they've put up a legal challenge to almost every step of the investigation. but they continue to lose, right. it seems as though the committee has won almost every court battle when it comes to obtaining documents or enforcing subpoenas. do you still think because of the short timeline and the ability that trump and his allies have to continue to file lawsuits, that could prevent them from coming up a report this summer and then a final report in the fall. >> i imagine the committee will put out a report regardless. but i don't think it is an either/or thing. i think there is some measure of success here because what they're trying to do is run out of the clock. we've all seen that in a sports game where one side is trying to hold the ball and looking at the clock. that is what is happening here and it happens in court, litigation all of the time. one side is trying to exercise all of the legal options that it has to delay things and slow things down. i think that what they're doing here in hopes that there will be some witnesses or documents that won't be able to be reviewed and leads that the committee can't follow up on if the house changes house in the upcoming midterm election. >> so i want to get your legal opinion about one of the big arguments that republicans have made about this committee. and there is a difference here between a political opinion and a legal opinion. there is a political opinion as to whether or not the committee is too partisan, that it was created only by democrats and that it is just a democratic witch hunt. but this is a legal argument that trump and his alleys are trying to make, that they don't have to obey subpoenas or answer and show up for witness interviews with january 6 committee members because it was something that the minority leader kevin mckacarthy didn't have a role in creating. is that a legal argument or only a political one? >> it is more of a political argument. it really, what i take that, that strategy to be, inserting that into their legal brief is it generates discussions about her t here on cnn and gets people to talk about their p.r. position is. and from a political perspective, the volidity of a subpoena does not turn on how politicized a particular legislative action is. in fact, congress is a political body after all and everybody in congress is a politician. so if that was the judge, then never have a enforceable congressional subpoena. >> and we should point out there are republicans on that committee. there are two republicans as part of that bipartisan committee. thank you so much for being here. we appreciate it. have a good one. >> thank you. and the u.s. economy is heading into the new year with some momentum. but inflation remains a major concern heading into 2022. we'll take a look at the other big threats to the recovery. and we do have a quick programming note. this sunday carol king and james taylor team up for the unforget able concert film, just call out my name, sunday night at k 9:00 p.m. eastern and here is a preview. >> friends and collaborators and legends. the music shaped a generation. they came together for the tour of a lifetime. ♪ james taylor. >> >> his songs were amazing and his voice is amazing and his demeanor. >> heehaw. >> and carol king. carol king, one of the greatest song writers of all time. >> i asked her to be a part of my band. >> 40 years have passed since the first time we played. i love every experience we've had together. ♪ you just call out my name, and you know wherever i am, i'll come running ♪ ♪ >> just call out my name, sunday at 9:00 on cnn. fresh, fresh. you gotta eat fresh. eat fresh. that's why subway bought time in my shampoo ad. to talk about the new baja chicken & bacon. body, bounce, and baja. bounce. eat fresh. look, serena williams... matrix... serena... matrix... serena... matrix... ♪ get your tv together with the best of live and on demand. introducing directv stream. i would've called yesterday. but... i could've called yesterday. but... i should've called yesterday, but... would've, could've, should've. we hear that a lot. hi. i'm jonathan, an insurance professional and manager here at colonial penn life insurance company. sometimes, people put off calling about life insurance. before you know it, another year has passed. and when they do call, they say, "i wish i'd called sooner." call right now for free information on the $9.95 plan. are you between age 50 and 85? you can 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(announcer) call now and you'll also get this free beneficiary planner. your record label is taking off. but so is your sound engineer. you need to hire. i need indeed. indeed you do. indeed instant match instantly delivers quality candidates matching your job description. visit indeed.com/hire well unfortunately we have some terrible breaking news to share on this final day of 2021. comedian and american icon betty white has died. just days short of her 100th birthday. cnn has not yet learned a cause of her death but her life remarkable and vibrant to the very end. cnn's stephanie elum has this remembrance. ♪ >> reporter: betty white's cheerful hollywood career began in her teams and by her 20s she was a fixture on television with her own daily talk show. ahead of the times, white cofounded her own production company in 1952. she worked on a variety of television and film projects before turning on a guest appearance on the "mary tyler moore" show as a sue ann nivens. and then she was on the comical role as rose. >> and you look more like a peacock than a chicken. >> i loved rose, because she was positive and not the sharpest knife in the drawer, but she was not dumb, but terminally naive. >> reporter: off screen, white married three times and she called her tv hudzband allen luden the love of her life. he died in 1993. and she called him the love of her life and never remarried. >> no, he is the best of your life. >> reporter: and following a grass roots campaign in 2010, white became the oldest person ever to host "saturday night live" at the age of 88. >> you know what is an accomplishment? staying awake on the toilet. >> the show had huge ratings, and then later white turned on the tv land's "hot in cleveland." >> i ran out of vodka and i wanted to come over to freshen up my drunk. >> reporter: and white was popular as ever with film and other projects. >> how lucky can a 90-year-old broad be? >> reporter: and known for the smile and whit and off color humor, and she did not miss a beat when she was asked if there was any other hollywood projects she would like to do, and she always said -- >> robert redford. no, i have done most anything. >> and brian stelt serer is her talk more about betty white. and more people are talking about the cover of "people" magazine just ahead of the 100 birthday and she would be around, but it is not the case, but regardless the magazine outlining what a national treasure she is. >> and she made a comment to "people" magazine reflecting why she had the extraordinary 80-year career in show biz, and she said i am an optimist and i was born an optimistment i got it from my mother and itn never change. that is why so many people related to her as the grandma that everybody wanted to have. she is beloved by people in their 90s and the 20 somethings and those in between. if you knew her, you loved her. she was a link between the early years of television, and a link between the origin of television, and she got the start on the radio show and made her leap when the programs were cheap, and they made the discarded set, but it is the basics of the basic of broadcast television, but she popped and livened the television and went on to be a main stay going from broadcast to cable and then to the streaming age. she was so positive and brought so much joy to people's lives, and this is why the other reaction on social media is just a rage toward 2021 that this year, the bitter year ends on a bitter note, and this is the other overwhelming reaction as we lost the american original. >> yeah, and pretty incredible that this is the way that 2021 is going to end. brian, we care so much with the topics that you and i cover about the deivisiveness about american culture, and impossible to find anyone that someone like, and betty white is one of the few people of american culture that fits bill. great point. and she came up in a point where it is easier to find the sweet spot of wide group of people, but talk about that and how it is difficult to find someone who everybody has a connection with. >> i think that is absolutely right. she was very strategic and savvy about keeping her career going, and looking for different roles and not just in television, but film, and she would have cameos in films and starring roles in movies and film, and her agent confirming the death and her agent and close friend said that even though betty was about to be 100, i thought she would live forever, and so will the animal world that she loved so much. i think she never feared death, because she wanted to be with her beloved husband allen ludden and that is her statement. and the agent referring to the magazine cover, and she was about to have a big 100th birthday extravaganza on the cover to preview, that and she told the magazine she is in good health, and we don't know the cause of death, but whatever happened, apparently it was sudden given that she was profiled recently, and felt well. >> and also, you cannot quantify the impact that she had on the american public senior citizens impact on the culture and i did not start to watch her until she was on "the golden girls" which is a tv story about retired individuals and the important role she played at such an important older stage. brian, we will talk more about it after the top of the hour, but we will take a short break and have more on the death of betty white.

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