president biden begins the new year with a mountain of challenges head of him. a wave of severe weather moving across the country, including snow and potential for tornadoes. your forecast and what it could mean for your travel plans. saying goodbye to america's golden girl. we'll look back at the incredible career of the iconic betty white and the impact that she had on the world of television. we're so grateful for you joining us this sunday, january 2nd. we hope you're having a great 2022, one hopefully covid-free. >> i hope -- how is your 2022? i feel like it's going to be a good year. i hope there's a lot of the challenges that we had in 2021 that will be put behind us. >> so far so good. you're here, i'm here, apple juice, it's bright and early. thanks for joining us. >> nowhere else i would rather be on the second day of the new year. we start this morning, boris, millions of americans will return to work or school this week, but this explosive surge of new covid-19 cases is altering daily life across the u.s. the holidays may be over, but the travel nightmares are just getting started as airlines have canceled nearly 1700 flights today due to a combination of covid-19 disruptions and the severe weather that has slowed down travel. >> it really is a sea of red across the united states as you take a look at your screen. all but one state reporting over a 50% rise in covid cases week over week and that is shattering records. the number of covid-19 cases jumped 113% across the u.s., but hospitalizations have ticked up at a slower rate with the unvaccinated still making up the vast majority of those that need treatment. despite a year of pleading from public health experts only about 62% of the u.s. population is fully vaccinated. now dr. jon than reiner warns previous mitigation measures that were once effective may not be as helpful stopping the spread of covid. >> at the beginning of this pandemic, hard to believe almost two years ago, we all were taught, you know, you have a significant exposure if you're within six feet of somebody and you're in contact with them for more than 15 minutes. all these rules are out the window. this is a hyper contagious virus. >> and now with the holiday season behind us, millions are facing the grim reality that the return to work or school is going to be anything but routine. >> reporter: fresh off the holiday break, teachers, parents and students are trying to make sense of the latest covid surge. monday is return to school for millions of kids across the u.s. but many will not be heading back to a classroom as record numbers of children are hospitalized for covid-19, some school districts will start with online learning including in atlanta which announced on saturday the first week back from the holidays will be virtual. it's the third largest school district in the atlanta metropolitan area to make that move. all atlanta public school staff members are required to report to their work places on monday for covid-19 testing, according to statement. >> there is absolutely no way to keep omicron out of the schools. no way. it's more transmissible, it passes through and looks just like a cold, and what we're going to be relying on is testing in addition to the standard practices of masking, social distancing and hand hygiene. the testing that we're using the antigen tests at home are not sensitive enough to keep omicron out of our schools. even if they're picking up 80, 85% of the cases, and that's with parents doing their best to test correctly, read it correctly or have the willingness to do so. some cases of omicron are still going to slip through. >> reporter: a vast majority of the country seen in dark red is struggling with covid surnlgsz and some places 50% or more. the nation broke records four times for its seven-day average of new daily covid-19 cases. the nation broke records at least five times this week for its seven-day average of new daily covid-19 cases, reporting an all-time high of more than 394,000 new daily infections on saturday. that's according to the latest data from johns hopkins university. >> i'm worried about our hospitals. we're going to continue to see millions and millions of cases in the united states and even with a lower vie are you lens apparently for this variant, still, about 2% of folks who contract the virus need to be hospitalized. it's going to be a race. it's going to be a race between waiting for this surge to crest and hoping that we don't run out of hospital capacity. >> reporter: as the holidays come to a close, airlines canceled more than 2700 flights on saturday, more than any other recent day. dealing with both coronavirus infections among avecration crews and a winter storm sweeping the nation, a week of massive cancellations have complicated travel, including the return home. polo sandoval, cnn, new york. >> thanks, for that report. the white house is expected to unveil details about the rollout of 500 free at home covid tests -- rather 500 million i should say. >> cnn's kevin liptack is joining us live now. kevin, we still have a lot of questions about how exactly this plan to distribute half a billion tests is going to work. i guess the question is, what do we know about this plan so far? >> remember, kaitlan, it was 11 days ago that the president announced the federal government was going to purchase 500 million of these antigen tests for americans to order online and they would be shipped to them. 11 days later there's still a lot of questions about those tests, namely, when they will be available. the most specific that white house has gotten is january, but we don't know anything beyond that and we don't know how many tests each american household will be able to order. we expect to learn more about this week, principally the federal government will announce these contracts that they have made with the companies to actually produce these tests some time late this week, but in the meantime these lines are still forming at testing sites around the country, delays in people getting their results. i'm told the white house is still working on this, working hurriedly behind the scenes and we expect to learn more this week. in the meantime the white house is trying to ramp up other testing sites. there was a federal testing site that opened in new jersey yesterday and also federal testing sites opening in washington, d.c., where you are, and philadelphia later this week. they're sending fema personnel to hospitals that might be under strain. it's really no secret that president really wanted to enter 2022 in far more normal circumstances. we did hear from him briefly on new year's eve, and he sent a video to one of the new year's eve broadcast and said the virus has been tough, but we've been tougher. >> this week the white house is closely going to be watching the supreme court, right? because they're set to hear oral arguments related to the president's covid vaccine mandate. what is the white house anticipating? >> remember, these are two vaccine mandates. one is on health workers and one is on employees at businesses who employ more than 100 people. this had really been a centerpiece of the white house's strategy to get the country vaccinated after the stubbornly high percentage of people are resisting shots. those vaccine mandates came under legal challenge from business groups, from republican led stateses. they say it amounts to government overreach. the white house says it's essential for workers' safety these go into effect. the oral arguments are on friday. we expect the justices to hear those arguments. it's a special session. when you talk to white house officials their plan b is really if these are struck down, to just continue encouraging businesses to implement these mandates. many already have. so we'll see how that plays out at the end of this week. guys? >> kevin liptack traveling with the president in wilmington, delaware, thank you so much. joining us to talk all things covid is dr. susanna hill a pediatric surgeon at columbia university medical center. always great to have your expertise and, especially in light of covid hospitalizations among kids recently hitting a record, i'm wondering why you think we're seeing the spike? >> well, clearly, boris, we're seeing that those patients who are hospitalized right now with covid are by and large people who are unvaccinated. that applies to adults and to children as well. we're seeing breakthrough infections for sure in those who are vaccinated, but the vast majority of patients who are really sick with this disease are unvaccinated and unboosted. that is the primary leading factor. at the moment we're having holiday gatherings indoors and that is a perfect vehicle for transmission so that, too, has increased our cases. >> doctor, given that so many younger kids are becoming ill, do you think that schools might have to reconsider their approach to reopening now after winter break? >> yeah. that's the question, right. so atlanta has taken the move to hit a pause and give their kids a break and see how it goes over the next week or so. right here in new york, we're planning to send kids back to school tomorrow. i think a few of the keys to deciding what to do are, one, what is the positivity rate in the community around the schools, and number two, what is the access to testing, masks and the other things that are so important to helping mitigate the spread of this virus. we'll see how things go. there will be lots of different strategies entering into 2022 in the school systems, but we'll see how things go here in new york. we've got tests at all of the schools that are available, but we'll see what access is for families at home who are trying to get tests and we'll see how long schools are able to stay open without effective positive cases. >> and doctor, how should patients potentially change their approach? >> well, it's really critical for families to remember that those strategies that have worked against this virus, all along, are still going to work against this new variant. yes, the omicron variant is more transmissible, but it's a respiratory virus transmitted the same way as all of the other strains of covid-19, and so masking, hand washing, being very careful with indoor gatherings, trying to maintain some distance, and, of course, testing if you have symptoms. these are all things that are still going to be effective. they may not cut the cases down as much as with other variants because this strain is so transmissible, but they're still tools that will be helpful and will help cut down on spread. of course the key is, if your child or a family member has symptoms of a cold or a respiratory virus, then getting tested and that person isolated if they are, indeed, positive is really important. getting access to testing is key. of course, if your family is unprotected, folks unvaccinated and eligible for boosters and have not got than done, get that done. >> i did want to focus on comments from dr. jonathan reiner, i'm not sure if you heard ability the sound bite, previous steps to mitigating covid that might not be as effective during this surge. 6 plus feet of social distance, et cetera. if the answer is more stringent steps how do you persuade a public that is already ignoring them and covid fatigued? >> yeah. it's challenging. i think we have to just continue with the messaging that we've been using and try to be available as health care providers to answer the questions that families have. but it's just so important for families to understand that they do have some control over this virus. from my perspective, i believe that mitigation strategies like masking, like hand wash, like distancing and avoiding excessive indoor gatherings are critical to helping decrease the spread of this virus. it may be more transmissible, but these same strategies still will work against any respiratory virus, and that includes omicron. >> dr. susanna hills, appreciate your insight. thanks for the time. >> thank you. and a further discussion of covid policies and white house's testing strategy and what you can do to keep you and your family safe during the latest covid surge will be on "state of the union" later this morning at 9:00 a.m. with dr. anthony fauci. state of the union with jake tapper and dana bash on cnn. meanwhile, at least three people are now missing after a fast-moving wildfire tore through boulder, colorado. giving all three lived in homes that were destroyed by the blaze, unfortunately, authorities say they do fear the worst. the marshal fire leveleded entire subdivisions in minutes, destroying nearly 1,000 homes in the state since thursday and survivors say they saw their whole lives change in a matter of seconds. >> it looked like something just came and flattened out parts of the neighborhood, trees are gone, houses leveled. so, yeah, it's -- it's hard to see. >> tell me what that was like the first moment you saw your house standing there? >> that was tough. you know, you prepare for that moment, but it's like, i don't know, your kids, they grew up there. >> roughly 6,000 acres have been burned by the blaze which is now more than 60% contained. the snow that you see there, now disrupting some of those recovery efforts. meanwhile, president biden is beginning his second year in office with a list of major challenges ahead of him. with the midterms looming, the white house knows the clock is ticking. more on their plan for the months ahead next. plus, severe storms hitting parts of the southeast again and it's not over yet. your forecast ahead later this hour. stay with us. ity matter. and only verizon has been the most awarded for network quality 27 times in a row. that means the best experience with calls, texts and data usage of any major carrier, according to customers. there's only one best network. the only one ranked #1 in 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of this is the washington bureau chief for "the chicago sun times" lin suite and political commentator errol news, a columnist for "new york" magazine. thank you for getting up with us on this sunday morning. lynn, i want to start with you, from the pandemic to what's going on with his legislative agenda which during the holiday break you saw senator manchin say he could not support the build back better plan, president biden has several challenges ahead of him. what have you heard are the white house's top priorities for this week and january, really? >> well, the top priority is to figure out what democrats can get together on and repackage the build back better massive proposal into something i'm going to call in my analysis, build back best you can, that will include some social safety net issues but probably will not include immigration, may be scaled back, do less for more years, rather than everything for fewer years, some climate control provisions and programs would be there, kaitlan, but the package just can't be that big. the other thing that goes with that, that president biden and other democrats need to do is, figure out how to explain to people what you just said, that the clock is ticking and that pr pragmatism is not a dirty word if it means that's how you get something done. >> yeah. it seems to be the reality they're dealing with now. errol, when it comes to the domestic agenda, the president has said he's still hopeful he and senator manchin can, quote, get something done, is the way he phrased it, but i think based on what lynn was saying it's going to look likely a lot different than what white house initially had expected and had wanted? >> that's right. unfortunately, for the biden administration, this bill, by not getting it done, by not getting it done before the re-election year here -- by the midterm year here, they are in some ways forfeit much of what they hoped to reap politically from it and it's going to fall on the other side of the midterms. what that means fort biden white house is that they're not going to get the credit they hoped for, and they will have to look elsewhere for what's increasingly looking like a grim scenario as the re-election year approaches. this is almost the worse case scenario. it almost would have been better if it completely failed so they could start over and try to re-set the terms of the debate, but right now they're stuck with manchin having really humbled the white house and not much of a prospect for getting something across that's going to help the white house politically. >> it will be interesting to see how they handle manchin given the scathing statement we saw from the white house after his comment on fox news about supporting it ultimately. lynn, turning to coming else we're coming up on is the one-year anniversary of the january 6th attack on the capitol. we know on thursday we're going to see a lot of programming from house speaker nancy pelosi, a lot of paying tribute to what happened that day, remembering what happened that day, in detail. you've said you think what happens on this thursday will kind of chart the course for what this year is going to look like. what do you mean? >> what i mean is that trump is also going to be making an address late in the afternoon. the whitewashing of january 6th will come to a full -- on that day with trump and his allies intent on denying what happened -- this is in connection with election denialism -- and this will help the tone for the biden politics. you have the january 6th committee, which goes out of business when the republicans f they do win control of the house, so you have their work picking up speed, doing more public hearings in their intent to at least set history straight as to what happened. what i mean is, on january 6th, sets the tone because if the biden administration, democrats and even well-meaning republicans can't keep reality straight and can't even convince people, they lose that grip that the coup that was attempted on january 6th may not have happened, which it did, as cnn underscores every time we talk about this and other news outlets, then it sets a very tough road ahead for the democrats as they try to pursue what is already an uphill challenge on getting the legislative agenda passed and the trump -- if trump does find a way to return to social media during this year, which he might, it will make things even tough for the democrats. >> errol, how do you think republicans will handle thursday? >> i think they are going to try and pretend that it didn't happen, frankly, and if a microphone gets thrust in front of their face, they're going to, i think, down the line do what they've decided to do, follow trump over the cliff of falsehood, rather than truth, and say that it was not that important or that people in the district don't care about this or just do a quick pivot and say let's talk about inflation, let's talk about the mishandling in their point -- from their point of view of dealing with the pandemic. i think they're going to just try to change the subject. facts are damming. they all were there. we have endless amounts of footage. we have upwards of 700 people who have been arrested and indicted. the facts are not on their side. they're going to try to walk away interest it, from the point of view from the white house, by the way, it's not necessarily a big winner for them. it's basic reality that has to be adhered to. you're not going to necessarily win a lot of votes either for congressional democrats or for the white house simply by pointing out what happened in 2020. they have to do better and i think the focus will be on the pandemic which was a much stronger area that everybody does agree at least exists. >> yeah. president biden has said that's his top priority, key to his success of his presidency. errol and lynn, thank you both for getting up with us, and we hope you both have great 2022. >> happy new year to you. new york city mayor eric adams gave his first speech since being sworn into office on new year's, and he offered a message of resilience as the continue city continues to struggle with the covid crisis. >> we have lived through two years of continuous crises. the crises tells us that it is in charge, that it is in control. the crisis wants to tell us we can be happy, when we can be sad, when we can work and how we can enjoy our city. this will be our new year's resolution. we will not be controlled by crisis. >> the former nypd officer takes on the role as the city is struggling with a dramatic surge in covid case, high unemployment rates and rising crime. still ahead, cnn gets an exclusive look inside a factory working to make the usa a little more self-reliant when it comes to in demand protective gear like masks and gloves. that story and more just ahead. my family's been devastated by covid-19. and we're not alone. we've all had to find new ways to keep going. and cue has made that easier. with cue, you get lab-quality covid-19 test results in just 20 minutes. speed and accuracy. it's just for the nba; it's for you too. cue health. the official covid-19 home test of the nba. go cue. go you. you don't get much time for yourself. so when you do, make it count with crest pro-health. it protects the 8 areas dentists check for a healthier mouth. the #1 toothpaste brand in america. crest. moving is a handful. no kidding! fortunately, xfinity makes moving easy. easy? -easy? switch your xfinity services to your new address online in about a minute. that was easy. i know, right? and even save with special offers just for movers. really? yep! so while you handle that, you can keep your internet and all those shows you love, and save money while you're at it with special offers just for movers at xfinity.com/moving. the u.s. economy has some serious momentum at the start of 2022, but skyrocketing covid-19 cases could threaten that progress. >> there are other risk factors like the pesky supply chain issues and high inflation. matt egan has more on where the u.s. economy could go in the new year. >> reporter: kaitlan and boris, first we have to acknowledge the fact that united states economy end of the year in pretty good shape. weekly jobless claims the lowest in 52 years. gdp is accelerating. the hope is this rapid recovery continues, allowing the united states to get back to full employment in 2022. but it's also important to think about what could go wrong here. not to be pessimistic, but to be cognizant of the risk. we've got to start with covid. hopefully the omicron wave is short lived, but if it's not, or another scarier variant emerges that would obviously be a threat to the recovery. on supply chains, the delta variant really impacted things and made the supply chain situation worse by getting workers sick and making them scared to get into work. we don't know if that's going to be the case with omicron, but it bears watching. inflation, the high cost of living right now is eating into many americans' paychecks. many economists expect inflation will cool off in 2022 but that remains to be subpoena the federal government is ending emergency support for the economy planning to raise interest rates three times in 2022 and shut down its bond buying stimulus program. the risk is that this endangers the recovery by moving too quickly to remove support. lastly, washington, after pumping in nearly $6 trillion of support over the last two years, the federal government is taking a hands off prove in 2022. fiscal spending is likely to drop. that's coming the economy will have to adjust to. we have to talk about some surprise events, whether it's a massive cyber attack or some sort of a natural disaster, because, kaitlan and boris, remember that very few people in 2018 and 2019 were talking about the risk of a global pandemic that upends the economy, and now that's all we talk about. >> that is a good point, matt egan. thanks so much. the pandemic, obviously, has brought increased attention to critical medical supplies and shortages in the united states, especially ppe, personal protective equipment. now, one company based just outside chicago is working to reduce u.s. reliance on imports while also creating jobs that pay well above minimum wage. >> cnn's scott mcclain has an inside look at how they're doing it. >> reporter: kaitlan, boris, the pandemic taught us a lot of lessons. one of the biggest is the value of diversity in medical supply chains. at the outset of the pandemic, decades of outsourcing meant the u.s. was at the mercy of asia. now, at least a dozen medical glove factories are popping up across the united states, and all but one are starting from scratch. literally hot off the production line, the very first hand mold being dipped in my troll, the result, a reliable stream of medical-grade gloves made in america. this is a big deal because for decades, the u.s. has imported these gloves from cheap suppliers almost entirely in asia. it took pandemic to start to change that. businessman dylan rhadigan felt compelled to act. >> we watched more than half a million americans die, and many for no reason. i think bad decisions have been made in american manufacturing, specifically for critical assets like class 1 medical devices. the decision has been made to make sure that never happens again. >> reporter: when the pandemic exploded the glove industry was plagued by price gouging, fraud and scams. a cnn investigation found counterfeit, substandard or dirty medical gloves being imported to the u.s. by the tens of millions. prepandemic there was only one glove producer in the u.s., in fayetteville, alabama. the company struggled to get even the u.s. government to buy its gloves because they cost around twice the price because around 10% of the medical gloves are made in china, 20% in thailand and 65% in malaysia, where the u.s. government only recently lifted an import ban on the world's largest producer after finding evidence of forced labor earlier this year. how do you compete with slave labor? >> the technology allows me to do it in a way that i can compete with even the dirtiest user of slave labor. you want to be a can customer of a slave labor company? i don't. >> you couldn't do it 30 years ago? >> because the technology didn't exist. the most important thing you need to see is this. >> reporter: rhadigan is a former cable news anchor and now ceo of the u.s. medical glove company committed to paying workers at least $25 per hour plus health care coverage and plans for free on-site child care. there are about 100 them now assembling new lines in ovens using all american-made parts. >> that is a critical distinction between this company and others. >> reporter: the start-up housed in a sprawling former caterpillar factory is backed by a $63 million advanced purchase order from the u.s. government. all told, washington is spending $1.7 billion to help american companies manufacture ppe at home. after the pandemic, exposed how dependent the u.s. is on foreign sources, which is a vulnerability in public health emergencies. another american start-up, usa gloves, outside houston, was created by former importers who found it almost impossible to buy gloves from abroad. they don't have any government investment yet, but once the machines are finally up and running next month, they hope to turn a profit from private sales, even with higher prices than asian brands. >> hospitals and clinics and even end users are willing to pay that slight premium so that, you know, we're prepared for a future pandemic. >> reporter: it's still early days, but experts say it is essential for the u.s. to make more ppe at home. the question is. >> whether people will remember this and be willing to pay that premium in the medium term or is this just a short-term memory and soon people will go back to thinking about who is my lowest cost supplier. >> reporter: that may ultimately be what determines the success or failure of the new enterprises, whether they're expensive experiments or reduces americans' dependence on factories on the other side of the world. the medical supply chain expert does not think the government investment in ppe production is a viable long-term solution. he thinks that washington should be making better trade deals to ensure that wages and standards in asia are comparable to the u.s. so that american producers can actually compete on a level playing field. kaitlan and boris. >> only one nitrile glove producer in the united states before the pandemic. that is remarkable. thank you. from the "mary tyler moore" show to "golden girls" to "not cleveland" everybody has a favorite betty white sitcom. coming up, we're going to remember the tv icon and her extraordinary career that spanned decades. new projects means new project managers. you need to hire. i need indeed. indeed you do. when you sponsor a job, you immediately 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(sings dramatically) oh, i need to get to work. telling people to check the singlecare price. . she was america's golden girl and a tv icon. this morning, fans around the world are still mourning the loss of the trailblazing actress betty white who died at age 99 on new year's eve, just a few weeks shy of her 100th birthday. >> white's decades long career in show business earned her five well-deserved prime time emmys and grammy. she was perhaps best known for her role as rose on the "golden girls." >> they attack chickens. >> i don't care about chickens. she didn't call me chicken. she called me a peacock. >> you look more like a chicken when you're angry. >> joining us now is cnn media analyst bill carter. grateful that you're sharing part of your sunday with us. thanks for joining us. betty white famously didn't have kids of her own. she was a stepmom. but in so many ways she was like america's grandmother, right? so many people from all different ages loved her. what do you think gave her that broad appeal? >> i think that's a good way to put it, boris, because she was -- she just had this natural appeal to her. i mean she was not a trained performer. she was just a person who grew up in the beginning of television and she just adapted and was herself. that's the thing, they didn't h -- she didn't have to change a lot because people knew what to expect from her. she had a good wit. she could come back with fast things. she reminded people of their grandmother in the later stages of her career because she stayed relevant. she was a person who wanted to be around, you wanted to talk to her and hear from her. i like basically her style, which was natural. there was nothing about her that was fake or forced, even though her characters were extremely broad, you could relate to her all the time. >> her characters were so good, so memorable. i really think looking back one of the most memorable parts to me, at least, when she hosted "saturday night live." she was the oldest host of "saturday night live." i believe she was 88. it was -- i rewatched it on friday after we learned about her death, and it is so funny. that opening monologue, if you haven't gone back and rewatched it, it was so good. talk about how it was so unusual for her go and host it. even she said she was kind of confused why there was a facebook petition to get her to host "saturday night live." it's such a memorable episode. >> it really is. i did the same thing. i went back to watch it because i remembered it well that it was good. her performance was fantastic, actually. i mean, that's not an easy thing to do. she was 88 years old. there was a groundswell of popular opinion to bring her on to the show. normally i think lorne michaels isn't going to respond to that, but he saw that was a way to connect, even with a younger audience. "golden girls," despite being about retired ladies, was extremely popular with young people. putting her on "saturday night live" worked and she was a natural at that, too. just her delivery, she could be very dry, and hit you with a whitty line. i've been on that show when they've done it and seen them produce it. it's tough. they're changing the script between the dress rehearsal and live show and it's on cue cards and you have to read them. she's 88 years old, she's got to do all that with these young performers and she cuts up with all of them. it was a fantastic performance. >> and we should note that "snl" replayed that episode last night to honor betty white. one of the things i loved about it, the prison sketch, she's playing a scared straight role trying to scare the new inmates. she's seen as this sweet, kind, lady but there's a sharpness there, right? like a darkness. she's fierce. >> absolutely. that was an ongoing bit on the show, and they brought her into that and she just went with it. that's the thing about her, she was fearless, absolutely fearless. i remember late in her career she came on with jay leno and "the tonight show" and did stunts where they fired arrows at her behind a plastic glass. craziness. she wouldn't flinch. she was a natural performer. his was a career she kept going from the late '40s until recently. she wanted to be in show business and did it so well across all kinds of genres. >> she was a trailblazer and american icon. betty white, 99 years old. bill carter, thanks again fort time, sir. >> happy new year, guys. so we have a programming note for you. for decades singer/songwriters carole king and james taylor left a remarkable impact on the music industry. it's a cnn concert film. watch "call out my name" tonight at 9:00 p.m. here on cnn. we'll be right back. first psoriasis, then psoriatic arthritis. even walking was tough. i had to do something. i started cosentyx®. cosentyx can help you move, look, and feel better... by treating the multiple symptoms of psoriatic arthritis. don't use if you're allergic to cosentyx. before starting...get checked for tuberculosis. an increased risk of infections some serious... and the lowered ability to fight them may occur. tell your doctor about an infection or symptoms... or if you've had a vaccine or plan to. tell your doctor if your crohn's disease symptoms... develop or worsen. serious allergic reactions may occur. watch me. ask your rheumatologist about cosentyx. i've always been running. to meetings. errands. now i'm running for me. i've always dreamed of seeing the world. but i'm not chasing my dream anymore. i made a financial plan to live it every day. ♪ at northwestern mutual, our version of financial planning helps you live your dreams today. find a northwestern mutual advisor at nm.com the new year started off with a bang at the rose bowl. ohio state pulling off a comeback for the ages last night, boris. >> let's bring in coy wire right now. coy, they call it the granddaddy of them all for a reason. the buckeyes getting a historic offensive performance. >> yeah. this game feels magical. it's an unreal backdrop with traditions that date back to 1902. i was fortunate to play in one of those. i played in nfl playoff games. nothing compares to the rose bowl. utah playing with fans in full force to see one of the most exciting games of the season. highlight reel plays like the utes quarterback 62 runs. stroud would have six touchdowns, most going to jackson smith. look at that catch. 347 yards on 15 catches, the most in any bowl game ever. this gave the buckeyes the lead. the utah backup quarterback freshman barnes hit that to tie it up. he hadn't thrown a pass all season. the utes left two minutes on the clock, enough time for noah ruggles to drill the game-winning field goal, 48-45. don't think these kids don't care. if they're not playing for a national title. >> it's the rose bowl. this is where legendary games were being played. if you ain't motivate to play it, i question your love of the game. >> it's starting to hit me finally. i don't want to take my pads off. just proud of this team and this program and this university. i just have a great love for the university of utah and -- sorry. >> incredible, powerful stuff, meaningful. speaking of meaningful games. i have to ask you, how about that alabama. you're taking on georgia in the national championship again on monday. how are you feeling about it? >> i am booking tickets with my dad right now to go to indianapolis. i will not be on cnn next week because hopefully we are going to the game. it was a good game. cincinnati, i hope they don't feel too bad. what happened to them is what happened to so many people that alabama played. i'm pumped. some people are dplang that alabama and georgia will be playing each other again in the national championship, but i mean, they're two aggressive teams and it's going to be a very fun monday night coming up. >> i saw alabama play in person this season. they look like and play like an nfl team already. you're doing much better than boris' syracuse orange. >> whenever you want to get my miami dolphins' takes, shout and i'll go. >> let's get to hockey. the coldest nhl game in history. temperature at puck drop for last night's winter classic between the blues and wild in minneapolis, minus 6 with a windchill of about minus 20. it was so cold they had to heat the ice. think about that. 40,000 bundled fans. the hockey dudes are built different. check out the st. louis blues showing up in shorts and flip flops. while the blues were probably a bit chilly, their game was straight fire. whopping second period where they scored five goals, enough for for for the 6-4 win for st. louis. vancouver canucks kwemts manager brian hamilton was able to meet the woman who saved his life. in october a seattle fan was holding up her phone with a message that said, the mole on the back of your neck is cancer. no more communication after that. but after checking with the team docs hamilton learned he had stage 2 skin cancer, five years left to live. after a monumental effort to track down the fan, hamilton met his guardian angel yesterday. 22-year-old nadia. >> she needs to know, she's the story. she's the person that did this. she saved a life. she doesn't know. like does she -- she needs to know her efforts were valid and bang on, and i'm happy that story is there, but not for me, but for her. because the world needs to know that she's like -- this woman exists and she's a hero. you know we need to celebrate her and people like her that take the time to do things like this and save lives. >> powerful stuff. nadia is about to start medical school. get this, cthe canucks are givig her $10,000 to get her start opds her journey. >> incredible story. thanks so much. stay with cnn. we'll be right back. ♪ i see trees of green ♪ ♪ red roses too ♪ ♪ i see them bloom for me and you ♪ (music) ♪ so i think to myself ♪ ♪ oh what a wonderful world ♪ (vo) the more we do with our phones, the more network quality and reliability matter. and only verizon has been the most awarded for network quality 27 times in a row. that means the best experience with calls, texts and data usage of any major carrier, according to customers. there's only one best network. the only one ranked #1 in reliability 16 times in a row. we are building 5g right. switching wireless carriers is easy with xfinity. just lean on our helpful switch squad to help you save with xfinity mobile. they can help break up with your current carrier for you and transfer your info to your new phone. giving you a fast and easy experience that can save you hundreds a year on your wireless bill. visit your nearest xfinity store and see how the switch squad can help you switch and save. get $200 off a new eligible 5g phone when you switch to xfinity mobile. talk with our helpful switch squad at your local xfinity store today. so the forecast looks pretty intense this morning. heavy snow, thunderstorms, possible tornadoes. a wave of severe weather is moving across the country and it could impact millions of americans. >> let's bring in our cnn meteorologist allison chinchar. my sister lives in northern alabama. they're watching these tornadoes and that weather that was coming through there all night long. it's a big travel day. what should people be expecting if they're on the road or planning to fly today? >> yeah. it's been a busy last 24 hours. we've had over 40 damaging wind reports. a lot of those in alabama, georgia, tennessee and kentucky. zero confirmed tornadoes yet, but we still have more potentially that could come today. we hope to keep that numbers at zero, but it's a possibility, although the vast majority of the threat will lie in damaging winds, similar to what we saw over the last 24 hours. it just shifts a little bit farther to the east. you're talking the main focus to be down into northern florida as well. here's the first line that really begins to push through much of the southeast. that's going to be this morning and through the afternoon and early evening hours. but notice you also have some moisture pushing in along the backside of that front, but the difference is, now that colder air has been able to surge in and now you're actually talking about potentially snow showers in some of the same areas that had damaging wind gusts yesterday. so we're talking even cities like memphis, nashville, huntsville, knoxville looking at the potential for snow showers overnight tonight as the cool air begins to push back in. the heaviest rain is going to be focused into the carolinas and virginia where 2 to 4 inches is expected in the next 24 hours. winter storm warnings and winter weather advisories are out. we have some in maine through new york and then that second dose that stretches all the way back towards texas. the first round mainly for the east coast is going to be rain, but by tonight, we start to see a lot of that transition back over into snow, guys, even yes for some of the northeast cities. back to you. >> allison chinchar from the cnn weather center, thank you so much. president biden is expected to talk with the leader of ukraine today as russian troops remain at their eastern border. what does it feel like to sell your car to carvana? 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