school. and everyone always wanted to know what he knew. that now is lost, unless he told someone of authorities of what he knew. we don't think he did. but there has been an indictment in the murder of his wife, kathie durst. and now he will not live to see that prosecution through. >> yeah, there were a lot of mysteries and deaths surrounding him. jean casarez, thank you for the breaking news. >> it's a brand new hour and we thank you for staying with us. i'm victor blackwell. >> and i'm alisyn camerota. new developments in the investigation into that devastating apartment fire in the bronx. the deadly fire in new york city in more than 30 years. the number of people killed was revised to at least 17 people, including eight children. but officials warn that number could climb. we do have some positive news this hour, and that is that only eight people remain hospitalized. the fire appears to have been started by a malfunctioning space heater on the third floor of this 19-store building. >> cnn's shimon prokupecz is live in the bronx. shimon, a revision of those numbers. sometimes that happens in the immediacy of an event like this. what else did you learn? >> yeah, and that happens because some of the numbers are doubled up. the fire commissioner said. the thing now is really it's focusing on the community. all really living in this one building where this fire happened. that's what now the community is doing. that is what city officials trying to figure out exactly who died, who's in the hospital, believe it or not, there are still family members who don't know whether their loved ones are. i just spent some time at the local mosque here, talking to a man whose brother and the brother's wife is still missing. he has no idea if they're live or if they're dead. they have three kids who luckily went to gambia to visit family members. so they weren't here. had they been here, far worse situation. so there are still some frustrated folks here. the community saying they're still not getting all the answers they need as to where their family members are. some of it has to do with the fact that entire families have been wiped out, sadly, died as a result of the thick, black smoke that went through this entire building. the fire starting on the third floor in an apartment there. and because the door was left open, the mayor stressing that this is not something that we should blame the apartment residents for. this may have been a malfunction on the door, that made it so that it couldn't close. and therefore, this thick, black smoke was able to come out of the apartment and then the stairwell, the doors to some of the stairwells were left open. and then the fire, the smoke just traveled up the staircase, all the way up to the 19th floor, on every floor of this building, there was smoke. many people trapped in their apartments, and then some who left their apartments wound up w walking down staircases that were filled with this black smoke, choking on the smoke and sadly dying. firefighters trying every effort to rescue these people, as they pulled them out of the fire, out of the smock. in some cases, firefighters losing oxygen, but continued on, the mayor said, just showing their heroic efforts. but now the focus is on the community and getting them the answers and trying to allow them at this point to heal. >> we'll try to get some of those answers in may know. shimon prokupecz, thank you very much. also, survivors tell cnn that the flames and smoke moved just incredibly quickly. >> my husband, he opened the door, he said, wow, i smell something burning. then he opened the door, it was a fire. he said, okay, baby, get dressed. i was like, for what? but the alarm was going off, so i didn't pay it no mind. but when he opened the door and i went out there, i passed out. i was -- it was devastating. it was like -- it was real scary. and i went to the elevator. they were like, no, don't take the elevator. i went to the stairs to open the door and it just blew me back in the house and i panicked and i tell my husband, let me in the house, i can't see, i'm blind, i can't see, i can't see. if i stayed out there another three seconds, i would have been gone, too. >> let's bring in new york state senator alessandra biagi. thank you so much for being here. so many people killed, so many families killed, so many families displaced. what's the biggest need right now in that area? >> first of all, thank you so much for having me. as you mentioned, you know, the bronx is a very large place and i represent a big part of it. right now i'm standing in senator rivera's district. and i think the biggest need we're seeing from family members and just from the community in general are basic needs. things like toiletry and towels and clothing and shoes. i mean, when you lose everything, you lose everything. and so, we have to go back to the basic necessities. and just last night, you know, right down the street from where i'm standing is sp-391, and just last night we were in there, helping to sort through a lot of the different items that people were donating. and really, when you think of the scene event, just to kind of paint a picture here, we walked into a room to over full 200 people. and you think of people and babies. and there were also animals. people's dogs and there were cats and it was just really a sign that was horrific. and so i think the biggest ask is to really make sure that we're providing not only resources, but also to fund and to help to support a lot of the organizations on the ground. the gambian youth organization. stout bronx mutual aid organization. be strong. bethenny frankel's organization. there are so many organizations coming together to help. >> and our viewers will be able to contribute money and i will post some of those links, because we just heard also the mayor tell people, do not drop those supplies off at the pfire department. they have their hands full. take them to representative's offices, maybe like yourself. but what about the larger issue of all of these families displaced? as we just heard from our reporter, this was a vital west african community, and who knows if they'll ever be able to go back to their homes. what's the city doing for where they'll be living? >> reporter: it's such a good point and i think what you're pointing to is really the root issue, which is not just behind the fire that i'm standing in front of in the building that was destroyed, but really all of the fires across all of new york city. i think that when we look at our low-income nycha fires, where a lot of these fires occur, especially in the cold winter months where the heat is not at the standard we need it to be, a lot of the buildings don't have not only the safety measures in place, but also, they don't have the oversight and enforcement of building code. it's not a sexy issue to talk about the building codes. but frankly, building codes are the things that save lives. and i think that the bigger issue here is that there are legislative fixes in the new york city council, at the federal government level, and certainly at the state level. so when we think about how we can help people in the aftermath, i think we have to do better as a city and a state in the response to when people are displaced, because there is not enough housing. there are not enough places to put people. and that is really the most immediate need beyond, of course, basic needs like we talked about yearly. >> so many of these people were immigrants. they've lost valuable paperwork and valuable identification. this obviously will -- the surviving families, this will affect their lives for years to come. is that the larger -- is there some sort of painful lesson to be gleaned from this for the city, in terms of doing something differently. the mayor was just talking about in his press conference, he wants to get the message of close the door carried citywide. he wants it to be in schools and for kids to know that mantra, but what is the lesson here? >> that's one of the sublessons for sure. self-closing doors is something that could have prevented this tragedy from happening. but the bigger issue here is that our infrastructure in the city of new york and in the stay of new york is not at the standard that we need it to be. a lot of the buildings and a lot of the low-income housing buildings are places where we have not invested enough funding, and this is why many of us talk about how the federal government can play a role. in the long-term, planning after this, it's not only legislation, it's not only immediate funds, not only immediate mutual fund and relief, but it's making sure that we're meeting people where they're at, getting on the ground, boots on the ground and talking to the community and asking them, what are your immediate needs. what are the things that you're going to need, not only today, but next week and next month when a lot of people move on from this tragedy, because there are other tragedies, unfortunately, that are going to unfold. that's an immediate need for sure. >> state senator alessandra biagi, thank you very much for taking time to talk to us. for more information about how you can help the victims of the bronx fire, you can go to cnn.com/impact to figure out how you can help and where you can donate. senate seniority leader mitch mcconnell is now attacking democrats for what he pegs as the left's big lie. >> in a new memo, the kentucky republican claims democrats are pushing, quote, some evil anti-voting conspiracy in their effort to gain support for the voting rights reforms. cnn chief congressional correspondent manu raju joins us now. tell us more. >> reporter: this underscores how partisan of a fight this has become in the united states senate, the fight over voting laws in the united states, and how democrats at the moment are negotiating among themselves to try to get two pieces of legislation through. well, there's a problem. while there's unity among the senate democrats over one piece of legislation, both pieces of legislation, there is not unity over how to enact those bills. because under the current procedure, it would require 60 votes in the united states senate to overcome a republican filibuster. 50 democrats, that means 10 republicans would have to break ranks. but mitch mcconnell are steadfast against these democratic proposals, arguing it's a federal takeover of elections, in their words. democrats say that this is essential, passing these bills, the freedom to vote act and the john lewis voting rights act are essential to combat the restrictive efforts at the state levels and are trying to convince two key democratic senators, joe manchin and kyrsten sinema to change the rules of the united states senate in order to allow this bill to be approved on a simple majority basis. 50 democrats with kamala harris as the vice president, breaking a tie. but manchin and sinema just simply are not there. they are concerned about changing the rules. they believe doing so would undermine the institution of the united states senate, but nevertheless, chuck schumer, the majority leader, has teed up a vote, no later than martin luther king day next monday to try to force this through. but can he get the votes? it seems doubtful at the moment. >> we'll see where that goes. manu, before you go, tell us about this conversation that the house minority leader kevin mccarthy had with breitbart news about his plan for some prominent democrats if republicans take control of the house. >> this has been the threat that mccarthy has been wielding for some time, in the aftermath of democrats taking action against two house republicans for inflammatory rhetoric, marjorie taylor greene being one of them, paul gosar for tweeting an animated video, showing him committing violence against ocasio-cortez and threatening to do so against president biden. remember, the democratic-led house majority stripped those two members of their committee assignments. now, kevin mccarthy says if he becomes speaker in the fall, which is a very likely situation at this point, he says that they would do the same, the republicans would against adam schiff, eric swalwell, and ilhan omar. >> ilhan omar should not be serving on foreign affairs. >> what about any committees for ilhan omar? >> this is a new level of what the democrats have gone. you look at adam schiff, he should not be serving on intel. >> this has been one of the questions that i poised to nancy pelosi in the recent weeks about whether or not she was concerned about setting precedent by going after marjorie taylor greene, by going after paul gosar, that republicans would simply replicate it anytime they were upset or concerned about any democrats in a republican majority. she dismissed that saying they had to take action, given greene's rhetoric and given what gosar day. but it shows you very quickly that mccarthy if he's speaker plans to do some retribution dp against democrats. >> thank you. we'll talk to the secretary of health and human services live. and remembering the man that many think of as america's dad. actress julie fisher will join us to talk about her dear friend. stressed, dry and sandpaper. strypaper? luckily, there's biotrue hydration boost eye drops. biotrue uses naturally inspired ingredients. and no preservatives. try biotrue! with age comes more... get more with neutrogena® retinol pro plus. a powerful .05% retinol that's also gentle on skin. for wrinkles results in one week. neutrogena®. for people with skin. ♪ (peaceful music) ♪ ♪ ♪ (battle sounds from phone) ♪ ♪ (battle sounds stop) ♪ ♪ (dragon roar from phone) ♪ ♪ every year we try to exercise more, to be more social, to just relax. and eating healthy every single meal? 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[a vulture squawks.] there he is. only pay for what you need. ♪liberty, liberty, liberty, liberty♪ new projects means new project managers. you need to hire. i need indeed. indeed you do. when you sponsor a job, you immediately get your shortlist of quality candidates, whose resumes on indeed match your job criteria. visit indeed.com/hire and get started today. tributes are pouring in for comedian and actor bob saget who died yesterday in orlando, florida, suddenly at the age of 65. saget was known fondly as america's tv dad for his portrayal of danny tanner on "full house." officials have conducted an autopsy, but have not released a cause of death. the medical examiner found no evidence of foul play or drug use. co-stars john stamos and dave caulier expressed their shot and heartbreak on twitter. the olson twins remembered saget as the most loving, compassionate, and generous mans. and fans flocked to the "full house" home to honor him. let's bring in close friend of bob saget, jolie fisher. i'm so sorry for the loss of your friend. i've been looking at these pictures -- >> for all of us. >> yes, for all of us. >> but particularly you. i just want to put up these pictures, because i've been so struck by how close -- i mean, the pictures just tell the story of your friendship, of how close you guys are, you're hugging in every picture. you both look, you know, really happy to be together. wave whole bunch of pictures of you guys over the years. >> i can't see what you're looking at, but i did put up on social media dish mean, i've got to say, it's so cliche, but you never know -- you never know, guys. like, literally, tell everybody that you know that you love, tell them right now. tell them today. because life is so short. and i simply adored bob. he directed me in a film 25 years ago, right before i actually got married, about a woman who had cold feet about getting married. and he told me that he was my bachelorette party, but that's another story. >> i would like to hear that story. >> i mean, that actually does speak to something that the general public has come to know about bob saget, which is that he had this incredible range. he was excellent at playing the squeaky clean, you know, all-american father on "full house." and then we learned that he also had this reputation of really telling filthy jokes. and so how do you explain his particular brand of talent? >> i mean, he was a naughty boy. he was really naughty. in a time where -- and back in those days, on the set, you could be naughty openly and you didn't get in trouble for it. i just -- i have text messages from him, i was trying to remember the last time i was like physically in his presence, which was right before this god-awful pandemic that we've all been through together. and -- but i got a text message from him last week on christmas. he knew that i had covid, so he had reached out to me, and he was like, the minute you're well, i want to see you. and then he also supported me in my run -- my campaign for the union they am now an elected official of s.a.g. aftra and he texted me and he said, have you fixed the health care plan yet? so i have to promise bob saget in his honor, that is something that is going to be a high priority this year. >> his cause of death hasn't been released. his death was so sudden and so mystery. he was only 65 years old. did you know him to have any health challenges? >> i did not. and like you said, he played squeaky clean, he was kind of squeaky clean. like, i -- it must have been a heart issue. i did notice -- i've been combing -- stalking social media now and seeing all of these amazing tributes to him. and it really was like everybody has a great story about encountering bob. i did notice that he looked a little -- he looked a little like, um, tired or, you know, who knows? i can't say it enough, that if you see someone that you love and, you know, just reach out and ask if they're okay. i mean, i'm imagining that this is a shock to his family and i just have spent the whole -- my daughter and i were looking through pictures and she's like, you have a lot of pictures with this bob saget. i'm like, you know what, i do, i just -- i have them, that's what i have now, great memories. and it is shocking, it's shocking. >> and obviously, it's been a hard week for the entertainment industry between betty white and sidney poitier and now bob saget. they all represented different things in the entertainment industry, in different lanes, but what do you think bob saget ultimately represented in comedy and entertainment? >> i saw a meme that said, we lost our grandmother and our dad in the same week, which i thought was so sweet and heartfelt. i think that when you have -- when you take careers, and even peter bob donovich, when you take people that we have idolized and respected and watched all of these years and you see this like illustrious career and you celebrate it upon their passing, you kind of expect that someone in their '90s or you know, or a person of a certain age is going to -- eventually, they're going to leave us. this is just a hard -- this is a hard thing. i mean, this is way too young. this is way too young. and it sort of is like ripping off a scab for me, because this is the week -- you know, christmas week is the week that i lost my sister, carrie, five years ago and her mom, debbie reynolds. so it's always sort of -- the holidays are for celebration and they suddenly have become this time of reflection and looking back and just trying to find the right things, the right memories to sort of fisher for yourself, you know? >> yeah. really well said, joely, and we understand and our thoughts are with you, we're sorry for the less of your friends. thank you so much for joining us with your memories. >> oh, my gosh, thank you for honoring him. that was a sweet sentiment, that the idea that america lost its grandma and dad in the same week, that she heard there. >> yeah, i agree. all right. moving on here, more than 50 lawmakers including democrats are annoy demanding president biden do more to make more covid tests available. we'll ask the secretary of health and human services about that. and the strain on hospitals. he's with us next. .. get more with neutrogena® retinol pro plus. a powerful .05% retinol that's also gentle on skin. for wrinkles results in one week. neutrogena®. for people with skin. inner voice (sneaker shop owner): i'm surprising my team with a preview of the latest sneaker drop. because i can answer any question about any shoe. but i'm stumped when it comes to payroll. intuit quickbooks helps you easily run payroll in less than 5 minutes... ...so you can stay... one step ahead. it's time for our lowest prices of the season on the sleep number 360® smart bed. it senses your movements and automatically adjusts to relieve pressure points. and its temperature balancing so you both sleep just right. save up to $1,000 on sleep number 360® smart beds. plus, free premium delivery when you add a base. ends monday. mass general brigham. when you need some of the brightest minds in medicine, this is the only healthcare system in the country with five nationally ranked hospitals, including two world-renowned academic medical centers, in boston, where biotech innovates daily and our doctors teach at harvard medical school, and where the physicians doing the world-changing research are the ones providing care. there's only one mass general brigham. 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. what does a foster kid need from you? to be brave. to show up. for staying connected. the questions they weren't able to ask. show up for the first day of school, the last day at their current address. for the mornings when everything's wrong. for the manicure that makes everything right, for right now. show up, however you can, for the foster kids who need it most— at helpfosterchildren.com the u.s. could soon break its record on covid hospitalizations. right now, we are more than 141,000 people in hospitals with covid. that's just shy of the roughly 1402,000 recorded in january of last year. now, the omicron variant has also driven the daily case average to 709,000 new infections a day. that's the seven-day average there. joining he now is the secretary of health and human services, xavier becerra. mr. secretary, thank you for being with me. >> thanks, victor, for having me. >> let's start here with hospitalization numbers. we know that omicron appears to be for most people, those who are vaccinated and boosted, a bad cold, maybe a flu. so less severe than maybe delta or the wild strain. how do we approach this? how do we balance something that individually may be less severe, but is just over stressing america's hospitals? >> well, victor, you made a very important qualification. for those who are vaccinated and boosted, omicron may not become very severe. but if you're not vaccinated and certainly if you're not boosted as well, you really run the risk that you could be in a lot of hurt and pain and perhaps death if you don't get vaccinated and boosted. so, it's important if you want to stay out of the hospital, if you want to stay alive, if you want to be able to do the regular things in life, you should get vaccinated and boosted first and foremost. and what we want to do is make it so our health care workers don't continue to be exhausted, because so many people are now entering the hospitals again. >> yeah. we know that we're standing by at any moment for a decision from the supreme court on the administration's vaccine mandates, partially expected or scheduled to start today. if they go the way that maybe the numbers of a conservative court suggest they would, what's the plan? >> well, hopefully the plan is that the supreme court will recognize that the federal government, the biden administration has the authority to require these vaccines. we know that they work, they save lives. we've proven it, here at hhs, with 88,000 workers. nearly 100% of our workers are vaccinated already. >> and if they don't? >> and if they don't, well, i think that will be on their conscience. i think there's some clear authority, legal authority for us to move forward as we have proposed. both for the private sector workforce and for the health care workforce. and we understand that if we don't get people vaccinated and covered this way, people will die. and if you're a health care worker, for sure. >> so, again, we expect that decision to come from the supreme court, and of course, this puts a greater premium on testing. there are 50 lawmakers, some top democrats among them, who have sent this letter over to the administration today, who are urging the president to invoke the defense production act to make more rapid antigen tests, these at-home tests, available. that something that is going to happen? >> well, the president has already taken action that i think preempts the need for any type of action that congress may be requesting. think about it, the president just announced, we're going to make 500 million tests available to americans for free, starting this month. that's on top of, separate from, the 200 million tests that were made available last month, close to, we think we're going to get to about 300 million available this month. apart from, again, the 500 million that the president has spoken about that will be free. he's also made the announcement that those tests that are available through the commercial market, you'll be able to get reimbursed if you have private insurance. if you don't have insurance, you'll be able to go to health care centers throughout the nation in your community that will be able to dispense them to you for free. the president has already acted. and the president has to recognize, all of this is being done, compared to where we were a year ago, where zero americans had easy access to any of these rapid tests. >> but if you're looking at numbers from a year ago, i remember, it was about this time when dr. fauci was testifying before congress and said, one day, we could get to 100,000 new cases a day. and that had jaws on the floor in congress. and now the daily average is 709,000 per day. i don't know, mr. secretary, if a year ago is the best reference to suggest that the country is in a better place, as it relates to testing. >> if you think about it. most of those folks that are getting infected and ending up in the hospital, of the 1,400 or so that died yesterday, most of them, the vast majority, were unvac unvaccinated. so i think what the president has said is right on the mark. get vaccinated, now get boosted, be current with your shots. and you're probably going to be safe. but if you're not vaccinated, you're probably one of those folks that's ending up in the hospital. we can only tell people so many times. we know what works. we know what c'saves lives. everyone should be clear. there's no ambiguity here. we know how to make this work. >> speaking of being clear and no ambiguity, there's been some criticism of the cdc and namely the cdc director, dr. rochelle walensky about confusing, sometimes contradictory guidance from the agency. and this has been admitted by some members of the administration. what do you think the damage that has been done by some of that confusing guidance has been? >> i'm not where they fall? let me tell you what i think. first, dr. rochelle whealensky a an infectious disease expert. she has a medical license and she has a degree in public he health. she doesn't have a degree in marketing. she has a degree in medicine and public health and she's an infectious disease expert. who do i want running cdc? someone who knows infectious diseases, someone who understands this stuff. and so while we may have issues with some of the marketing that's been done, i guarantee you, dr. walensky is someone we need at cdc. >> mr. secretary, yes, the bona fide s from her degrees in science are certainly valuable as cdc director, but relaying the message is as important. so i know that you may not need her to have a marketing degree, but there have been some challenges there and -- >> i'm going to push back on that. >> go ahead. >> she made it very clear and she based her words on the science. now, look, even scientists don't always agree exactly how we do this. but what she said not only was accurate, but could lead us to a better place. could we do it differently? absolutely. and scientists have said that we could do it differently. but don't compare rochelle walensky to the almighty when it comes to how she should have done it. compare her to the alternative. and i guarantee you, the alternative -- you name me someone who's an alternative and i'll poke holes in it. >> i'll hear you, mr. secretary. i've heard the comparison to the almighty from the president, but i can compare her to the children's hospital of philadelphia or i can compare her to the world health organization or other organizations that have put ow out clear, specific guidance, as it relates specifically to five days in quarantine, should i take an antigen test? that would be a good idea, but it's not required. some of that can be confusing. >> bring me back. bring me back and i'll poke holes in what you just said. >> we will certainly have you back. xavier becerra, secretary of health and human services. thanks so much. >> victor, thank you. >> all right. really interesting conversation there. all right. so ijust ahead, we're going to talk live with a parent who says, it's time to make the tough, grown-up decisions about kids, covid, and classrooms. what are those decisions? plus, an incredible rescue caught on camera. police pulled this pilot from his crashed plane right before a train slammed into it. we'll show you how this went down. 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[echoing] get a quote today. ♪ we are farmers. bum-pa-dum, bum-bum-bum-bum ♪ do your eyes bother you? my eyes feel like a combo of stressed, dry and sandpaper. strypaper? luckily, there's biotrue hydration boost eye drops. biotrue uses naturally inspired ingredients. and no preservatives. try biotrue! i may have moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis. or psoriatic arthritis. but we are so much more. we're team players and artists. designers and do-it-yourselfers. parents and friends. if joint pain is getting in the way of who you are, it's time to talk to your doctor about enbrel. enbrel helps relieve joint pain, and helps stop permanent joint damage. plus enbrel helps skin get clearer in psoriatic arthritis. ask your doctor about enbrel, so you can get back to your true self. play ball! enbrel may lower your ability to fight infections. serious, sometimes fatal events including infections, tuberculosis, lymphoma, other cancers, nervous system and blood disorders and allergic reactions have occurred. tell your doctor if you've been someplace where fungal infections are common. or if you're prone to infections, have cuts or sores, have had hepatitis b, have been treated for heart failure, or if you have persistent fever, bruising, bleeding or paleness. don't start enbrel if you have an infection like the flu. visit enbrel.com to see how your joint damage could progress. enbrel. eligible patients may pay as little as $5 per month. - [narrator] introducing the grubhub guarantee: our promise to deliver the food you love on time, and give you the lowest price, or you'll get $5 off your next order. national university has been focused on the future of higher education for over 50 years. we believe the future is accessible, so we offer four-week classes, online options, and over 75 career-focused programs. and we believe the future is affordable, so we offer scholarship opportunities that help make earning your degree possible. ♪ ♪ national university. your future starts today at nu.edu. schools in chicago are closed for a fourth straight day. city officials are arguing with the teacher's union over covid safety protocols. >> but in new york and los angeles, the nation's two biggest school districts, they're moving ahead with in-person learning. so what's the right answer? adam zimmerman is the father of two school-aged children, and his recent op-ed, a parent's plea to policy makers, start prioritizing our kids, appeared in "the baltimore sun." thanks so much for being here. in your op-ed, you make the case that it is vital for kids for a host of reasons, everything from mental health to their academic level to be in the classroom. but victor just interviewed a teacher in chicago who also happens to be a parent, and, you know, she talks about the danger. so let me just play for you her sound and get you to respond. >> we are in unchartered territory right now. we are in a spike. we're not asking for remote learning forever. we are asking for remote learning until these cases get under control. i am a teacher who is vaccinated and had a breakthrough case of covid and my vaccinated husband ended up hospitalized. and while he survived, it was just wildly traumatic to my family. and having lived that and asking me to subject my students and their families who are even more vulnerable, it feels wrong. >> so adam, what's your response to that? >> so my heart goes out to her, alisyn. teachers are heroes. and we've seen throughout this pandemic, whether it's been in a classroom or behind a computer screen that our teachers are doing everything they can to teach our kids, to show them the love and compassion that they need to get from those teachers every day. i think we're in a situation right now where parents are afraid. either we're afraid to send our kids to school, because in many cases, our schools don't have the resources, whether it's the masks or the testing they need in order to keep the classrooms as safe as possible, or we're in a situation where schools that want to do the right thing, they can't. in 17 states right now, schools are prevented from putting in place vaccination mandates. even as we heard from secretary becerra, as we know that vaccines can play such a pivotal role in reducing severe disease, hospitalization, and death, schools that want to do the right thing, understand the need to do the right thing, are being prevented from doing the right thing and so it puts us, as parents, as teachers, in a real bind. and our kids are caught in the middle. >> you know, adam, you start this right in the sun by catching your son, aidan, almost chucking his chromebook at the wall and understanding his frustration. i just thought about all of the kids in rural districts who don't have chromebooks, who are given just a packet at the beginning of the week and then get it done and come back. as you talked about just the resources that so many poorer kids don't have and what they miss by not being in the building. >> absolutely. and when my son was about to throw his computer against the wall, there was an anger and a rage, a question of, how could you do this to me. how could the adults in the room take me away from my classroom, from my friends, from all of the things that i rely on each day. not just from an academic standpoint, but a mental standpoint, a social and emotional well-being. so the call to go to remote schooling, even for a short time, i can understand it. and a part of me even wants that. but when you remember, as you said, victor, not every child has a computer or a home internet connection. tens of millions of parents in this country have no paid leave, who have difficulty accessing affordable hchild care. so if schools do go remote and kids are home, who's going to keep an eye on the kids? who's going to watch them while mom and dad have to go to work? these are impossible questions that families have to face and we're in this position because for too long now, the children have not been at the top of the priority list in our response to this pandemic and haas got to change. >> you call them the forgotten victims of this pandemic. adam zimmerman, thank you so much for your perspective. >> thanks for having me. tennis star novak djokovic is back on the tennis court for training, after an australian judge overturned his visa cancellation. >> but it is still unclear whether or not he can play in the australian open. that's next. your shipping manager left to “find themself.” leaving you lost. 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 the world's top men's tennis player has won a legal battle over his vaccination status in australia. a judge in melbourne overturned the cancellation of novak djokovic's visa and ordered him to be released from immigration detention. >> djokovic was detained after authorities determined he did not qualify for a vaccine exemption. djokovic says he still intends to play in the australian open later this month. whether he actually will remains unclear. meanwhile, the entire season of college football comes down to tonight when the georgia bulldogs face the alabama crimson tide for the national championship. as you know, victor. >> we're so excited. >> i'll find out what time this is on. we saw a preview last month of these two s.e.c. rivals when alabama crushed georgia, as you'll remember, 41-24. and that was, of course, in the conference championship game. >> yes, i remember it so well. it was georgia's only loss of the season so could the dogs' need for revenge be enough to overcome the tide tonight? that's a question for andy scholes who joins us from indianapolis. you can hear the excitement in our voices. >> you all know a lot about what's been going on the last month in college football. take a look. thank goodness the game is indoors because it's like 20 degrees out here with a windchill of like 16. we'll be inside luke ag oil stadium tonight and all those georgia fans are certainly hoping tonight is finally their night because recent history against alabama has not been too kind to the georgia bulldogs. they haven't beaten alabama since 2007. they've lost seven in a row. hoping to get over that hump tonight. nick saban is trying to win his eighth national title. he's 25-1 against his former assistant coaches and georgia head coach is one of those former coaches. he's 0-4 against his old boss. the latest loss in the s.e.c. championship game which alabama won in a blowout, but georgia's players say they've learned from that game. >> after the last alabama game, it was our wake-up call. we realized we had a lot of work to do. i had three shots at alabama and haven't beaten them yet. so, you know, that's speaking for myself. as a team, winning the national championship, this is what we're grinding for and worked for all season. of course it will be an amazing feeling. >> we understand it's different. we have to earn it. anything that happened in the past you learn from it, but it's in the past. it's on us to work day in, day out and to earn the outcome that we want. >> yeah, heisman trophy winner bryce young was amazing in the s.e.c. title game. we'll see what georgia's great defense can do against him tonight in the national title game. guys, before i go, great stat for you. alabama has only been an underdog three times in the past 13 seasons. every single time they were an underdog, they won handily. two of those games were against georgia. and guess what? alabama is an underdog tonight. three-point underdog to georgia. wait and see what happens. >> all right. andy, you should have done this live shot a little closer to the heat lamp behind you. why are you so far from the fire? >> i just -- i ran back over here just now. i was over by that lamp seconds ago. believe me. i'm going back. >> good call. >> andy scholes, thanks so much. right now a judge is hearing arguments on whether former president donald trump can be sued by members of congress. we'll have more on that ahead. . i use liberty mutual, they customize your car insurance, so you only pay for what you need. wooo, yeaa, woooooo and, by switching you could even save 665 dollars. hey tex, can someone else get a turn? yeah, hang on, i'm about to break my own record. yeah. only pay for what you need. ♪ liberty, liberty, liberty, liberty. ♪ do your eyes bother you? my eyes feel like a combo of stressed, dry and sandpaper. strypaper? luckily, there's biotrue hydration boost eye drops. biotrue uses naturally inspired ingredients. and no preservatives. try biotrue! to be a thriver with metastatic breast cancer means asking for what we want. and need. and we need more time. so, we want kisqali. women are living longer than ever before with kisqali when taken with an aromatase inhibitor or fulvestrant in postmenopausal women with hr+, her2- metastatic breast cancer. kisqali is a pill that's significantly more effective at delaying disease progression versus an aromatase inhibitor or fulvestrant alone. kisqali can cause lung problems, or an abnormal heartbeat, which can lead to death. it can cause serious skin reactions, liver problems, and low white blood cell counts that may result in severe infections. tell your doctor right away if you have new or worsening symptoms, including breathing problems, cough, chest pain, a change in your heartbeat, dizziness, yellowing of the skin or eyes, dark urine, tiredness, loss of appetite, abdomen pain, bleeding, bruising, fever, chills or other symptoms of an infection, a severe or worsening rash, are or plan to become pregnant, or breastfeeding. avoid grapefruit during treatment. ask your doctor about living longer with kisqali. legendary poet and activist maya angelou will be the first black woman to appear on the u.s. quarter. the u.s. mint announced today that a coin has started to circulate. >> maya angelou quarter is the first in the american women quarters program which will feature prominent women in american history. so in los angeles, there's this dramatic rescue of a pilot from a plane crash with seconds to go before a train slammed into the wreckage. this video is graphic, but take a look. >> go, go, go, go! >> oh, my gosh. that single engine plane crashed onto the train tracks in l.a. and the video shows officers at first struggling to pull the pilot from the cockpit as the train was approaching. the pilot was taken to the hospital. he's reportedly doing okay, but it's just remarkable. i mean, they're such heroes. >> it is amazing. yes, this video is graphic but so glad they got that man out of the way. thanks for being with us for the last two hours. >> "the lead" with jake tapper starts right now. as danny tanner once asked, am i the raddest, baddest dad a kid ever had? rest in peace, bob. "the lead" starts right now. the omicron impact. more and more hospitals reaching critical capacity as new york covid cases skyrocket and the variant is disrupting the most important parts of society. horror in the bronx. at least eight kids among the 17 killed in the deadliest fire in new york city has seen in decades. now questions about how a door malfunctioning might have made matters even worse. one point for novak djokovic