paul of putting his life at risk for political gain. rand paul raising money of his website. how the senator responded. president biden on protecting voting rights in this country, saying he will support a change in the senate rules in the filibuster on this issue, telling senators and members of his own party, how do you want to be remembered on this issue? how will history judge you? the brutal cold in the northeast. wind chills dropping below zero. more than 30 inches of lake effect snow. some covid testing sites today forced to close. waiting for hours in line, not possible given how quickly frostbite can kick in. and what's now right behind this? ginger zee standing by. tonight, the sudden groundstop up and down the west coast. why the faa called for a temporary groundstop around the same time north korea tested a missile. you will hear the audio from the pilots and what little air traffic control could say to them. the medical helicopter going down with an infant and several crew members onboard. authorities calling it a miracle night that everyone survived. how the pilot navigated power lines and buildings. and your health tonight. the new study on olive oil and alzheimer's and olive oil and your heart. good evening and it's great to have you with us here on a tuesday night. and we begin tonight with the alarming new number with the omicron variant in this country. the cdc now reporting it accounts for 98% of all new cases in this country. and tonight, an all-time high. 1.4 million new cases reported in a single day, including a weekend backlog of cases now being reported. a six-fold increase in a month. and with a record number of covid patients in america's hospitals now, the medical director at one los angeles hospital saying tonight that declaration, that we are 100% broken, we are now in disaster mode. we have heard all along authorities believing omicron may produce milder cases if you're vaccinated, but hospital officials in so many states say what they're seeing among the unvaccinated is devastating. 17% more likely to be hospit hospitaliz hospitalized, 20% more likely to die. the nation's top health officials on capitol hill today, defending the government's response. dr. avrntny faw dhi saying covid-19 is about extraordinary virus that has fooled everybody all the time. the senate panel asking nearly two years into this pandemic, why is it still hard to get tested. the images tonight of just one testing site, the long lines at camping world stadium in orlando again today. people lining up in the frigid temperatures here in new york city. elsewhere in the northeast, testing sites closed because of the brutal cold. and concerns over frostbite because lines can be so long. and from texas to california, these images from palo alto. authorities now asking parents to help teach to keep schools open. and is the cdc about to issue new guidance on masks? the stark difference in protection if you're in a room with someone who has covid, depending on the kind of mask you have on. our chief national correspondent matt gutman leading us off tonight. >> reporter: tonight, omicron cases exploding, a record 1.4 million in a single day, driven by a backlog of reporting from the weekend. and those numbers pushing hospitals to the brink. > at the current moment, we are completely inundated with covid patients. our in-patient volumes are through the roof. >> reporter: facing that relentless surge, health officials on capitol hill today defending their pandemic response. >> this is an extraordinary virus, the likes of which we have not seen even close to in well over 100 years. it is a very wily virus. it has fooled everybody all the time. >> reporter: the acting fda commissioner warning keeping essential services up and running remains the challenge and says that most people are going to get the virus. >> i think it's hard to process what's actually happening right now, which is, most people are going to get covid. >> reporter: for now, hospitals in california are forging through staffing shortages by telling health care workers who have covid but are asymptomatic to come back to work. but nurses are pushing back. >> why would you instruct us to go back to the office if we're asymptomatic, covid positive? >> reporter: is the concern is that it's just going to spread the virus further? >> exactly. how is that going to stop the pandemic? we could spread it to whoever is in contact with us. as well as our own community. i work with vulnerable children. they do not need that, and then will they trust us? "oh, are you covid positive or not?" >> reporter: but the unvaccinated face the greatest risk. they are 17 times more likely to be hospitalized and 20 times more likely to die. indiana now seeing the highest death rate in the country. >> even know they say omicron is probably more mild, i don't think we're necessarily seeing that with the unvaccinated, so, it really is just a second surge right on top of the last one. >> reporter: but tonight, there are signs of hope in some places first hit by omicron. new york city, the first up by center for the variant, now seeing cases dip 17% since january 1st. our stephanie ramos is in nearby new jersey where they are seeing it first-hand. >> i'd like to think that we are just at the crest of this omicron surge. the numbers are starting to look a little bit better. >> reporter: this, as the cdc is reportedly considering updating its mask guidance, according to "the washington post," to recommend n-95 or kn-95 masks over cloth masks. studies conducted before the omicron variant estimated for two people wearing cloth masks, it can take about half an hour to spread the virus from an infected person to an uninfected person in the same room. if they are both wearing surgical masks, it can take about an hour. but if they're both wearing n-95 masks, it can take about 25 hours to cause an infection. >> a stark difference there. matt gutman, how soon could the cdc update its mask guidance? >> reporter: david, health officials with whom i've spoken tonight say that the cdc could update that guidance as early as the end of the week. now, officials have been urging people to upgrade their masks since omicron, specifically moving away from those cloth masks. health officials also telling us today that they are ramping up production of n-95s to make those available to those who need them. david? >> matt gutman leading us off tonight. thank you, matt. you heard dr. fauci there talking about the extraordinary nature of this virus. there was also an unexpected and very heated moment today on the hill. dr. fauci talking about the threats against his family, describing them. the man stopped in iowa. and what that man told authorities. and today, when kentucky senator rand paul accused dr. fauci of trying to destroy the reputation of other scientists who disagree with him, dr. fauci saying that kind of misinformation has led to threats on his life and his family. here's mary bruce. >> reporter: at that hearing today, dr. anthony fauci fed up with republican senator rand paul. saying his repeated and false attacks are putting fauci's life at risk. >> what happens when he gets out and accuses me of things that are completely untrue, is that all of a sudden that kindles the crazies out there, and i have life -- threats upon my life, harassment of my family. >> reporter: today, detailing one of the latest threats against him. a california man arrested during a traffic stop in iowa last month. >> the police asked him where he was going, and he was going to washington, d.c. to kill dr. fauci. and they found in his car an ar-15 and multiple magazines of ammunition, because he thinks that maybe i'm killing people. >> reporter: investigators say the man had a hit list, including former presidents clinton and obama, and said he would kill president biden if he didn't comply with his demands. as the public face of the pandemic response, fauci has become a frequent target. he's previously described a terrifying experience, opening anonymous letter delivered to his office, only to be covered in a cloud of white powder he thought might have been a deadly substance. it was later found not to be hazardous. fauci today accusing the republican senator of spreading dangerous lies for his own political gain. >> go to rand paul website, you see contribute here. you can do $5, $10, $20, $100. so, you are making a catastrophic epidemic for your political gain. so, the only -- >> you have politically attacked your colleagues -- >> reporter: now, paul disputed fauci's claims, but david, tonight, the senator is already trying to fund-raise off of this heated exchange. david? >> mary, thank you. president biden, meanwhile, late today in georgia, issuing a call to action on voting rights in this country, urging the senate to get it done, saying he will support changes in the senate rules, changes to the filibuster on this issue. and telling senators, including reluctant members of his own party, history will judge you on this issue. our chief white house correspondent cecilia vega with the president in atlanta. >> reporter: in atlanta, the heart of the civil rights movement, president biden today visiting the grave of martin luther king jr., later calling this a defining moment in history, demanding the senate pass voting rights laws. >> i've been having these quiet conversations with members of congress for the last two months. i'm tired of being quiet! >> reporter: 19 states passing restrictive voting laws in the wake of former president trump's lies about a stolen election, taking aim at things like mail in voting. >> voting by mail is a safe and convenient way to get more people to vote. so they're making it harder for you to vote by mail. the same way i might add in the voted from behind the desk in the white house for florida. >> reporter: the president specifically attacking georgia. >> it makes it illegal to bring your neighbors and fellow voters food or water while they wait in line to vote. what in the hell -- heck are we talking about? i mean, think about it. that's not america. >> reporter: georgia also limiting boxes where voters like bridget muldrow can drop their ballots. the childcare worker saying she's not sure how she'll vote now. >> i've heard the term "the new jim crow 2.0" and it's kind of seeming like that they're try to go backward. >> reporter: you feel like you're being targeted as an african american woman in this state? >> yes. and i do not appreciate that. >> reporter: today, for the first time, the president calling on senate democrats to change the senate rules to allow them to pass voting rights legislation without any republican support. >> i believe that the threat to our democracy is so grave that we must find a way to pass this voting rights bill. debate them. vote. let the majority prevail. and if that bare minimum is blocked, we have no option but to change the senate rules including getting rid of the filibuster for this. >> reporter: but the reality is, not all democrats are on board. senators joe manchin and kyrsten sinema standing firm in their opposition to doing away with the filibuster. >> each one of the members of the senate is going to be judged by history on where they stood before the vote, and where they stood after the vote. >> reporter: and then, this warning. >> so i ask every elected official in america -- how do you wasn't to be remembered? do you want to be on the side of dr. king or george wallace? do you want to be on the side of john lewis or bull connor? do you want to be on the side of abraham lincoln or jefferson davis? this is the moment to decide to defend our elections, to defend our democracy. >> cecilia vega, who was on the air with me this afternoon for this. and there could be votes as early as tomorrow in the senate? >> reporter: senator schumer announcing that today, david. we could sigh these votes as early as tomorrow. in those bills, democrats want to allow the justice department to be able to police changes to voting laws in some states, but right now, the bottom line, president biden still does not have the votes in his own party to pull this off. senator manchin saying today, he is still opposed to eliminating the filibuster. >> cecilia vega live in georgia tonight. cecilia, thank you. next tonight, the major arctic blast in the northeast. dangerous wind chills from washington, d.c. all the way up to new york and new england. the cold supercharging lake effect snow. this from upstate torque not. more than two feet of snow. in new york city, people bundled up in central park. a covid testing site in manchester, new hampshire, shut down today. let's get to ginger zee with what's right behind this. ginger? >> reporter: oh, my goodness, david, you give me 24 hours and i will give you 20 degrees, but it's not going to stick for long. today, new york city officially the coldest daytime high in nearly three years. ca caribou, maine, did not make it above 2 below zero for their high. the wind chills and the temperatures are going to improve significantly, both wednesday often and thursday for so many folks from baltimore up to boston. as i mentioned, it doesn't stay long, we get a whole other arctic blast that looks a lot like this one did this weekend. below normal all the way south to atlanta. david? >> ginger, thank you. we're going to turn now to the temporary groundstop at a number of airports up and down the west coast, around the time north korea test-fired a missile. well tonight, the faa is now acknowledging they did call for the stop, but they said the matter is under review. tonight, gio benitez with the audio of the pilots and what little air traffic controllers could actually say. >> reporter: tonight, questions mounting after the faa issued a groundstop for several west coast airports monday. >> some sort of national security threat is going on and we are not allowing aircrafts to maneuver in the area at the moment. >> reporter: the groundstop lasting less than 15 minutes. pilots and control towers confused. from san diego -- >> what is the groundstop for? >> we don't know. we are trying to find out. it is everybody nationwide. >> interesting. >> reporter: to oregon -- >> can you give us any indication of what's going on right now? >> we don't know anything about it, we just got the notice. >> reporter: the order given around the time north korea claims to have launched a hypersonic missile, allegedly their fastest ever. the faa in a statement today not mentioning that missile launch, but saying the pause was issued as "a matter of precaution" and that the agency "regularly takes precautionary measures." and david, the white house has not confirmed whether the launch led to that groundstop, but says no americans were in danger. the faa says it is reviewing it all. david? >> gio benitez, who covers transportation for us. thank you, gio. and tonight, the stunning images. the medical helicopter going down in suburban philadelphia, with an infant onboard, medical staff, too. tonight, that pilot is being hailed as a hero, navigating 3wi8dings and power lines, landing on its side, right outside a church. we've learned the baby and three crew members onboard all survived, all are getting medical care tonight. and here's erielle reshef. >> reporter: tonight, the pilot of this medical helicopter pulling off a, quote, miracle landing, after the aircraft suddenly dropped from the sky, narrowly missing a church in suburban philadelphia. >> pie lot's possibly unconscious. use caution, there's fuel leaking. >> reporter: rescue crews rushing to the scene, helping pull an infant patient and all three crew members from the wreckage. none with life-threatening injuries. the lifenet medical flight taking off around 1:00 p.m. tuesday from chambersburg, pennsylvania, carrying the 2-month-old to a local children's hospital. witnesses say the helicopter appeared to be in distress and flying low before hitting the ground and toppling on its side. >> tdz w so loud, i actually thought maybe it was a bomb. >> reporter: the pilot navigating power lines and buildings to crash-land the helicopter safely with no injuries on the ground. the police superintendant praising his skill. >> can't wait to meet this gentleman, shake his hand for >> reporter: and david, everyone who was onboard that helicopter, including the infant, who was being transported, is said to be doing well tonight. the ntsb and faa are investigating. david? >> just incredible and glad to hear it. erielle, thank you. when we come bang, news tonight about a deadly police shooting. his 911 call now made public, claiming a man jumped on the hood of his pickup, his family in the truck. and your health tonight. news on olive oil and alzheimer's and your heart. infon about dupuytren's contracture. i thought i couldn't get treatment yet? well, people may think that their contracture has to be severe to be treated, but it doesn't. if you can't lay your hand flat on the table, talk to a hand specialist. but what if i don't want surgery? well, then you should find a hand specialist certified to offer nonsurgical treatments. what's the next step? visit findahandspecialist.com today to get started. 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i just knew it was me that had to do it. >> what she did was amazing. we were -- back at the fire station, talking about how brave she was. i hope if this happened to one of mine that somebody like her was close by. >> thank goodness dusti saw it and helped. i'll see you tomorrow. good night. announcer: building a better bay area -- moving forward, finding solutions -- this is abc 7 news. >> we are continuing to effort in the bay area to keep those out some schools returned to virtual learning as staffing shortages make it impossible to return to class. >> the governor on his expand health care for californians. thank you for joining us. kristen: you are watching abc 7 news at 4:00, live on abc seven, hulu and wherever you stream. larry: california reported more than 6 million cases since the start of the pandemic. we reached 5 million cases only two weeks ago. kristen: nationwide, the nationt variant is estimated to account for more than 98% of new cases. a week ago, a -- five weeks ago, it counted for less than 1%. larry: it is not clear how were admitted for other reasons and then coincidentally tested positive. kristen: san francisco is seeing an all-time high and covid cases. hospitalizations are increasing but officials say those numbers are lower than the surge last year because 81% of the cities residents are fully vaccinated. >> we are optimistic because of our cities high vaccination and boosted rate, we will get through without all of those intensive care ads. kristen: people were hospitalized. the demand for testing, the city is averaging more