two big stories, the cdc saying it s okay to open schools in america. it s a big deal with a teachers unions in major cities saying they don t want to do it. dana: what biden s chief of staff said last night at odds. bill: a huge part of the first covid bill that has about $130 billion in schools in america. you wonder what sort of leverage the unions and white house are working on? dana: at some points the parents will say enough. we also have the issue of three weeks from the capitol hill riots and getting a little bit more information, not enough. but we had the capitol hill police explaining yesterday along with a briefing from the army and the general from the national guard explaining why they were not prepared. bill: the major headline that they knew there could be a problem two days before the riots happened. dana: one of the things they didn t want to do is create a perception that they had had in the summer and that led to a really bad situation. bill: w
hello and welcome. concern is growing worldwide over the rapid spread of omicron variant of coronavirus. france, italy, and the united kingdom are amongst the countries to have recorded their highest ever numbers of infections. south africa, where the variant was first identified last month, has also reported a record number of daily infections. in europe, a vaccination drive for children under 12 has begun. while the british prime minister, borisjohnson, has once again been urging people to take up their offer of a boosterjab. damian grammaticas reports now on how britain is trying to respond. it s a programme that s ramping up. vaccination after vaccination. hearfrom soldiers in a cathedral. queues of people outside. orfrom a gp visiting an elderly patient at home. every rooster given matters, because the omicron variant is surging. == matters, because the omicron variant is surging. variant is surging. booster. it aives variant is surging. booster. it gives you vari
let us know on twitter using the hashtag bbcyourquestions. as the virus continues to spread, business groups ask for more government help as customers cancel bookings. schools says they are prepared to switch to online learning if they have to next term as more pupils stay at home because of covid. four children have died and five others are injured after falling from a bouncy castle that was blown into the air in australia. pulled away and pulled away with disdain. and, in the ashes, england under pressure as australia start well in the second test. think carefully before going to pubs and restaurants this christmas and don t mix with people you don t have to. that was the message from the prime minister and england s chief medical officer, as covid cases soar. borisjohnson and professor chris whitty made the warnings as the uk recorded more than 78,000 new infections yesterday the highest figure since the start of the pandemic. but the hospitality and entertainment in
the bank of england puts up interest rates for the first time in three years to 0.25%. five children are killed in australia after a bouncy castle was blown away in the wind. three more are critically ill in hospital. the rose effect more people are signing up to learn british sign language after seeing the star on strictly. and england struggle on the first day of the second ashes test in australia. coming up on the bbc news channel, mercedes drop their plans to appeal the outcome of the abu dhabi grand prix, after the controversial ending to the season cost lewis hamilton a record eighth title. good afternoon and welcome to the bbc news at one. the uk s chief medical adviser has warned that the previous maximum daily number of people admitted to hospital with coronavirus could be exceeded. that was 4,500 seen injanuary. speaking to mp5, professor chris whitty said that the present wave of the omicron variant was likely to peak quite fast but that it could go down more q