Latest news. good evening, errol. this is big. reporter: absolutely, norah. good evening. this decision by the biden administration is likely to fuel more mask confusion. the c.d.c. says an appeal is needed to protect its public health authority. meantime, though, air travelers, like the ones you see around me, will be stuck with a decision: to mask or unmask. for travelers who are immunocompromised or with young, unvaccinated children, the maskless reality is a new and frightening challenge. brian vastag traveled to alaska for treatment for his auto immune disorders. the moneyidate was lifted. now he feels stranded. it s been extremely stressful and frustrating, anger provoking. reporter: also fearful of flying home. we travel for medical care all the time, especially people with rare diseases or hard-to-treat diseases. it s going to be riskier for us. reporter: was this policy ended too soon? no question about it. reporter: cbs medical
reporter: retired army general michael repass says artillery could blunt the russian offensive. the artillery that we re giving them is a method to counter that artillery fire that the russians are pouring on to the ukrainian troops, and also to the civilian communities. reporter: the russian plan calls for sending some 90,000 troops to encircle the ukrainian army in the east. artillery plus real-time battlefield intelligence provided by the u.s., could give the ukrainians a fighting chance. battlefield math holds that the offense needs a three-to-one advantage over the defense in order to break through. right now, the russians do not have a three-to-one advantage in eastern ukraine. norah. o donnell: that s some significant reporting. david martin, thank you. let s turn now to some breaking news. the department of justice is moving to reinstate the transportation mask mandate at the request of the c.d.c. this is setting the country up for a legal showdown. cbs errol barnett i
Transportation, it will appeal the florida judge s ruling. now, the news comes as the t.s.a. is no longer enforcing the mandate, leaving it up to business and individuals. cbs errol barnett is at reagan national airport with the latest. ( applause ). reporter: there was jubilation in the skies as passengers found out masks were no longer required. no one is any happier than we are. reporter: one flight attendant celebrating in song. reporter: all major u.s. airlines made mask wearing optional once the t.s.a. said it would no longer enforce the federal rule. airport officials in houston today, carting away these mask requirement signs, the nation s busiest airports all making masks optional. the white house, hoping to keep the mandate in place through may 3 was caught off guard by monday s announcement. cbs nancy cordes today asked
Already been recorded here. the prosecutor general says there are thousands more throughout the country. major. ttg the roadways omplication foratherings of all kinds. covid numbers are on the rise in 30 states with the ba.2 subvariant making up more than 85% of new cases. cbs errol barnett is at reagan national airport with more. reporter: today, mlsz of air travelers are on their way. just to be with family over this holiday time. reporter: domestic ticket prices have jumped 40% since january, but that hasn t softened demand. i m just ready to go and travel, you know, and see family and friends. reporter: delta airlines sold more tickets last month than in any march in its history and will now fly more than 480,000 passengers per day through sunday. unted will carry more than
Children, children too young to be vaccinated who want to celebrate the new year and get together with friends and family, what s your advice? with this particular variant, the omicron, it is much more contagious so it make those things more challenging to do safely, especially in an indoor space. reporter: and here in new york tonight, there s an even greater push to protect children from covid. the state reported nearly 70,000 new positive tests in the past 24 hours. that s a 65% increase in just one day, and, major, that s a new record. garrett: records all over the place. nikki battiste, thank you so very much. holiday travel chaos continued we re sorry to say for a sixth straight day. the toll so far, more than 6,000 flights canceled since christmas eve with covid-related staff shortages the main culprit. cbs errol barnett is at reagan national airport, and he has the latest. reporter: with every major airport in the country experiencing cancellations and delays tonight,