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spread holiday cheer. we begin with the growing threat of the omicron variant. cases are rising quickly around the globe. less than a month after it was first detected. in the u.s., experts are warning that americans could be facing a dark winter as omicron collides with the surge of the delta variant. the country is now averaging more than 125,000 new infections a day. cases are rising, especially fast in the northeast, midwest, and south, but experts say that s mostly being fueled by the delta variant, not omicron that s expected to become the dominant strain in the coming weeks, but cdc numbers show that omicron accounts for just around 3% of new cases. u.s. hospitals are already peeling the impact around 69,000 americans are currently hospitalized with the virus. and experts say omicron is only likely to make things worse, putting more strain on an already-overwhelmed health care system. the sheer number of patients that will still generate for hospitals will ov ....
about 200 civilians remain traps inside the sprawling azovstaal plant. ukraine s president says authorities are doing everything they can to get people out. translator: russian shelling and assault on as-zovstal does t stop. but civilians need to be taken out. women, children. many children who are still there. just imagine this hell and there are children. more than two months of constant shelling. bombing. and constant death nearby. mr. zelenskyy said evacuations from the southern part city are ongoing, but he didn t say how many people left mariupol on thursday. the red cross says more than 300 people are believed to be from mariupol and other nearby areas arrived in zaporizhzhia on wednesday. a ukrainian commander says wounded soldiers inside the azovstal steelworks are dying in terrible agony but those who are able are fighting to defend the plant. more now from cnn s isa soares. reporter: ukrainian soldiers trapped in the azovstal plant sing the army s bat ....
come drone attacks cause blackouts across ukraine. russia targeting more power plants and escalating the bloodshed and suffering of civilians. also tonight, a cnn exclusive on the trump tapes. stand by to hear some of then president trump s revealing recorded interviews with journalists bob woodward including trump boasting about the letters that sparked the mar-a-lago documents investigation. as early voting in georgia sets records right now, the high stakes midterm election is now only three weeks away. we re following flash points in the battle for control of congress including a new promise by president biden on abortion rights for women. welcome to our viewers here in the united states and around the world. i m wolf blitzer. you re the situation room. our top story this hour, wide spread blackouts across ukraine as russia strikes major power and water facilities. ukrainian officials warning that moscow s attacks have already destroyed nearly a third of thei ....
reporter: so he s going to be pushing for this three-month gags holiday, and basically that would mean a 90-day suspension of the federal gas tax. if you re wondering what that s going to save you when you re actually at the pump, right now the federal gas tax is about 18 cents for a regular gallon and 24 cents for a gallon of diesel fuel. so not really that big of a difference when you re looking at an average price of gas. it is getting close to $5. of course it topped $5 earlier this month. so that s been a big question for lawmakers because getting this done is not just something that the president can do on his own. yes, he s about to call for it any moment now. but it really requires an act of congress on capitol hill to actually get this passed. and you re already see something concern even from democrats in the president s own party about whether or not this would actually make that big of a difference, and if it s worth what it would do. one of those concerns ....
A flood of suspected Albanian murderers, rapists and drug traffickers wanted around Europe have been found living in the UK, including suspected child rapist Denis Havalja. ....