asks for anything special. i was calling to find out, hey, when are you going to reopen interstate 95, so i spoke to the secretary of transportation in virginia, who s a long time friend about when different sections will reopen. i also, first thing i asked is what s the emergency number that people should call to get help because, again, i had gas in my car. i was able to make one stop on the way in fredericksburg, there was a period of about 5 or 10 miles where the traffic opened up and it was moving, i could get off at an exit, get gas and get back on, but a lot of people were really in trouble, and needed help. and so i wanted to get the information about the best number to call out to as many people as i can, so that was the first conversation i had with them this morning. we put it up on social media so people who need help could get it. understood and that s really wonderful but when you talked to the secretary of transportation, did you say, how did this happen?
unions, nonetheless saying that they need to keep schools open amid the push by some teachers unions to return to remote learning. take a listen. we have no reason to think at this point that omicron is worse for children than previous variants. we know that our kids can be safe when in school, by the way. that s why i believe schools should remain open. those remarks come as pediatric hospitalizations are the highest they ve ever been during the pandemic, especially almost entirely among unvaccinated kids. children, according to the cdc, are the least vaccinated age group in the united states. those younger than 5, of course, still not eligible for a vaccine. let s get right to cnn s jeff zeleny live at the white house. biden s message today was, be concerned about omicron, but do not be alarmed. jake, it was. this was he was attending his first formal covid briefing of this new year. he bluntly acknowledged what s become obvious. that omicron cases are rising and
The commute from a snowy hell. 24 hours in a car barely moving 24 feet. the lead starts right now. thousands stuck and stranded on a busy virginia interstate. some with babies and dogs. no food or water. and quickly running out of gas. if they haven t already. how did this happen? music to the ears of a lot of parents. president biden today proclaiming that schools should be open as the cdc is about to make yet another change to its isolation guidance. and, the zoom call to stop a possible war. we ll take you inside a pending global alliance meeting hoping to stop vladimir putin s invasion itch. welcome to the lead. i m jake tapper. we start with the health lead. a powerful message this afternoon from president joe biden, an ally of teachers