at the terrifying moments when the hostage situation came to an end after an hours-long terror attack on a texas synagogue. the rabbi is sharing new details about what it was like inside. hello and welcome to this special edition of the lead. i m poppy harlow in for jake tapper. we begin with our health lead. the u.s. surgeon general is warning the next few weeks of the pandemic will be tough. dr. vivek murthy says omicron cases have not peaked nationally and that means this virus will keep spreading at a breakneck pace for now. a crush of covid patients means some hospitals are running out of uninfected health care workers and space to treat other patients in the intensive care units. more than 156,000 people are now hospitalized with this virus. cases in parts of the northeast do appear to have crested. a huge relief for those areas. but as nick watt reports, it s far from a national trend. the covid forecast is improving. looking better. the covid clouds are parting.
and gas rising 12 miles into the air. tonight, the advisories crossing the pacific. water levels rising in california. miles of coastline closed. a dangerous winter storm set to impact 100 million americans. the midwest already getting slammed. the massive system now taking aim at the south and up the east coast. multiple states expecting up to a foot of snow. dangerous driving conditions and widespread power outages, several governors declaring states of emergency. the record omicron surge pushing some hospitals to the brink. 5.5 million new infections just this week. in massachusetts, some hospitals pausing elective surgeries. and in southern california, ambulances forced wait in line to drop off patients. but also some encouraging news tonight cases dropping in several of the early hard-hit states. late breaking news on novak djokovic. his final hearing in front of a three-judge panel in australia. will he be deported or stay in play in the australian open? groce
on sunday morning local time. djokovic is still scheduled to play in the australian open in melbourne on monday. our correspondent, shaimaa khalil is there. voice over: this is 9 news, live from sydney. just moments ago, the immigration minister has cancelled novak djokovic s visa. it s a story that made headlines here in australia and around the world. for days, novak djokovic has been on the court training, and now, the government has announced its decision. the tennis star s visa has been cancelled again and, for the second time, he faces deportation from australia. in his statement, the country s immigration minister alex hawke said: the prime minister, scott morrison, said the sacrifices australians made throughout the pandemic should be protected. mr morrison s government has faced heavy criticism for allowing the unvaccinated player into australia in the first place while the country struggled with a spike in covid i9 case numbers. i think it was a pretty mess up that
and the world s number one male tennis player may not even get a chance to play. novak djokovic is once again on the verge of being kicked out of australia. he s meeting with immigration officials right now and is about to be detained. hello. happy friday. welcome to the lead. i m jake tapper. a bruising week for president biden. nearly a year into his presidency, he s surrounded by dead ends and crises, the fate of his economic agenda uncertain, his push for election reform appears to be withering on the vine. the u.s. supreme court swatted down his vaccine mandate for big businesses. the pandemic is continuing to rage. inflation is soaring. north korea is firing missiles eastward. russian troops are poised to move westward as talks to de-escalate around ukraine went nowhere fast. as kaitlan collins reports, president biden who in one poll this week stood at only 33% approval. desperately needs a reset as he embarks on his second year in office. reporter: president b