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Omicron Variant Continue to Spread in U.S.; COVID-19 Causing More Travel Disruptions; Archbishop Desmond Tutu Remembered by World Leaders; China to Disinfect Xi'an City; COVID Taking a Toll on Children; Mentally Disturbed Man Arrested in Windsor Castle; Looking Back at 2021 Sports History; Heavy Rain Flooded Bahia State; Snow Covered Roads in Nevada. Aired 3-4a ET

Aired December 27, 2021 - 03:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[03:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR (on camera): Hello, and welcome to all of you watching us here in the United States, Canada and around the world, I'm Kim Brunhuber.

Ahead here on CNN Newsroom.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNKNOWN: They didn't inform us of hardly anything else, let everybody go about their business.

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BRUNHUBER: Travel chaos on the sea. Two cruise ships return to Florida after passengers and crew members test positive for COVID despite being vaccinated. And I'll speak with a clinical psychologist about the mental health difficulties some are facing under a second holiday season pandemic.

Plus, the life and legacy of Desmond Tutu, the Nobel Peace Prize winning antiapartheid leader. We're live in Nairobi with the look at how he is being remembered.

UNKNOWN: Live from CNN center, this is CNN Newsroom with Kim Brunhuber.

BRUNHUBER: As we approach the New Year, it's looking more like 2021 will end the same way it began, centered around COVID. Daily new cases fueled by the Omicron variant are spiking, racing toward highs not seen since last January. Hospitalizations are also rising, although nowhere near levels seen during recent surges, COVID-related deaths are also up.

And this is the scene at testing sites around the country. Look at these long lines with people often having to wait hours to get tested. The White House is facing increased criticism over its handling of COVID testing. Here is what top health expert Dr. Anthony Fauci had to say.

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ANTHONY FAUCI, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES: We should be using testing much more extensively than we have. Even in a situation where you have people who are vaccinated or boosted. But the situation where you have such a high demand, a conflation of events, Omicron stirring people to get appropriately concerned and wanting to get tested, as well as the fact of the run-on tests during the holiday season.

We've obviously got to do better, I mean, I think things will improve greatly as we get into January but that doesn't help us today and tomorrow.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER (on camera): The Omicron variant is also causing major disruptions to travel, nearly 1,500 flights were canceled Sunday as staff and crew continue to call out sick, but it's not only airlines that are being affected by the Omicron variant.

Outbreaks on cruise ships threatened holiday plans for some travelers while COVID protocols just didn't measure up for others.

CNN's Alison Kosik has the details.

ALISON KOSIK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The cruise line industry is facing disruption again because of COVID-19. Over the past week, at least four cruise ships were turned away from ports of call and passengers were denied entry to port because of cases of COVID on their ships.

Now, U.S.-based ships resumed service just this past summer after being shut down because of the pandemic. Now there are vaccine requirements in place, and measures in place to try to keep the spread of COVID from happening on these ships, but even since then, COVID incidents have happened on some of these ships.

One case in point, in August, on a carnival cruise ship, 27 people tested positive for COVID. They were isolated and passengers were still allowed to disembark after they showed proof of a negative COVID test.

Difference this time? The Omicron variant. It's more transmissible, and a Carnival spokesperson told CNN in a statement that the variant may shape how some destination authorities view even a small number of cases.

Now, Carnival cruise ship Freedom was one of the ships impacted over the past week, with what Carnival calls a small number of passengers testing positive for COVID. That ship docked as planned in Miami on Sunday, and the passengers getting off the ship after their eight-day voyage had very different experiences. Listen to what they had to say.

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JIM STORUPSKI, PASSENGER, CARNIVAL FREEDOM: We heard varying stories, heard five, heard 12, heard 25.

CONNIE STORUPSKI, PASSENGER, CARNIVAL FREEDOM: They're quarantined them. I mean it was safe, we had a good time. We'll do it again.

I couldn't even go in a pool the whole time. We didn't touch one pool on that ship because everybody is in there all over each other, nobody is wearing masks. It was disgusting. Nobody cared.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KOSIK: Although there is an uptick in the number of cruises that have had to alter their itineraries the impacted cruises really only represent a small fraction of the dozens of cruise ships that are throughout, that have sailed throughout the month.

[03:05:01]

And the disruptions are certainly a far cry from what happened in March 2020, when the entire U.S. cruise industry had to shut down because of the pandemic, and there were weeks where there were efforts to get passengers and crew onboard those ships to get them home as ports were closed, for vessels that were hit by outbreaks of COVID.

Alison Kosik, CNN, New York.

BRUNHUBER: Now earlier, I spoke with Dr. Esther Choo about the spread of the variant in the U.S. and she says multiple factors have contributed to a recent rise in cases especially during the holiday season. Here is part of our conversation.

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ESTHER CHOO, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF EMERGENCY MEDICINE, OREGON HEALTH AND SCIENCE UNIVERSITY: We anticipated that Omicron would be bad, and of course, there's a timing issue here, Kim, in that Omicron hit just as cold weather drives people indoors and the holidays drive people together.

And, you know, so many of us have waited so long to see family members since you showed in the introduction, and I think it was just really hard to ask people to wait any longer, particularly people who are vaccinated and boosted and really had prepared to be safe when they travelled and saw families.

So, all these compounding issues coming together really meant that we were -- it is not surprising that we are where we are with the cases, just kind of exploding across the United States.

BRUNHUBER: Yes, and then as you just referred to those breakthrough infections, people had the shots and still been infected, so I want to get your advice on what to do but first let's start with simple exposure. Let's say, you know, this is happening all across the country, your kid came home from college for the holidays and tested positive for COVID.

I mean, the testing lines are so long, many people are saying well, you know, I'll wear my mask, I'll limit my contact with other people, but if I don't have symptoms, I won't bother getting tested. Is that wrong? I mean, even if you have no symptoms, should you get tested if you have been exposed?

CHOO: I think it is still so important to have testing as part of our strategy. First of all, testing allows us to know when we can reenter society, our jobs, our social lives. And also, knowing whether you're positive or not kind of changes your plans going forward.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: And Dr. Choo says tracking symptoms and using at-home COVID tests are the best way to gauge when it's safe to go back in public after testing positive.

Now, it's not just the U.S. The Omicron variant is fueling surges in COVID cases around the world. In western Europe, countries like France and the U.K. have seen daily case counts soaring to new record heights. Now this map shows just how fast the numbers have been rising.

The countries in dark red have seen new cases jump by more than 50 percent last week compared to the week before, and the Omicron surge is also creating problems for travelers. Airlines have had to cancel thousands of flights since Friday as staff and crew call out sick.

Meanwhile, France is mulling new COVID restrictions. President Emmanuel Macron meets with his cabinet today to discuss plans for tackling the Omicron variant.

And in China, authorities in the city of Xi'an have started the process of disinfecting the entire city amid a growing outbreak of COVID cases. It's the latest in a series of strict lockdown in Xi'an aimed at stopping the outbreak before it spreads to other parts of the country.

Now CNN's Steven Jiang is standing by in Beijing, but let's start with Barbie Nadeau in Rome. So Barbie, these cases are leading to many governments in Europe imposing restrictions while the U.K. this week will be debating whether to act with harsher measures. What's the latest?

BARBIE NADEAU, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Well, you know, we're seeing all across Europe here continentally, especially governments trying to figure out what to do. In France they'll be meeting this morning to try to determine what to do about their soaring cases, they had over 100,000 cases of new infection in a single day.

In Italy they have canceled New Year's Eve celebrations and we now have to wear masks outdoors. In places like Germany, sporting events are going to be held but without anyone spectators in those stadiums. We've seen movie theaters closing in places like Belgium and other restrictions across the board, and curfews and, you know, we've seen restrictions in restaurants, number of people who can sit together, you know, we got through Christmas but now governments are looking at how to make sure that the New Year's Eve doesn't become any kind of super spreader event. Kim?

BRUNHUBER: Yes. And then I mentioned Israel's prime minister having to isolate because of COVID, so this is, as the country expected to begin a health study into the fourth COVID shot, what more do we know?

NADEAU: Well, you know, the idea of a fourth booster is, I think something everybody is expecting. Here across Europe, you know, only as every country uses some form of a health pass and many governments including here in Italy are looking at a new expiration of those, so six months after your last shot, whether it's a booster or your second injection those health passes will expire.

[03:10:01]

So that, you know, common sense leads us to believe, then that means that there's going to have to be another booster after that if these health passes expire. Israel led the way in the first round of vaccinations, so if they're going to be requiring a fourth booster, or a second booster I guess it would be a fourth shot, we can expect very much the same here across Europe I think, Kim.

BRUNHUBER: All right, we'll be watching, as you say. So, turning now to Steven, this plan to disinfect the whole city of Xi'an. I mean, I spent some time there, it's not a small city by any means, some, you know, nine million people in the city proper, millions more in the greater area. How will they go about doing this?

STEVEN JIANG, CNN SENIOR PRODUCER: That's right, Kim. You know, you probably went there for the terra cotta warriors, it's a major tourist center and a sprawling metropolis of 13 million residents in the metro area but now of course it's pretty much all shut down with the local authorities as I mentioned decided to spray disinfectants throughout the sprawling city and warning local residents to close their doors and windows and not to touch anything outside in terms of surfaces and plans.

They had been pretty much placed the entire population under strict lockdown since last week after reporting some 600 cases, locally transmitted cases in the past two and a half weeks. And this of course is a big deal for them because China insists on sticking to its zero COVID policy.

But the thing is, as we draw closer to the Beijing Winter Olympics, officials across the country are just not going to take any chances. Already we see 26 local officials being reprimanded for dereliction of duty because of this latest outbreak, so we are going to see probably more of these increasingly draconian measures whenever cases pop up throughout this country. Kim?

BRUNHUBER: All right. No doubt. Barbie Nadeau in Rome, and Steven Jiang in Beijing, thank you so much.

Three members of the K-pop group BTS have tested positive for COVID- 19. The group recently returned to South Korea from a U.S. tour. Big Hit Music said RM tested negative on December 17th but positive Saturday before his scheduled release from quarantine. And Jin felt flu-like symptoms and tested positive on Saturday. Suga was the first to test positive on Friday, all three have received two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine.

The world mourns the passing of a human rights icon. South African archbishop Desmond Tutu. We'll take a closer look at his life and legacy after the break.

Plus, Christmas morning security scare for the British royal family. We'll share what we're learning about the armed intruder arrested at Windsor Castle.

And facing disappointment and frustration with COVID restrictions all over again. We'll have some expert advice again. Stay with us.

[03:15:00]

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CYRIL RAMAPHOSA, PRESIDENT OF SOUTH AFRICA: Archbishop Desmond Tutu was one of our nation's finest patriots. He was a man of unwavering courage, of principle conviction and whose life was spent in the service of others. He, in many ways, embodied the essence of our humanity.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER (on camera): South African President Cyril Ramaphosa there paying tribute to his countryman Archbishop Desmond Tutu who died on Sunday. Since then, tributes to the Nobel Prize winning anti-apartheid activist have been pouring in.

Ramaphosa says flags will be flown at half-staff in South Africa and a diplomatic mission around the world. Information on the archbishop's funeral service will be announced in the coming days.

All right, let's bring in our Larry Madowo now, he joins us live from Nairobi, Kenya. Larry, so many notable figures coming out to pay their tributes to this human rights icon, a real reflection of his status around the world.

LARRY MADOWO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And that's what President Ramaphosa of South Africa said, that South Africa's loss of real bereavement and you see those tributes coming in from kings and queens, prime ministers and presidents and royalty, and everybody in between from the Dalai Lama to the pope, to the queen of England, Prince Harry and Megan, the U.S. president, the Pakistani and Indian presidents, and prime ministers.

The president of Kenya here around Africa, all these people who are mourning who they consider one of the greatest Africans to have lived. A tireless, tireless voice for the voiceless, and somebody who spoke out against injustice wherever they saw it, and that is why you saw all these people and President Obama described him as his moral compass and friend. The Dalai Lama said they enjoyed a long friendship, remembering back

in 2015 when they spent some time together and praying for his family that he's left behind. And this is kind of truly the testament to the work of Desmond Tutu that cut across the world and so many people he inspired in every corner of the globe.

BRUNHUBER: Yes, absolutely. In terms of official plans to commemorate him, they still haven't announced the official funeral arrangements as I said, but do we know any more about how South Africa is planning to commemorate him?

MADOWO: We're still waiting to hear a bit more, Kim, about what South Africa will do. We know that South Africa is now in national mourning, flags are to fly at half-mast across South Africa and at embassies abroad. And also, the Anglican church in South Africa has begun to release some details and the family also releasing some details.

For instance, at St. George's Cathedral in Cape Town where he preached for many years, they will be ringing bells for 10 minutes every day, and the archbishop of Cape Town has asked those who hear the bell tolls to pause their busy schedules and to pay tribute to remember the work of Archbishop Desmond Tutu, the arch as they called him.

They are lighting, for instance, Table Mountain in Cape Town in purple and some key sites in Cape Town in remembrance of him. We are now starting to hear from the Tutu legacy foundation that they are planning a funeral service on New Year's Day on first of January 2022, and from Friday, he will lie in state again at George's Cathedral where people can come and pay respects to him as a final send off for him.

[03:20:01]

They are also planning a memorial service later this week which will be held in collaboration with the archdiocese of Pretoria, the Anglican church of South Africa. So, a few more details and they expect to announce a few more in the days ahead.

BRUNHUBER: Yes. So many people around the world touched by his life. Larry Madowo, thanks so much.

And as we mentioned, tributes to the late archbishop are pouring in from around the world. The U.S. president reacted to the news in a statement writing in part, his courage and moral clarity helps inspire our commitment to change American policy towards the repressive apartheid regime in South Africa. His legacy transcends orders and will echo throughout the ages.

In a tweet, former U.S. President Barack Obama called Tutu a mentor, a friend, and a moral compass to me and so many others. A message from the Vatican says Pope Francis was, quote, "saddened to learn of the death of Archbishop Desmond Tutu" and he offers his heartfelt condolences to his family and loved ones.

Mindful of his service to the gospel through the promotion of racial equality and reconciliation in his native South Africa. And Britain's Queen Elizabeth wrote, I remember with fondness my meetings with him and his great warmth and humor. Archbishop Tutu's loss will be felt by the people of South Africa and by so many people in Great Britain, Northern Ireland and across the common wealth where he was held in such high affection and esteem. Archbishop Desmond Tutu was 90 years old.

In the coming hours we'll have more on his legacy and global reaction to his death.

[03:25:00]

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BRUNHUBER (on camera): Welcome back to all of you watching us here in the United States, Canada, and around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber. This is CNN Newsroom.

Let's go back to our top story this hour. The rapid spread of the Omicron variant causing massive disruptions to holiday plans. U.S. airlines canceled more than 1,500 flights Sunday as staff and crew continue to call out sick with COVID infections.

Meanwhile, two cruise ships return to Florida after several passengers and crew members tested positive for COVID despite all adults being fully vaccinated. And a Holland America cruise ship was forced to return to San Diego after 21 of its crew members tested positive for COVID.

Now while some U.S. teens have been vaccinated for so long, they are now eligible for a COVID boosters, children under the age of five still haven't gotten their first shot. And now setbacks on vaccine trials for that age group could push shots for them back until well into 2022.

Health experts are concerned about the mental health toll the pandemic is taking on children.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VIVEK MURTHY, U.S SURGEON GENERAL: I'm so concerned about our children because there is an epidemic, if you will, of mental health challenges that they've been facing and it's partly because of the pandemic. We've seen certainly that many children lost loved ones during this pandemic.

One hundred forty thousand kids lost to caregiver. We know that their lives have been turned upside down, they haven't been able to see friends as often as they would and that's taken a toll.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER (on camera): Dr. Jeffrey Gardere is a clinical psychologist and associate professor at Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine, and he joins me from New York.

Thank you so much for being with us here, doctor.

The Christmas holidays are, you know, even in normal circumstances is a tough time of year for many people of all ages for many different reasons, and here we are the second holiday season in a row, many of us are living under some form of COVID restrictions whether official or self-imposed.

I know so many people who thought, you know, hey, I'm vaccinated, I got the boosters, they plan to get together with friends and family and many of those plans have now just fallen apart. So how extra hard will this holiday season be, do you think, this year?

JEFFREY GARDERE, CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGIST AND ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR, TOURO COLLEGE OF OSTEOPATHIC MEDICINE: I think a lot of people are very frustrated with what's going on. They felt probably by this time, especially during the holiday season, that we would have gotten over the hump, if you will, with regard to COVID-19 and now with the Omicron variant.

A lot of people are very upset, they're feeling like that this will never come to an end and it's been a real downer for a lot of people, especially when we see all the flights that have been canceled in the U.S. and around the world. People are really feeling frustrated right about now.

BRUNHUBER: Yes, just so, you know, depressing because, you know, the end seemed in sight, right, and the normalcy even we've made allowances for the so-called new normal, it was all, you know, so cruelly snatched away by Omicron as you mentioned.

And then as I said in the intro, young people facing even more issues with vaccine delays for the younger kids. We know from studies that COVID isolation, remote learning and other factors have had a huge impact on so many young people and now they face going through this again, in some places including my home province of Quebec. Kids will start the New Year out of classes back in remote learning, so this could be really detrimental to their mental health. Right?

GARDERE: Yes, absolutely. We know that with regard to the pandemic, K through 12 student learning was significantly impacted. We're talking about on average five months behind in mathematics and reading, and certainly not learning the interpersonal skills that they needed. Not having the camaraderie, especially growing up in this age group.

So, many of them, once they were back in school, were really very happy about that with the in-person learning, and so I've talked to a lot of kids who have said, wow, here we go again. And they don't like working from home as some of the adults do and older persons like myself actually who like working from home.

They need that face-to-face interaction, they need that energy, so it's been really tough for students but it's been really tough for the younger generation.

BRUNHUBER: yes, absolutely. And of course, for people that are struggling, you know, they should seek professional help, but I heard anecdotally from some mental health practitioners that because of demand, because of the challenges post by some people not being able to do in-person visits that getting access to mental health services has been a problem.

GARDERE: From what I hear from my colleagues, they have been booked solid with regard to people coming in, especially around issues of anxiety and depression.

[03:29:57]

Where we've learned that 4 in 10 adults, for example, in the U.S., but I'm sure in many parts of the world, including the great Canada, have reported symptoms where they felt that they just couldn't get some of the online or certainly the in-person attention that they needed.

So there certainly has been a backlog with regard to mental health services, which makes this whole situation around COVID-19 even more frustrating.

KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR (on camera): So, finally, this is a very broad question, but, you know, what advice do you have for people struggling with the isolation, with the issue of feeling like this is just never-ending?

GARDERE: Well, they need to be realistic. We're going to be going through this for quite a while, evidently. There will most likely be more variants out there. But we're becoming habituated to it but at the same time, we shouldn't get used to it to the point of where we're not keeping our guard up.

We should have our social distancing, people should get their boosters, of course.

But more than anything else, we're learning the importance of even though there is social distancing it's important to stay connected, even if it means doing it online, calling people on the telephone, being able to talk about what their issues are and what you talked about earlier, as much as possible, getting that check-up from the neck up, if you will.

Especially for employees, especially for students, so they can talk to someone as to what this is all about and what they need to do to empower themselves to continue the good fight against COVID-19.

BRUNHUBER: Yes, very important advice, if you are facing issues, talk to somebody about it. There are resources out there. Thank you so much for your time, Dr. Jeffrey Gardere. I really appreciate it.

GARDERE: Pleasure, thank you.

BRUNHUBER: And if you're worried about a friend or loved one or would like emotional support, the U.S. National Suicide hotline is 1-800- 273-talk. Again, that number is 1-800-273-8255 in the U.S. And for international resources, head to save.org.

Well, mental health issues maybe a security scare at Windsor Castle in the U.K. Police arrested a 19-year-old man after he reportedly broke into the castle grounds on Christmas morning. While searching him, police say they also found a crossbow.

Officials say he's been detained under the Mental Health Act and he's in the care of medical professionals. Queen Elizabeth and other members of the royal family were inside the castle celebrating Christmas when he was arrested.

All right, for more we're joined by CNN's Salma Abdelaziz in London. A shocking event there. Salma, what more do we know about the incident?

SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN REPORTER: Truly shocking but we understand that security services acted within moments of this individual, this 19- year-old man, entering the grounds of Windsor Castle. We understand that surveillance footage and security teams immediately detected him, that he was not able to trespass on any buildings actually on the grounds of Windsor Castle. Although he made it into the grounds, he was call -- rather, the police were called to those grounds at 8.30 a.m. on Saturday morning. Christmas morning.

It was Tim's Valley police and metropolitan police, so two police forces there which immediately detained the man. Nineteen years old from Southampton. We understand he was carrying a weapon but we later found out that weapon was a crossbow as you mentioned in your lead there.

So, we do understand now that he has gone under mental health assessment, this 19-year-old man, and that he is in the safe custody of authorities. And of course, the queen and her family are safe and well.

But yes, indeed, a shocking incident on Christmas Day. Although, the authorities acted quickly, and again, there are concerns here about potential mental health issues. Now, the queen is not normally -- not traditionally at Windsor Castle for Christmastime but she was this year.

She had her plans cancelled. She generally goes to her estate in Norfolk, the Sandringham Estate, but she did in not go this year due to an abundance of caution, the spread of the omicron variant.

So, a bit of concern there about the queen but all for now at least appears that man is now in custody and getting the help that he needs with the authorities.

BRUNHUBER: All right. Salma, you mentioned the queen. Let's turn to the queen's Christmas message. Even more poignant this year. Take us through what she said.

ABDELAZIZ: It's a deeply personal message this year, Kim. Generally, the queen uses the Christmas message as a way to kind of wrap up the year, talk about the events of the year. But this year was different. She lost her husband, of course, Prince Philip at the age of 99 in April this year. So, this was an extremely personal moment, in which she was able to share her grieving, her mourning, her suffering. Take a listen. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ELIZABETH II, QUEEN OF THE UNITED KINGDOM: Christmas can be hard for those who have lost loved ones. This year, especially, I understand why.

[03:34:56]

But for me, in the months since the death of my beloved Philip, I have drawn great comfort from the warmth and affection of the many tributes to his life and work from around the country, the commonwealth, and the world.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ABDELAZIZ: Now, there is some symbolism, as there always is, with the queen in that video message. She is wearing the brooch that she wore during her honeymoon with Prince Philip in 1947. You can see that image, that picture in the frame of the two together that's from her diamond jubilee.

So, a lot of meaningful symbols there in that video message, as well. She didn't touch quite as much on COVID, only a brief mention that it had disturbed our lives once more. But really wanted this message, which she personally chooses along with the help of her assistants and staff, she chooses the words to this message.

She obviously wanted it to be a deeply personal one. The queen did, of course, spend Christmas Day with her family, with her loved ones. She was at Windsor Castle with Prince Charles and Camilla and we understand other relatives there as well.

Again, her plans to go to the Norfolk estate in Sandringham, those were cancelled. So, it was a warm Christmas at Windsor Castle this year. Kim?

BRUNHUBER: All right. Thank you so much, Salma Abdelaziz in London.

The president of the Democratic Republic of Congo is strongly condemning an attack on Christmas Day. At least eight people were killed Saturday when a suicide bomber targeted a crowded bar as people gathered to celebrate the holiday. A government spokesman says 20 others were wounded.

Negotiations on reviving the Iran nuclear deal will resume in Austria in the coming hours. According to Iran's state media, the country's foreign minister doesn't find the position of some European countries constructive to the talks.

Negotiations have made little progress since they resumed earlier this month after a five-month pause. The head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization told Russian media that Tehran doesn't intend to enrich uranium beyond the 60 percent level, even if sanctions aren't lifted.

All right. After the break, from Tom Brady winning a seventh Super Bowl to athletes campaigning for mental health awareness, it's been an eventful year in the world of sport. We will look back at the top stories of 2021.

Plus, snow is making travel difficult in the western U.S. And in Nevada, it caused a massive pileup. We will have details ahead. Stay with us.

[03:40:00]

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BRUNHUBER (on camera): COVID is, again throwing the sports world into disarray. The rising number of cases across the U.S. is impacted at least five bowl games in college football so far. The Sun Bowl is now searching for a replacement team after the University of Miami dropped out due to COVID protocols.

Washington State still hoping to may a new opponent on Friday. Meanwhile, the Military Bowl plan for Monday in Annapolis, Maryland has been cancelled and the Fenway Bowl in Boston is also called off.

And in the English Premiere League, a couple of matches scheduled for Tuesday have been postponed. The league says Arsenal will take on Wolverhampton another time during -- due in part to COVID issues on the Wolves' squad. Match between Leeds and Aston Villa will also be rescheduled. At least 15 matches this season have been postponed due to COVID issues.

The pandemic brought some sports to a grinding halt in 2020 but 2021 saw athletes back on the field and courts and fans back into the stadiums and arenas. And as always, 2021 was a year in which sport stars made headlines on and off the field.

CNN's Andy Scholes shares his top 10 sports stories of 2021.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Number ten. In 2021, age proved to be just a number. Fifty years old Phil Mickelson becoming the oldest golfer ever to win a major, earning his second PGA championship 16 years after his first. This was Phil's sixth major title first since 2013.

PHIL MICKELSON, 2021 PGA CHAMPIONSHIP WINNER: It's very possible that this is the last tournament I ever win. But there is no reason why I or anybody else can't do it at a later age. It just takes a little bit more work.

SCHOLES: Number nine. Tom Brady, meanwhile, looks like he may never age.

UNKNOWN: Forty-three-year-old Tom Brady wins an historic seventh title in his first season with a new team.

SCHOLES: Brady leading the Buccaneers to a convincing 31 to 9 wins over the Chiefs. The Bucs the first team ever to win a Super Bowl in their home stadium. Brady and the team celebrating with a boat parade that saw him completing yet another pass out on the water. UNKNOWN: Wow.

SCHOLES: Twenty twenty-one was the year of the Bucs. Milwaukee also claiming their first NBA title since 1971. Giannis Antetokounmpo capping off an incredible playoff run becoming the finals' MVP.

UNKNOWN: Major League Baseball is moving its all-star game out of Georgia because of the state's new law that critics say suppresses voting.

SCHOLES: In April, Major League Baseball pulled the all-star game from Atlanta. In October, Atlanta hosted the World Series and pulled off one of the most unexpected runs in baseball history beating the Astros to win their first World Series title in 26 years. The team's unlikely championship coming in the same year that the world lost braves' legend Hank Aaron who passed away at 86 years old.

Number seven.

UNKNOWN: NCAA March Madness is the biggest tournament in college basketball for women. This is our weight room. Let me show you all the men's weight room.

SCHOLES: The NCAA admitting failing the women in providing facilities for the NCAA tournament last March and vowed to do better after being cancelled in 2020, March madness was back in 2021. But it wasn't the same with limited fans and men's tournament taking place solely in Indiana. The women's in Texas.

JON GRUDEN, FORMER HEAD COACH, LAS VEGAS RAIDERS: I'm not a racist. I don't -- I can't tell you how sick I am.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN ANCHOR: Breaking overnight. Jon Gruden stepping down as head coach of the NFL's Las Vegas Raiders hours after The New York times" reported on homophobic, misogynistic, and racist remarks that he made in e-mails over a seven-year period.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: The e-mails discovered during a probe into workplace misconduct within the Washington Football Organization. After resigning, Gruden filing a lawsuit against the NFL accusing the league of selectively leaking his e-mails to ruin his reputation.

SCHOLES: Number five. Vaccinations in sports were a polarizing topic.

AARON RODGERS, GREEN BAY PACKERS QUARTERBACK: Yes, I've been immunized.

ERIN BURNETT, CNN HOST: Superstar quarterback Aaron Rodgers defending his controversial comments where he raised doubts about the COVID vaccine after he tested positive for COVID. He also addressed when he lied and claimed he was immunized.

RODGERS: I misled some people about my status which I take full responsibility of.

[04:45:00] SCHOLES: Rodgers missed one game for the Packers while battling COVID.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST: Golf legend Tiger Woods hospitalized right now after a very serious rollover car crash.

JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST: Golf legend Tiger Woods is in the hospital right now after having to be cut out of his vehicle.

TIGER WOODS, GOLFER: I am lucky to be alive also still have the limb. That -- those are two crucial things.

SCHOLES: Nearly 10 months after the crash, Tiger hosted his golf tournament in the Bahamas and said he continues to make progress in his recovery. And in December, he surprised many by competing in a tournament with his 12-year-old son Charlie.

Number three. Despite the pandemic and calls to cancel the games, the Tokyo 2020 Olympics taking place without spectators in most venues and it was another historic game for team USA.

UNKNOWN: The most decorated U.S. track and field Olympian ever. Allyson Felix secured that title at the Tokyo Summer Games.

UNKNOWN: It's an historic moment for team USA. Suni Lee wins gold.

BERMAN: Team USA Katie Ledecky is basking in the glory of having made Olympic history like again and again and again.

SCHOLES: Number two. A big theme in 2021 was athletes continuing to campaign for mental health awareness.

NAOMI OSAKA, JAPANESE TENNIS PLAYER: Sorry.

UNKNOWN: No, you're supergood.

UNKNOWN: OK. I think we are just going to take a quick break. Just, we'll be back in one moment.

SCHOLES: Naomi Osaka revealing that press conferences give her anxiety and she had dealt with depression since winning her first U.S. Open title in 2018. The four-time Grand Slam winner pulling out of both Wimbledon and the U.S. Open to work on her mental health.

And number one. Major breaking news out of the Olympic. We just learned Simone Biles has pulled out of the team competition.

SIMONE BILES, OLYMPIC GYMNAST: At the end of the day, we are not just entertainment. We're humans and there are things going on behind the scenes that we are also trying to juggle with as well.

The way Biles put a spotlight on mental health showing the world that no matter who you are, even if you are superwoman, it's OK to not feel OK. She is going to go down as one of the greatest Olympians ever for the impact she's had.

SCHOLES: Biles would return to competition to take the bronze medal on the balance beam.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER (on camera): From terrible snow in the west, to record-warm temperatures in the south, we will go to CNN weather center for the latest on conditions across the U.S. ahead. Stay with us.

[03:50:00]

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BRUNHUBER (on camera): At least 18 people are dead and dozens more hurt as heavy floods hit eastern Brazil. Officials say thousands have been displaced and left homeless in Bahia state. Rain is possible through Tuesday raising the threat of more flooding and landslides.

Stefano Pozzebon reports on the crisis from neighboring Colombia.

STEFANO POZZEBON, JOURNALIST: Torrential rains and floods left more than a dozen deaths and hundreds of injured in the northeastern Brazilian state of Bahia over the weekend. Bahia is one of Brazil's poorest states and the entire northeastern region had been suffering from a drought in the year so far.

But the state's governor Rui Costa said to reporters that tens of cities have been impacted by the catastrophic damage cause by the floods.

RUI COSTA, GOVERNOR OF BAHIA, BRAZIL (through translator): This is a massive tragedy. I can't remember seeing anything like this in Bahia's recent history given the amount of cities and houses involved. It's truly terrifying. There are so many houses and streets that are completely under water.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

POZZEBON (on camera): The state civil protection agency said that at least 16,000 people have been left homeless and thousands more displaced (Inaudible). The local meteorological service is forecasting even more rain through Monday and Tuesday. Potentially, inflicting even more damage on the population already impacted by the disaster.

For CNN, this is Stefano Pozzebon, Bogota.

BRUNHUBER: A white-out conditions led to a 20-car pileup in Nevada. Just have a look at this scene here. The wintery-weather mix Sunday morning made it a nightmare for drivers. I mean, you can barely see anything there.

Truckee Meadows fire and rescue said conditions were extreme with 50- mile-per-hour winds. Three people were taken to hospital. The National Weather Service in Reno said today is the type of day to just stay home if you can. More snow expected in the area.

All right. Joining me now is meteorologist Pedram Javaheri. Pedram, as if all the cancelled flights because of COVID aren't causing enough trouble, bad weather might cause even more travel chaos, so what and where are you looking at right now?

PEDRAM JAVAHERI, CNN METEOROLOGIST: It's right across that same area. The western United States, as incredible as it gets with the -- the persistent amount of snowfall and rainfall we've seen in recent days and I counted parts of at least 13 states across the western half of the United States where winter-weather alerts are in place.

And we are talking about significant amounts of snow coming down across portions of the Sierra, Wasaga (Ph)across the Siskiyou, work your way toward the Rockies, even toward the cascades and the Olympic mountains the northwestern United States. Significant amounts of snow in place.

And you'll notice, into southern California, one of the wetter spots in the U.S. into Los Angeles and points just to the south, so really speaks to how wet across that region has been and more on that momentarily.

But notice this. A lot of cold air to be had, as well, as we head in toward the New Year. Seattle average temperature is around 46. They will struggle to get out of the 20s over the next several days and before it's all said and done, maybe get a couple more shots of snow showers. They had some on Sunday another round possible on Thursday and maybe even a mix on New Year's Day going into Saturday. So, plenty of snowfall potentially in store there.

But you'll notice, into southern California, that is where the impressive amount of rainfall has been in place. Portions of California have seen rainfall 14 of the first 26 days in the month of December.

[03:54:59]

Los Angeles, the average, about two and a half inches of rainfall in the month of December. Almost 200 percent of normal up to nearly five inches has come down in southern California and another round in store here in Monday. And again, all of that on the colder end of things.

While on the eastern half the United States, it is all about the excessive warmth. Get this, upwards of nearly 200 more record highs and even warm record lows possible there from today through at least Friday for really the southern tier of the U.S.

Look at these temperatures, Kim. Temps running 20 degrees above average in Atlanta where it should be in the 60s in New Orleans, they will be in the 80s. Even Houston, 80s for the forecast where the 60s are normal this time of year.

BRUNHUBER: Yes, I was checking out that map in disbelief. So incredibly warm here in Atlanta where we are.

Pedram Javaheri, thank you so much. I appreciate it.

JAVAHERI: Yes. BRUNHUBER: Well, four in the morning in north Fort Meyers, Florida, where all eyes are on a pair of bald eagle eggs expected to hatch soon. A live web camera fixed to capture the moments.

The parents have spent more than a month taking turns guarding and incubating the eggs. Right now, the mother Harriet is doing her part. On Sunday, a small crack appeared on one of the eggs. The first sign of a hatching.

Well, everyone's friendly neighborhood Spider-Man is now our friendly neighborhood billionaire. Spidey's latest outing Spider-Man no way home has crossed $1 billion at the global Box Office. Tom Holland stars as Peter Parker who is tasked with saving the multiverse from super villains spanning the character's nearly 20-year film history.

"No Way Home" is the first film to reach the billion-dollar mark since 2019's "Star Wars" the rise of sky walker and it's the second largest domestic opening of all time.

All right. That wraps this hour of CNN Newsroom. Thank so much for watching. I'm Kim Brunhuber. Our news continues with Max Foster, next.

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