we begin with the surge of new covid cases nationwide fueled by the omicron variant. even though early research indicated the new strain may cause less severe illness, health care resources in some parts of the country are already stretched thin. 12 states have seen a 10% uptick in covid hospitalizations over the past week, with more than 71,000 americans currently hospitalized with covid-19. a surge is causing major disruptions for airline travelers this christmas weekend as hundreds of u.s. flights have been canceled just this morning. cnn's lucy kava nauf has more. ♪ come and behold ♪ >> reporter: as americans celebrated another christmas during a pandemic, many saw holiday joy turn to frustration. with omicron cases on the rise across the nation, airlines canceling more than 1,000 flights this holiday

weekend citing covid staffing shortages and bad weather, leaving passengers in limbo. >> we won't be able to get home. >> we've been checking all websites, the airports, the airlines. >> reporter: from coast to coast on christmas morning, those who did plan to see loved one, taking no chances. >> my girlfriend tested positive earlier this week and, you know, it's christmas morning, i'm trying to see my family and, you know, they're real covid conscious. i'm vaxxed and boosted. but we're trying to be safe. >> i'm getting tested because i'm seeing my family today. >> reporter: those lucky you have to get a test. >> the line goes all the way back there. we've been here two hours. >> reporter: others saw their christmas plans wiped out by a covid diagnosis. >> i tested positive for covid. currently just hanging out at the apartment by myself. >> i was devastated that i was going to have to miss the holidays. >> reporter: the surge in cases leaving many medical workers and personnel stretched thin with little to celebrate. >> it's literally devastating and heartbreaking that we are in

this condition that we are now. >> hospitals in the twin cities are overwhelmed and unable to take new patients because we're bursting at our seams already. >> if you have a time for a prayer for frontline workers, i would do that. >> reporter: to boost the depleted workforce the cdc issued new guidance for vaccinated asymptomatic health care workers to slash their quarantine from 10 down to 7 days. doctors hopeful that the omicron wave will soon pass. >> i am hopeful in that the data coming out of the uk and out of south africa showing that these patients infected with omicron are much less likely to be hospitalized and much less likely to be severely ill and so that alone is giving me a little bit of faith that 2022 will be a meaningfully different year. >> reporter: a hope shared by all on this christmas weekend. lucy kafanov, cnn, los angeles. >> thanks, lucy. more flights as we noted are being canceled this morning. according to the tracking

website flight aware, so far more than 2,000 flights for today have been canceled worldwide, and that includes more than 600 orange originating or headed to u.s. airports. nadia romero has more on the flight disruptions. >> reporter: more than a thousand flights canceled saturday and sunday and we're seeing airlines like delta with almost 300 cancellations on christmas day and that has had an impact for travelers all across the country. we're seeing those impacts, too, internationally with those flightses being canceled as well. here at atlanta's hartsfield-jackson international airport, we definitely saw a slower christmas morning because of some of those cancellations and the omicron variant. the delta airlines and other airlines are telling us that their cancellations are due to the variant and flight crews not able to fly, exposed to covid-19 or testing positive for the virus. we know some of those

cancellations are due to weather. behind me you can see some people are here at the airport, but nothing like what we saw during thanksgiving. we were breaking prepandemic levels in 2019. now we have more people traveling according to the tsa on christmas eve, this christmas eve, compared to christmas eve of 2020, but not as many as 2019. that may be due to some of the cancellations and the rise of the omicron variant as there is rising coronavirus cases all across the country. we spoke with some travelers about why they said it was just so necessary for them to hit the road and fly out to see their family and friends this christmas weekend. take a listen. >> very concerned. i have glove and sanitizer and the special mask. but you just got to see your family. you have to walk with god. that's the only thing you can do. only god can pull your through. >> seeing family. going back to new york to see family from atlanta and covid has impacted travel quite a bit. just traveling safe. >> reporter: we spoke with some travelers who are still going on the international destinations. one man told me he hasn't seen his family in paris since

december 2019, and he was going to do whatever it took to get out to paris this christmas. we spoke with another woman who says she's traveling from atlanta to baltimore and for the first time she will see her grandson. first time she will be able to meet him and wrap her arms around him. she says she expects that to be an emotional moment. nadia romero, cnn, atlanta. >> thanks so much. let's discuss all things covid with dr. eileen marty, a distinguished professor of infectious diseases at florida international university. dr. marty, thank you so much for sharing part of your weekend with us. merry christmas. i hope you were able to celebrate yesterday. i want to get to the big picture of where we are right now with the omicron variant because cases are spiking. the rate of hospitalizations hasn't surged as cases have, but, obviously, with millions of americans traveling and gathering for christmas, that

may soon change. what are you seeing when it comes to where we stand and where we might be in a few weeks? >> so, i don't think we are in a good place at all. cases in the hospital are also rising and i think people need to be very clear that while this may be milder for the vaccinated and the triple vaxxed, it is not significantly milder in the sn unvaccinated and the vast majority we're hospitalizing are unvaccinated, once again. there has been a huge rise in the percentage of children because large percentage of the children are unvaccinated. we've gone from an average over the pandemic of 17.3% of the children being infected to 23.7% of the children last week and it's even higher this week. we just don't have all the statistics out. this continues to be a pandemic

that is worse among the unvaccinated and is nearly, just as severe, as it was before. there's zero evolutionary pressure on this virus to become less virulent. we must continue to be vigilant, we must continue to reduce our risk of getting a high viral load in a given moment, and that means that we have to reduce our exposure when traveling and when we are in congregate settings for people whose vaccination status is mixed. this is a very serious virus and we're not taking it as seriously as we should. omicron is far more contagious than delta. that's why it's causing breakthrough cases. and people who previously were infected are ten fold more likely to be reinfected by omicron than they were to be infected by previous variants. this is a very serious slavaria. we should not be downgrading it

at all. >> i had not heard that stat before, people exposed to omicron are ten times more likely to get it than the previous delta variant. when it comes to testing, it seems like it's really difficult for folks to get their hands on a test now, especially at this pivotal time where so many are traveling and trying to be considerate for folks they are spending time indoors with, how critical is it to make tests as available as possible to as many people in the united states as possible? >> the testing is a crucial piece of trying to keep cases down. it's a very important way of knowing that you're going to be getting together in a safer environment, but it's not a guarantee. we've already seen several instances of people who tested 15 minutes before a party and nonetheless, there was an outbreak because the party lasted for many hours and people who tested negative before they

arrived, became positive or started to shed virus that they unwittingly had among others. we have to be very, very careful about when we have congregate settings. testing is an important part of the puzzle and we need to increase the availability of rapid tests in the united states. i think that's one of the goals that president has. >> doctor, i do want to ask you about the cdc changing guidelines when it comes to isolation periods and requirements for health care workers who test positive for covid. i believe it is now down to seven days from the cdc. in new york, they made it five days. is that something that should apply more broadly to the general public, or is that too big of a risk? >> so, among health care workers, the percent of health care workers that are fully vaccinated is much higher

overall than that of the general public and we know that if you are triple vaxxed, you will have -- you may have symptoms, you will get infected if you're not cautious and wearing a mask in congregate settings, but even though you have high viral loads in the beginning, you tend to bring those down a lot sooner. so again, they're going back to work wearing full protection, which also helps protect those that they're around. it's a very unique setting for the health care worker. it's not a unique setting for the general public. also, it's a work shortage issue because we have been completely overworked now for two years. there's a tremendous amount of depression and it's actually a reduced workforce. we need more physicians, nurses, technicians, available to help others, and if they're feeling

well, it makes sense to shorten their time in isolation, so long as they are using all precautions to prevent transferring virus to others while they're working. >> yeah. it is difficult work, and it is work that does not appear to be going away any time soon. the strain on the health care system continues to be felt. dr. eileen marty, we appreciate your expertise. thank you so much. >> thank you. new this morning, south african archbishop desmond tutu has passed away. the 90-year-old is being remembered as a human rights activist, a nobel laureate, a man with enormous compassion for the oppressed. he played a pivotal role in ending apartheid in south africa and was awarded the nobel peace prize. the archbishop of capetown said desmond tutu was a man of integrity. >> wrong wherever he saw it, and

by whoever he was -- it was committed, he challenged the systems against humanity. when the perpetrators of evil experienced a true change of heart, he followed the example, and was willing to forgive. >> david mckenzie joins us live from western cape south africa. david, good morning. i have heard this morning over and over again about archbishop tutu's sense of humor and his legacy stretching far more than just his work to end apartheid in south africa. it seems like he was a man who stuck by his moral code, even when it infuriated those around him. >> that's right. and it's certainly a sad day in south africa, but a lot of heartwarming stories coming out about the man who really was one

of the key members of the icons to end apartheid here in south africa, the racist regime. he was one of the few leaders actually able to march with thousands of marchers to go up against the apartheid police, as nelson mandela was in prison, and many of the new ruling anc were in exile. he had just this unwavering moral compass. even when it was unpopular, his voice was clear, it was strong, it was rooted in his faith as a christian, but it certainly was broad to all he came across. an extraordinary man with a lasting legacy. after apartheid, he was the chair of the truth and reconciliation commission where he helped south africans at least partially heal from the wounds of those terrible decades, and then he became a strong moral voice who wasn't afraid to criticize those who he helped bring into power as south

africa became a democracy. boris? >> and david, you got a chance to meet archbishop tutu several times. obviously he was a nobel laureate, internationally known and admired, but what was he like to meet and interact with on a personal level? >> what an inscribble man and such an infectious humor as you described. i remember meeting him as a young reporter for the first time being completely awed by the man and his legacy in my home country. they were telling me, chat about football, about sport, he will put you at ease, and he did. he had a way of disarming even his enemies with his wricked sense of humor, his laugh which the church called a cackle, and his ability to just not make light of the situation, but bring levity to even the most dangerous and difficult situations. make no mistake, when he was willing to use his voice and

that was often to be a moral compass, he was blunt. he often angered those in power. he was never afraid to lend his voice to a cause he believed in. boris? >> desmond tutu, an international icon, dead at 90 years old. david mckenzie, reporting from south africa, thank you so much. so covid will be the focus next week for the biden administration, but it's not the only thing that's being discussed in washington. we're going to take a look at where things stand with the january 6th investigation and how bank records could play a key role in finding out what went down before that deadly day. later, the fight for safe drinking water continues for service members and their families in hawaii. we'll have a live discussion with some of those feeling the impacts right now. noooo... quick, the quicker picker upper! bounty picks up messes quicker and is 2x more absorbent, so you can use less.

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the biden administration will begin 2022 still trying to get a handle on the covid-19 paparazzi. president biden plans to make 500 million at home tests available starting next month, but critics argue he's not doing enough. white house correspondent john harwood joins us now with cnn political analyst alex burns, who happens to be a national political correspondent for the "new york times" as well. john, i want to start with you at the white house. clearly, white house officials, the president, they wanted to be passed covid or at least close to past covid at this point focusing on items like build back better plan, but here we are two years into the pandemic and it is still the main issue they have to tackle. >> they wanted to be past the pandemic, boris, just like all of us wanted to be past the pandemic and the fact that we're not, is one of the principle reasons why the president has been struggling politically.

we've seen what happened really beginning last summer when the delta variant surged. the erosion of his approval ratings, which had been high and steady. what the president has got to do, of course, is keep grinding away at those vaccination levels. we know that vaccinations are the most significant thing we can do to get a handle on the pandemic. but as this becomes an endemic, the existence of testing, rapid, easy, cheap, testing, that americans can use to protect themselves and protect others, that's going to become especially important and the president turned to that before the holidays, but they've got a lot of work to do. >> alex, obviously part of the president's agenda got stalled by west virginia senator joe manchin. the build back better act, there were several self-imposed deadlines that came and went. ultimately the president says that he's not giving up on it, but it seems like a salvage mission at this point going into

next year. what can the white house do at this point after so many meetings with manchin, to try to sway the west virginia senator to passion something, especially given that we're headed into midterm season? >> boris, i think the good news for the white house is that at this time last week, it was an open question whether any version of biden's domestic and climate agenda was dead in the water because of joe manchin or whether it was just the version they were negotiating over. it seems clear at this point that the whole thing isn't dead, dead, dead, but that version is clearly going nowhere. i think the path forward for the white house is relatively straightforward. joe manchin has said he wants a smaller bill with a different underlying structure of pay for and fewer programs overall. if you just want to get something past the senate and $1.7 trillion is a whole lot of something, then you could kind

of cave to joe manchin on those big roadblock demands. i think the way you and john put it now, they're sort of stuck in this cycle of dealing with covid indefinitely is right, and i think it's a political drag on them not just that they haven't put away covid once and for all -- because basically nobody in the world has done that -- but because as the country feels itself getting dragged again and again into covid, voters are mainly seeing headlines from washington about this deadlock in the senate over legislation that is still pretty hazy in terms of its underlying definition. what joe biden has got to do politically is figure out what he can get to the senate and sell the heck out of it on the campaign trail once it's done. >> john, i want to ask you about some analysis that you're publishing on cnn.com and you're making the case that though there is a public perception that this biden presidency is

mired in fits and starts with covid, a lagging economy, and a series of issues when it comes to getting legislation passed within his own party, it shouldn't eclipse some of the big picture issues with the republican party and democracy generally with the gop that's flirting with authoritarianism and peddling lies about election fraud and potentially degrading democracy? >> boris, we naturally focus our political conversation around the incumbent president, how he is doing, what his struggles are, and that's normal. but he's not the only political actor in the country, and i think in 2021, what his partisan adversaries are doing is at least as important for the future of american democracy. republicans around the country, at the state level, have embraced in the wake of the 2020 election, new restrictions on voting, designed to change the rules of the game to advantage them in future elections, change

election administrations, so that the efforts that donald trump made to try to overturn the will of the voters in battleground states, that they might be more successful the next time. you have at the congressional level, republicans who were temporarily horrified by what happened on january 6th, changing their tune almost completely, blocking a bipartisan investigation that had been proposed. of course the house is going forward with one anyway with liz cheney and adam kinzinger, but the republican party has been trying to downplay, ignore or even embrace the insurrectionists as a means of taking political advantage and winning power back in 2022 and 2024. if you're somebody who cares about the popular will and the future of american democracy, you ought to be alarmed by what happened in 2021. >> alex, quickly to you, the january 6th committee ramping up their investigation. they're now looking into the

money trail, trying to unravel perhaps some of the funding behind what we saw unfold on january 6th. i'm wondering how you think that might impact the investigation and to also put it in a broader context of course whether the committee is going to be able to get this investigation done in a midterm election year? >> well, i think the question is less whether they can get it done in an election year, whether they can get it done at all before the house very likely changes hands next year. republicans have a big advantage in the midterm elections because that's what happens in this country. the opposition party usually does well in a president's midterm election election. it's highly unlikely they will give liz cheney the power to continue roaming as they have. the clock is ticking on them. to john's point now about the sort of trajectory of the republican party in 2021, that's another subject that we have not heard a whole lot from the president about, that you hear in fits and starts from the

administration about voting laws and voting flaws places like georgia and texas but if this administration believes there's an overarching threat of democracy from the opposition party, it is really not something we have heard from the president and it will be important to watch whether that changes in the election year. >> and that is key to the debate about a potential carve out in the filibuster and something that voting rights groups have encouraged the president to seek. we'll see how they handle it. it has to be a conversation for another day because we have to leave it there. alex burns and john harwood, thank you both so much. so more than 700 people have been forced out of their homes by contaminated water at a joint base pearl harbor hickman in hawaii. the navy says they are handling it, but we're hearing reports on the ground folks have been reporting symptoms for months. we'll speak to those people after a quick break. ve works.

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thousands of military families are frustrated. they're demanding answers and seeking help after reports that petroleum was found in the groundwater at joint base pearl harbor-hickman in hawaii. water samples contained levels of diesel fuel more than doubled what's allowed by hawaii's department of health. families say they experienced vomiting, skin burning, intense head aches and diarrhea after drinking or using the water. it's also led to more than 700 people being forced from their homes. joining us now is heather fisher a mom whose family was impacted by the contamination and kate

needham with us, the founder of armed forces housing advocates. ladies, thank you both for being with us this morning. heather marie, i want to start with you, first, how did you realize that something was wrong, and how are you doing now? >> well, we're doing good now. start with the good news. because we are far away from the contaminated water. we actually knew something was wrong before we knew what was wrong. i have three children, and two of them were experiencing some of the symptoms that you described. one of them had the gi symptom and my son was covered in hives all over his skin from bathing in the water. that was happening for about a week before we knew about the water. then some of our neighbors started to notice the smell, and as soon as people started talking about it, we verified and checked our water, and it smelled like gasoline.

>> and i'm assuming you brought these concerns up to folks at the base. what was the response? >> oh, absolutely. so we immediately called our housing liaison and let them know, but they let us know that a bunch of other people had reported it and they didn't even take down our address. they just said they were aware of the concerns and they're pushing it out. >> kate, there's been some confusion about how long fuel had been leaking into the water supply because navy officials told state legislatures they traced the contamination to a leak around november 20th, but some families have been reporting illnesses going months back. what are you hearing from them? >> that's right. so the navy is reporting that they've only been seeing the symptoms for about 30 days at this point. however, we've had 700 families come to our organization and report all of the symptoms you've already mentioned, and other things like chemical burns

on their children's genitals, for example, for six months to a year now. >> heather marie, you mentioned earlier that you were out of that contamination zone. i assume you had to leave your home? >> we did. so on november 28th, that's the day that we smelled the gasoline in our water, that's the day we left our house and we have not been back since. >> what is that like? the last thing you would expect is that the water you're drinking is poisoning you and your children? >> it's really devastating. i'm not sure that i will ever feel safe in our house again. there's a lot of mom guilt within me because, you know, i put my son in that bath water and when my daughter told me she wasn't feeling well, i said drink water. it's really crushing that it was our house and our water that betrayed us. >> kate, do you think enough has

been done to help these families? >> so, initially the navy and the army weren't doing anything to help the families. they have circled around now and they've been handing out water, trying to provide temporary lodging assistance. but our argument is that it's not enough. so first of all, this is a national security issue, right. you have service members who aren't focused on their jobs because they've this large-scale crisis where they have to focus on their families and the health of their families. more needs to be done. they're not doing their best. they took way too long to address the situation and they're trying to get their families back into the houses too fast. the next part of the problem is actually the privatized military housing companies themselves. what a lot of people don't understand is that military housing isn't fully owned by the department of defense. it's been -- they've had contracts made with privatized

companies that are in charge of the homes. these privatized companies hunt and lend lease in -- huntley lease in hawaii are collecting the rent or housing from these families. you have hundreds of families displaced from their homes, yet the company is still collecting the rent from them and the military is not telling them to stop. that's just not fair. >> so heather marie, you've been paying rent for a place in which you are not living and that made you and your family ill? >> that is correct. and there is no -- there is no communication that that might ever change. no one is talking about that when that question is asked at town halls. it is not addressed. >> you have a platform right now to get your message across to the country, if not the world. what would you say to the people that are putting you in this position?

>> listen to the people who are affected and i think give one of us a seat at the table because i feel like there's a lot of issues that are not being addressed and i think that the people making the decisions are not directly affected and i think that's problematic. >> it certainly sounds problematic. this is a story that has not gotten nearly enough attention, and i'm glad we were able to get you both on today to discuss it and bring more attention to it. heather marie fisher, kate needham, thank you both. >> thank you. >> thank you. there's still much more ahead on "new day," but first a quick programming note. be sure to watch a new cnn film that focuses on the special relationship between james taylor and carole king. "just call out my name" airs next sunday night. here's a preview. >> friends, collaborators, legends, the music shaped a generation. they came together for the tour

of a lifetime. ♪ it's too late baby now it's too late ♪ >> james taylor. >> his songs were amazing, his voice was amazing and his demeanor. >> hee-haw. >> and carole king. >> carole king, one of the greatest songwriters of all time. i asked her to be a part of my band. ♪ i'm seeing ♪ >> 40 years have passed since the first time we played. >> i loved every experience we have had together. ♪ you just call out my name ♪ ♪ and you'll know wherever i am i'll come running ♪ >> "just call out my name" sunday, january 2nd, at 9:00 on cnn.

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essentially benched sports in 2020, games finally opening in tokyo. sports stars made news on and off the playing field. andy scholes reveals the top ten sports stories of 2021. >> reporter: number 10. in 2021 age proved to be just a number. 50 years old, phil mickelson becoming the oldest golfer ever to earn a major, winning his second major champ first since 2013. >> it's possible this is the last tournament i ever win, but there's no reason why i or anybody else can't do it at a later age. it just takes a little bit more work. >> reporter: number 9, tom brady, meanwhile, looks like he

may never age. >> 43-year-old tom brady wins a historic seventh title in his first season with a new team. >> reporter: a convincing win over the chiefs. the bucs, the first team ever to win a super bowl in their home stadium. celebrating with a boat paraded that saw him completing another p pass on the water. 2021 the year of the bucs. milwaukee also claiming their first nba title since 1971. giannis capping off an incredible playoff run becoming the final's mvp. >> major league baseball is moving its all-star game out of georgia because of the state's new law that critics say suppresses voting. >> reporter: 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 hitting, beating the astros. the team's unlikely championship coming in the same year that world lost brave's legend hank aaron who passed away at 86 years old. number 7. >> ncaa march madness, the biggest tournament in college basketball for women. this is our weight room. let me show you all the men's weight room. >> reporter: the ncaa admitting failing the woman in providing facilities for the tournament last march and vowed to do better after being canceled in 2020, march madness was back in 2021, but it wasn't the same. the women's in texas. >> i'm not a racist. i don't -- i can't tell you how sick i am. >> 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 he made in e-mails. >> reporter: discovered a probe into workplace misconduct within the washington football organization. after resigning, gruden filing a lawsuit against the nfl accusing the league of selectively releasing his e-mails to ruin his reputation. number 5, vaccinations in sports were a polarizing topic. >> i've been immunized. >> aaron rodgers defending his comments where he raised doubts about the covid vaccine and address when he lied and claimed he was immunized. >> i misled people about my status which i take full responsibility of report rodgers missed one game for the packers battling covid. >> golf legend, tiger woods, hospitalized right now after a very serious rollover car crash. >> reporter: golf legend tiger woods is in the hospital right now after having to be cut out of his vehicle. >> i'm lucky to be alive, but also still have the limb.

those are two crucial things. >> reporter: nearly 10 months after the crash tiger hosted his golf tournament in the bahamas and says he continues to make in his recovery. in december he surprised many by competing in a tournament with his 12-year-old son charlie. number 3, 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 games for team usa. >> the decorated track and field olympian ever, allyson felix secured that title at the tokyo summer games. >> a historic moment for team usa. suni lee wins gold. >> katie ledecky is basking in the glory of making history again, and again, and again. >> reporter: number 2, a big theme in 2021 was athletes continuing to campaign for mental health awareness. >> sorry. >> you're super good.

>> okay. i think we're going to take a quick break. we'll be back in one moment. >> naomi ozaki revealinging press conferences give her anxiety and she had dealt with depression since 2018. the winner pulling out of both wimbledon and the u.s. open to work on her mental health. and number 1, major breaking news out of the olympics. we learned that simone biles has pulled out of the team competition. >> at the end of the day we're not just entertainment. we're humans. there are things going on behind the scenes that we're trying to juggle with as well. >> the way biles put a spotlight on mental health, no matter who you are, even if you're super woman it's okay to not feel okay. she's going to go down as one of the greatest olympians ever. >> reporter: she would return to competition to take the bronze

medal on the balance beam. >> thanks to andy scholes for walking us through that countdown. so she's not your average farmer. at 6 years old, she is the youngest in the state of georgia. up next, we'll introduce you to kendall ray johnson and tell you how she's helping to spread her passion for all things fruits and veggies within her community. top 10 of 2021, brought to you by vrbo. slowed the app and find your together today. maybe what your family needs is a vacation home slash vacation home. find yours on the vrbo app.

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so this is really powerful video you should take a moment to watch. it's new body camera footage capturing deputies in kentucky as they find and rescue two infants in a bathtub. this is after their home was

destroyed and they were swept up in a deadly tornado outbreak earlier this month. watch this. >> 329, we got the -- i think a 15-month-old, central, can you send us med center? >> oh, my god. >> we're going to try to get them to you. they -- >> all right. go ahead. >> it's okay. >> there you go. >> is she okay? he? what do we got? >> good there. no cuts on the leg. >> you can hear the faint cries from one of the children as deputies discovered them. their grandmother says that as the tornado approached, she scrambled to put them in the tub for safety. she left them there with a blanket, a pillow and a bible. the kids were just 15 months old and 3 months old. we understand one of them was taken to the hospital for treatment of a head injury, but they're both alive and at last

reported, it sounds like they're going to be okay. at only 6 years old, kendall johnson is making history. not only is she the youngest certified farmer in georgia, but also the youngest black farmer in the state. now she's become a local symbol for other young farmers. here's kendall's story. ♪ >> yeah! look! it's so big! >> my favorite vegetable is carrots. there's a fun fact about carrots. if you eat a carrot, you are actually eating the roots of the carrot. they are delicious. my name is kendall rae johnson, i'm the youngest certified farmer in the state of georgia.

welcome to my farm! the story starts from my great grandmother, kate. she taught me a lot of stuff about gardening. you grow the strawberry plants with sunlight and water, but with the rain and the fresh soil. >> we had the girl scouts come. some of them have seen fruits and vegetables, but they don't really know where it comes from. >> i showed them. >> they got a chance to really dig for sweet potatoes. ♪ dig, dig, dig ♪ >> these are tricky. >> that was the most exciting thing that a kid could show you. >> oh! a potato! >> the excitement of them actually finding something that they truly eat already, you know, in the garden. you learn so much more about

what's in your backyard that you probably have never known if you had not played in the dirt. >> welcome to the world. >> historically, you think of farmer john. the overalls with the white t-shirt, a straw hat, and let's be honest, you know, a caucasian man. >> okay. time for it! >> i'm ursula johnson, i'm kendall's mom. we don't really see too many black farmers. >> you put this in the compost over there and it makes good dirt, good dirt means new plants. >> kendall leads us and wherever she wants to go, we're there to back her up. >> here proclaim tuesday, december 28, 2021s a kendall rae johnson appreciation day in fulton county, georgia. >> someone text me and said, hey, they just mentioned kendall

and said google her. >> kental rae johnson. >> it feels great that they know me now and they know my garden. sometimes you just need to share your fruits and vegetables with the whole community. >> kendall leads us, love that. thank you for starting your morning with us. "inside politics" is next. first, here is today's human factor. ♪ >> the feeling of going down the straightaway on 100 meeters is electrifying. the only thing i'm thinking is move, move, move, move. i'm just there racing on the track. i don't see anybody next to me. i don't hear the crowd. i just see the light at the end of the tunnel. i try to get there as fast as i can. i'm a professional track athlete. i'm a high-level wrestler. the speed i usually top out on the track is 20, 21 miles per hour. currently i'm training for the

world championships for track and field and for wrestling. working out and being an athlete in general helps keep my spine safe, my body healthy. i was born with a syndrome, i went through a couple surgeries to straighten my spine. i had to go through a lot of therapy. i went into foster care the next 17 years of my life. i suffered a lot of mental abuse, a lot of physical abuse. i was adopted by the time i was 18. my mother changed me in so many ways. she understood me like no one else did. when i was seven years old, i started wrestling. i would walk out on to a mat, people think this guy doesn't have lets, i'm about to walk through them. i'm like, come try it. i'm ready.

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at the lincoln wish list event.

♪ biden's first year. how he's struggling to overcome an unpredictable virus and an uneven economy. >> while covid has been a tough adversary, we've shown we're tougher. >> plus manchin in the middle. >> was a complete stunner. it's unfortunate it seems we can't trust senator manchin's word. >> but can democrats still change his mind on build b