the whole thing is coupled with the fact that epstein is epstein was the type of person who believed he was above the law. he had gotten away with it the first time. this was an old case. he could see the claim that these charges were based on the plea bargain that he agreed to with several prosecutors in florida. therefore, the charges were already disposed of. he was only in prison for like a month when he allegedly committed suicide. he was hiring lawyers up until that week. the whole thing just does not make sense that he would have done it to begin with, but not only that, but done it at his own hand. this was a man who did not do anything on his own. .... .... probably wouldn't be triangle. if that is what is in it for me but i can't get credentialed because i'm not a new york journalist, so you have to be like a new york journalist to get credentials in the courthouse, so i am just praying i will be able to get in the courtroom and, you know, hope for the best. and please if anyone does want to ask questions -- >> hello. >> if you can line up in the middle. a. >> thank you so

the whole thing is coupled with the fact that epstein is epstein was the type of person who believed he was above the law. he had gotten away with it the first time. this was an old case. he could see the claim that these charges were based on the plea bargain that he agreed to with several prosecutors in florida. therefore, the charges were already disposed of. he was only in prison for like a month when he allegedly committed suicide. he was hiring lawyers up until that week. the whole thing just does not make sense that he would have done it to begin with, but not only that, but done it at his own hand. this was a man who did not do anything on his own. .... .... probably wouldn't be triangle. if that is what is in it for me but i can't get credentialed because i'm not a new york journalist, so you have to be like a new york journalist to get credentials in the courthouse, so i am just praying i will be able to get in the courtroom and, you know, hope for the best. and please if anyone does want to ask questions -- >> hello. >> if you can line up in the middle. a. >> thank you so

the pilot is placing several high-profile figures on epstein's planes over the years. kara is following all this for us. >> reporter: so, this is jeffrey epstein's pilot of 28 years, he's back on the stand today under cross-examination and he was asked about famous people that have flown on epstein's plane over the years. he says that includes prince andrew, former presidents bill

a lot of people knew jeffrey epstein. bear stearns, ace greenberg brought him in, he was well-known on wall street, just because you know him, doesn't mean you engage with activities. liz: absolutely but when you know that i guy has plead guilty to child prostitution -- charlie: i agree but i talked to one person that knew him and said why were people still engaging? they believed it was a one off thing. liz: oh, please. charlie: i'm just telling you what they said at the time involving a 17-year-old and they thought that was, he made a mistake. i'm telling you what they told me. not saying i agree. liz: it's sticking to people years after he's dead charlie thank you very much we are coming right back don't go away. i promise - as an independent advisor - to put the financial well-being of you and your family first. i promise to serve, not sell. i promise our relationship will be one of partnership and trust. i am a fiduciary, not just some of the time, but all of the time. charles schwab is proud to support the independe

did jeffrey epstein rape you >> yeah. no he raped me, forcefully raped me, knew exactly what he was doing and i don't think cared. >> reporter: maxwell denies the lawsuit's allegations. at court today, her family made a public show of support. sister isabelle arrived to a crush of cameras this morning maxwell's siblings have publically lobbied for her to be released on bail. >> the court is starting to feel under the pressure either their own pressure because they lost the man and they're feeling under the public's pressure. >> reporter: the judge denied multiple requests for maxwell to be released the trial now underway is expected to last six weeks. >> stephanie, the prosecution has their first witness a pilot who flew epstein's plane. what did he say? >> reporter: well, lester, he worked for epstein for over a decade he said maxwell was often on epstein's private jet. look, this is someone who got a close look behind the scenes. his testimony has only begun. he'll be taking the stand again tomorrow, lester. >> all righ

jeffrey epstein's friend and alleged accomplice. she's accused of recruiting underage girls for epstein. what prosecutors said today in making their case. maxwell's attorneys tonight calling her a scapegoat. >>> this evening, the new interview here with tiger woods on the accident and on playing again. what he reveals. >>> tonight, authorities are now investigating what they say was a fraternity fight night. a young college student dying, reportedly collapsing soon after his fight. >>> also tonight, we remember an american golfer who made history. >>> and it's hard to believe our tenth year, our made in america christmas is back. what's your one thing? >>> good evening and it's great to be back with all of you at home after the thanksgiving holiday. i felt just like you did when we saw those headlines over the holiday, the alerts on our phones, this new variant. the world health organization calling it a variant of concern and tonight, they're now saying the global risk is very high. very little is known, of course. it is believed t

ros: jeffrey epstein died in prison after his arrest. one of his alleged victims told the bbc that ms. maxwell worked closely with him. she was like the madam, the nuts and bolts of the sex trafficking operation. ghislaine maxwell denies this. she was arrested during a raid on her secluded mansion in hampshire. police located her using gps data from her phone. >> whereas she had enormous power, enormous resources, we are going to see it in contrast the other victims did not have that. she is a difficult person to engender sympathy for. that is going to be a challenge for the defense. ros: ghislaine maxwell denies the allegation hurt lawyers are expected to argue she has been made a scapegoat and that her accusers have also memories. we know that because of this letter. they state psychiatry and memory experts will testify in her defense. one is expected to say that epstein created a halo effect to surround himself with people who would serve his needs. hemp from the trial, we heard -- ahead of the trial, heard from maxwell's brother. >>

he died injailtwo epstein's and alleged crimes. he died injail two years epstein's and alleged crimes. he died in jail two years ago, committing suicide before he ever went to trial on six trafficking charges. for many of his victims, this is the trial he never had. it has all the ingredients of a high—stakes drama from six, power, money and fame. for killing bats well, this is the fight for her life because if found guilty she faces up to 70 years injail. because if found guilty she faces up to 70 years in jail.— new figures show more than 17 million people in the uk have now used a buy now, pay later company to make an online purchase. the schemes allow consumers to manage spending, either by postponing their bill for a short while, or splitting it into more manageable payments over time with no interest. but critics say users too easily end up in debt and tougher rules are needed. child payments in scotland will increase to £20 per week from april. nicola sturgeon made the announcement in her keynote address at the snp virt

all epstein accusers who are going to tell the jury, maxwell groom them for sex with epstein, one when she was as young as 14 years old. it's a trial with all the trappings of a salacious, drama, sex power, money, and fame. but victims rights advocates hope that the jury does not get distracted by that and instead keeps their focus on the women who say they were abused by epstein. and that it could have only happened with the help of maxwell. this is an example of one of the most horrific and long enduring patterns of sex trafficking and child exploitation. there are so many victims and what's particularly disturbing about the case is how open they operated. and how many people knew, and how many people they involved in this exploitation scheme, maxwell has pleaded not guilty and denies all the charges. her legal team will try to cast doubt on the allegations and the testimony based on evidence that happened more than 20 years ago. the trial is expected the last 6 weeks, if convicted maxwell faces up to 80 years in prison. now it's important to remember that this trial is about the all

but epstein committed suicide. so he isn't on trial. maxwell is an adult, say prosecutors over the next few weeks, will need to show how she recruited, groomed, and participated in the abuse of the girls. we are not in the war room this week, determining whether or not the victims were victims of sex crimes at the hands of mr. epstein. that's not what this trial is about. this trial is about mid maxwell, a legit activity to enable mister epstein to abuse these little kids. for women are expected to testify that they were recruited and groomed by maxwell for abuse, including jane. that 14 year old, the prosecutors say was one of the victims. jane is now an adult, and she plans to tell the jury everything she says happened to her. in their opening statements, maxwell's defense lawyer told the 12 person jury she is being used as a scapegoat for epstein alleged crimes. she is filling the hole and filling an empty chair. she is a convenient stand in for the man who cannot be here. monday was a day for the lawyers on bot

they called one of epstein's long-time jet pilots. for more i'm joined by criminal defense attorney and msnbc legal analyst. danny, thank you for being here. calling the pilot says to me they're trying to establish obviously that she was trafficking girls and moving them but it also raises the question because we do know from the epstein stories they were also flying his -- the johns around in these flights. should we expect to hear who all was on these flights? >> yes, that has to be why the government is calling the pilot. after all, if you have a limo driver, that's somebody that you'd see every day and say something about your comings and goings. if you're jeffrey epstein, your limo driver is a jet driver. they seen maxwell coming and going and who they were with and where they go. he may not go into the mansion when they arrive but he can talk about a lot of stuff that he saw in the course of his employment. >> and i think the obvious answer, i mean, jeffrey epstein had a lot of information, clearly. he took a lot to the grave in

epstein to abuse these kids. reporter: for women are expected to testify they were recruited and groomed by maxwell for abuse, including jane, that 14-year-old prosecutors say was one of the victims. jane is now an adult. she plans to tell the jury everything she says happened to her. in their opening statement, maxwell's attorney told the jury she's being used as a scapegoat for epstein's alleged crimes. she's filling the hole and filling an empty chair. she is a convenient stand-in for the man who cannot be here. monday was a day for the lawyers on both sides to lay out their case. now it goes to witnesses in a trial that likely will not conclude until at least january. anchor: the caribbean island nation of barbados will become a republic on tuesday when it cuts ties with the british monarchy. barbados gained independence in 1966 but retained elizabeth as its head of state. the monarch will be replaced by a president elect. let's go live now to the capital where our latin american editor is live. i has barbado

jeffrey epstein is still very much an enigma. we know he was a sex offender, but there's a great deal we don't know. we know it was a con artist, criminal, embezzler, possibly a spy, an arms dealer, and a math teacher. he was able to lure not just young girls but powerful men into his mansions where there was some sort of powerful kind of concierge club happening. what they were doing, we still don't know. and so therefore, i think a lot of people have reason to be nervous for ghislaine maxwell's trial. >> absolutely. and let's play another clip from your special. this one focuses on epstein. >> he was a mr. fix-it. he was a sensitive in a certain manner. he was careful, eloquent. he's very intelligent. he knows if he's going to be trapped. he traps you more than he's trapped. >> there's this idea with epstein out of the picture that maxwell has to be the so-called fall guy in all of this. do you buy that? >> well, it doesn't matter what i think, jim. it's what she -- whether or not she can convince the jury. i think you're going

and that she was used as a pawn by jeffrey epstein. now the jury will have to go through several major questions in the case. and one of the things that we're waiting to see if it's going to happen in it's trials. if maxwell herself will testify in her defense also will prosecutors pull evidence or uses evidence the quote unquote little black book that both. 5 deal and match well and jeffrey epstein had listing the names, the numbers, the contacts of jeffrey epstein and given maxwell, now the judge and the case. allison nathan is a very prominent. she's very well respected federal judge. she's overseen other high profile cases, and she was just actually nominated by president biden to serve on the 2nd court. second circuit court of appeals, which is essentially one step from the u. s. supreme court. she's already ruled against maxwell several times, and maxwell's pleased to be released on bail siding with prosecutors who contend that she is a possible flight risk. now the trial is expected to last at least 6 weeks, basically stretching

she's accused of trafficking underage girls for her former lover, jeffrey epstein. and caught on camera, but not in real life — the escaped prisoner who evaded the chinese authorities for more than a month. live from our studio in singapore... this is bbc news. it's newsday. welcome to bbc news, broadcasting to viewers in the uk and around the world. the omicron coronavirus variant poses a high risk of infection surges around the globe, and it requires �*urgent action�*. that's the warning from the world health organisation. the us president, joe biden, said the newly—identified variant is a cause for concern, but not a cause for panic. speaking at the white house, mr biden said the need now was to get the rest of the world vaccinated. our health correspondent, naomi grimley, has the latest. there is an eerie quiet at johannesburg airport. south africa first raised the alarm about the omicron variant, but is now finding itself increasingly cut off from the rest of the world. meanwhile, on the ground, there's a big push to get vaccines into arms. only 23% of

earlier today, epstein's longtime pilot, testified he flew powerful men on epstein's private plain including prince andrew, kevin spacey, and donald trump. he said he never witnessed any sexual activity. he also testified that epstein introduced him to a young woman once they boarded, since identified as jane. he described her as a mature woman. she was a teenager at the time. >> o'donnell: and mola lenghi joins us now from outside the courthouse. i know you heard jane's testimony today. take us inside the room. >> reporter: well, norah, you could hear the discomfort in her voice as she testified, the sighs and deep breaths, at times getting emotional and sometimes sounding deflated, especially when she was recounting the more graphic details. the defense will condition their cross-examination of jane tomorrow, norah. >> o'donnell: and there is some breaking news that is just coming in tonight. cnn anchor chris cuomo has been suspended indefinitely pending an investigation into his involvement in the defense of his brother, then-new york governor andrew cuomo. andrew cuomo was forced to resi

and so, too, were epstein�*s accusers. some arrived to show solidarity with the alleged victims. in opening statements, the government said ghislane maxwell was a dangerous predator who provided a cover of respectability for epstein. prosecutors said she lured victims with the promise of a bright future, only to sexually abuse them. her defence attorney told the jury she was a convenient stand—in for epstein and that the government would not be able to prove their case. he said the accusers�* memories were corrupted and influenced by a desire for a big jackpot of money. there have been numerous investigations, documentaries, exploring ghislane maxwell�*s alleged crimes, but the allegations have never been aired in a criminal trial. the jury will be presented with a range of evidence, from flight logs to the testimony from epstein�*s former staff. the four underage girls on the indictment, now grown women, are expected to take the stand and other accusers from around the country could testify, too, those with stories similar to theresa helm. according to her, she thought s

and so, too, were epstein�*s accusers. some arrived to show solidarity with the alleged victims. in opening statements, the government said ghislane maxwell was a dangerous predator who provided a cover of respectability for epstein. prosecutors said she lured victims with the promise of a bright future, only to sexually abuse them. her defence attorney told the jury she was a convenient stand—in for epstein and that the government would not be able to prove their case. he said the accusers' memories were corrupted and influenced by a desire for a big jackpot of money. there have been numerous investigations, documentaries, exploring ghislane maxwell's alleged crimes, but the allegations have never been aired in a criminal trial. the jury will be presented with a range of evidence, from flight logs to the testimony from epstein�*s former staff. the four underage girls on the indictment, now grown women, are expected to take the stand and other accusers from around the country could testify, too, those with stories similar to theresa helm. according to her, she thought she had

the witness claiming epstein began assaulting her when she was 14. here's abc's erielle reshef. >> reporter: tonight, socialite ghislaine maxwell, close associate of convicted sex offender jeffrey epstein, face to face with one of her accusers in a criminal trial gaining international attention. the woman, identified only by the pseudonym jane telling the jury that she met maxwell and the disgraced financier the summer after 7th grade at a prestigious camp where he was a major donor. jane claiming her first sexual contact with epstein was at his palm beach house in 1994 when she was just 14 and that those sexual encounters, including explicit massages, happened during every visit. and when asked who was most often in the room, other than ghislaine maxwell, pointing to the 59-year-old, alleging it was maxwell who showed her how jeffery likes to be massaged. >> this is very powerful, very emotional, very personal testimony coming from this witness. >> reporter: earlier today epstein's long time pilot larry visoski testifying that epstein introduced him

following jeffrey epstein. more than 2 years ago was the inner city. so they all combined, you did, you saw our video video, but one question i have the main person who accused prince andrew is actually not going to be a part of this case. does that trouble you or why not? that was the prosecution's decision not to have the virginia roberts defray, testify for them. she certainly has probably is the most well known user of jeffrey epstein and delete maxwell. she has, of course, said in civil cases against them that she was recruited, turned into a sex slave when she was 16 years old. that she was used over the course of a few years by geoffrey epstein to basically she was put out to his wealthy friends including prince andrew. there's a civil case that is presently going on between her and prince andrew. the reason why the prosecutors are not using her, however, as one of the 4 women that they're bringing forward is because there had been some consistencies. and some of the statements that she's made over the years pertaining to the dating relate relat

they say maxwell would encourage the girls to give epstein sexualize massages arranged epstein's homes in palm beach, new mexico and new york. in some cases maxwell allegedly took part in the abuse herself. she is the youngest of nine children of disgraced tycoon and british publisher robert maxwell. she graduated from oxford and met epstein in the early '90s. there's a fascination how a wealthy british woman could find herself being accused of the heinous crimes. maxwell's brother says she's been scapegoated by u.s. prosecutors. >> this is not quite a job but nonetheless has been pulled together so ghislaine maxwell is made to face the charges the epstein never faced in place of him. she is paying a heavy price. she is treated as guilty. >> maxwell's lawyers have tried and failed to get her free unveiled numerous times complaining about inhumane jail cell conditions, she's pleaded not guilty to all the charges her defense lawyers are going to try to discredit her accusers, their expected to call false memory expert to testify on how memories can become distorted over time. these alleg

goes on trial in new york — she's accused of trafficking under—age girls for her former loverjeffrey epstein. (upsot + 00v)0n the eve of becoming the world's newest republic — barbados prepares to swear in its first president as it loses queen elizabeth as head of state. lam in i am in bridgetown where events are well under way. a party and official ceremony. welcome to our viewers on pbs in america and around the globe. the world health organization says the omicron variant of coronavirus poses a high risk of infection surges around the globe. the who's head renewed a call for a global push to get vaccines to poorer nations, warning that covid—19 is, as he put it, "not done with us" yet. meanwhile, president biden told americans the emergence of the new variant is no reason to panic and insisted the united states will not go back into lockdown. he said, what was needed, was to get the rest of the world vaccinated. our health correspondent naomi grimley has the latest. there's an eerie quiet atjohannesburg airport. south africa first raised the alarm about the omicron variant, but is now

sex trafficking trial, the woman accused of recruiting underage girls for sex offender jeffrey epstein faces up to 80 years in prison if convicted. remembering lee elder, the golf great who broke down racial barriers as the first black goll barriers as to play at the masters. and a heart warming story about the world's most premature baby who survived and thrived -- tonight, his story of strength. ♪ ♪ ♪ this is the "cbs evening news" with norah o'donnell, reporting from the nation's capital. >> o'donnell: good evening, to our viewers in the west and thank you so much for joining us. we're going to begin with that new covid variant that the world health organization poses a very high risk around the globe. the omicron strain hasn't turned up in the u.s. but dr. anthony fauci warns it's likely already circulating here in america, and that has the biden administration responding. the new omicron variant was first discovered earlier this moth in south africa. it has since spread to more than a dozen countries around the world, and as a precaution, the u.s. joined other nations restri

the major roadblocks it still faces >>> the sex trafficking trial of jeffrey epstein associate ghislaine maxwell getting under way. >>> and our nbc news exclusive first look inside gm's new factory zero as america's biggest automaker goes electric >>> this is "nbc nightly news" with lester holt. >> good evening. there is late word as we come on the air that the fda is on the verge of authorizing pfizer covid booster shots for all adults regardless of risk status, a decision that could come this week the move would put the agency in the unusual position of appearing to take its cues from states that have leapfrogged the government and are already making booster shots available to all. some medical experts remain unconvinced that healthy adults need boosters and the cdc has only so far endorsed them for those deemed to be at higher risk, but with all signs pointing to a winter holiday surge of new infections, government regulators find themselves under growing pressure to okay the extra shots anne thompson now with the breaking details >> reporter: tonight, the federal government playing c

epstein dade in august 2019 while waiting trial in what officially is criewld a suicide. maxwell had been in federal custody since june 2020, not far from the federal prison in manhattan where epstein was found hanging in his cell. >> six counts in the indictment, the most severe which is sexual traffic of minors. if ghislaine maxwell is convicted of that count, she may spend the rest of her life in prison. >> reporter: maxwell's trial is expected to last through the holidays and it's unclear if she'll take the stand in her defense, possibly portraying herself as a victim of epstein's as well. >> o'donnell: mola lenghi, thank you very much. tonight the breaking news, tiger woods is admitting he will never play golf full time ever again. in a new interview woods opens up about his recovery from the devastating car crash nine months ago. here's cbs's carter evans. >> i don't have to compete to have a great life. >> reporter: tonight for the first time, tiger woods is publicly acknowledging a stark reality. >> i can still maybe if my leg gets good enough, maybe click off a t

she's accused of helping convicted peter fall. jeffrey epstein abuse underage girls on the front line in eastern ukraine, where the russian forces have been gathering at the border. and george's former president faces court after years in exile as hundreds of protest her as a show their support. ah, more countries are shutting down their borders to keep a new corona, virus variant out even more cases emerge. and scientists raised to figure out just how dangerous it actually is. anger is growing in southern africa where the only crone variance was 1st detected. now several countries have banned the travelers from that specific region, although there have been no deaths linked to on the crown so far, the world health organization has warned that it poses a very high risk of infection searches. meanwhile, experts in south africa are predicting cases could rocket the 10000 the day by the end of the week. that's up from 300 just 2 weeks ago. but they also believe that existing vaccines are probably effective at preventing severe illness. however, despite calls for to make sure that i have

she is accused of trafficking girls for jeopardy epstein. -- jeffrey epstein. plus, a royal welcome for a grand farewell. prince charles lands in barbados as the island becomes a republic, cutting ties with the monarchy after 400 years. ♪ >> welcomeo world news america on pbs and around the world. countries are closing their borders as they try to defend against a new coronavirus variant. in the u.s., president biden urging americans to get booster shots. the u.s. has imposed a travel ban eight african countries. african leadersay they are being penalized for spotting th new variant. this as global concern about possible new lockdowns, we do not know much of a threat the variant poses. >> there is an eerie quiet at johannesburg airport. south africa first raised the alarm about the omicron variant but now finding itself increasingly cut off from the rest of the world. meanwhile on the ground, there is a big push to get vaccines into arms. only 23% of the south african population is fully vaccinated. we still do not know yet whether this version of covid is mo

peter file jeffrey epstein. gabriel is on the joins us live now a from new york. he has been following the trial, so i gave for the 1st time in this trial, we've actually heard from an alleged victim. what did she have to say? and she's actually still testifying. the court is expected to go on at least for another half hour or so, and it is quite frankly, very dramatic testimony. it's the 1st time delay maxwell has come face to face in person, in this trial with one of her accusers. this is a girl that they're naming jane that's her pseudonym. she's a woman now. she's no longer a girl. but when she says she 1st met gillian maxwell and jeffrey epstein, she was a girl. she claimed she's only 14 years old. she said she was at a summer camp in 1994 and sitting on a bark park bench, eating ice cream with some friends when she was 1st approached by glen maxwell. they struck up a conversation, exchange some contact information, and that led to more than 3. that was a beginning of what led to more than 3 years or more of what she says was sexual abuse at the hands of jeff

her lawyers are expected to argue she's being made a scapegoat for epstein's crimes. we're also expecting them to say that her accusers have false memories. we know that because of this letter — shared by her lawyer before the trial. in it, they say psychiatry and memory experts will testify in her defence. one of them is expected to tell the court that epstein, "like many people who achieve great power and wealth", created and exploited a "halo effect to surround himself with people who would serve his needs". well, ahead of the trial, we heard from her brother, ian maxwell. the in norma's amount of negative media coverage of ghislaine for at least the last 18 months, it's really only been going in one direction, and that level of negative reporting, which is not coming in any other direction then against her, i think has potentially... —— in norma's. it has a potential to poison the jury. if they are hearing one side of the story and not the other. ian maxwell arguing ghislaine maxwell is being mistreated by the press. her lawyers and family have also repeated

what they unravel the truth behind the epstein twisted history? an attorney is here with thoughts next. ♪♪ long-awaited trial of jeffrey epstein's alleged partner, elaine maxwell maxwell getting started today inc. his ex-girlfriend count of enticing minors to engage in sex ask. prosecutors argue she was a key architect in procuring young girls epstein's pyramid scheme of abuse. the former socialite so claims she's innocent and her brother says she's been set up as a scapegoat. >> just me to face the charges of epstein never faced in place of his she's paying a heavy blood price. she's treated as guilty. kennedy: she's just not paying for his crime, she's paying for her crime accused of sexually abusing children herself so will the trial deliver justice for epstein and maxwell's victims? he with me now to discuss attorney and northwestern law professor, andrew, welcome back. >> thank you. kennedy: let's discuss this because this is a more narrow case and people might assume, there are only four victims here to testify from the case centers arou

is there a risk for the prosecutors in they try to make this a trial of jeffrey epstein? i mean, to link the two of them together and say every bad thing he did, she does also? >> there's not only a risk, i think the judge has cut back a good bit of the evidence that we might have otherwise expected. like, you know, we may be interested in epstein's relationship with prince andrew or bill clinton or donald trump. but it sounds like the judge is going to keep the focus pretty narrow, on whether the evidence supports the crimes charged against mac well. -- maxwell. it could also break if you demonize epstein, well, then what the defense might want to do is say he was so powerful. he was so manipulative. he was such a sven golly figure, that he held so much sway over ghislaine maxwell, that perhaps she is not fully responsible for her own conduct. now, that is not what i would call a legal defense. for example, of duress. but it can certainly be an emotional defense that could resonate with one or more of the jurors. and let's face it. the next best thing for a defendant to

. >>> the trial of jeffrey epstein's associate set to begin. >>> the nba player taking on china with us tonight. >>> plus the new fight over canned cocktails >> announcer: live from cnbc, the facts, the truth, "the news with shepard smith." >>> good evening concerns about a new covid variant rattling markets and triggering new travel bans around the world tonight we'll provide context and clarity. we'll break down what scientists know about this variant and explain why health experts say people should not overreact just yet. researchers first identified this new strain in south africa earlier this week. today a world health organization panel named the variant omicron and labelled it as a variant of concern. health experts admit there are a lot of unknowns about this variant. they don't know if it's more contagious than delta. they don't know if it causes more severe disease. and they don't know how it stacks up against our vaccines the white house is taking action out of an abundance of caution the united states will restrict travel starting monday reporters asked president biden ab