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CARL AZUZ: Welcome to the last month of the year
and its very first edition of our show.
I'm Carl Azuz.
Thank you for watching.
Headlining today's program, the World Health Organization,
part of the United Nations, is telling governments
to stay calm and take quote, "rational measures" to guard
against a new variant of COVID.
Officials named it omicron last week.
It's the latest of several mutations
the virus has had around the world.
Omicron was first identified in South Africa
and neighboring Botswana.
It's now been seen in at least 15 other countries.
Though early indications are that it may be less
severe than other forms of COVID,
omicron has a lot of mutations, or differences
from other types.
But there are also differences in how doctors could fight it.
New coronavirus pills are being reviewed
for their effectiveness.
Antibody treatments have helped COVID patients.
The Biden administration is telling more Americans
to get vaccinated, saying that's the key to stopping
the omicron variant.
But researchers say it's not known yet whether vaccines
or the other treatments available
will be effective at fighting omicron.
They predict it'll likely be two to three weeks before vaccine
effectiveness is known.
SANJAY GUPTA: This is a 3D animation of the spike protein.
And all those different colors on there representing
these different mutations.
And that's what scientists sort of look at trying to figure
out, what are these mutations?
Have we seen them before?
Some of them they have seen before.
Some of the mutations have been associated
with higher transmissibility.
Some have been associated with being a little bit
harder to detect by antibodies.
So maybe some escape of immunity.
But we don't know what it all means
when you bring it all together.
There's a lot that we still don't
know about this new variant.
And that's what they're going to be figuring out
over the next couple of weeks.
How transmissible is it?
How sick does it really make people?
Do current vaccines work against it?
Again, that's obviously a big question.
And how about the risk of reinfection?
If you've been infected with one of the previous variants,
how well does that immunity, that infection
acquired immunity, protect you against this?
CARL AZUZ: Another story making headlines,
the CEO of the social media company
Twitter has left his job.
Jack Dorsey co-founded the company in 2006
and worked as its CEO until he was forced
out of that role in 2008.
He returned to the position in 2015
to help improve Twitter's business.
And Dorsey announced this week that he decided
to leave because he believes Twitter's ready to move
on from its founders.
Dorsey also leads another company, an online payments
provider named Square.
During his tenure at Twitter, Dorsey
faced challenges and criticism over the content
the company allowed and banned.
Twitter's chief technology officer Parag
Agarwal has taken over as CEO.
Finally in our tour of today's headlines,
the 2021 Atlantic hurricane season has come to an end.
It officially runs from June 1 through November 30
though it's still possible for storms
to form outside of that period.
The final numbers for this season, 21
named storms, seven hurricanes, four
major hurricanes that reached category three strength
or higher.
For perspective, 2020's record breaking hurricane season
saw 30 named storms, 14 hurricanes,
and seven major hurricanes.
One curious characteristic about this year
was that even though it was active at the start,
things quieted down suddenly in September.
Storms just weren't forming at the rate they did before.
But officials say even though there were fewer hurricanes
than last year, they still caused $20 billion
more in damage, largely because of Hurricane Ida.
After it made landfall in Louisiana in August,
the system traveled across the Eastern US
and up to the northeast where it brought tremendous amounts
of rain and flooding.
10 second trivia.
In what year was the term, "Cyber Monday" first used?
1985, 1995, 2005, or 2010?
The National Retail Federation used the term in 2005
in reference to a spike in online shopping four days
after Thanksgiving.
Hanukkah is going on right now.
Christmas is less than four weeks away.
And America's online retail sales this year at this time
are not what they've been in the past.
Consumers spent $8.9 billion online during Black
Friday 2021.
It was $9 billion last year.
They spent $10.7 billion on Cyber Monday 2021.
It was $10.8 billion last year.
So about $100 million less on each day.
This is according to marketing data company Adobe Analytics.
And it's the first time it's recorded
a decrease in online sales on those two days.
But Adobe still expects online spending
to break records this year because Americans
have been spreading it out over a longer period of time.
NATHANIEL MEYERSOHN: The holidays are here.
And you need to buy a gift at the last minute.
That might be a mistake this year
though with all of the supply chain and shipping issues.
- Over two billion times.
That's how often the words out of stock
came up as researchers tracked just 18 different product
categories online in October.
NEIL SAUNDERS: I think the problem in retail at the moment
is there's just difficulties at every stage
of the supply chain.
So there are difficulties in manufacturing
overseas because factories are closed because of COVID.
There are obviously difficulties shipping because there
aren't enough containers.
And the containers are in the wrong place.
There are difficulties getting ships into port
and unloaded once they get to the United States.
NATHANIEL MEYERSOHN: It will be smarter
for you to go to the store and pick something up quickly
than ordering something two days in advance
and risking that your package doesn't show up in time.
DAVID KATZ: We're starting to see
a larger percentage of people buying
online and going to the store.
And we're also trying to drive more traffic to the store.
The frustration level is lower when
you go to mortar and brick, particularly
when inventory is limited.
When there's lots of inventory, what do a lot of people
do online?
I'm going to buy a size 34 and a size 36,
and I might buy two colors, and I'll return
the ones that I don't want.
But what if your size just isn't there and your color's not?
So you don't get that option.
Whereas in a store, you know it fits and you
have these alternatives.
NATHANIEL MEYERSOHN: Retailers like Kohl's are so eager
to have you buy online pickup in store that they're offering
$5.00 off if you do so.
NEIL SAUNDERS: So actually, you can get some incremental sales
from customers as well by getting
them to come into stores.
They might buy all the things because they have
a browse around, and they end up putting other things
in the basket or the cart.
So all around, it's just a very positive thing financially
for a retailer to do.
NATHANIEL MEYERSOHN: If you buy something online,
you're much likelier to return it
than if you buy it in a store.
NEIL SAUNDERS: Between store, pure store buying,
and online buying, there is a very big
difference from return rates.
Because when people go to the store, they will touch,
they will feel the product, they will try it on,
they generally buy the right size,
and they know it's kind of the right product for them
before they buy it.
So the decision is almost final.
NATHANIEL MEYERSOHN: If you want to buy something, buy it now.
Don't wait and risk it being out of stock later in the season.
NEIL SAUNDERS: I think the main piece of advice
is to shop early, whether it be in-store or online.
Get the products you want early, especially
if you are shopping online.
Because as well as there being a lack of availability
of products, there's also likely to be a shipping crunch as we
get close to the holidays.
There may not be enough capacity to deliver.
DAVID KATZ: You should buy now.
You should buy as soon as possible.
I don't know that you're going to A,
get the item that you want, or B,
that you're going to see deeper discounts
than you're seeing right now.
We don't do a lot of discounts when
we don't have enough inventory.
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CARL AZUZ: "Christmas Island", "Santa's Magic Sleigh",
"Dominic The Donkey", and "Santa Claus' Party".
These are some of the lesser known Christmas songs
that didn't seem to catch on like "White Christmas".
Will the tradition of Woody the talking Christmas tree
catch on at a mall in Eastern Canada?
JEANNE MOOS: It's a talking Christmas
tree that's being talked about.
- I'm so glad to be back home.
JEANNE MOOS: Talked about by everyone from little kids--
- I never talked to one before.
JEANNE MOOS: After a 15 year hiatus,
Woody the talking tree is back at the McMath Mall in Nova
Scotia, Canada, depicted as the nightmare
before Christmas by one cartoonist.
"Agh, kill it with fire."
someone tweeted.
Woody's very own Twitter account describes him
as a chatty coniferous with a penchant
for small talk in malls.
There's something about kids talking
to Woody reminiscent of Dorothy talking to the Wizard of Oz.
- Do not arouse the wrath of the great and powerful Oz.
JEANNE MOOS: Woody got a makeover from this to this
after an absence of 15 years.
Mall manager says--
- Woody was in the North Pole.
JEANNE MOOS: Actually, the mall changed management.
Now Woody is inspiring kitty sketches, embroidery, tree
ornaments, even fingernail art.
Woody is the wizard of odd, easy to needle.
- Wake up, Woody.
JEANNE MOOS: Jeanne Moos, CNN New York.
CARL AZUZ: Some will ask if it's for real if they [inaudible]
believe their eyes.
Supporters might call it noble or grand
and say it spruces up the mall.
Critics might say it's a pine to look at
and should be put back in the Fraser.
In short, Woody will be short of balsam
over while others will be sidepressed
to run the other way.
But hey, trees the season.
John A Ferguson Senior High School, thank you for watching
from Miami, Florida.
Let's go, Falcons.
I'm Carl Azuz and that's CNN.
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