News Wrap: Pfizer forecasts COVID-19 pandemic will last until 2024

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• Judy Woodruff:

  In the day's other news: COVID vaccine maker Pfizer forecast the pandemic will last until 2024, now that the Omicron variant has emerged.

  The company also said it is working on a three-dose vaccine for children 2 to 16, acknowledging its two-dose regimen is not as effective as hoped. And the CDC endorsed letting students stay in class if they are exposed to COVID, but test negative. Officials touted the policy over home quarantines.

• Dr. Rochelle Walensky, CDC Director:

  Test-to-stay is an encouraging public health practice to keep our children in school, and CDC is updating our materials to help schools and parents know how to best implement this promising and now proven practice.

• Judy Woodruff:

  Meanwhile, COVID outbreaks forced the National Football League to delay three games. The National Hockey League has shut down three teams through Christmas. and a number of pro and college basketball games have been called off.

  Officials in Western Kentucky have confirmed two more deaths as a result of last Friday's tornadoes. Governor Andy Beshear announced the total has reached 77, the most from any storm in the state's history. One person is still missing.

  Russia published demands today that NATO get out of Central and Eastern Europe and deny membership to Ukraine. The U.S. and its allies have rejected those demands before. Moscow raised them again, as it deploys thousands of troops to its border with Ukraine.

  Back in this country, the U.S. Senate headed toward the holidays with President Biden's huge domestic spending bill in limbo. Democratic Majority Leader Chuck Schumer cited the president's statement made last night acknowledging they lack the votes to act by Christmas.

• Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY):

  The president requested more time to continue his negotiations. And so we will keep working with him, hand in hand, to bring this bill over the finish line and deliver on these much-needed provisions.

• Judy Woodruff:

  The president today talked up voting rights bills in a commencement address at South Carolina State University. Those measures are also stalled in the Senate, but Mr. Biden said the battle is not over.

  A Florida man who attacked U.S. Capitol Police on January 6 was sentenced today to more than five years in prison. That is the toughest penalty yet for any of the rioters. And Trump ally Roger Stone refused to answer congressional questions on the assault. He invoked his right against self-incrimination.

  Schools around the country were on edge today after shooting and bomb threats on the social media app TikTok. Law enforcement agencies said the posts were not considered credible. Even so, schools in at least half-a-dozen states called in extra police, and some canceled classes altogether.

  And on Wall Street, the Dow Jones industrial average lost 532 points, 1.5 percent, to close at 35365. The Nasdaq fell 10 points. The S&P 500 slipped 48. That's 1 percent.