41 states, including Nevada, are now experiencing "high" or "very high" flu activity according to the latest data. Local health officials report a dramatic spike in hospitalizations as multiple respiratory viruses spread simultaneously throughout Southern Nevada.

Nevada

Nevada is experiencing a significant surge in flu-related hospitalizations, with cases in Clark County rising from 38 to 64 in just two weeks—a 68% increase. The Southern Nevada Health District and local hospitals report that emergency rooms are seeing more patients, and illnesses are lasting longer than in previous seasons.

Doctors attribute the rise to a combination of factors, including colder weather, holiday gatherings, travel, and children returning to school. Medical professionals urge residents, especially those in vulnerable groups, to take flu symptoms seriously, get vaccinated, and seek medical care if symptoms worsen.

Nevada flu hospitalizations surge 68% in two weeks

AND FIRST TONIGHT, FLU NUMBERS ACROSS THE COUNTRY ARE REACHING RECORD LEVELS. TAKE A LOOK AT THIS MAP. IT SHOWS 41 STATES, INCLUDING NEVADA, ARE EXPERIENCING HIGH OR VERY HIGH FLU ACTIVITY. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US. LIVE AFTER THE GAME, I'M TRISHA KEEN. AND I'M ABLE GARCIA. HERE LOCALLY, FLU-RELATED HOSPITALIZATIONS ARE ON THE RISE. LET'S TAKE A LOOK AT SOME OF THOSE NUMBERS FROM SOUTHERN NEVADA HEALTH DISTRICT. THE RESPIRATORY DISEASE DASHBOARD IS REPORTING THAT IN THE PAST TWO WEEKS, THE NUMBER OF PATIENTS HOSPITALIZED HAS GONE FROM 38 TO 64. THAT'S A 68-PERCENT INCREASE RIGHT HERE IN CLARK COUNTY. AND AS I FOUND OUT TODAY, EMERGENCY ROOMS ARE SEEING MORE PATIENTS, FAMILIES SAY ILLNESSES ARE LASTING LONGER, AND DOCTORS WARN THIS SEASON'S SURGE IS ARRIVING LATER THAN USUAL. TONIGHT, I TELL YOU WHAT'S SPREADING LOCALLY, AND WHY DOCTORS SAY NOW IS THE TIME TO TAKE THOSE SYMPTOMS SERIOUSLY. They give us some medication for it. LOCALS TELL ME IT DOESN'T FEEL LIKE A TYPICAL COLD. I have a lot of phlegm in my throat, my chest, real bad body aches. We've went to urgent care three or four times. LAS VEGAS RESIDENT DONALD BATE SAYS ONCE SOMEONE IN THE HOUSE GETS SICK, IT DOESN'T STOP THERE. Just it moves from family member to family member every time. You're not going straight to the ER. DR. KATAN PATEL, EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT MEDICAL DIRECTOR AT UMC SAYS THAT'S BECAUSE SEVERAL RESPIRATORY VIRUSES ARE SPREADING AT THE SAME TIME, INCLUDING THE FLU. What are we seeing currently right now here in Southern Nevada? We've seen increased numbers of all respiratory illnesses, in particular flu, rhinovirus and a few other things, peak and kind of hit higher numbers through December, end of December and now going into the first weeks of January as well. DR. PATEL SAYS THIS FLU SEASON IS ALSO PEAKING LATER THAN USUAL, DRIVEN BY COLDER WEATHER, HOLIDAY GATHERINGS, TRAVEL AND KIDS BACK IN SCHOOL. HERE AT UMC, THAT'S TRANSLATING INTO MORE PEOPLE SEEKING CARE. We're seeing almost 20-25 patients more, which is significant. And so that's about a 10% increase. HE SAYS IT'S NOT PANIC WORTHY, BUT IT IS SOMETHING TO TAKE SERIOUSLY, ESPECIALLY FOR THOSE MOST VULNERABLE. Vulnerable populations, elderly, people who are already immunocompromised or have underlying respiratory illnesses, they can disproportionately be affected by contracting the flu or other respiratory illnesses as well and can have more severe disease. AND WITH VIRUSES CONSTANTLY EVOLVING, DR. PATEL SAYS SYMPTOMS MAY FEEL MORE INTENSE THAN PAST SEASONS. HE URGES VACCINATIONS, STAYING HOME WHEN SICK AND SEEKING CARE IF SYMPTOMS WORSEN, ESPECIALLY BREATHING ISSUES. FOR DONALD BATES, HE SAYS THAT MESSAGE IS PERSONAL. How bad were the symptoms of this recent time that you got sick? Oh, it was bad. It was bad. It made you to where you just wanted to curl up in the bed. Definitely got to make sure to be careful out there. And I'll continue to follow the latest developments on this flu season. If you have any health-related questions or story ideas, I'd love to hear from you. You can go ahead and scan that QR code right there on your screen right now, or you can also reach out to me directly by email at abel.garcia at ktmv.com.

President Claudia Sheinbaum has sought to safeguard Mexican sovereignty while cooperating with the US on key issues.

Mexico City

Mexico’s Sheinbaum rejects Trump’s threat of strikes on drug cartels

President Donald Trump said that any country which does business with Iran will face a tariff rate of 25% on trade with the U.S., as Washington weighs a response to the situation in Iran which is seeing its biggest anti-government protests in years.

Trump says nations trading with Iran will face 25% U.S. tariffs

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says his country is ready for war but also for dialogue, after US President Donald Trump said the US is considering ‘very strong options’ in response to Iran’s crackdown on antigovernment protests.

Iran FM Araghchi warns ready for war if U.S. wants to ‘test’ it

Britain will bring into effect a law criminalizing the creation of non-consensual intimate images this week, technology minister Liz Kendall told parliament after regulator Ofcom launched an investigation into Elon Musk's X.

London

UK investigates Musk's X over Grok sexual deepfakes

Iran's internet was cut off late last Thursday, apparently in an attempt by government authorities to prevent protesters from organizing and uploading videos for the outside world to see.

Tehran

Iran enforcing nationwide internet blackout amid protests

Malaysia and Indonesia have become the first countries to block Grok, the artificial intelligence chatbot developed by Elon Musk's company xAI, amid concerns that it is being misused to generate sexually explicit and nonconsensual images.

Malaysia and Indonesia block Musk’s Grok over sexualized AI images

India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi has welcomed German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who is on a two-day visit. Merz is traveling with a large business delegation as Germany seeks to deepen economic and security ties.

New Delhi

Germany's Merz makes first official visit to India

At the first major awards show of the season, "One Battle After Another" and "Adolescence" both won four awards. In a surprise win, "Hamnet" upset "Sinners" for best motion picture for a drama.

Los Angeles

"One Battle After Another," "Adolescence" win big at Golden Globes

Fallout from the fatal shooting of Renee Good by a U.S. immigration and customs enforcement officer in Minneapolis continues with government officials standing by the action and ordering more ICE officers into the city.

Minneapolis

Hundreds more ICE agents headed to Minneapolis after fatal shooting

Powell said the investigation, linked to a testimony he gave to a Senate committee about renovations to Fed buildings, was an attempt to limit central bank independence.

Washington

U.S. opens criminal investigation into Fed Chair Jerome Powell

Protests continue in Iran amid a violent government crackdown. Activists say hundreds of demonstrators have been killed. President Trump says Iran now wants to negotiate to prevent a U.S. military response.

Trump says Iran 'wants to negotiate' as protests intensify

President Trump says Iranian leaders have reached out to the U.S. to negotiate, as massive protests continue and more deaths are reported by activists.

Trump weighs military option in Iran amid rising death toll

President Trump has been briefed on new military options for a strike against Iran amid widespread protests and a government crackdown on communications for Iranians, a senior U.S. official tells CBS News. "We'll be hitting them very hard where it hurts," he said at the White House.

Trump briefed on new military options for Iran strikes amid protests

Demonstrations in Iran are now entering their third week and the death toll is surging with hundreds killed, according to a human rights group. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei insisted that the Islamic regime will "not back down" in the face of the growing social unrest and calls for regime change.

Protests in Iran intensifying despite threat of death for dissidents

The Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas showcased a wide array of AI-powered innovations, including paper-thin televisions, interactive Lego, and binoculars that can identify bird species in real time. Notable breakthroughs included .Lumen's AI glasses for the visually impaired and Roborock's Saros Rover, a robotic vacuum cleaner capable of navigating stairs and various surfaces autonomously.

Las Vegas

Rise of AI

AI-powered innovation dominates Consumer Electronics show

Human remains were found in Australia's southeast where bushfires raging for days have razed buildings, cut power to thousands of homes and burned swaths of bushland, police said. The blazes are burning out of control during a summer heat wave in Victoria state.

Victoria

'Gut-wrenching': Australian bushfires expected to burn for weeks

Anti-government protests in Iran show no sign of stopping. Human rights groups are putting the death toll at 116 with 2600 detained. U.S. President Donald Trump has reaffirmed U.S. support for the protesters.

Protests in Iran defy government crackdown

Iran's army is threatening to join the crackdown on protesters as demonstrations against the regime grow and the death toll mounts. Huge crowds have taken to the streets across the Islamic Republic. Iran's Revolutionary Guard calls them "terrorists." Haley Ott has more details.

Iran's army threatens to join crackdown against protesters

President Trump said, "We are going to do something on Greenland, whether they like it or not," earlier this week. But Greenland, a territory of Denmark and a NATO ally, is rejecting the threats.

Nuuk

Greenland rejects Trump's threats

Trump, who often cites national security interests as the reason for taking Greenland, said that if the US does not do something, 'Russia or China will take over Greenland'.

Trump says U.S will act on Greenland, 'whether they like it or not'

Protests across the U.S., including in Minneapolis, Philadelphia and Miami, are taking place following the fatal shooting of 37-year-old Renee Good by an ICE agent in Minneapolis. Police declared the demonstrations in downtown Minneapolis an 'unlawful assembly'.

Philadelphia

Protests spread across the U.S. over ICE shooting of woman

Internet and phone lines in Iran have been cut off as anti-government protests enter their second week. Reports say at least 65 people have been killed and more than 2,300 others detained. U.S. President Donald Trump has warned of a possible U.S. response to the government crackdown.

Internet blackout in Iran enters second day as protests intensify

Rescue workers are trying to find dozens of people trapped under a collapsed landfill in the Philippines. At least four people have been confirmed dead. The incident took place on Thursday, with more than 100 workers on site at the time.

Cebu City

Philippines: Dozens still missing in landfill collapse

BRICS nations have launched joint naval exercises off the South African coast. Supporters say the drills will strengthen co-operation among emerging economies.  But critics warn they could deepen global divisions.

Simon's Town

South Africa hosts Russia, Iran and China for military exercise

Iran's Revolutionary Guards warned on Saturday that safeguarding security was a "red line" and the military vowed to protect public property, as the clerical establishment stepped up efforts to quell the most widespread protests in years.

Iran authorities signal intensified crackdown as unrest grows

Luigi Mangione was back in court on Friday, where his lawyers worked to block the Justice Department from seeking the death penalty in his federal trial for the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. Mangione pleaded not guilty in April 2025.

New York

Luigi Mangione's lawyers fight to block death penalty

Fire crews battle spreading blazes while communities face evacuations and power cuts.

Thousands of firefighters deployed to fight bushfires in Australia

The protest comes amid wider rallies against US immigration enforcement and over the fatal shooting of the 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good.

Several arrested in Minneapolis during anti-ICE protest

Trump says U.S. will act on Greenland, 'whether they like it or not'

U.S. President Donald Trump began a meeting to discuss Venezuela with executives from some of the world's largest oil companies at the White House, saying he wants them to invest $100 billion in the country to vastly expand its production.

Breakdown