Last year saw the highest number of law enforcement officers who were intentionally killed in the line of duty since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, an increase that comes as a rise in gun violence and homicides continues across the country.According to preliminary year-end data provided to CNN by the FBI, 73 officers died in felonious killings in the line of duty in 2021. The year marks the highest total recorded by the agency since 1995, excluding the 9/11 attacks.Gunfire has consistently been the leading cause of felonious officer deaths each year — and 2021 was no different. The FBI has not released its full end-of-year breakdown but reported that 55 officers were killed by gunfire in 2021 through the end of November, up from 39 in the same time frame in both 2020 and 2019.Homicides rose in 2020, a year marked by a global pandemic and the murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer and subsequent unrest. In its 2020 UCR report, the FBI noted that an increasing number of homicides were committed with a gun. For many cities, the elevated rates of homicide continued into 2021.More than two-thirds of the country's 40 most populous cities saw more homicides last year than in 2020, according to a CNN analysis of police department data, and 10 of those cities recorded more homicides in 2021 than any other year on record."When homicides go up, more shootings go up, and it contributes to an overall increase in violence and police officers find themselves in the middle of that environment," said Chuck Wexler, the executive director of the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF).COVID-19 still the leading cause of officer deaths Maria Haberfeld, chair of the Department of Law, Police Sciences, and Criminal Justice Administration at John Jay College, who has analyzed data on police deaths in the line of duty, says that a rise in violence against police officers is a phenomenon that happens "every few years" because of an event that serves as a catalyst.Typically, she said, the uptick is tied to a high-profile case in which an officer or department is accused of misconduct and then that "spills over to all the other police officers around the country."The 73 felonious deaths reported by the FBI are a 59% increase from 2020's total of 46, breaking the previous high of 72 felonious killings in 2011. According to the FBI, at least eight police officers also lost their lives in premeditated, ambush-style attacks last year.The FBI classifies a death as a "felonious killing" when an officer is "fatally injured as a direct result of a willful and intentional act by an offender." Separately, 56 officers were killed accidentally while in the line of duty last year, up from 46 in 2020.Felonious killings were not the No. 1 cause of death for law enforcement officers in 2021: For the second year in a row, that was COVID-19. According to the Officer Down Memorial Page, a nonprofit dedicated to memorializing fallen officers, the total number of officers who died in the line of duty in 2021 was the highest on record, driven by COVID-19. The group reported 336 COVID-19 deaths among line-of-duty officers in 2021, a 32% increase from the 254 officers who died from COVID-19 in 2020."As tragic as this is to see this increase in felonious assaults against police officers, more officers will die of COVID than will be stabbed, shot, or die in traffic accidents and many of those deaths are preventable," said Wexler of PERF, a national police research and policy organization that advises police leaders on best practices.There was an increase in 'unprovoked' attacks In late 2021, two Bradley, Illinois, police officers were shot while responding to a call about dogs barking in a hotel parking lot — Sgt. Marlene R. Rittmanic died from her injuries and Officer Tyler J. Bailey was hospitalized in critical condition.In Baltimore, Officer Keona Holley died last month after being shot while sitting in her patrol car. Two suspects were charged with attempted murder in the shooting of Holley after they confessed to the crime, but their motive remains unclear, said Baltimore Police Commissioner Michael Harrison.Among felonious deaths of officers last year, 25 were killed in "unprovoked" attacks through Dec. 27 of last year, according to the FBI. It's a marked increase from previous years, which usually see the number of officers killed in unprovoked attacks in the low single-digits. In 2020, just two officers were killed in this manner.The FBI told CNN that they are currently conducting an analysis on this sharp rise in reports of unprovoked attacks, which they say are not concentrated in any one region of the country.The FBI's Law Enforcement Officers Killed and Assaulted (LEOKA) data collection program refers to an ambush as an "entrapment and premeditated" attack, while unprovoked is classified as an attack "not prompted by official contact at the time of the incident," according to the agency.According to Christopher Herrmann, an assistant professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, while the significant increase in unprovoked and ambush attacks last year may indicate that police officers are at a higher risk than previous years, there is also disagreement among law enforcement about when such terms should be used. A lack of a universally accepted definition can lead to difficulties in studying ambushes and developing training and operational practices based on "lessons learned from past ambush responses," he added.It's not yet clear if the Bradley, Illinois, shooting, or Holley's death would be classified as an unprovoked attack or an ambush by the FBI.Herrmann said the lack of a clear definition for both terms has significant consequences, as law enforcement "may have difficulty articulating the nature of the threat, making it hard for agencies to train officers to recognize and respond appropriately to ambush situations."Low confidence and a climate of animosityIn the wake of protest movements following the killings of Black Americans by police, confidence in U.S. police dropped to record lows, according to a report released by Gallup in August 2020. The polling group reported in 2021 that some of these perceptions have slightly rebounded, but stark racial and partisan divides remain in how Americans view the police. Confidence among both Black and White adults in police remains lower than they were before the killing of Floyd.Whether there's a connection between low police confidence and heightened animosity to officer killings is not clear, but Haberfeld says that coverage of anti-police sentiment has been more sustained than in previous years."There is an overall climate now that is very anti-police, which adds a different angle to what used to happen periodically to police in the past years," she told CNN. "The anti-police climate would surge after a high-profile case, and usually after a month or so it would subside. But right now, we're talking about over a year of high-profile, anti-police coverage."Herrmann of John Jay said there isn't an easy fix to the animosity toward police officers."Police officers are tasked with rebuilding these relationships with their communities that have been fractured as a result of the Floyd protests and as a result of the over-policing, racial profiling, and high-profile killings of Black people," Herrmann said.Officer ambushes have 'ripple effect' in departments Officer Holley was removed from life support late last month after she was shot while sitting in her patrol car. Commissioner Harrison said in a statement announcing her death that Holley's "strength, courage and resilience are an inspiration to us all." In an interview with CNN, Harrison said the officer's death had an "extremely negative ripple effect" throughout the police department and the community she served.Harrison said the assailant "apparently walked up somewhere from the rear of the (police) vehicle or alongside the vehicle and began firing into the vehicle, striking our officer." Holley then accelerated the patrol vehicle and crashed, officials said."It's one negative ripple effect for having been killed in the line of duty, but to have been ambushed while sitting in your car is something totally different," Harrison said.Holley's funeral took place on Tuesday in Baltimore. The Baltimore Sun reported that hundreds of people showed up to pay their respects, including many law enforcement members from out of state.Harrison said many of his officers had to take time off after Holley's killing, which added an additional challenge to a department that was grieving but also short staffed. According to the commissioner, his leadership role is to ensure the department can be resilient while in the grieving and mourning process."We have to provide resources for our officer wellness program, through our chaplaincy program, to make sure our members are mentally and emotionally and spiritually sound to go back to work and to continue working," he said.

Last year saw the highest number of law enforcement officers who were intentionally killed in the line of duty since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, an increase that comes as a rise in gun violence and homicides continues across the country.

According to preliminary year-end data provided to CNN by the FBI, 73 officers died in felonious killings in the line of duty in 2021. The year marks the highest total recorded by the agency since 1995, excluding the 9/11 attacks.

Gunfire has consistently been the leading cause of felonious officer deaths each year — and 2021 was no different. The FBI has not released its full end-of-year breakdown but reported that 55 officers were killed by gunfire in 2021 through the end of November, up from 39 in the same time frame in both 2020 and 2019.

Homicides rose in 2020, a year marked by a global pandemic and the murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer and subsequent unrest. In its 2020 UCR report, the FBI noted that an increasing number of homicides were committed with a gun. For many cities, the elevated rates of homicide continued into 2021.

More than two-thirds of the country's 40 most populous cities saw more homicides last year than in 2020, according to a CNN analysis of police department data, and 10 of those cities recorded more homicides in 2021 than any other year on record.

"When homicides go up, more shootings go up, and it contributes to an overall increase in violence and police officers find themselves in the middle of that environment," said Chuck Wexler, the executive director of the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF).

COVID-19 still the leading cause of officer deaths

Maria Haberfeld, chair of the Department of Law, Police Sciences, and Criminal Justice Administration at John Jay College, who has analyzed data on police deaths in the line of duty, says that a rise in violence against police officers is a phenomenon that happens "every few years" because of an event that serves as a catalyst.

Typically, she said, the uptick is tied to a high-profile case in which an officer or department is accused of misconduct and then that "spills over to all the other police officers around the country."

The 73 felonious deaths reported by the FBI are a 59% increase from 2020's total of 46, breaking the previous high of 72 felonious killings in 2011. According to the FBI, at least eight police officers also lost their lives in premeditated, ambush-style attacks last year.

The FBI classifies a death as a "felonious killing" when an officer is "fatally injured as a direct result of a willful and intentional act by an offender." Separately, 56 officers were killed accidentally while in the line of duty last year, up from 46 in 2020.

Felonious killings were not the No. 1 cause of death for law enforcement officers in 2021: For the second year in a row, that was COVID-19. According to the Officer Down Memorial Page, a nonprofit dedicated to memorializing fallen officers, the total number of officers who died in the line of duty in 2021 was the highest on record, driven by COVID-19. The group reported 336 COVID-19 deaths among line-of-duty officers in 2021, a 32% increase from the 254 officers who died from COVID-19 in 2020.

"As tragic as this is to see this increase in felonious assaults against police officers, more officers will die of COVID than will be stabbed, shot, or die in traffic accidents and many of those deaths are preventable," said Wexler of PERF, a national police research and policy organization that advises police leaders on best practices.

There was an increase in 'unprovoked' attacks

In late 2021, two Bradley, Illinois, police officers were shot while responding to a call about dogs barking in a hotel parking lot — Sgt. Marlene R. Rittmanic died from her injuries and Officer Tyler J. Bailey was hospitalized in critical condition.

In Baltimore, Officer Keona Holley died last month after being shot while sitting in her patrol car. Two suspects were charged with attempted murder in the shooting of Holley after they confessed to the crime, but their motive remains unclear, said Baltimore Police Commissioner Michael Harrison.

ODMP

Among felonious deaths of officers last year, 25 were killed in "unprovoked" attacks through Dec. 27 of last year, according to the FBI. It's a marked increase from previous years, which usually see the number of officers killed in unprovoked attacks in the low single-digits. In 2020, just two officers were killed in this manner.

The FBI told CNN that they are currently conducting an analysis on this sharp rise in reports of unprovoked attacks, which they say are not concentrated in any one region of the country.

The FBI's Law Enforcement Officers Killed and Assaulted (LEOKA) data collection program refers to an ambush as an "entrapment and premeditated" attack, while unprovoked is classified as an attack "not prompted by official contact at the time of the incident," according to the agency.

According to Christopher Herrmann, an assistant professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, while the significant increase in unprovoked and ambush attacks last year may indicate that police officers are at a higher risk than previous years, there is also disagreement among law enforcement about when such terms should be used. A lack of a universally accepted definition can lead to difficulties in studying ambushes and developing training and operational practices based on "lessons learned from past ambush responses," he added.

It's not yet clear if the Bradley, Illinois, shooting, or Holley's death would be classified as an unprovoked attack or an ambush by the FBI.

Herrmann said the lack of a clear definition for both terms has significant consequences, as law enforcement "may have difficulty articulating the nature of the threat, making it hard for agencies to train officers to recognize and respond appropriately to ambush situations."

Low confidence and a climate of animosity

In the wake of protest movements following the killings of Black Americans by police, confidence in U.S. police dropped to record lows, according to a report released by Gallup in August 2020. The polling group reported in 2021 that some of these perceptions have slightly rebounded, but stark racial and partisan divides remain in how Americans view the police. Confidence among both Black and White adults in police remains lower than they were before the killing of Floyd.

Whether there's a connection between low police confidence and heightened animosity to officer killings is not clear, but Haberfeld says that coverage of anti-police sentiment has been more sustained than in previous years.

"There is an overall climate now that is very anti-police, which adds a different angle to what used to happen periodically to police in the past years," she told CNN. "The anti-police climate would surge after a high-profile case, and usually after a month or so it would subside. But right now, we're talking about over a year of high-profile, anti-police coverage."

Herrmann of John Jay said there isn't an easy fix to the animosity toward police officers.

"Police officers are tasked with rebuilding these relationships with their communities that have been fractured as a result of the Floyd protests and as a result of the over-policing, racial profiling, and high-profile killings of Black people," Herrmann said.

Officer ambushes have 'ripple effect' in departments

Officer Holley was removed from life support late last month after she was shot while sitting in her patrol car. Commissioner Harrison said in a statement announcing her death that Holley's "strength, courage and resilience are an inspiration to us all." In an interview with CNN, Harrison said the officer's death had an "extremely negative ripple effect" throughout the police department and the community she served.

Harrison said the assailant "apparently walked up somewhere from the rear of the (police) vehicle or alongside the vehicle and began firing into the vehicle, striking our officer." Holley then accelerated the patrol vehicle and crashed, officials said.

"It's one negative ripple effect for having been killed in the line of duty, but to have been ambushed while sitting in your car is something totally different," Harrison said.

Holley's funeral took place on Tuesday in Baltimore. The Baltimore Sun reported that hundreds of people showed up to pay their respects, including many law enforcement members from out of state.

Harrison said many of his officers had to take time off after Holley's killing, which added an additional challenge to a department that was grieving but also short staffed. According to the commissioner, his leadership role is to ensure the department can be resilient while in the grieving and mourning process.

"We have to provide resources for our officer wellness program, through our chaplaincy program, to make sure our members are mentally and emotionally and spiritually sound to go back to work and to continue working," he said.

After a woman tested positive for COVID-19 midflight, the bathroom became her seat for the next few hours.Marisa Fotieo was on an Icelandair flight from Chicago to Reykjavik, Iceland, on Dec. 19, en route to her final destination of Switzerland with her brother and father.Before the flight, Fotieo told CNN she took two PCR tests and about five rapid tests, all of which came back negative. But about an hour and a half into the flight, Fotieo started to feel a sore throat."The wheels started turning in my brain and I thought, 'OK, I'm going to just go take a test.' It was going to make me feel better," Fotieo told CNN. "Immediately, it came back positive."Fotieo, who is fully vaccinated and has received the booster, is an early childhood teacher in Chicago. She tests consistently since she works with an unvaccinated population.When she got her results in the airplane bathroom, over the Atlantic Ocean, she said she started to panic."The first flight attendant I ran into was Rocky. I was hysterical, I was crying," Fotieo said. "I was nervous for my family who I just had dinner with. I was nervous for the other people on the plane. I was nervous for myself."Ragnhildur Eiríksdóttir, or Rocky, the flight attendant Fotieo ran into, helped calm her down."Of course, it's a stress factor when something like this comes up, but that's part of our job," Eiríksdóttir told CNN.The flight attendant said she did what she could to try to rearrange seats so Fotieo could be seated in a spot alone, but the flight was full."When she came back and told me she couldn't find enough seating, I opted to stay in the bathroom because I did not want to be around others on the flight," Fotieo said.A note was then put on the bathroom door saying it was out of service, and that was Fotieo's new seat for the remainder of the flight.CNN contacted Icelandair on Thursday for comment but has yet to hear back.Policies vary among airlines as to how to handle a COVID-positive passenger. This comes just weeks after the U.S. and other countries have made travel restrictions amid the spread of the omicron variant.Fotieo was inside the bathroom for about three hours. Eiríksdóttir continuously checked up on her and provided her with plenty of food and drinks."I was in shock that I was missing out on a family trip. I was in shock that I was going to be in Iceland alone. I was in shock that I had 20 families back home that just had me in their classroom," Fotieo said.While inside the bathroom, she said she bought internet access and made calls to let her school know. She also made a TikTok video, which has been viewed more than 4.3 million times, as of Thursday afternoon.Fotieo said she did not feel crammed inside the bathroom and was just happy to not be in the main cabin with the rest of the passengers, one of which was her 70-year-old father.Quarantined in IcelandOnce the plane touched down in Iceland, Fotieo and her family were the last ones off the flight.Since her brother and father didn't have any symptoms, they were free to take their connecting flight to Switzerland. Fotieo was given both a rapid and PCR test at the airport, both of which were positive, she said.She was then shuttled to a Red Cross hotel where she began her 10 days of quarantine.Doctors checked in on her three times a day, she was given meals and medication was readily available. "Honestly it has been an easy experience," Fotieo said. "It's partially due to Rocky and the breed of Icelandic people. Everyone here is so kind."Throughout her quarantine, she continued to document the experience on TikTok. She even received Christmas gifts and snacks from Eiríksdóttir, who she had stayed in contact with over social media."I knew she was going to be by herself in Iceland," Eiríksdóttir said. "So even if it's isolated, if you have someone there that can bring you something is nice. So, I just had to be that someone."Fotieo's last day of quarantine was Dec. 30 and her family planned to meet up with her then. They will be able to experience Iceland together to make up for the lost time, as their flight back to the States is on Jan. 3.And Fotieo has plans to meet up with Eiríksdóttir before she leaves the country. Eiríksdóttir also mentioned visiting Fotieo when she has flights over to Chicago."Coming out of this experience I have a new friend and I have a new outlook on how much flight attendants have to do," Fotieo said. "Rocky and the flight crew had me, but they also had the other passengers to deal with on the flight."

After a woman tested positive for COVID-19 midflight, the bathroom became her seat for the next few hours.

Marisa Fotieo was on an Icelandair flight from Chicago to Reykjavik, Iceland, on Dec. 19, en route to her final destination of Switzerland with her brother and father.

Before the flight, Fotieo told CNN she took two PCR tests and about five rapid tests, all of which came back negative. But about an hour and a half into the flight, Fotieo started to feel a sore throat.

"The wheels started turning in my brain and I thought, 'OK, I'm going to just go take a test.' It was going to make me feel better," Fotieo told CNN. "Immediately, it came back positive."

Fotieo, who is fully vaccinated and has received the booster, is an early childhood teacher in Chicago. She tests consistently since she works with an unvaccinated population.

When she got her results in the airplane bathroom, over the Atlantic Ocean, she said she started to panic.

"The first flight attendant I ran into was Rocky. I was hysterical, I was crying," Fotieo said. "I was nervous for my family who I just had dinner with. I was nervous for the other people on the plane. I was nervous for myself."

Ragnhildur Eiríksdóttir, or Rocky, the flight attendant Fotieo ran into, helped calm her down.

"Of course, it's a stress factor when something like this comes up, but that's part of our job," Eiríksdóttir told CNN.

Courtesy Marisa Fotieo

The flight attendant said she did what she could to try to rearrange seats so Fotieo could be seated in a spot alone, but the flight was full.

"When she came back and told me she couldn't find enough seating, I opted to stay in the bathroom because I did not want to be around others on the flight," Fotieo said.

A note was then put on the bathroom door saying it was out of service, and that was Fotieo's new seat for the remainder of the flight.

CNN contacted Icelandair on Thursday for comment but has yet to hear back.

Policies vary among airlines as to how to handle a COVID-positive passenger. This comes just weeks after the U.S. and other countries have made travel restrictions amid the spread of the omicron variant.

Fotieo was inside the bathroom for about three hours. Eiríksdóttir continuously checked up on her and provided her with plenty of food and drinks.

"I was in shock that I was missing out on a family trip. I was in shock that I was going to be in Iceland alone. I was in shock that I had 20 families back home that just had me in their classroom," Fotieo said.

While inside the bathroom, she said she bought internet access and made calls to let her school know. She also made a TikTok video, which has been viewed more than 4.3 million times, as of Thursday afternoon.

Fotieo said she did not feel crammed inside the bathroom and was just happy to not be in the main cabin with the rest of the passengers, one of which was her 70-year-old father.

Quarantined in Iceland

Once the plane touched down in Iceland, Fotieo and her family were the last ones off the flight.

Since her brother and father didn't have any symptoms, they were free to take their connecting flight to Switzerland. Fotieo was given both a rapid and PCR test at the airport, both of which were positive, she said.

She was then shuttled to a Red Cross hotel where she began her 10 days of quarantine.

Doctors checked in on her three times a day, she was given meals and medication was readily available. "Honestly it has been an easy experience," Fotieo said. "It's partially due to Rocky and the breed of Icelandic people. Everyone here is so kind."

Throughout her quarantine, she continued to document the experience on TikTok. She even received Christmas gifts and snacks from Eiríksdóttir, who she had stayed in contact with over social media.

"I knew she was going to be by herself in Iceland," Eiríksdóttir said. "So even if it's isolated, if you have someone there that can bring you something is nice. So, I just had to be that someone."

Fotieo's last day of quarantine was Dec. 30 and her family planned to meet up with her then. They will be able to experience Iceland together to make up for the lost time, as their flight back to the States is on Jan. 3.

And Fotieo has plans to meet up with Eiríksdóttir before she leaves the country. Eiríksdóttir also mentioned visiting Fotieo when she has flights over to Chicago.

"Coming out of this experience I have a new friend and I have a new outlook on how much flight attendants have to do," Fotieo said. "Rocky and the flight crew had me, but they also had the other passengers to deal with on the flight."

Valentina Orellana-Peralta's dream of becoming an American citizen and studying robotics ended days before Christmas on the dressing room floor of a Los Angeles clothing store, where she was fatally shot by police.A day after video released by the Los Angeles Police Department raised new questions about the fatal shooting Thursday, Valentina's mother described clutching her daughter and praying in the dressing room moments before the girl was struck by a round from a police rifle.A distraught Juan Pablo Orellana Larenas, who flew to Los Angeles from their native Chile, told reporters Tuesday that his daughter had once assured him the U.S. was "the safest country in the world."In tears, Valentina's mother, Soledad Peralta, described taking cover in a dressing room after hearing screams while shopping for a Christmas dress for the girl."We sat down and held each other and prayed," said Peralta, adding that Valentina fell to the floor after being shot.She spoke at a news conference outside LAPD headquarters alongside civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump and others."She died in my arms," her mother said. "I couldn't do anything. To see a son or daughter die in your arms is one of the greatest and most profoundly painful things you can imagine. Valentina meant the world to me and her family and friends. Now our sweet angel is gone forever. Valentina give us strength to find justice. My daughter, I love you."Orellana showed a skateboard his daughter had ordered online for Christmas — which he said she will now ride with the angels."I have no words to describe what I'm going through, especially during this holiday season," her father said. "I cannot sleep... All she wanted was to become an American citizen. I once told her, let's leave this country. 'No, papa,' she said. "This is the safest country in the world, a country of opportunity.' Now my daughter is dead at the hands of the state."Peralta said she was taken away and Valentina's body remained on the floor of the dressing room.LAPD on Monday released edited surveillance camera footage and police body camera videos showing the events that led to the shooting death of the teen by an officer firing at a suspect.The video shows a 24-year-old suspect identified as Daniel Elena-Lopez entering the Burlington Coat Factory store in North Hollywood with his bike and wearing a tank top and shorts. He takes the escalator upstairs with his bike.Moments later, he returns to the escalators wearing a multicolored jacket and long pants before swinging his bike lock at customers, according to police. He is seen attacking several female customers.Several body camera videos released by police show a woman on the floor covered in blood as officers arrive and attempt to find the suspect, who, according to a police statement on Friday, was a short distance away.An officer can be heard on the body camera footage firing three bullets toward the suspect, who later falls to the ground. Video shows the officer firing a rifle at the suspect.Valentina was killed by a gunshot wound to the chest, coroner records show."The girl's American dream has been taken from her," Valentina's uncle, Rodrigo Orellana, told CNN affiliate Chilevision from their native Chile this week."Everyone fled to dressing rooms and, unfortunately, the bullet found her," he said. "They're supposed to be the best police department in the world and they shot her."Police Capt. Stacy Spell said the investigation is in its early stages. The incident will also be reviewed by representatives from the California Department of Justice, the state Attorney General's Office and the Office of the Inspector General, according to Spell.Anthony Barksdale, a CNN law enforcement analyst and former Baltimore deputy police commissioner, said the video raises questions."Was the use of the patrol rifle justified?" he asked Monday night on CNN. "And ... if you're going to fire a (.223) round inside of a department store, those rounds can easily rip through a body and keep right on moving through the drywall. So the use of force must be looked at."Barksdale said that the suspect did not appear to be moving toward a victim or an officer when he was shot.The police department released three 911 calls and radio transmissions of the shooting.Police were called following numerous reports of an assault with a deadly weapon and a possible shooting in progress at the store.In one call a store employee tells the operator there's a "hostile customer in my store attacking customers" and "breaking things."While she is on the phone, the woman is also repeatedly heard yelling at people to evacuate the store. She explains to the operator that the suspect is using a bike lock to attack people.The suspect died at the scene. A steel or metal cable lock was found near his body, officials said. No firearm was recovered from the scene.The assault victim was transported to a hospital with head and arm injuries. Police do not believe the woman knew the suspect.The officer who fired the fatal shots is on "paid administrative leave, per department protocols for officer involved shootings, for at least two weeks," a police official told CNN.Last week, Police Chief Michel Moore said: "This chaotic incident resulting in the death of an innocent child is tragic and devastating for everyone involved. I am profoundly sorry for the loss of this young girl's life and I know there are no words that can relieve the unimaginable pain for the family."

Valentina Orellana-Peralta's dream of becoming an American citizen and studying robotics ended days before Christmas on the dressing room floor of a Los Angeles clothing store, where she was fatally shot by police.

A day after video released by the Los Angeles Police Department raised new questions about the fatal shooting Thursday, Valentina's mother described clutching her daughter and praying in the dressing room moments before the girl was struck by a round from a police rifle.

A distraught Juan Pablo Orellana Larenas, who flew to Los Angeles from their native Chile, told reporters Tuesday that his daughter had once assured him the U.S. was "the safest country in the world."

In tears, Valentina's mother, Soledad Peralta, described taking cover in a dressing room after hearing screams while shopping for a Christmas dress for the girl.

"We sat down and held each other and prayed," said Peralta, adding that Valentina fell to the floor after being shot.

She spoke at a news conference outside LAPD headquarters alongside civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump and others.

"She died in my arms," her mother said. "I couldn't do anything. To see a son or daughter die in your arms is one of the greatest and most profoundly painful things you can imagine. Valentina meant the world to me and her family and friends. Now our sweet angel is gone forever. Valentina give us strength to find justice. My daughter, I love you."

Orellana showed a skateboard his daughter had ordered online for Christmas — which he said she will now ride with the angels.

"I have no words to describe what I'm going through, especially during this holiday season," her father said. "I cannot sleep... All she wanted was to become an American citizen. I once told her, let's leave this country. 'No, papa,' she said. "This is the safest country in the world, a country of opportunity.' Now my daughter is dead at the hands of the state."

Peralta said she was taken away and Valentina's body remained on the floor of the dressing room.

LAPD on Monday released edited surveillance camera footage and police body camera videos showing the events that led to the shooting death of the teen by an officer firing at a suspect.

Attorneys for her family

The video shows a 24-year-old suspect identified as Daniel Elena-Lopez entering the Burlington Coat Factory store in North Hollywood with his bike and wearing a tank top and shorts. He takes the escalator upstairs with his bike.

Moments later, he returns to the escalators wearing a multicolored jacket and long pants before swinging his bike lock at customers, according to police. He is seen attacking several female customers.

Several body camera videos released by police show a woman on the floor covered in blood as officers arrive and attempt to find the suspect, who, according to a police statement on Friday, was a short distance away.

An officer can be heard on the body camera footage firing three bullets toward the suspect, who later falls to the ground. Video shows the officer firing a rifle at the suspect.

Valentina was killed by a gunshot wound to the chest, coroner records show.

"The girl's American dream has been taken from her," Valentina's uncle, Rodrigo Orellana, told CNN affiliate Chilevision from their native Chile this week.

"Everyone fled to dressing rooms and, unfortunately, the bullet found her," he said. "They're supposed to be the best police department in the world and they shot her."

Police Capt. Stacy Spell said the investigation is in its early stages. The incident will also be reviewed by representatives from the California Department of Justice, the state Attorney General's Office and the Office of the Inspector General, according to Spell.

Anthony Barksdale, a CNN law enforcement analyst and former Baltimore deputy police commissioner, said the video raises questions.

"Was the use of the patrol rifle justified?" he asked Monday night on CNN. "And ... if you're going to fire a (.223) round inside of a department store, those rounds can easily rip through a body and keep right on moving through the drywall. So the use of force must be looked at."

Barksdale said that the suspect did not appear to be moving toward a victim or an officer when he was shot.

The police department released three 911 calls and radio transmissions of the shooting.

Police were called following numerous reports of an assault with a deadly weapon and a possible shooting in progress at the store.

In one call a store employee tells the operator there's a "hostile customer in my store attacking customers" and "breaking things."

While she is on the phone, the woman is also repeatedly heard yelling at people to evacuate the store. She explains to the operator that the suspect is using a bike lock to attack people.

The suspect died at the scene. A steel or metal cable lock was found near his body, officials said. No firearm was recovered from the scene.

The assault victim was transported to a hospital with head and arm injuries. Police do not believe the woman knew the suspect.

The officer who fired the fatal shots is on "paid administrative leave, per department protocols for officer involved shootings, for at least two weeks," a police official told CNN.

Last week, Police Chief Michel Moore said: "This chaotic incident resulting in the death of an innocent child is tragic and devastating for everyone involved. I am profoundly sorry for the loss of this young girl's life and I know there are no words that can relieve the unimaginable pain for the family."

You're racing around town, trying to purchase a present for everyone on your list. The past week has been filled with evenings of chauffeuring your family to holiday parties and visits with Santa, leaving everyone exhausted.The most wonderful time of the year can also be the most stressful.One in five parents admitted their stress likely negatively impacts their children's enjoyment of the holidays, according to a C.S. Mott Children's Hospital National Poll on Children's Health at University of Michigan Health.Parents can set unrealistic expectations of how the holiday season should be, said poll author Sarah Clark, a research scientist in the department of pediatrics at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. She is also co-director of the C.S. Mott poll.Adults often try and fit in many holiday traditions like wearing matching outfits for the Christmas card or attending annual parties, she said, at times so many that it can cause palpable tension and stress in a household."Something parents should keep in mind is that adhering to traditions is not always what is most important to the kids and definitely adds to that holiday stress," Clark said.Clark recommended parents sit down with their children to find out what their expectations are rather than assuming anything.Parents should ask open-ended questions such as "What did you like best?" or "What do you remember from other holiday seasons?" she said. This will help parents prioritize what is important to the family, which in turn decreases the long to-do lists many households have this time of year, Clark explained.Another strategy to tackle those long lists is to set aside more time than you think you need to do them and start completing tasks sooner, said CNN contributor John Duffy, clinical psychologist in Chicago and author of "Parenting the New Teen in the Age of Anxiety.""Parents allow themselves to get into the holiday spirit earlier in the season," Duffy said. "By taking their time, they also regulate their stress levels far better than they would otherwise."Parents also feel the pressureOne in four parents said they set high expectations for themselves during the holidays, which detracts from their enjoyment of the season too.Of the 2,020 parents polled in October, one in six said they have high-stress levels during the holidays, with almost twice as many mothers reporting they feel stress than fathers.Traditional gender roles likely come into play here, with mothers taking on many of the chores and shopping tasks of the season, Clark said."Other members of the family might say, 'Who cares if we do holiday cards this year?' But if it's important to the mother, that will get put on her plate and be more stressful to her," she said.Mothers are more likely to find stress relief when other family members pitch in to help compared to fathers, the poll found. However, it can be difficult for some mothers to accept help because they have a specific vision of how the holidays should go, Clark said.The key is to accept the help for what it is and let go of some of the expectations, she said.Fathers, on the other hand, are more likely to throw themselves into work to handle the stress, according to the poll."This choice certainly protects men from the many stressors that the holidays can bring, but far too often, they often miss some of the joy of those tasks," Duffy said.Practicing good mental hygiene The holidays are a great opportunity that is often overlooked for how to set an example of practicing positive mental health, Clark said.When parents are feeling stressed, they should articulate it to their children and talk about the action they are going to take to destress, she said."It could be, 'We are not going to go to the neighborhood holiday event this year because everybody feels tired. We're just going to get in our pajamas early and stay home and eat popcorn and watch a movie,'" Clark said.Duffy recommended parents take frequent breaks to watch an episode of their favorite television show, go for a walk or step aside and take a moment to breathe. To avoid holiday burnout, he also suggested parents take a day or two off work to rest and rejuvenate if possible.Parents should also be aware of how certain holiday activities can trigger their stress because it is likely to affect the entire family unit, Duffy said.His family often gets invited to many holiday events, but he said he would prefer to go to one or two. To feel energized for the evening holiday activities, he said he takes extra time for himself on those days so he can be fully present.Keeping a routineWith school out of session for the break, the poll found many parents relax household rules. Around 20% of parents said they relaxed screen time rules, and 19% said they were less strict on bedtimes."There's a famous Christmas song that says, 'Mom and Dad can hardly wait for school to start again,' so I think parents need to be realistic that school is the natural scheduler for a lot of families," Clark said.In lieu of a school schedule, Clark recommended parents create a schedule that prioritizes children getting enough sleep and good nutrition.With regular sleep, children are less likely to be cranky and have an emotional outburst, which may negatively affect the entire family, Duffy said.

The omicron variant of coronavirus is spreading quickly in several countries where it has been discovered. Even if it causes only mild disease — and that's far from certain — that could still mean many people end up in the hospital and dying.It's killed at least one person in the U.K. and put 10 into the hospital — most of them vaccinated, according to government authorities."It is spreading faster than the delta variant in South Africa where delta circulation was low, but also appears to spread more quickly than the delta variant in other countries where the incidence of delta is high, such as in the United Kingdom," the World Health Organization said in a technical briefing last week."Given the current available data, it is likely that omicron will outpace the delta variant where community transmission occurs," WHO added.It's not clear how severe the new variant is, although most cases that have been diagnosed so far have been mild. That could be reassuring, but if omicron spreads more easily than delta and previous variants, evades the protection offered by vaccines and by previous infection, and ends up infecting more people, that could mean more people end up in the hospital and more die."What we now know about omicron is that ... it's spreading at a phenomenal rate, something that we've never seen before. It's doubling every two to three days in infections," U.K. Health Secretary Sajid Javic told Britain's Sky News Monday. "That means we're facing a tidal wave of infection. We're once again in a race between the vaccine and the virus."A new study out Monday from researchers at Oxford University adds to evidence that two of the main vaccines deployed against COVID-19 — the AstraZeneca vaccine used widely in Britain and around the world but not in the U.S., and the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine used widely in the U.S., Europe and elsewhere — won't protect people as well against the omicron variant."Our findings show that vaccine effectiveness against symptomatic disease with the omicron variant is significantly lower than with the delta variant," the researchers wrote.Infecting both the vaccinated and the boostedSeveral reports indicate at least some of those infected with omicron have been both fully vaccinated and boosted, and tests against blood samples from vaccinated and boosted people indicate the same thing.What this may indicate is that vaccination and especially booster shots provide good protection against severe disease with the omicron variant, doctors say -- although it is far too soon to know for sure. Health officials note many of the first cases have been seen among travelers and people who might be in good health and who might take other precautions.Disease modelers at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine released a report Saturday that projects infections in England passing last winter's peak in terms of daily numbers. This could translate into double the number of daily hospital admissions as seen last year, they wrote in a pre-print report posted online.What's really uncertain is what omicron will do to more vulnerable people, who are unlikely to be among the first infected, but who will eventually see the virus come their way. This might include the elderly, people with varying levels of immune compromise and those with pre-existing medical conditions.Seeking out the susceptible"This virus will eventually seek out and land on the people who are the most susceptible, and those are the ones that have not been vaccinated, A, and also the ones that have not been boosted. It's not a matter of if. It's a matter of when," Los Angeles internal medicine specialist Dr. Jorge Rodriguez told CNN."High numbers can still mean many people in the hospital," Dr. Crystal Watson, a senior associate at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, told CNN.While only a few cases have been identified in the U.S. so far, there is little reason to think it will not spread in the U.S. as it has elsewhere.Houston officials said last week the omicron variant had been detected in wastewater there, although it had not yet turned up in tests of people diagnosed with the virus. That could indicate quiet community spread — something that would not be surprising for a variant that causes mild symptoms or no symptoms. WFTV reported similar findings in central Florida but quoted Altamonte Springs city manager Frank Martz as saying detecting any genetic material from the virus indicated more than one person in the area was infected with the variant.Even without omicron adding to the spread, the delta variant combined with an undervaccinated population, is doing plenty of damage.The U.S. passed 50 million reported cases of coronavirus infection Monday and is fast approaching 800,000 deaths.The CEOs of several health care systems in Minnesota signed a full-page newspaper ad begging people to get vaccinated."Our emergency departments are overfilled, and we have patients in every bed in our hospitals," the ad read. "Your access to health care is being seriously threatened by COVID-19. We need to stop the spread!"It urges people to get vaccinated and boosted, to wear masks and to get tested for the virus.

A New York family who came together by chance 21 years ago has now shared their remarkable story in a children's book.Pete Mercurio was walking out the door to meet his then-partner (now husband) Danny Stewart for dinner in August 2000 when his phone rang. It was Stewart, calling to tell him he'd be late. He'd found an abandoned baby in the subway and had called 911 from a payphone.Stewart, a social worker, had spotted a tiny bundle wrapped in a sweatshirt while walking through an eerily empty station. At first, he thought it was a doll, perhaps left behind by a child, until he saw a tiny leg move. He quickly discovered it was a newborn baby, the umbilical cord still attached.Mercurio, who authored a book about this chance encounter, spoke to CNN about that night, and about how he and Stewart ended up raising the baby as their own.The baby boy was just hours old when Stewart found him"He had actually tried to get on an express train and couldn't get on one," Mercurio recalls of Stewart's path that fateful day. "The fact that he even got on a local was kind of miraculous because who knows if he had gotten on an express if he'd even he even had found the baby."Mercurio says something made Stewart glance back at the bundle and see the newborn's small motion. The baby, a boy, was alive and breathing. Authorities said he was just hours old when they arrived.Mercurio ran to the station, a block away from his apartment, and found Stewart there with two police officers."One of them was carrying the baby in his arms," he says. "Just a chill raced up my spine. Like, it's an unbelievable thing."The baby boy was transported to a nearby hospital, and the men were overcome with emotion at what had just occurred."At one point I just turned to Danny and I said, 'You're going to be -- we're going to be -- connected to this baby in some way or another for the rest of your life.' I said, 'Maybe not tomorrow or next week or a year or five years from now, but eventually he's gonna learn about this night and he might want to try to find you and maybe we can send a gift or be in touch with him on this day, every year.'"The couple had no idea what was about to unfold.A stroke of good luck smoothed the adoption processThe baby, who was named Daniel Ace Doe after Stewart and the A/C/E subway line, was in the state's care while a citywide search was underway for the boy's parents.Three months later, Stewart was asked to testify at a hearing about the day the baby was found. The judge asked him an unexpected question."In December of 2000, at that hearing, the judge asked him, 'Would you be interested in adopting?' He said, 'Yes, but I know it's not that easy.' She said, 'Well, it can be.' We didn't know what she meant by that," Mercurio says.The two became foster parents to the baby, who they named Kevin, and adopted him two years later in December of 2002."And then that was it. We never saw the judge again. And in 2012, when we were deciding to get married, Kevin on a walk to school said he knew that there was a judge involved in creating our family," Mercurio says."We shared everything with him, so he knew everything. He said, 'Don't judges marry people?' So, I said, 'Do you want to meet the judge that finalized your adoption?' And he nodded his head. And so that's how I got in touch with the judge again, ten years later."When the couple spoke with the judge, they asked her how she was able to help facilitate Kevin's adoption so quickly.In one of many small miracles that brought Kevin to them, the judge said that at the time Kevin was found there was a pilot program in New York that gave her the authority to expedite the adoption process in specific cases of abandonment to place a baby in a loving home."She was able to make quick decisions to place that baby in a pre-adoptive home as quickly as possible," Mercurio says. "So he didn't languish in the system."That pilot program lasted only six months and was then discontinued, according to Mercurio. "So many little things like that added up without our knowledge," Mercurio says.Kevin is now a senior in college. He's not sure about trying to find his birth parentsAt the time Kevin arrived, the couple didn't have a lot of money. They were in student-loan debt, but they made it work. Family and friends got them everything they needed for Kevin, and they figured it out along the way.Kevin, now 21, is a student at Swarthmore College. Mercurio is sharing their family's story with Kevin and Stewart's encouragement, but they declined to be interviewed."We still can't believe it. I mean, we believe it because we have a 21-year-old kid that's graduating from college this spring," Mercurio says. "I love this kid more than anything in the world, I really didn't know this kind of love existed in this world until my son came into our life. And Danny feels the same way."As Kevin grew up, the two discussed their family story with him."We talked about how our family became a family openly in front of him. When he went in social gatherings, anybody would ask, we didn't shield him from hearing it from a very young age," Mercurio says.They wanted Kevin to feel positive about their family origin story, so Mercurio wrote a book about it that they read to him every night. When he was five, Kevin realized it was about him."I pasted together a book of his story, which tells the whole thing about Danny being on the subway and the baby being found," Mercurio says.Last year, that very personal story was published with the title "Our Subway Baby," which Mercurio calls a "love letter to our son."While Kevin's biological parents are still unknown, Mercurio says they feel only compassion for them."One way or another, that's a desperate measure to take. And I can only imagine the anguish that was leaving your child," he says. "We've always told Kevin from a very young age that he was left out of love, so that he could be found and cared for. We never used the word abandonment or abandoned. We said she left you where you could be found by us."

NEW YORK —

A New York family who came together by chance 21 years ago has now shared their remarkable story in a children's book.

Pete Mercurio was walking out the door to meet his then-partner (now husband) Danny Stewart for dinner in August 2000 when his phone rang. It was Stewart, calling to tell him he'd be late. He'd found an abandoned baby in the subway and had called 911 from a payphone.

Stewart, a social worker, had spotted a tiny bundle wrapped in a sweatshirt while walking through an eerily empty station. At first, he thought it was a doll, perhaps left behind by a child, until he saw a tiny leg move. He quickly discovered it was a newborn baby, the umbilical cord still attached.

Mercurio, who authored a book about this chance encounter, spoke to CNN about that night, and about how he and Stewart ended up raising the baby as their own.

The baby boy was just hours old when Stewart found him

"He had actually tried to get on an express train and couldn't get on one," Mercurio recalls of Stewart's path that fateful day. "The fact that he even got on a local was kind of miraculous because who knows if he had gotten on an express if he'd even he even had found the baby."

Mercurio says something made Stewart glance back at the bundle and see the newborn's small motion. The baby, a boy, was alive and breathing. Authorities said he was just hours old when they arrived.

Mercurio ran to the station, a block away from his apartment, and found Stewart there with two police officers.

"One of them was carrying the baby in his arms," he says. "Just a chill raced up my spine. Like, it's an unbelievable thing."

The baby boy was transported to a nearby hospital, and the men were overcome with emotion at what had just occurred.

"At one point I just turned to Danny and I said, 'You're going to be -- we're going to be -- connected to this baby in some way or another for the rest of your life.' I said, 'Maybe not tomorrow or next week or a year or five years from now, but eventually he's gonna learn about this night and he might want to try to find you and maybe we can send a gift or be in touch with him on this day, every year.'"

The couple had no idea what was about to unfold.

A stroke of good luck smoothed the adoption process

Picasa

The baby, who was named Daniel Ace Doe after Stewart and the A/C/E subway line, was in the state's care while a citywide search was underway for the boy's parents.

Three months later, Stewart was asked to testify at a hearing about the day the baby was found. The judge asked him an unexpected question.

"In December of 2000, at that hearing, the judge asked him, 'Would you be interested in adopting?' He said, 'Yes, but I know it's not that easy.' She said, 'Well, it can be.' We didn't know what she meant by that," Mercurio says.

The two became foster parents to the baby, who they named Kevin, and adopted him two years later in December of 2002.

"And then that was it. We never saw the judge again. And in 2012, when we were deciding to get married, Kevin on a walk to school said he knew that there was a judge involved in creating our family," Mercurio says.

"We shared everything with him, so he knew everything. He said, 'Don't judges marry people?' So, I said, 'Do you want to meet the judge that finalized your adoption?' And he nodded his head. And so that's how I got in touch with the judge again, ten years later."

Peter Mercurio

When the couple spoke with the judge, they asked her how she was able to help facilitate Kevin's adoption so quickly.

In one of many small miracles that brought Kevin to them, the judge said that at the time Kevin was found there was a pilot program in New York that gave her the authority to expedite the adoption process in specific cases of abandonment to place a baby in a loving home.

"She was able to make quick decisions to place that baby in a pre-adoptive home as quickly as possible," Mercurio says. "So he didn't languish in the system."

That pilot program lasted only six months and was then discontinued, according to Mercurio.

"So many little things like that added up without our knowledge," Mercurio says.

Kevin is now a senior in college. He's not sure about trying to find his birth parents

At the time Kevin arrived, the couple didn't have a lot of money. They were in student-loan debt, but they made it work. Family and friends got them everything they needed for Kevin, and they figured it out along the way.

Kevin, now 21, is a student at Swarthmore College. Mercurio is sharing their family's story with Kevin and Stewart's encouragement, but they declined to be interviewed.

Picasa

"We still can't believe it. I mean, we believe it because we have a 21-year-old kid that's graduating from college this spring," Mercurio says. "I love this kid more than anything in the world, I really didn't know this kind of love existed in this world until my son came into our life. And Danny feels the same way."

As Kevin grew up, the two discussed their family story with him.

"We talked about how our family became a family openly in front of him. When he went in social gatherings, [if] anybody would ask, we didn't shield him from hearing it from a very young age," Mercurio says.

They wanted Kevin to feel positive about their family origin story, so Mercurio wrote a book about it that they read to him every night. When he was five, Kevin realized it was about him.

"I pasted together a book of his story, which tells the whole thing about Danny being on the subway and the baby being found," Mercurio says.

Last year, that very personal story was published with the title "Our Subway Baby," which Mercurio calls a "love letter to our son."

While Kevin's biological parents are still unknown, Mercurio says they feel only compassion for them.

"One way or another, that's a desperate measure to take. And I can only imagine the anguish that was leaving your child," he says. "We've always told Kevin from a very young age that he was left out of love, so that he could be found and cared for. We never used the word abandonment or abandoned. We said she left you where you could be found by us."

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention strengthened recommendations for booster doses of coronavirus vaccine Monday, saying all adults should get boosted six months after the second dose of Pfizer/BioNTech's or Moderna's vaccine or two months after the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine.It's a slight but significant tweak to the wording of guidance issued earlier this month when the CDC endorsed an expanded emergency use authorization for boosters from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration."Today, CDC is strengthening its recommendation on booster doses for individuals who are 18 years and older," CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said in a statement."The recent emergence of the Omicron variant (B.1.1.529) further emphasizes the importance of vaccination, boosters, and prevention efforts needed to protect against COVID-19," she added."Early data from South Africa suggest increased transmissibility of the Omicron variant, and scientists in the United States and around the world are urgently examining vaccine effectiveness related to this variant. I strongly encourage the 47 million adults who are not yet vaccinated to get vaccinated as soon as possible and to vaccinate the children and teens in their families as well because strong immunity will likely prevent serious illness."Previously, the CDC said people should get a booster if they are 50 and older, or 18 and older and living in long-term care. Otherwise, it is advised that anyone 18 and older may get a booster. Now the word "should" applies to everyone 18 and older.It will take a few weeks of testing to know for sure whether the omicron variant is more transmissible than delta, and whether it evades the protection offered by natural infection or vaccines. Scientists will also be looking to see if it causes more severe disease or evades the effects of treatments.In the meantime, CDC will be watching for omicron to appear in the U.S. That requires an extra step of testing as the tests used to diagnose COVID-19 won't tell people which variant they are infected with. "I also want to encourage people to get a COVID-19 test if they are sick. Increased testing will help us identify Omicron quickly," Walensky said."And finally, to stop the spread of COVID-19 we need to follow the prevention strategies we know work," she added. These include vaccination, wearing masks, improving ventilation indoors and keeping a distance from others, especially if they are unvaccinated.

It was the morning of April 4, 2003, and Jennifer Lowther was crying in the corner of a Toronto Airport lounge because she was going to miss her best friend's wedding.It was early spring but a sudden snowstorm had plunged Toronto back into winter. Departures had stalled, the airport was buzzing with stressed travelers and staff dealing with the fallout.Related video above: Are you ready for a post-COVID date? Jennifer had been set to catch a domestic flight west to her hometown of Winnipeg. Her original flight was canceled and later planes seemed to be going the same way. It was too late to make the 24-hour road trip.Whichever way she looked at the situation, it seemed like Jennifer wouldn't make the wedding. She tells CNN Travel today she recalls being "devastated" at the thought.This was her closest friend's nuptials, and she was supposed to be master of ceremonies. Plus, Jennifer, then 29, had moved to Toronto just a year before and had been struggling with loneliness. She'd been longing for this special weekend back home surrounded by loved ones.Across the airport lounge, Chris Powell was chatting with fellow stranded passengers. Toronto-based Powell regularly flew to Vancouver for work and was used to disruptions. He knew the snow would lead to costlier-to-cancel international flights being prioritized and so rebooked on the first leg of an evening flight to Hong Kong via Vancouver.Now all Chris had to do was wait eight hours for that flight to roll around."And I have a corporate credit card, so into the lounge I went," he recalls to CNN Travel today.Chris, naturally outgoing, had been chatting with other travelers in the lounge for about an hour when he noticed Jennifer, whom he jokingly describes today as a "sad state of a girl crying into a plate of eggs over in the corner."Chris called her over and asked what was going on."You're really killing our buzz," he deadpanned.Jennifer was taken back, but from Chris' sympathetic expression and smile, she realized right away he was joking.His sarcasm made her feel better almost instantly, despite it all."I thought it was kind of entertaining," Jennifer says now.She pulled up a chair and told her story. In turn, the other stranded travelers shared their tales. One guy had been en route to propose to his girlfriend, another traveler was returning home to family after working away from home for three months.None of them were going anywhere. Bonding over their shared frustrations, they settled into breakfast, followed, before long, by a beer or two -- the inherent timelessness of an airport lounge canceling out any hesitations about drinking before noon.Soon, against the odds, a celebratory atmosphere descended.Unexpected connectionEarlier in her twenties, Jennifer had been engaged to a guy back home in Winnipeg, but had called it off when she realized it didn't feel right -- part of the impetus for starting anew in Toronto the year before.Her dating forays in the big city hadn't been successful and, dissatisfied with life there, she'd started to wonder what might have been. Jennifer's ex-fiance was set to be at the wedding, and before being stranded at the airport, she'd wondered if they might rekindle their relationship.As for Chris, he was 34 and enjoying being single. He'd never connected with anyone he could imagine settling down with.But right away, when Jennifer sat down at his table, Chris had felt connected to her. Jennifer felt it too. They were soon at the center of this spontaneous airport gathering, holding court as other travelers came and went."We sort of became these party hosts," says Jennifer today.At one point, a new addition to the group turned to the two and asked "How long have you guys been together?""About 48 minutes," joked Chris in response.This soon became a pattern -- other travelers picked up on something, and assumed Chris and Jennifer were a couple."There was an interesting connection," says Jennifer today. "We kind of looked at each other and said, 'Where have you been?'""I don't really cotton onto that kind of idea very often, but I just kind of look at her and I'm like, 'Man, it feels like this has been going on -- in a positive way -- forever,'" says Chris today."More than this lifetime," agrees Jennifer.Finding a flightEvery so often, the stranded travelers would head back to the check-in desks and inquire about the flight situation. Jennifer was particularly determined. As much as she was enjoying Chris' company, she hated the thought of missing the wedding."I kept trying to figure out solutions, and it wasn't working," says Jennifer today. "I think I'd cried, like, every second hour."Around 4 p.m., Jennifer learned her latest flight had been canceled. It seemed like she might have to finally accept defeat. She started tearing up again.Chris couldn't bear to see her so unhappy."I'd had just enough liquid courage at the time to say, 'I can fix this,'" he recalls today.He accompanied Jennifer back to the departures hall, with its long lines of stranded passengers and flustered booking agents.They approached one of them.Chris asked the booking agent her name. She was Lisa. Chris introduced himself and Jennifer, and explained the situation."I have a question for you, Lisa," he said. "What would you do to get to your best friend's wedding?""Well, I don't know. Pretty much anything," said the booking agent."Right," said Chris. "Let's keep that in mind. Jenn is trying to get to her best friend's wedding in Winnipeg..."The agent cut him off, explaining all Winnipeg flights were canceled."Lisa, remember. Best. Friend's. Wedding," said Chris."Okay, I'm open. I'm hearing you out," relented Lisa.The group cycled through a few options with no avail. Then Chris explained he was going to Vancouver at 9 pm that evening."Is there any chance we could get Jenn on the Vancouver flight and then she can somehow double back to Winnipeg?" he suggested.It was kind of a wild idea -- Vancouver is two and half hours further west than Winnipeg by air -- but not an impossible one.Lisa, now determined to help them out, searched on her computer and came back with good news: there was one seat left on Chris' flight to Vancouver. She could even sit them together. And then she could book Jennifer on a flight first thing the following morning back to Edmonton, and then Edmonton to Winnipeg."If this works out, I'm going to kiss you," said Jennifer to Chris."Girl, you wanted to kiss me the minute you met me," said Chris.Jennifer just laughed."So she put me on the flight," she recalls now. The two headed back to the lounge to celebrate.More good news followed, the other travelers Jennifer and Chris had befriended in the lounge were also finding solutions."We'd weathered the storm, and all of us ended up being able to go and do the things that we wanted to do," says Jennifer."It was a feel-good party from then on," says Chris.Jennifer was set to have a five-hour layover in Vancouver. Rather than staying at the airport, Chris suggested she could stay with him at a good friend's place in the city."I would never normally trust somebody and go with them or whatever, but again, it felt absolutely right," says Jennifer today.Boarding the flight that evening, the two were almost euphoric. Jennifer was en route to the wedding -- and they'd found each other along the way.As the flight was about to take off, the two kissed for the first time.Jennifer says it was a "movie kiss." Chris describes it as simply "the kiss.""We actually kissed the whole way to Vancouver, just sort of like enamored with each other," recalls Jennifer.In Vancouver, the two got to Chris' friend's place. It was 1 a.m. local time, 4 a.m. for Chris and Jennifer. They crashed out, exhausted.A few hours later, Jennifer was getting ready to head back to the airport."Let's get together when we're both back in Toronto," said Chris as they said their goodbyes. She agreed and they swapped contact details.A dash to the churchJennifer's flight to Winnipeg was set to arrive at 1 p.m. and the wedding was an hour later. It was going to be tight.As she sat down, she shared the story with her seat neighbor, explaining she really needed to get off the minute the flight touched down -- which would be tricky, given she was right at the back of the aircraft.Her fellow traveler, moved by Jennifer's determination to make it, decided to make it his mission to pass this message up the plane."He ends up sharing with everybody -- pretty much in every seat -- this story of this girl who's traveled all the way across Canada and back to try and get to this wedding," says Jennifer today.When the flight landed, Jennifer leaped up."Run, Jenn, run!" shouted her seat neighbor, and she sprinted down the aisle."Everybody had heard the story -- it had just moved through the plane -- so everybody let me go through," recalls Jennifer today.Running through arrivals, down the escalator, Jennifer rang her mother, who was picking her up."Start the car!" she shouted.In a matter of minutes she was in the car with her parents, departing the airport.With the minutes ticking down before the ceremony, there was just time for Jennifer to change and try to make herself feel more presentable."My hair had not been combed for 36 hours," she recalls.Jennifer and her mom detoured at a local hairdresser, who they'd known for years. There, Jennifer got ready as quickly as possible."I'm changing, pulling on a strapless bra, putting on a dress trying to do my makeup and my pantyhose, while he's trying to figure out something to do with my hair," recalls Jennifer."My dad's outside revving the engine like it's the Indy 500, because he is feeling like it is his purpose in life to get me to this wedding."At almost 2 p.m. on the dot, the family pulled up outside the church and Jennifer jumped out."My friend was just about to walk down the aisle, and sees me and stops," she recalls.The bride-to-be rushed out of the church, flinging her arms round Jennifer."We cried, because the whole time she thought I wasn't gonna make it," says Jennifer.Meanwhile, the groom-to-be panicked, thinking his fiancee had cold feet. But before long the bride had returned to the aisle and Jennifer slipped into her seat. She'd made it.As the ceremony began, Jennifer turned to the person next to her. It was her ex-fiance, the former flame she'd wondered if she might reunite with at the wedding. She now knew that wasn't going to happen."As soon as Chris and I met I was like, 'No, this is destiny. there's something here that I need to pursue.' And I just kind of indicated to my ex that that was not going to happen," says Jennifer today.The rest of the wedding was a whirlwind of festivities. Jennifer didn't take a moment for granted, she was so relieved to be there.And in between the toasts and the speeches, she found herself reflecting on the man she'd fallen for at the airport and who'd made sure she made it to the church on time."I was just saying to people, 'I met this guy and he kind of saved me. He was like my knight in shining armor.'"A second dateAs Jennifer celebrated at the wedding, Chris got ready for his business trip and thought about the whirlwind 24 hours he'd spent."I'd never met anyone like her," he says now. "It was palpably different. And I was certainly excited to see her again."Chris was away from Toronto for the next few weeks working. When he returned, Jennifer was back in the city too. He went straight from the airport to Jennifer's apartment for date number two.They'd exchanged a couple of emails in the intervening weeks, but Jennifer was nervous. When Chris showed up, she couldn't stop talking."You talk too much," he said, and kissed her.Within three months, they were engaged."You met her drinking in an airport, and two and a half, three months later, you guys are engaged?" Chris recalls people exclaiming.Jennifer says they zoned this out: "There was just this sense that magic was happening, and rather than overthinking it, we just went with it."They'd merged their friendship groups, met one another's families and discovered a shared love of travel, the outdoors and music. Chris proposed one evening after the two returned back from a gig. Jennifer had just reflected that it had been a "perfect night.""It was almost perfect," said Chris. "It would be perfect if you'll do me the honor of being my bride."The two say their wedding in 2004 in Winnipeg was the "best party ever." Luckily the weather played ball, and despite many guests flying in from Toronto, no one came close to missing the celebrations.Family and travelsA few years later Jennifer became pregnant with their first child.It was a surprise. When Jennifer was 19, she'd been treated for cervical cancer and told she couldn't have children.She was thrilled when their son was born, while Chris, who'd always said he didn't want kids, embraced this surprise new chapter wholeheartedly."He is the very best dad," says Jennifer. "And as much as he wasn't thinking he was wanting kids, when the kids actually came along, he ended up jumping in with two feet."Their son Spencer was followed by their daughter Lauren a few years later."Spencer has autism, so we've had to move through being parents of special needs," says Jennifer. "But I think we sort of started as we meant to go on, where we're just always trying to keep it laughing -- humor is a basic part of our existence."When their kids were nine and 10, Jennifer and Chris took sabbaticals from work and embarked on a nine-month round-the-world trip.The decision stemmed from tragedy. A close friend of the couple passed away suddenly, prompting Jennifer and Chris to reconsider how they wanted to spend their days."We sat down as a family and everybody identified three places they wanted to see on the planet -- anywhere in the world they wanted to go -- and one of Jenn's was tangoing in Argentina, and my son wanted to see blue whales off the coast of Sri Lanka," says Chris.The couple had worried that their son Spencer might struggle with the lack of structure -- parents of children with autism are often encouraged to keep to routines. But Jennifer and Chris say both their kids loved the adventure. Five years on, the family still talks fondly of their global trip.Humor, time and fateToday, Jennifer and Chris are the parents of teenagers. The family has been locked down in Canada for the past 20 months during COVID-19, embracing the ups and downs of the situation with the humor and levity that's characterized their relationship from the beginning.It's been over 18 years and their connection's remained firm, but Jennifer and Chris reckon they've both changed a bit since they first crossed paths at Toronto Airport.Chris says Jennifer's matured from her small-town roots, but she's kept up the "core values" that stem from her background."Chris was way overly confident and arrogant when we first met," says Jennifer, laughing. "I loved it because I was so enamored with somebody who had such a sense of self that they were so comfortable to go and be talking to everybody in the room.""And that, like my hair, has now gone, is that what you're saying?" says Chris."No, I think, you've tempered a little bit, maybe over time," says Jennifer. "But I think his sense of humor is the thing that has always been steadfast through this whole thing."While the two often joke about the circumstances of their meeting -- they were both at their least glamorous, they say -- they also marvel at the coincidence of meeting in this serendipitous, romantic way."It was, I don't know, cosmic alignment, call it what you will, call it kismet -- but it was amazing," says Chris. "I'm lucky it happened to me. Thanks fate, so far so good."

It was the morning of April 4, 2003, and Jennifer Lowther was crying in the corner of a Toronto Airport lounge because she was going to miss her best friend's wedding.

It was early spring but a sudden snowstorm had plunged Toronto back into winter. Departures had stalled, the airport was buzzing with stressed travelers and staff dealing with the fallout.

Related video above: Are you ready for a post-COVID date?

Jennifer had been set to catch a domestic flight west to her hometown of Winnipeg. Her original flight was canceled and later planes seemed to be going the same way. It was too late to make the 24-hour road trip.

Whichever way she looked at the situation, it seemed like Jennifer wouldn't make the wedding. She tells CNN Travel today she recalls being "devastated" at the thought.

This was her closest friend's nuptials, and she was supposed to be master of ceremonies. Plus, Jennifer, then 29, had moved to Toronto just a year before and had been struggling with loneliness. She'd been longing for this special weekend back home surrounded by loved ones.

Across the airport lounge, Chris Powell was chatting with fellow stranded passengers. Toronto-based Powell regularly flew to Vancouver for work and was used to disruptions. He knew the snow would lead to costlier-to-cancel international flights being prioritized and so rebooked on the first leg of an evening flight to Hong Kong via Vancouver.

Now all Chris had to do was wait eight hours for that flight to roll around.

"And I have a corporate credit card, so into the lounge I went," he recalls to CNN Travel today.

Chris, naturally outgoing, had been chatting with other travelers in the lounge for about an hour when he noticed Jennifer, whom he jokingly describes today as a "sad state of a girl crying into a plate of eggs over in the corner."

Chris called her over and asked what was going on.

"You're really killing our buzz," he deadpanned.

Jennifer was taken back, but from Chris' sympathetic expression and smile, she realized right away he was joking.

His sarcasm made her feel better almost instantly, despite it all.

"I thought it was kind of entertaining," Jennifer says now.

She pulled up a chair and told her story. In turn, the other stranded travelers shared their tales. One guy had been en route to propose to his girlfriend, another traveler was returning home to family after working away from home for three months.

None of them were going anywhere. Bonding over their shared frustrations, they settled into breakfast, followed, before long, by a beer or two -- the inherent timelessness of an airport lounge canceling out any hesitations about drinking before noon.

Soon, against the odds, a celebratory atmosphere descended.

Unexpected connection

Earlier in her twenties, Jennifer had been engaged to a guy back home in Winnipeg, but had called it off when she realized it didn't feel right -- part of the impetus for starting anew in Toronto the year before.

Her dating forays in the big city hadn't been successful and, dissatisfied with life there, she'd started to wonder what might have been. Jennifer's ex-fiance was set to be at the wedding, and before being stranded at the airport, she'd wondered if they might rekindle their relationship.

Courtesy Jennifer Powell

As for Chris, he was 34 and enjoying being single. He'd never connected with anyone he could imagine settling down with.

But right away, when Jennifer sat down at his table, Chris had felt connected to her. Jennifer felt it too. They were soon at the center of this spontaneous airport gathering, holding court as other travelers came and went.

"We sort of became these party hosts," says Jennifer today.

At one point, a new addition to the group turned to the two and asked "How long have you guys been together?"

"About 48 minutes," joked Chris in response.

This soon became a pattern -- other travelers picked up on something, and assumed Chris and Jennifer were a couple.

"There was an interesting connection," says Jennifer today. "We kind of looked at each other and said, 'Where have you been?'"

"I don't really cotton onto that kind of idea very often, but I just kind of look at her and I'm like, 'Man, it feels like this has been going on -- in a positive way -- forever,'" says Chris today.

"More than this lifetime," agrees Jennifer.

Finding a flight

Every so often, the stranded travelers would head back to the check-in desks and inquire about the flight situation. Jennifer was particularly determined. As much as she was enjoying Chris' company, she hated the thought of missing the wedding.

"I kept trying to figure out solutions, and it wasn't working," says Jennifer today. "I think I'd cried, like, every second hour."

Around 4 p.m., Jennifer learned her latest flight had been canceled. It seemed like she might have to finally accept defeat. She started tearing up again.

Chris couldn't bear to see her so unhappy.

"I'd had just enough liquid courage at the time to say, 'I can fix this,'" he recalls today.

He accompanied Jennifer back to the departures hall, with its long lines of stranded passengers and flustered booking agents.

They approached one of them.

Chris asked the booking agent her name. She was Lisa. Chris introduced himself and Jennifer, and explained the situation.

"I have a question for you, Lisa," he said. "What would you do to get to your best friend's wedding?"

"Well, I don't know. Pretty much anything," said the booking agent.

"Right," said Chris. "Let's keep that in mind. Jenn is trying to get to her best friend's wedding in Winnipeg..."

The agent cut him off, explaining all Winnipeg flights were canceled.

"Lisa, remember. Best. Friend's. Wedding," said Chris.

"Okay, I'm open. I'm hearing you out," relented Lisa.

The group cycled through a few options with no avail. Then Chris explained he was going to Vancouver at 9 pm that evening.

"Is there any chance we could get Jenn on the Vancouver flight and then she can somehow double back to Winnipeg?" he suggested.

It was kind of a wild idea -- Vancouver is two and half hours further west than Winnipeg by air -- but not an impossible one.

Lisa, now determined to help them out, searched on her computer and came back with good news: there was one seat left on Chris' flight to Vancouver. She could even sit them together. And then she could book Jennifer on a flight first thing the following morning back to Edmonton, and then Edmonton to Winnipeg.

"If this works out, I'm going to kiss you," said Jennifer to Chris.

"Girl, you wanted to kiss me the minute you met me," said Chris.

Jennifer just laughed.

"So she put me on the flight," she recalls now. The two headed back to the lounge to celebrate.

More good news followed, the other travelers Jennifer and Chris had befriended in the lounge were also finding solutions.

"We'd weathered the storm, and all of us ended up being able to go and do the things that we wanted to do," says Jennifer.

"It was a feel-good party from then on," says Chris.

Jennifer was set to have a five-hour layover in Vancouver. Rather than staying at the airport, Chris suggested she could stay with him at a good friend's place in the city.

"I would never normally trust somebody and go with them or whatever, but again, it felt absolutely right," says Jennifer today.

Boarding the flight that evening, the two were almost euphoric. Jennifer was en route to the wedding -- and they'd found each other along the way.

As the flight was about to take off, the two kissed for the first time.

Jennifer says it was a "movie kiss." Chris describes it as simply "the kiss."

"We actually kissed the whole way to Vancouver, just sort of like enamored with each other," recalls Jennifer.

In Vancouver, the two got to Chris' friend's place. It was 1 a.m. local time, 4 a.m. for Chris and Jennifer. They crashed out, exhausted.

A few hours later, Jennifer was getting ready to head back to the airport.

"Let's get together when we're both back in Toronto," said Chris as they said their goodbyes. She agreed and they swapped contact details.

A dash to the church

Jennifer's flight to Winnipeg was set to arrive at 1 p.m. and the wedding was an hour later. It was going to be tight.

As she sat down, she shared the story with her seat neighbor, explaining she really needed to get off the minute the flight touched down -- which would be tricky, given she was right at the back of the aircraft.

Her fellow traveler, moved by Jennifer's determination to make it, decided to make it his mission to pass this message up the plane.

"He ends up sharing with everybody -- pretty much in every seat -- this story of this girl who's traveled all the way across Canada and back to try and get to this wedding," says Jennifer today.

When the flight landed, Jennifer leaped up.

"Run, Jenn, run!" shouted her seat neighbor, and she sprinted down the aisle.

"Everybody had heard the story -- it had just moved through the plane -- so everybody let me go through," recalls Jennifer today.

Running through arrivals, down the escalator, Jennifer rang her mother, who was picking her up.

"Start the car!" she shouted.

In a matter of minutes she was in the car with her parents, departing the airport.

With the minutes ticking down before the ceremony, there was just time for Jennifer to change and try to make herself feel more presentable.

"My hair had not been combed for 36 hours," she recalls.

Jennifer and her mom detoured at a local hairdresser, who they'd known for years. There, Jennifer got ready as quickly as possible.

"I'm changing, pulling on a strapless bra, putting on a dress trying to do my makeup and my pantyhose, while he's trying to figure out something to do with my hair," recalls Jennifer.

"My dad's outside revving the engine like it's the Indy 500, because he is feeling like it is his purpose in life to get me to this wedding."

At almost 2 p.m. on the dot, the family pulled up outside the church and Jennifer jumped out.

"My friend was just about to walk down the aisle, and sees me and stops," she recalls.

The bride-to-be rushed out of the church, flinging her arms round Jennifer.

"We cried, because the whole time she thought I wasn't gonna make it," says Jennifer.

Meanwhile, the groom-to-be panicked, thinking his fiancee had cold feet. But before long the bride had returned to the aisle and Jennifer slipped into her seat. She'd made it.

As the ceremony began, Jennifer turned to the person next to her. It was her ex-fiance, the former flame she'd wondered if she might reunite with at the wedding. She now knew that wasn't going to happen.

"As soon as Chris and I met I was like, 'No, this is destiny. there's something here that I need to pursue.' And I just kind of indicated to my ex that that was not going to happen," says Jennifer today.

The rest of the wedding was a whirlwind of festivities. Jennifer didn't take a moment for granted, she was so relieved to be there.

And in between the toasts and the speeches, she found herself reflecting on the man she'd fallen for at the airport and who'd made sure she made it to the church on time.

"I was just saying to people, 'I met this guy and he kind of saved me. He was like my knight in shining armor.'"

A second date

As Jennifer celebrated at the wedding, Chris got ready for his business trip and thought about the whirlwind 24 hours he'd spent.

"I'd never met anyone like her," he says now. "It was palpably different. And I was certainly excited to see her again."

Courtesy Jennifer Powell

Chris was away from Toronto for the next few weeks working. When he returned, Jennifer was back in the city too. He went straight from the airport to Jennifer's apartment for date number two.

They'd exchanged a couple of emails in the intervening weeks, but Jennifer was nervous. When Chris showed up, she couldn't stop talking.

"You talk too much," he said, and kissed her.

Within three months, they were engaged.

"You met her drinking in an airport, and two and a half, three months later, you guys are engaged?" Chris recalls people exclaiming.

Jennifer says they zoned this out: "There was just this sense that magic was happening, and rather than overthinking it, we just went with it."

They'd merged their friendship groups, met one another's families and discovered a shared love of travel, the outdoors and music. Chris proposed one evening after the two returned back from a gig. Jennifer had just reflected that it had been a "perfect night."

Courtesy Jennifer Powell

"It was almost perfect," said Chris. "It would be perfect if you'll do me the honor of being my bride."

The two say their wedding in 2004 in Winnipeg was the "best party ever." Luckily the weather played ball, and despite many guests flying in from Toronto, no one came close to missing the celebrations.

Family and travels

A few years later Jennifer became pregnant with their first child.

It was a surprise. When Jennifer was 19, she'd been treated for cervical cancer and told she couldn't have children.

She was thrilled when their son was born, while Chris, who'd always said he didn't want kids, embraced this surprise new chapter wholeheartedly.

Courtesy Jennifer Powell

"He is the very best dad," says Jennifer. "And as much as he wasn't thinking he was wanting kids, when the kids actually came along, he ended up jumping in with two feet."

Their son Spencer was followed by their daughter Lauren a few years later.

"Spencer has autism, so we've had to move through being parents of special needs," says Jennifer. "But I think we sort of started as we meant to go on, where we're just always trying to keep it laughing -- humor is a basic part of our existence."

When their kids were nine and 10, Jennifer and Chris took sabbaticals from work and embarked on a nine-month round-the-world trip.

The decision stemmed from tragedy. A close friend of the couple passed away suddenly, prompting Jennifer and Chris to reconsider how they wanted to spend their days.

"We sat down as a family and everybody identified three places they wanted to see on the planet -- anywhere in the world they wanted to go -- and one of Jenn's was tangoing in Argentina, and my son wanted to see blue whales off the coast of Sri Lanka," says Chris.

The couple had worried that their son Spencer might struggle with the lack of structure -- parents of children with autism are often encouraged to keep to routines. But Jennifer and Chris say both their kids loved the adventure. Five years on, the family still talks fondly of their global trip.

Humor, time and fate

Today, Jennifer and Chris are the parents of teenagers. The family has been locked down in Canada for the past 20 months during COVID-19, embracing the ups and downs of the situation with the humor and levity that's characterized their relationship from the beginning.

It's been over 18 years and their connection's remained firm, but Jennifer and Chris reckon they've both changed a bit since they first crossed paths at Toronto Airport.

Chris says Jennifer's matured from her small-town roots, but she's kept up the "core values" that stem from her background.

"Chris was way overly confident and arrogant when we first met," says Jennifer, laughing. "I loved it because I was so enamored with somebody who had such a sense of self that they were so comfortable to go and be talking to everybody in the room."

Courtesy Jennifer Powell

"And that, like my hair, has now gone, is that what you're saying?" says Chris.

"No, I think, you've tempered a little bit, maybe over time," says Jennifer. "But I think his sense of humor is the thing that has always been steadfast through this whole thing."

While the two often joke about the circumstances of their meeting -- they were both at their least glamorous, they say -- they also marvel at the coincidence of meeting in this serendipitous, romantic way.

"It was, I don't know, cosmic alignment, call it what you will, call it kismet -- but it was amazing," says Chris. "I'm lucky it happened to me. Thanks fate, so far so good."

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Related video above: Shooting stars are not what you think they areThe new year begins with the peak of the Quadrantid meteor shower on Saturday evening into early Sunday.While it may be one of the strongest meteor showers of the year, a bright waning gibbous moon will likely limit the amount of meteors visible.It's also notoriously hard to observe due to January's difficult weather and the short peak — just about six hours. It will be best seen in the Northern Hemisphere between 2 a.m. local time and dawn.Between 50 and 100 meteors are typically visible per hour, especially in rural areas. While the bright moon will reduce this number, you may be able to see more meteors if the skies are clear in your area.Check Time and Date to see what your chances are like, or step outside to take a look for yourself.How to spot the meteor showerWatch the northeastern sky and look about halfway up. You may even glimpse some fireballs during the meteor shower. Watch the skies for at least an hour, according to advice from the American Meteor Society.If the meteor shower's name sounds odd, it's probably because it doesn't sound like it's related to a constellation, like other meteor showers. That's because the Quadrantids' namesake constellation no longer exists — at least, not as a recognized constellation.The constellation Quadrans Muralis, first observed and noted in 1795 between Bootes and Draco, is no longer included in the International Astronomical Union's list of modern constellations because it is considered obsolete.The meteor shower radiates between the Big Dipper and Bootes.Like the Geminid meteor shower, the Quadrantid comes from a mysterious asteroid or "rock comet," rather than an icy comet, which is unusual. This particular asteroid is 2003 EH1, which takes 5.52 years to orbit the sun once.The shower's short peak is because only a small stream of particles interacts with our atmosphere, and the stream occurs at a perpendicular angle. Each year, Earth passes through this debris trail for a short time.If you live in an urban area, you may want to drive to a place that isn't littered with city lights that will obstruct your view. If you're able to find an area unaffected by light pollution, meteors could be visible every couple of minutes from late evening until dawn.Find an open area with a wide view of the sky, and don't forget to bundle up. Make sure you have a chair or blanket so you can look straight up. And give your eyes about 20 to 30 minutes to adjust to the darkness — without looking at your phone — so the meteors will be easier to spot.Eyes on the sky in 2021The Quadrantids kick off the first of 12 meteor showers across 2021.Typical of a normal year, 2021 will also have 12 full moons. (Last year had 13 full moons, two of which were in October).Here are all of the full moons and their names occurring this year, according to the Farmer's Almanac:Jan. 28 — Wolf moonFeb. 27 — Snow moonMarch 28 — Worm moonApril 26 — Pink moonMay 26 — Flower moonJune 24 — Strawberry moonJuly 23 — Buck moonAug. 22 — Sturgeon moonSept. 20 — Harvest moonOct. 20 — Hunter's moonNov. 19 — Beaver moonDec. 18 — Cold moonThis year, there will be two eclipses of the sun and two eclipses of the moon — and three of these will be visible for some in North America, according to the Old Farmer's Almanac.A total eclipse of the moon will occur on May 26, best visible to those in western North America and Hawaii from 4:46 a.m. ET to 9:51 a.m. ET.An annular eclipse of the sun will happen on June 10, visible in northern and northeastern North America from 4:12 a.m. to 9:11 a.m. ET. The sun won't be fully blocked by the moon, so be sure to wear eclipse glasses to safely view this event.Nov. 19 will see a partial eclipse of the moon and skywatchers in North America and Hawaii will see it between 1 a.m. ET and 7:06 a.m. ET.And the year ends with a total eclipse of the sun on December 4. It won't be seen in North America, but those in the Falkland Islands, the southern tip of Africa, Antarctica and southeastern Australia will be able to spot it.

A large group of protesters gathered outside of Senate chambers Wednesday afternoon, breaching barricades at the Capitol building and outside Senate chambers in Washington, according to multiple reports. House and Senate debates have been placed on recess.By Wednesday afternoon, the U.S. Capitol was placed on lockdown, according to reports.This is a breaking news update. Check back for more details. Hundreds of law enforcement officers have mobilized across Washington as thousands of supporters who refuse to accept President Donald Trump's election loss have flocked to the nation's capital to protest when Congress gathers Wednesday afternoon to put the final stamp on President-elect Joe Biden's victory.Earlier in the day, Thousands of protesters gathered around the Washington Monument as the Elton John song "Tiny Dancer" played from loud speakers. The song was interrupted by an announcement telling people to leave behind backpacks, chairs and flagpoles so people could get through a security checkpoint. Hundreds of people carried flags. Some were American, some were Trump 2020 flags, among others.As part of their preparations, police posted signs around the district warning of the illegality of gun possession during protests as Trump tweeted his support for the protesters, saying, "Our Country has had enough, they won't take it anymore!" and "We Hear you (and love you) from the Oval Office."The Department of Homeland Security, which has staffed a "Virtual Situation Room" to help communication between different agencies, is "not currently tracking any active threats," spokesman Alexei Woltornist said.Trump traveled a short distance from the White House to the rally Wednesday morning. About 20 aides were outside awaiting Trump's departure, audibly shouting "Save our country" as he boarded his SUV. Trump gave a fist bump and appeared to blow a kiss.Trump addressed a large, tightly packed and largely maskless crowd of supporters on the Ellipse. His remarks got off to an inauspicious start as Trump's microphone appeared to be turned off as he began speaking."We can't hear you!" members of the audience were heard shouting on the video feed, though he appeared unaware and kept speaking.Moments later, audio was restored, and Trump was railing against the media.Trump's speech included calls for his vice president to step outside his constitutional bounds and overturn the results of the election."Hope Mike is going to do the right thing," Trump said at a rally on the Ellipse. "If Mike Pence does the right thing, we win the election."Pence released a letter he wrote to congress Wednesday just after noon, saying he wouldn't object to Biden's victory.A large glass barrier shielded Trump from the crowd, similar to when he spoke in front of the Lincoln Memorial on the Fourth of July 2019.Ahead of Trump's speech, Rudy Giuliani was addressing the rally on the Ellipse, baselessly repeating claims that voting machines were "crooked," and continuing to insist that Pence can do something today to change the election's outcome, which he does not have power to do. There is no evidence of widespread voter fraud."Let's have trial by combat!" Giuliani told the enthusiastic crowd.D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser said the District is "absolutely prepared" for protests and announced that that at least ten people were arrested overnight related to the protests. At least one person was arrested for carrying an unlicensed gun and six people were charged with assault, including one for assaulting a police officer."We had several arrests related to that activity, but not a single one of them was a D.C. resident," she said.Authorities — a mix that includes local police, National Guard and federal uniformed officers — had already arrested several people ahead of demonstrations including the leader of the Proud Boys, a far-right group that Trump directly addressed during an autumn debate to "stand back and stand by."The Proud Boys' leader, Henry Tarrio, who goes by Enrique Tarrio, was released from police custody Tuesday on charges related to a protest last month and ordered by a local judge to stay out of DC as he awaits trial, including during this week's protests.

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A United States military investigation into a deadly Kabul drone strike on a vehicle in August has found it killed 10 civilians and the driver and that the vehicle targeted was likely not a threat associated with ISIS-K, announced Gen. Frank McKenzie, the top general of U.S. Central Command, at the Pentagon on Friday.McKenzie told reporters that the strike was a "mistake" and offered an apology."This strike was taken in the earnest belief that it would prevent an imminent threat to our forces and the evacuees at the airport, but it was a mistake and I offer my sincere apology," he said.McKenzie added that he is "fully responsible for this strike and this tragic outcome."The Pentagon had maintained that at least one ISIS-K facilitator and three civilians were killed in what Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Gen. Mark Milley had previously called a "righteous strike" on the compound on Aug. 29. The investigation released Friday found that all of those killed in the residential compound were civilians.In the lead up to the strike, drone operators surveilled the courtyard for up to 4 to 5 minutes. In that time, a male driver left the vehicle. One child was parking the vehicle and other children were present in the car and the courtyard — as CNN had been told by the Ahmadi family.The military based the strike on a reasonable certainty standard to launch the strike on the vehicle. Tragically, it was the wrong vehicle, a U.S. military official familiar with the investigation told CNN earlier Friday, adding that reasonable certainty is not 100% certainty."We didn't take the strike because we thought we were wrong — we took the strike because we thought we had a good target," McKenzie said.Previously, U.S. Central Command pointed to "significant secondary explosions" as evidence of a "substantial amount of explosive material" in the vehicle. On Friday, the U.S. military source said that after reviewing footage from infra-red sensors, they would no longer characterize this as an explosion -- instead, it was more of a flare up.The U.S. official said that in the time leading up to the strike, the U.S. had at least 60 different intelligence reports about threat streams toward U.S. forces at Hamid Karzai International Airport.On Friday, Milley released a statement on the strike calling it "a horrible tragedy.""In a dynamic high-threat environment, the commanders on the ground had appropriate authority and had reasonable certainty that the target was valid, but after deeper post-strike analysis, our conclusion is that innocent civilians were killed," Milley said in a statement."This is a horrible tragedy of war and its heart wrenching and we are committed to being fully transparent about this incident," he added. This is a breaking news story. Check back for updates.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday morning that "not just one or two but several dozen people" from his inner circle had contracted coronavirus.Putin told a summit of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) in the capital of Tajikistan, Dushanbe, via video link that he was unable to attend in person as he's in quarantine."Unfortunately, I had to cancel my visit to Dushanbe at the last moment. I am very sorry about that, but this is due to the fact that in my immediate environment, cases of coronavirus have been identified," he said."This is not one, not two, but several dozen people. And now it is necessary to self-isolate for several days. Unfortunately, I cannot shake hands with each of you, hug you. But of course, we are interested in discussing key goals of our organization albeit remotely."On Tuesday, the Kremlin said Putin was quarantining after people in his inner circle tested positive for COVID-19. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Putin had tested negative for coronavirus and was "absolutely healthy."Peskov told journalists in a conference call that as "several people" in Putin's entourage got sick the president "must take a responsible position and not endanger the health of his colleagues."The spokesman did not specify who has tested positive and said he didn't know whether the individuals had been vaccinated.During a televised meeting with government officials and members of the ruling United Russia party, Putin said several people in his "innermost circle" had contracted the virus, including one staff member with whom he worked closely on Monday.The staffer was vaccinated and recently got "revaccinated," Putin said, apparently referring to a booster shot, which Russia is now offering to those immunized more than six months prior."He was revaccinated, apparently, a bit too late. He fell ill three days after the revaccination. The day before I communicated with him very closely, all day long," Putin said."This is an experiment — let's see how Sputink V actually works. Because my are high. Hope everything will be as it should be and Sputnik will show its high parameters for protection against COVID-19 in real life," he added.Putin — who was vaccinated against COVID-19 in March — had a busy day on Monday. He held face-to-face talks with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, met a number of Russian Paralympians and inspected troops taking part in military exercises in Nizhny Novgorod.Russia is among the countries worst affected by the coronavirus pandemic, reporting the eighth highest number of cases globally. As of Tuesday, it had officially recorded more than 7 million cases and 190,000 deaths, according to World Health Organization data.It is currently battling a devastating third wave of infections, with weekly deaths at some of the highest levels so far.Russia has developed several COVID-19 vaccines, but it is battling persistently low vaccination rates — a problem caused by high levels of hesitancy among its population. Just over a quarter of Russians have received the shot, compared to more than a half in the United States and two-thirds in the United Kingdom, according to Our World in Data.

Security forces in Washington, D.C., and state capitols across the country are on high alert Sunday as the country nears President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration.The FBI has warned of indications that armed protests are being planned at all 50 state capitols and the U.S. Capitol in the days leading up to Jan. 20. A joint bulletin from the Department of Homeland Security, the FBI and eight other agencies says domestic extremists pose the most likely threat to the inauguration, particularly those who believe the incoming administration is illegitimate.In response, the Pentagon has authorized up to 25,000 National Guard members for Inauguration Day in Washington, D.C., and much of the area surrounding the country's iconic political buildings has been fenced off or made inaccessible.Similarly, state leaders across the U.S. ramped up security around their capitol grounds — pulling in National Guard members for help, erecting barriers, boarding up windows, asking residents to avoid the area and some even closing down capitol grounds altogether.As of midday Sunday, the heavy security efforts dwarfed the mostly small protests taking place. In Michigan, a group of several dozen armed and armored demonstrators gathered in front of the state capitol in Lansing under a light snow. And in Ohio, a small group of protesters stood in front of the statehouse in Columbus near a large police presence and metal barriers, according to CNN affiliate WSYX.Video: Small group demonstrates at Michigan CapitolMeanwhile, capitols in Minnesota, Tennessee, California and Colorado, among others, had a major police presence but few if any protesters. In Oregon, five armed people dressed in camo and carrying flags arrived to the state capitol, saying they were anti-government libertarians who did not support either Biden or President Donald Trump. The extent of any potential unrest remains unclear. After being banned from Twitter and Facebook, Trump has not promoted these gatherings. That's a contrast from his actions before the Jan. 6 rally in D.C., when he had repeatedly called for his supporters to converge on the city.Still, online calls for violence have intensified recently. And experts warn the perceived success of the deadly insurrection earlier this month, when a pro-Trump mob overwhelmed police and took over the U.S. Capitol, may be motivation for another attack."As somebody who worked on al Qaeda-related terrorism throughout the 2000s at the Justice Department and worked extensively on counterterrorism investigations and cases, there were several times where we were anticipating a follow-on attack to a world event," Carrie Cordero, a CNN legal and national security analyst, said Saturday. "I have that same feeling now.""It feels like there is a substantial threat that exists," Cordero added.The heightened security, combined with the COVID-19 pandemic, is making for an Inauguration Day unlike any other.DC mayor urges Americans to watch inauguration from homeIn a fortified Washington, D.C., fences blocked off areas once open to the public, National Guard members patrolled near the Capitol and much of the city was closed to vehicles and street traffic.The rehearsal for the inauguration ceremony will now be delayed until Monday amid heightened security concerns, acting Homeland Security Deputy Secretary Ken Cuccinelli said. Cuccinelli cited "online chatter" about the previously scheduled rehearsal day of Sunday but said there are "no specific credible threats."Mayor Muriel Bowser urged Americans to enjoy the inauguration virtually from home and has asked anyone who does not need to be out to avoid restricted areas."Our goals right now are to encourage Americans to participate virtually and to protect the District of Columbia from a repeat of the violent insurrection experienced at the Capitol and its grounds on Jan. 6," Bowser said during a news conference Monday. On Friday, U.S. Capitol Police arrested a Virginia man as he attempted to pass through a police checkpoint with unauthorized inaugural credentials, an unregistered handgun and more than 500 rounds of ammunition, according to court documents.In an interview with the Washington Post, the man said he spent the past week working as hired security in Washington, D.C., and had been given credentials to guard media equipment. He told the Post he had forgotten that he had his firearm in his car when he left his home in Virginia, where he said he had a license to carry.Because of concern over potential protests at state capitols, security measures are in place around the country. The U.S. Postal Service temporarily removed some mailboxes in several major cities, while the Transportation Security Administration said Friday it has "significantly increased its security posture."The House Oversight Committee also sent letters Thursday to more than two dozen operators of bus lines, rental car companies and hotels asking for assistance in "identifying and preventing the ongoing and extreme threat of further violent attacks in Washington, DC, and elsewhere over the coming days."The enforcement division of the Federal Communications Commission even warned the public against using radios as an alternative to social media to coordinate illegal activity. The warning says both explicit messages that facilitate a criminal act and "messages encoded for the purpose of obscuring their meaning" are prohibited.Related video: Safety preparations ongoing at Massachusetts State House ahead of Inauguration DayStates closing, arming their capitols Meanwhile, local and state leaders from coast to coast have boosted security for the coming days following officials' warnings of potentially more violence.In Kentucky, Gov. Andy Beshear announced state capitol grounds will be closed entirely Sunday to "further ensure the safety of everyone -- both on or around the grounds and in the neighborhoods surrounding" the Capitol."Domestic terror is never OK," he said in a statement. "We must stop it every time we see it, and we cannot let what we saw at the U.S. Capitol become a new normal for this country."Texas officials also said the state Capitol and its grounds will remain closed from Saturday to Wednesday, adding they were aware of "armed protests planned" and "violent extremists who may seek to exploit constitutionally protected events to conduct criminal acts."Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan declared a state of emergency related to the inauguration, to allow the state to "more efficiently coordinate support and provide assistance" to its local jurisdictions and neighboring states, the governor's office said Friday.Related video: Marylanders play crucial role in D.C. security for inaugurationMinnesota's leaders said Friday they're ready ahead of anticipated protests, noting there were no credible threats against the state Capitol."I want you all to be comfortable and assured that there has been nothing left undone to keep the capitol safe," Department of Public Safety Commissioner John Harrington said."We are not panicking," Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan added. "We are concerned, we are alert, and we are prepared."In South Carolina, officials in the city of Columbia advised anyone who does not need to be in the city center, near the state's Capitol, to stay home."Unless there's a need, this weekend, and certainly on inauguration day, to be downtown," Mayor Stephen Benjamin said, "I encourage you to stay home."

Video above: Pfizer study says vaccine protects against variantAs the U.S. set a new daily record for COVID-19 inoculations and states clamored for more vaccine supplies, Pfizer and the FDA said pharmacists and health practitioners can in some cases extract an additional dose from each vial.Originally, each vial of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine was designed to contain five doses, but some pharmacists reported they could extract six doses when using certain syringes.As a result, the FDA approved an updated label that states: "Low dead-volume syringes and/or needles can be used to extract six doses from a single vial. If standard syringes and needles are used, there may not be sufficient volume to extract a sixth dose from a single vial."Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said this increase in doses per vial "provides an additional 20% capacity." The New York Times first reported Pfizer's plans to base its vaccine commitment on doses instead of vials.However, CNN chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta said Friday the ability to garner the sixth dose with these syringes does not exist everywhere."Many places have them," Gupta told CNN's John Berman, "but not every place."McKesson, a medical supplies company the federal government has contracted to help with distribution, said syringe kits that allow extraction of the sixth dose are being made available.These changes highlight the push to get as many people vaccinated as possible amid an inconsistent supply chain.About 5% of the U.S. population — roughly 16.2 million people — has received at least one dose of the vaccine, and 2.75 million people are fully vaccinated, according to CDC data updated Friday. Nearly 1.6 million vaccine doses were administered Friday, the largest one-day increase reported.New cases are down, but things remain direAs inoculation efforts build, the pandemic continues unabated. And while CNN's analysis of data shows encouraging trends in new daily cases and hospitalizations, health officials remain concerned about the more-transmissible variant first identified in the UK."You're going to see people traveling again, probably, for spring break, in March and April," said Dr. Celine Gounder, a former member of the Biden transition's COVID-19 advisory board. "And that is exactly when we expect that these variants — in particular, the UK variant — to have taken hold in the U.S."• Cases: Johns Hopkins University reported more than 186,000 new cases on Friday. The U.S. is currently averaging 180,816 new daily cases across seven days. That's the lowest since Dec. 2, and down 27% from the peak seen Jan. 11, when the average of new cases across a week hit 249,168. But the current average is still 2.7 times above the summer's highest level in July.• Hospitalizations: On Friday, there were 116,264 COVID-19 patients in U.S. hospitals, a metric that continues to drop day by day, according to data from the COVID Tracking Project. That's the lowest since Dec. 21, but it's still nearly twice the reported peak in the summer.• Deaths: There were 3,655 new deaths reported Friday, per Johns Hopkins data. The U.S. is averaging more than 3,000 new deaths a day across a week. With more than 68,152 deaths so far, January is currently the second deadliest month of the pandemic, behind December 2020. January is on track to surpass December's death toll of nearly 77,500 deaths.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California deaths hit new highMeanwhile, California reported 764 COVID-19 deaths on Friday — a pandemic high for the Golden State, according to the state's Department of Public Health.Jennifer Bagues, funeral director of Felipe Bagues Mortuary in Los Angeles, said her business has been bombarded, prompting her to hire new employees and an answering service to manage the surge in calls."We have had to turn away families, which is really hard," she said, because funeral directors and their staffs also operate as support for families going through their "toughest time.""You have to tell them that, I can put you on a wait list and we'll get to you," Bagues said. "That's unheard of in our industry. I've been doing this 25 years and I've never had this happen."Hospitalizations in California are declining, dropping below 20,000 for the first time since Christmas, the Department of Public Health said Friday. But intensive care unit capacity remains scarce, with just 1,094 beds available statewide. The Southern California and San Joaquin Valley regions are still reporting 0% ICU capacity.Vaccine distribution 'shouldn't be the Hunger Games'A lack of information and a lack of financial support has left states struggling to manage a slow COVID-19 vaccine rollout, according to Michael Osterholm, director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota."I am eligible in Minnesota to get a vaccination also and I can't find one," Osterholm, a former coronavirus adviser to President Joe Biden, told CNN's Erin Burnett on Friday. "I want to share that frustration loud and clear."Utah governor Spencer Cox told CNN's Chris Cuomo that the state is well-positioned for distribution, but that the vaccine allotment has been bottled up at private pharmacies nationwide."Long-term care facilities in Utah, they have way too much vaccine. We estimate they have 15 to 16,000 extra doses that they don't need and can't use right now. So, we're taking that back and we're giving it to our local health departments and it will be gone next week," Cox said.The frustrations with vaccine distribution and concerns about supply have echoed across the country.Louisiana does not have any mass vaccination sites set up because it doesn't have enough vaccine to manage a site, Governor John Bel Edwards said Friday.The state of New York has administered 97% of its allocated first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Friday, and is expected to run out shortly.On Saturday, Cuomo spoke from a vaccine pop-up site at a public housing complex in Brooklyn, where he emphasized the importance of equal access to vaccines for Black and Brown communities that have disproportionately suffered from the pandemic."Wealthier, White communities had more Covid testing," he said. "When it comes to this vaccine, access has to be fair across the board."In Texas, the Houston Health Department's 1,600 new vaccination appointment slots were filled by eligible citizens within approximately five minutes of opening. Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner said the telephone system received about 250,000 calls which "literally overwhelmed" the system.Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms told CNN's Wolf Blitzer that she receives daily calls from people "desperately looking for the vaccine," adding "I'm just not seeing an abundance of vaccine."The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health on Friday said it was receiving enough doses to inoculate just 1 in 4 people currently eligible.Utah's Cox said the competition between states early in the pandemic, when the federal government forced states to scrounge for supplies such as personal protective equipment, should be avoided in the case of vaccines."This shouldn't be the Hunger Games, like it was with PPE, right. That was ridiculous and we all had to play that game," he said. "We're all in this together. Governors are in this together. We just need insight from the federal government and the manufacturers," Cox said.Video: States ready for more from government vaccine supplyUK variant should be watched, Fauci saysDr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, spoke with CNN on Friday about the coronavirus variant known as B.1.1.7, which was first identified in the United Kingdom and is believed to be more contagious. He says its transmission in the U.S. needs to be monitored carefully.At least 195 cases of the variant have been identified in 22 states, according to the CDC. That number doesn't represent the total number of cases in the U.S., the agency said, but just those that have been found through analysis."It has not become dominant," Fauci said. "It might. That's the reason why you have to watch it carefully as we go from January into February, and really take a good look."A CDC report this month said the variant has the potential to "increase the U.S. pandemic trajectory in the coming months," and people should focus on using masks, maintaining social distance and other measures that reduce transmission.Fauci agreed with the health recommendations. "That's the kind of thing that prevents surges regardless of ... the type of virus." PGlmcmFtZSB0aXRsZT0iRGFpbHkgVVMgY29yb25hdmlydXMgY2FzZXMiIGFyaWEtbGFiZWw9IkludGVyYWN0aXZlIGxpbmUgY2hhcnQiIGlkPSJkYXRhd3JhcHBlci1jaGFydC1yQnVmSiIgc3JjPSJodHRwczovL2ludGVyYWN0aXZlcy5hcC5vcmcvZW1iZWRzL3JCdWZKLzUvIiBzY3JvbGxpbmc9Im5vIiB3aWR0aD0iMTAwJSIgc3R5bGU9ImJvcmRlcjpub25lIiBoZWlnaHQ9IjQwMCI+PC9pZnJhbWU+PHNjcmlwdCB0eXBlPSJ0ZXh0L2phdmFzY3JpcHQiPiFmdW5jdGlvbigpeyJ1c2Ugc3RyaWN0Ijt3aW5kb3cuYWRkRXZlbnRMaXN0ZW5lcigibWVzc2FnZSIsKGZ1bmN0aW9uKGEpe2lmKHZvaWQgMCE9PWEuZGF0YVsiZGF0YXdyYXBwZXItaGVpZ2h0Il0pZm9yKHZhciBlIGluIGEuZGF0YVsiZGF0YXdyYXBwZXItaGVpZ2h0Il0pe3ZhciB0PWRvY3VtZW50LmdldEVsZW1lbnRCeUlkKCJkYXRhd3JhcHBlci1jaGFydC0iK2UpfHxkb2N1bWVudC5xdWVyeVNlbGVjdG9yKCJpZnJhbWVbc3JjKj0nIitlKyInXSIpO3QmJih0LnN0eWxlLmhlaWdodD1hLmRhdGFbImRhdGF3cmFwcGVyLWhlaWdodCJdW2VdKyJweCIpfX0pKX0oKTs8L3NjcmlwdD4=

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