merry christmas and happy holidays to you and your families, i'm sam brock, "nbc news daily" starts right now. ♪♪

today, monday, december 25th, 2023, targeting gaza. israel launches a barrage of new attacks on hundreds of locations, dozens are reportedly killed. the desperate efforts under way right now to get aid to those who need it the most. sickness spike, just in time for the holidays, covid and flu cases are on the rise across america, we're going to break down the latest numbers for you, and what you can do to protect yourself. keep dreaming. for most of the country there is no white christmas to be had this year. what the science is revealing about the climate and also where things are headed. pop quiz. which pop culture stories had you talking this year, we'll take a look back on the trendiest, buzziest moments of 2023. and welcome to "nbc news daily," we begin this hour with the israel-hamas war as israel is stepping up its offensive in gaza. israeli forces launching new attacks against hamas in the southern gaza strip, attacking about 200 targets over a 24-hour period.

the hamas-run gaza health ministry reports 250 people were killed, and twice as many were injured. nbc news has not been able to independently verify those claims. now, earlier today israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu visited with idf troops inside northern gaza, he's pledging that israel will continue the war until all of hamas is destroyed. let's get right to nbc news foreign correspondent josh lederman, live for us in tel aviv. josh, welcome, good to have you, despite some recent talks here of israel potentially winding down, or at least transitioning its ground offensive, it appears that things right now are only ramping up. >> reporter: that's right, that's certainly the public message from israel's government, sam, in fact, during that visit to the gaza strip that you were just mentioning that prime minister netanyahu paid today, he addressed this very specifically, he said, look, to those who are saying that we should be pulling back now, there is no such thing, we are going to continue with this war until we finish, until the

very end, and not one minute sooner. and so clearly the israeli government trying to send the signal that it is not succumbing to any global pressure to end this war, but that having been said there are shifts in the way that this is playing out kinetically. at the beginning of the war we saw those intense air strikes and other attacks in the northern part of gaza. in recent days the attention and focus has really shifted to southern gaza, which is now the focal point for the most harsh israeli attacks while in northern gaza many of the civilians, however, have already left, they are still going after hamas terrorists who are there, but certainly, we are starting to see the focus shift, and less attacks in that area, and so you can see the progression as israel is trying to accomplish its goals of clearing out hamas from gaza, one area at a time, sam. >> josh, almost 2 million people have been displaced so far according to the u.n., the world health organization says that the hunger crisis inside gaza is, quote, at a breaking point. in fact, that organization said

gaza is nearing a famine as more than a half million people are going hungry, that may be a conservative estimate. is there more critical aid and food making its way into gaza? >> reporter: yes, but certainly not enough, according to those aid groups, in fact, a top israeli official responsible for humanitarian coordination with the gaza strip said this past week that there's no food crisis in gaza, that there's plenty of food already there. that really struck a lot of aid groups that are aware of the conditions on the ground, and frankly normal people who are watching the images of starvation coming out of gaza, as not really passing the smell test, the reality is, more aid is certainly getting in, than was in the early weeks of the war, especially now that that second kerem shalom crossing between israel and the gaza strip is going, is open, some fuel now getting in as well. but certainly, humanitarian aid groups say it is far short of what is needed, and what the world health program, now saying

that nine out of ten gazans are going entire days at a time at a time without eating. >> pretty clear the need is dire. lastly, we know pope francis had a message about the war in remarks today and also on sunday. what did he say? >> reporter: yeah, that's right. the pope, giving his christmas address, he did condemn the hamas atrocities on october 7th. he called for the hundred plus hostages still in the gaza strip to be returned immediately, but his heart certainly seems to be today, on christmas, with many of the palestinians who are suffering right now, he decried the appalling harvest, those were his words, of palestinians in these israeli air strikes, and he also said that the children in gaza right now are the jesuses of today. >> the loss of life right now really hard to get your mind around. josh lederman live for us from tel aviv, thank you so much. as we mentioned, pope francis there, holding christmas mass today in vatican city, thousands of people gathering as he called for peace on this holy day, for catholics around the world.

now, the pontiff just turned 87 years old last week. there have been a number of concerns about the pope's health after he was hospitalized twice this year. one for abdominal surgery one time, and then also for a respiratory infection. the leader of the catholic church has several major trips planned for 2024 including a visit to his native country of argentina. for millions of people this christmas day offers no relief from the struggle, just to put food on the table every day. according to the department of agriculture, more than 44 million americans, more than the entire state of california, are dealing with hunger. but in the true spirit of the holiday, volunteers are trying to help, including one family in south florida, nbc news correspondent marissa parra joining us now from west palm beach. marissa, great to see you, it is always nice and inspiring to learn about what communities and in this case families are doing to try to help those around them. what are we expecting to see

here over the next few hours? >> reporter: good to see you in the anchor chair. what's so remarkable about what's happening behind me. this isn't a food pantry. we're not outside the bank of someone. this is literally someone's home. this is a front yard in a neighborhood, a brother and sister organizing this, this is as grassroots as it gets here in west palm beach. you can see people lining up behind me, we're going to talk about that in just a little bit. but the really striking thing about this is how much effort and time goes into this. so, the people here, we're talking about a family, of course there's lots of volunteers, there's donations that come in as well from companies, but a lot of this comes out of the pocket of the brother and the sister. we're talking about their mother, their father has been up since 3:00 in the morning making this food, this is a home-cooked meal here. so, this is something they've been doing for 12 years, sam, and a lot of people in line here telling me that they've been coming for those 12 years. >> what is sort of the

background for this family? what inspired them to start doing this on an annual basis? i'm curious, also, are you hearing from them an increase in need just from what they're seeing among those who live around them? >> reporter: we're hearing -- they talked about how during the pandemic they saw an increase of people showing up, not necessarily an increase since the pandemic locally in west palm beach, that's going to differ around the country. but what i think is really striking, sam, people are food insecure, without homes, they go to homeless encampments, putting out flyers letting them know this is happening. there are also people who might have homes or have access to food who decide to show up because they want the warmth, the spirit of giving. they don't want to be alone. i asked this brother and sister, what keeps you doing this year after year? here's what they had to say. >> i would say seeing the smiling faces that come through the line. >> and for me, sharing god's

love about providing supplemental food, you know, to children and families who may not otherwise have, you know, that nutritional meal at home. that's what i look forward to, to seeing. >> reporter: so, sam, they are prepared to serve roughly 300 to 400 families but they brought 600 plates just in case. this started just minutes ago. you can already see the very long line behind me so it's going to be a beautiful day in the spirit of giving today, sam. >> indeed, obviously, hours to go there, connection, and food for the soul. marissa parra, thank you so much for that report. well, today it is a mixed bag when we're talking about the weather, with millions of americans seeing warmer temperatures than they might normally be accustomed to this time of year, but others are dealing with winter weather alerts stretching across parts of north and south dakota, nebraska, kansas to minnesota, with some areas seeing blizzard conditions with up to 22 inches of snow. nbc news meteorologist michelle grossman joining us now with the

very latest, michelle, this feels like sort of a medley, if you will, of weather scenarios. how are things shaping up for the rest of the holiday week as people are going to be ultimately traveling back home? >> you're right about that, sam, merry, merry christmas. we're looking at it all throughout this christmas day. we're looking at blizzard conditions for some, wind gusts up to 55 miles per hour, tricky travel in the northern plains, parts of the northern plains, parts of the central plains so hopefully you can hunker down at home and be cozy on the couch. we could see power outages as well. on the warm side of the system, from the midwest to the southeast, we're looking at rain falling, some of it will be heavy in portions of the southeast, that's going to lead to the chance for some flash flooding and also looking in the middle there, where you see that pink and purple, that's looking at the icy conditions and portions of the upper midwest. that's not the only wet spot we're looking at, lower elevation rain, the pacific northwest, this is the next system moving on shore in the pacific northwest, looking at high elevation snow, and then in the northeast we're looking at

above average temperatures, this is what radar looks like right now, clear to see where this storm is, we're looking at the blue, the lighter blue, that's where the snow is falling and also looking at that rain falling, stretching all the way down to the southeast, to the midwest. winter alerts stretching from the northern plains, the central plains into parts of the midwest, we're going to see this in place until wednesday, and we're looking at up to 22 inches of snow in some spots, really local, though, generally we'll see six to twelve but it will make for really difficult travel today and also tomorrow into the early part of wednesday. difficult travel, too, in f the you can see those reds, also oranges, we're looking at some heavy rain there, sam, back to you. >> so it is a slice of the country, small slice that's going to be seeing snow, but those who do see snow may actually be seeing a lot. meteorologist michelle grossman, thank you so much. speaking of which, for many americans, the christmas season has been lacking, i don't know, a certain holiday mystique thanks to rising temperatures. it has been years since they've had the chance to experience a white christmas. nbc news meteorologist angie lassman takes a look at the

latest climate trends. >> oh, the weather outside is -- not exactly what many were hoping for. >> hoping for a white christmas. >> i would absolutely love to see a white christmas. >> oh, goodness, it's been a while. >> it's been a while. >> reporter: people on the east coast dreaming of a white christmas are disappointed again this year, no major snowstorms, forecasted for the holiday, in fact some cities may be 30 to 40 degrees warmer than last christmas. chicago, cleveland and columbus, ohio have all seen their odds of a white christmas plummet in recent years, according to the national oceanic and atmospheric administration, compared to past decades chicago has seen a drop in white christmas chances from 41% to 34%. and cleveland's chances have dropped from 43% to 40%. this year, many of the locations used to a white christmas, like the upper midwest and great lakes, are racking up record warm temperatures rather than inches of snow. >> winters are not like when i was a kid back in the '70s.

no blizzard of '78 or anything like that. >> reporter: about 3.6 million people could get a white christmas this year. that's only 1% of the country. >> where is the snow? >> i don't know, what, do i look like al roker? >> reporter: some northern and mountain locations like parts of the rockies, cascades and sierra may enjoy a picture perfect christmas day. for many, it will be more warm and wet than white. >> the hope that maybe it will snow in a little bit. you kind of sit there and hope and wait, maybe you'll see a few flurries coming down. >> reporter: angie lassman, nbc news. >> not even al roker helping us with snow this year. coming up next, thanks for the memories, how some families are being reunited with old photos they did not even know existed. we'll explain. ever notice how stiff clothes can feel rough on your skin? for softer clothes that are gentle on your skin, try downy free & gentle downy will soften your clothes without dyes or perfumes. the towel washed with downy is softer, and gentler on your skin.

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people 50 and older with a heart disease risk factor have an increased risk of death. serious allergic reactions can occur. tell your doctor if you are or may become pregnant. done settling? ask your rheumatologist for rinvoq. and take back what's yours. abbvie could help you save. and welcome back. the museum of lost memories is a digital collection of moments people might have thought were lost forever, but thanks to founder david gutenmacher and a little help of online detectives families are being gifted with a little nostalgia. valerie castro shows us the missing moments once again finding their way home. >> reporter: they say a picture is worth a thousand words. >> summertime in the swimming pool, having like a family dinner, taking a picture in front of somebody's house, these are all just really special moments that people had.

>> reporter: but what is it worth to someone who has no idea who is in the photo? >> all these photos have a story behind them and every single picture is a picture of a real person who lived a real life. >> reporter: what started as a pandemic project developed into a mission for david gutenmacher, creating the museum of lost memories. >> the bride's name is lulu, groom's name is frankie, they were married on june 5th, 1965. old footage of someone opening a christmas gift. >> an online collection of photos, slides and reels of film david hopes to return to their rightful owners, or at least to tho in the pictures. >> i've been able to return thousands of things to dozens and dozens of families. >> what's the reaction you get when you connect someone with their lost memories? >> yeah, i think they're -- sometimes there's a little bit of skepticism, people don't understand how this got out there or how it got back to them, but everyone's been shocked and grateful in a good way. >> reporter: he finds the images at various thrift stores and flea markets, the albums and

boxes of film sold off in estate sales. >> stories of people donating things by accident. cameras will have film still inside or sd cards. >> with the magic of social media and more than 600,000 followers, david has a built-in team of photo sleuths examining every detail. >> everyone has their own set of skills, some people are really good at dating specific artifacts and some people are just able to recognize a location from a photo because they grew up there. >> reporter: one success story uncovered world war ii history when he found this old roll of film with a note and the name friedman inside the canister. >> the note said these were taken april 1943 and it was written in german. so i knew that the family was in germany in april 1943. then, finally, somebody was able to recognize the family on one of these ancestry websites, and matched up the exact family with the photos that i found. we found out that they escaped from vienna and they fled in the

early 1940s, and these were taken shortly after that. so, it was so special to be able to return these core family memories back to the original owners. >> reporter: this set of pictures was not dated but the hair styles and fashion clearly said 1990s. >> it was from chapman university, i was 18 years old. >> reporter: diane says a friend recognized her among these photos, and she recognized her old classmate. >> the first photo i was like, oh, that's my friend dan from chapman university i kept going through and that's my friend lou, that's michelle and then i was the last photo. the professor had maybe taken these photos of us, so i don't know how they ended up from her ownership to like a flea market in san diego, but somehow he found them, and posted them, and i think it's wonderful. >> reporter: melissa donna frillo also had a magic moment of recognition. >> this photo right here of my

uncle mike is when i went, oh, my gosh, like that -- that's my family. like, that is my uncle mike, what's going on? >> reporter: in her case, an entire photo album mistakenly donated to a church when a family member passed away, brought back memories of loved ones. >> and in this photo is my grandma, and i knew it was my grandma in a heartbeat. >> i have one photo of a great grandparent of mine and that's the only photo i have of him. to be able to give back a family photo that might be one of the only few memories of that person is really special. >> reporter: this reel of vacation footage from new york city in 1965 captured the buzz on the city streets, a window to a different view of everyday life. >> people were commenting, i remember that story, ate at that restaurant. >> oh, my gosh, wow. >> things from a family that was here on vacation. >> it captures life's precious moments like this one-day old baby or this somber passing of a loved one, vacation photos

sometimes documenting a landmark that no longer stands today. david's latest endeavor, tracking down the owners of these memories. >> i'm grateful that like i'm given this chance that i can cherish them myself but also hopefully give them back to someone who can cherish them too. >> reporter: a holiday gift just waiting to be seen, valerie castro, nbc news. >> you think about the family photo albums and what that means, this, of course, the evolving version with some sleuthing to go along with it. coming up next, thank you very much, valerie, covid, flu and rsv cases all on the rise, the new cdc warning as millions gather for the holidays this week. you are watching "nbc news you are watching "nbc news daily." [music playing] subject 1: cancer is a long journey. it's overwhelming, but you just have to put your mind to it and fight. subject 2: it doesn't feel good because you can't play outside with other children. subject 3: as a parent, it is your job to protect your family. but here is something that i cannot do.

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merry christmas, this is the fast forward. well, it has been a very busy christmas morning for firefighters who responded to a three alarm fire in los altos. as ginger tells us, the damage is quite significant. >> the structure that caught fire is a commercial building with over 20,000 square feet in area. you're taking a look now at what's left of that commercial building. there's a collapsed roof. a collapsed second floor and now concerns we're told of the entire structure collapsing. and that's why fire crews now are looking to readjust themselves in how they attack this fire.

the remaining hot spots. santa clara county calls said they received calls before 5:00 this morning. the fire quickly grew to three alarms and brought in surrounding support. now, there are no reported injuries to firefighters or anyone on the scene. two trucks were out earlier this morning pouring water on to the burned structure but because there are concerns of the structure collapsing, there's a temporary pause on this. >> you can see behind me that some of the collapsing building keeps the fire in check because it created spaces so at this point, we're trying to identify those and put them out as best we can. >> we're told this stretch here will remain closed for several hours. possibly into the evening and into the night. the investigation is underway on the exact cause of this fire.

>> thanks, ginger. we're also following other stories on this christmas day. another fire in the east bay and we're tracking holiday travel through sfo. we're still waiting to learn how this fire started. the investigation is still ongoing. firefighters managed to put out the fire but three people have been displaced. let's go outside. a live look at sfo where the holiday travel rush is on. a near record number of americans have braved the long lines and complicated logistics to get home to family for the holidays. airports still packed this afternoon. take a look at this new video from one of our producers who is traveling home today. you can see long lines at tsa. we're also tracking your christmas day forecast. a chilly start and rain is ahead. >> we had a bit of a chilly start today in the 30s and 40s. high clouds rolling through. expect to see another morning of

patchy fog for tuesday. we've got our next system lining out in the pacific. this is expected to make its move in after christmas into wednesday. now let's talk about your daytime highs for today and tomorrow leading us into the upper 50s. low 60s for afternoon. san jose, 62. san francisco, 59, and heading into tuesday, we do see a slight warm up into the mid-60s for areas like morgan hill then in through san jose and martinez. by wednesday, daytime highs in the 60s but wednesday, expect to see the chance for rain early on especially north to south into the afternoon. >> thanks. as 2023 is coming to a close, youtube is looking at the most watched moments. barbie. also trending on youtube, fashion dyis and tutorials. as far as music, regional

mexican music ruled the charts nationwide. they gained huge fan bases and sold out across the country. artificial intelligence among the most searched topics on youtube this year. >> you see the variety of searches when we look at the lists from really serious news events and folks wanting to get deeper and explain the why then pop culture searches. i love looking at the movie category and seeing barbie and oppenheimer number one and two. it kind of reminds you of those phenomenons of the year. >> and for the fifth year in a row, mr. beats has been youtube's top creator. he's known for his elaborate challenges and gift give aways. this year, the top searched people were the kansas city chiefs tight end, travis kelce, of course, because he's dating taylor swift, and damar hamlin, who suffered a cardiac episode in january. taylor swift trends every year,

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to hydrate, smooth, visibly firm, brighten, and improve texture. it's my best skin yet. olay welcome back to "nbc news daily" on this christmas day, i'm sam brock, we're of course getting a lot of quality time with loved ones right now, it just so happens it's quinn -- coinciding with a lot of

infection too, the cdc is warning about a sharp uptick in respiratory illnesses, here's jesse kirsch with more. >> as millions travel this holiday weekend, covid and flu are also on the move. the cdc releasing this new map, showing very high flew-like illness levels across the south, with activity trending up in the midwest, and northeast. officials believe rsv cases have peaked for the season, but the cdc says weekly flu hospital admissions are increasing, covid cases are also rising across the country. that's keeping medical teams busy, like at chicago's northwestern memorial hospital. dr. mark sallow works in the icu. >> what goes through your mind when you see those cases climbing? >> we have to be prepared for ongoing, more cases, life support in the icu. >> reporter: northwestern medicine says back in october beds like these were filled with patients dealing with a range of issues, but now just before christmas the hospital says the majority of patients in this icu

are dealing with respiratory illnesses. with masks and social distancing largely gone, dr. sala says we're looking at a new kind of holiday season. >> we have this -- i guess a cornucopia of all these viruses we have known before that have come back and the covid we were dealing with before. >> reporter: this winter makes bringing a reminder to protect yourself and others. >> set yourself up for success, getting vaccinated, wear your mask, wash your hands, avoid touching your eyes and nose and mouth when you're in public. i think those with the best things you can do to help stay out of the hospital, the icu and protect your loved ones. >> reporter: lessons from a pandemic to keep you and your family healthy, heading into the new year. jesse kirsch, nbc news, chicago. moving now to washington, where a flood of retirements in congress is shaking up the 2024 battle for the house. at the moment 35 members are either vacating their seats to retire, or to pursue other offices. and with lawmakers home with their families, we may see more

announcements after the holidays. nbc news capitol hill correspondent julie tsirkin joins me from washington with more. thanks so much for being here. happy holidays to you, historically, julie, is this a big number, is part of this cyclical, what is going on with this wave of retirements and such? >> reporter: hey, sam, merry christmas to you, as lawmakers are home for the holidays, oftentimes lawmakers make those diggss when they're with their family and with their friends. being a member of congress comes with a lot of personal sacrifices, members have to travel very often, they have to leave loved ones behind, they have young kids they have to worry about at home. so that is part of the decision-making when we usually see these retirements every year or so, but this year we also have a very dysfunctional congress, one in which a historic number of bills -- a low historic number of bills were signed into law this year. you'll remember, we had many weeks where we didn't even have a speaker leading the house.

it's because of that you have lawmakers now deciding to take a step back, either to pursue different careers in politics, or just change gears all together. and i should note, sam, most of these retirements are democrats. >> that was definitely my next question, by almost 2-1, right, so when you look at the dynamics of just that, plus the idea, you know, are these competitive districts that we're talking about? how will this shape the power dynamics as we look forward to 2024 election? >> reporter: yeah, exactly, a lot of these democrats are leaving open seats in very competitive districts, and you also have to remember that being an incumbent comes with a lot of name recognition, you're able to fund raise more easily, and usually democrats do outperform republicans by large margins when it comes to that fund-raising, so republicans certainly have a lot to worry about, despite democrats actually leaving and retiring early, more than they are here, and it's because, again, you have that ousted house speaker kevin mccarthy, he went 15 ballots in the first vote, several votes in trying to

replace him. he was also the most prolific fundraiser for republicans, he helped flip a lot of those seats we saw in new york. and so this is definitely going to be challenging for republicans, and something strategists are paying attention to. >> another wrinkle in the races there, julie tsirkin, thank you so much. we have covered countless crimes and legal proceedings this year, from a dramatic double murder trial of a disgraced lawyer convicted of killing his wife and son, to the major break in the decades-old serial killer cold case. dateline's keith morrison looks back at the stories that grabbed our attention in 2023. >> reporter: new details coming to light in the alex murdaugh murder. >> the killing of four university of idaho students. >> rex heuermann accused of being the gilgo beach killer. >> every year across this great land there are crimes that draw our attention, stories which we simply cannot look away. this year was no exception. >> alex murdaugh -- why did you kyle your wife?

>> reporter: in january all eyes turned to a south carolina courtroom for one of the piggest trials in decades. once powerful attorney alex murdaugh stood accused of killing his wife and son. >> we're going to reach this inescapable conclusion that alex make sured maggie paul, that she was the storm. >> he didn't do it. >> reporter: until one key piece of evidence, a cell phone video that proved alex lied about where he was when the murders took place. >> come here, dog. >> get. >> reporter: alex himself took the stand for two days of riveting testimony. and admitted he hadn't told the truth about that night. >> oh, what a tangled web we weave. >> reporter: but he said he was not a killer. >> are you a family annihilator? >> you mean, like did i shoot my wife and my son? >> yes. >> no. >> do you think putting him on the stand hurt their case? >> yeah, i don't think it helped it. >> reporter: it took just three hours for the jury to convict him. >> i sentence you for term of

the rest of your natural life. >> reporter: this year also brought us face to face with the man who police say committed acts of unspeakable horror in idaho, bryan kohberger had been charged with stabbing to death four college students in the middle of the night. >> the maximum penalty for this offense is death and/or imprisonment for life. do you understand? >> yes. >> reporter: victim kalee gone sal ves's -- >> no mercy should be given to him. >> reporter: police said dna ties kohberger to the murders. >> hello, i am officer -- >> reporter: as to the car, kohberger was seen driving here, it was also captured on security video near the crime scene. >> all rise. >> reporter: the judge has entered a not guilty plea on kohberger's behalf, the victim's families and friends wait for a jury to decide his fate. >> it hurts.

they should still be here, you know. >> we wake up knowing that we have reached justice for natalee. >> reporter: 2023 saw the end of a near 20-year mystery, the disappearance of alabama teen natalee holloway in aruba, a sort of so much pain for her mother beth who spoke to dateline in 2008. >> not knowing, it's the daily torture. >> reporter: juran van der sloot long suspected of killing natalee extradited to the u.s. this year, as part of a plea deal he agreed to confess. >> i'm actually with -- with natalee walking along the beach. >> reporter: he said when she rejected his sexual advances he hit her in the head with a cinder block. >> i walked up to my knees in the ocean and pushed her out into the sea. >> it's been a long and painful journey but we finally got the

answers we've been searching for for all these years. >> rex, did you do it. >> reporter: another years long saga took a stunning turn this summer when police announced they discovered the identity of the long island serial killer. >> rex heuermann, an architect, i'm an architectural kaltd. >> he was arrested outside of his manhattan office. >> completely bone chilling. >> if this is true. >> he was just a normal guy. >> reporter: in july heuermann was charged with murdering three women along gilgo beach, and police said he was strongly suspected of killing a fourth. he pleaded not guilty. >> a trial is still a long way off, are you confident that rex heuermann will spend the rest of his life behind bars? >> if you ask me, i'm sure he'll never see the light of day again. >> reporter: keith morrison, "dateline nbc." each year we see trends take off and moments become

movements, 2023 was no different. nbc news now anchor savannah sellers takes a look back at all the pop culture phenomenon. >> reporter: it was a year full of unforgettable trends. >> i don't have anything big planned except this giant blowout party with all the barbies. >> so cool. >> reporter: things we love and things we love to hate. viral moments filled our feeds and one start stood out all year. >> reasonable care to the renaissance. >> reporter: queen b's crowds dominated social media, and when her daughter blue ivy joined her on stage, we all cheered. beyonce ended the year on a high, her concerts, renaissance topped the box office opening weekend, and earned $21 million. earlier this year, our group chats blew up during the super bowl, and not because of the game, rihanna rocked the halftime show with a 13-minute performance, revealing her second pregnancy on sport's

biggest night. months later country legend dolly parton had her moment on social media when the 77-year-old stunned while performing in a dallas cowboys cheerleader uniform, bedazzled from head to toe, of course. speaking of fashion, these red boots prompted a flood of memes. while boots are made for walking, we were also captivated by creepy dolls dancing, before the movie megan was even available in theaters, the hashtag megan dance blew up on tiktok. and from the futuristic to the ancient, how often did you think about the roman empire? and social media spoiled television's biggest shocker, the death of logan roy. but there was one cultural moment that commanded our attention and the big screen, the long-awaited barbenheimer did not disappoint, earning over $200 million in one weekend, the stars of the film joined in on the fun, margot robbie and

credit at a gerwig supported on himmer. with all the barbie buzz, it was like living in barbie's dream house. pink outfits, and sweatshirts popping up all over. it made greta gerwig the first female director with a billion dollar film. >> the best day ever. >> reporter: and 2023 might be the best year ever when it comes to girl power. savannah sellers, nbc news. >> and there i more n

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welcome back to nbc news daily, and the coziest corner here at our studio at 30 rock. we all know that the holiday season is about sharing with the people in your life. we wanted to share with you some of our people. here are the folks behind the scenes who bring you "nbc news daily" every day. ♪♪

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it absorbs 25-times its weight and features dryshield™ technology, that protects better than pads and keeps you 2-times drier. try depend®. [music playing] subject 1: cancer is a long journey. it's overwhelming, but you just have to put your mind to it and fight. subject 2: it doesn't feel good because you can't play outside with other children. subject 3: as a parent, it is your job to protect your family. but here is something that i cannot do. i cannot fix this. i don't know if my daughter is going to be able to walk. i don't know if she's going to make it till tomorrow. [music playing] interviewer: you can join the battle to save lives by supporting st. jude children's research hospital. families never receive a bill from st. jude for treatment, travel, housing, or food so they can focus on helping their child live. subject 4: childhood cancer, there's no escaping it.

but st. jude is doing the work, continually researching towards cures, giving more than just my child a chance at life. interviewer: please, call or go online right now and become a st. jude partner in hope for only $19 a month. subject 5: those donations really matter because we're not going to give up. and when you see other people not giving up on your child, it makes all the difference in the world. interviewer: when you call or go online with your credit or debit card right now, we'll send you this st. jude t-shirt. you can wear to show your support to help st. jude save the lives of these children. subject 6: st. jude is hope. even today after losing a child, it's still about the hope of tomorrow, because. childhood cancer has to end. interviewer: please, call or go online right now.

[music playing] hi, everyone. this is the fast forward on nbc news daily. the salvation army is delivering meals to thousands of seniors. volunteers working to spread christmas chief in san francisco started delivery this is morning. these meals are going to seniors who cannot leave their houses because of age or illness and sometimes, it's the only interaction they have on this holiday. some volunteers say it also brings them joy. >> you'll see a lot of volunteer who kids so it's the second generation that's been helping out. we also like to see the drivers who come by because they bring their kids and there are some families who have been doing it for 30 years so we see their

kids growing older and they're still helping out. >> oh, thank you so much. there are plentyf places helping out. oakland, they're holding their christmas meal give awa on telegraph avenue. in richmond, the area rescue center will serve up avenues at 4:00 p.m. on mcdonald avenue and city team san jose is hosting its meals on charles street at noon. a chilly, foggy start to our day. our meteorologist is tracking what's ahead in our forecast. >> and we've made it to christmas day with some high clouds but notice we've got another system churning out in the pacific. right now, we are expecting to remain dry for your monday and tuesday but your seven-day outlook definitely showcases where you're going to see your next chance of rain. expect to wake up to the morning fog early tuesday along with high cloud cover through there. wednesday, with get rain at time, especially into north and south. by mid-morning, breezy conditions. thursday, we catch a break from the rain and into friday and

saturday, that second storm system looks like it's more of a rainmaker for us, extending from the coastal mountains to the north bay throu

for the holidays, millions of families unwrapped brand-new tvs. many new sets feature something called next gen tv. it's a huge upgrade with new features for nbc bay area viewers like you. consumer investigator, chris, shows us how it works. ♪♪ >> broadcasters say next gen tv is the biggest jump in a generation. perhaps bigger than the leap from black and white to color. or from square to wide screen hd. >> it really is taking all of those things that you see in the streaming world and bringing them to free over the air. >> bill is a tv researcher speaking on behalf of pearl tv, which is promoting next gen tv. in a nutshell, it couples your

tv with the internet. it's offering features like 4 cls k picture quality and movie theatre sound. interactivity the particularly exciting. some shows will let you participate. say take a news poll or actually play along with a game show. get this, in the future, your remote will let you choose different camera angles in the middle of a program. so how do you get it? with an antenna. yep. you also need a next gen tv set. when you're shopping, look for that logo. here's the good thing. you don't necessarily have to go shopping. >> 15 million next gen ready sets have already been sold. >> to see if yours is next gen tv combatable, rescan your channels. you can do that by going to the main menu, then settings. after you rescan, go back to the channel guide and look for the next gen tv logo. >> thanks for the tips, chris. that's it for this edition of

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there is no way we're landing. are you sure no one is watching? gwen mallard! do it now, or we leave without you. ok. i'm craig melvin. and this is dateline daytime on nbc. andrea canning: everyone says that you and your sister were your mom's life. yeah. amazing person, committed to family, committed to my sister and i. and then five years later, gone.