on msnbc, the tsunami warning in japan after a series of powerful earthquakes erupted off the country's coast. fires breaking out, collapsed homes, tremors felt even in the capital city of tokyo. we'll have a live report with the latest in israel, a barrage of rockets fired toward tel aviv with prime minister netanyahu saying the war is expected to go on for many more months. what that will look like. the rising tensions in the region after a u.s. helicopter sunk three houthi rebel ships. just two weeks left before the caucuses. candidates barnstorming the states. who will come out on top. happy new year to you, it is 10:00 a.m., i'm frances rivera reporting from new york city. we begin with the breaking news out of japan. overnight a series of strong

earthquakes in the sea of japan prompting a tsunami warning among the nation's western and coastal regions. one quake reaching a magnitude of 7.6 grounding commercial flights and halting rail services for the affected area, blocking out power for tens of thousands of japanese residents. it's the first major warning from japan's meteorologist logical agent zee since the fukushima nuclear disaster. i want to bring in meagan fitzgerald with the latest and nbc meteorologist michelle grossman to help us understand the impact. let's start with you on this new year's day, meagan. what have we learned since that initial quake? >> japanese officials downgraded to a major tsunami work to a tsunami warning for the noto peninsula i. hit near ishikawa.

the quakes were felt on land across the region, even as far away as tokyo. we're seeing new video coming in capturing the moment when this quake hit. you can see waves coming on to land. large signs in sign a train station just shaking. people running for safety. store shelves rattling. we also know that dozens of homes have collapsed. structures have been damaged. local officials are confirming that people are trapped beneath falling rubble. meteorologists are warning these waves could exceed 16 feet. meanwhile, some 33,000 people are without power. we know shelters are going up, providing people with needed supplies, warm blankets and a warm place to stay, francis. >> the fear of aftershocks can still happen. have we heard anything about the state of japan's nuclear facilities and the reactors in

the area. >> government officials san jose nuclear plants have not seen any irregularities. that's an incredibly significant question. as you recall and as you mentioned, in 2011 japan saw a 9.0 magnitude quake that triggered a tsunami causing this massive wave to crash into the fukushima nuclear plant causing a nuclear melt down. you can bet that official are absolutely keeping a close eye on this. >> certainly the case with 16.5 foot waves, that threat still lingering. michelle, help us understand why tsunamis are so dangerous and why that this one happened in the sea of japan versus the wider pacific ocean. >> let's talk about where it happened. it didn't just impact japan. we have tsunami warnings in north korea, south korea, also russia. when you have tsunami, what it is -- with an earth quick you

have at the time tonic plates crashing into each other. you node to settle back down. what happens is you crash into each other. it produces this large amount of water. it's really a wall of water. all this water, huge volume in the ocean that is displaced and moves onshore. whatever moves onshore has to move back out. when you're in an area that small, it's going to send out seismic waves and usually with the pacific ocean, it can lose its energy as it does that. this area is so, so small, it has less time to do this. in addition, this is a shallow earth quick. they are more dangerous. the deeper ones, you have more time as it gets to the surface to see it weaken. with a shallow one, and this is pretty shallow. it doesn't have as much time to reach its umph. we haven't seen waves as high as expected yet, but we still are under a tsunami warning. a tsunami isn't just one wave. it's a series of waves. it can be minutes, it could be

hours in between. this threat will be here for quite a bit. take a look at these images. what is so alarming, and what i found interesting, a lot of the houses did withstand the damage. this is a very, very strong earthquake. this area is built for this sort of activity. in 2011 we had the disaster where 20,000 people died. what they have here is a seawall that tries to protect them. that is the hope that when we have a tsunami, they will be protected. we also have homes and structures built really well that hopefully can withstand some of the shaking. because this is so great, we did see damage and lots of people without power. in addition, it's going to get chilly. >> the government has set up shelters for those people. michelle grossman, meagan fitzgerald, thank you for the update. appreciate it from japan to israel where air raid sirens are going off to mark the new year. a barrage of rockets launched

towards tel aviv. inside gaza israel says it's withdrawing troops temporarily but warning the world they have no plans on slowing down their defensive. with netanyahu saying the war will go on for, quote, many more months. more and more facing catastrophic hunger and starvation according to the world food program. in the wider region tensions are rising quickly after a u.s. navy helicopter returned fire and sank three small boats carrying iran-backed houthi rebels. >> joining us is nbc's jay gray. jay, we want to ask you, what can many more months of fighting look like? >> reporter: look, prime minister benjamin netanyahu echoing what military leaders have been saying over the last couple days, that this is going to stretch several months into the new year. what we know is that the fighting continues to be very intense around the khan yunis

area. that's where they believe many of the hamas leaders are holed up. you should expect to see that fighting continue. we know the air strikes are continuing as well. what they are telling us, the idf, they are making significant progress. that they've taken out command and control centers that they've exposed and destroyed a lot of the tunnels there and some of the rocket launch areas and other military facilities, but they are not anywhere close to their stated goal of ridding the area of hamas. they say they're not going to stop until that happens. we know they have plans to continue pushing through the center of gaza and eventually moving north. that's something that's just going to be a long, they say, and very intense, very violent process unfortunately. >> netanyahu vowing he's not going to be backing down at all

when it comes to this. jay, i want to ask you about the latest with the violence between the united states and houthi rebels involving a helicopter and some small boats, too. >> reporter: this began a distress call from a cargo ship in the red sea. u.s. navy choppers responding to that when they say they were fired on by houthi rebels from ships below. they ended up returning that fire taking out three of those ships, killing the crew members on board. there was a fourth houthi rebel ship that was not destroyed. this is the first time an american response has ended in a fatality. so it's certainly a major flashpoint is what has been ongoing, back and forth skirmishes between u.s. troops and the houthis, hezbollah, other areas in yemen, syria have lobbed some missiles as well. this is certainly continuing to escalate, feeding a very big concern, not only hear in

israel, but globally that this could develop into another front in this war, something i don't think anyone wants to see right now, francis. >> that's what we're watching closely to see how it may be affected. jay gray, thank you. we're joined by retired general steph twitty. i appreciate you being with us on the first day of the new year. let's start with this. we have a lot to cover. prime minister netanyahu says israel needs many more months to destroy hamas. what do you think the next few months will look like and how will that differ from what we've been seeing now. >> good to be with you, francis, and happy new year. i think we'll see much of what we've seen the past couple months. keep in mind that prime minister netanyahu has said destroy hamas. in order to destroy hamas you

have to relent lesley go after hamas. as you can see, the israelis are doing just that. it's going to take a while to destroy hamas. additionally you still have the hostages that are there in gaza, held up by hamas. the israelis will need to capture the hostages. third, as you saw last night, there's still missiles raining down on israel from hamas in the gaza strip. they'll need to be destroyed. there's a lot of work to be done here. so i think you're going to see this war continue on for several months in the same fashion. >> when you talk about destroying hamas, you can't help but think of destroying the other lives, lives of the innocent civilians. you have israel ground forces that began by focusing on northern gaza. now in central gaza. the next area is southern gaza where so many palestinians have

fled to escape the violence. how do you protect civilian lives in a situation like this? >> unfortunately, as you know, gaza is extremely dense. there's nowhere to run for the civilians anymore. we've gone from now north headed to central, down to south with israeli forces attacking hamas. we can foresee several casualties as we go into the new year, unfortunately. i would tell you that the israelis will have to at some point in time ratchet down the massive air bombardments that they're doing, but also hamas needs to stop the human shields. they need to give up at some point in time and understand that this war will not move in their favor, and now it's time to protect human lives. >> in doing so, there is a sliver, a sliver here of

optimism to start the new year, sir. you have israel saying they are willing to let the humanitarian aid in, arrive into gaza from european countries by sea, just by sea. will that be enough to address the humanitarian crisis, and how much of a difference will that make? >> i think any humanitarian aid will help, but as you ask the question, will that be enough? i don't think so. i think we need to ensure that humanitarian aid flows and it flows freely throughout the gaza strip. as you know, the past couple months that's been lacking. i think that needs to be a priority going forward for israel. >> we want to ask you, also, about what could be a priority for the united states as well if it escalates. we learned the u.s. navy helicopter sank the three houthi boats. the united states has killed members of the iranian-backed

group. what are your biggest concerns about this situation in the long term and even in the short term? >> i think that we should look to see whether or not there's going to be a retaliatory strike here. my bet is the houthis, they've lost blood now, and throughout the past couple weeks they have not lost blood. this is a game-changer now for them. they're going to try to retaliate here. i think it changes the way the u.s. responds now. the u.s. has largely been on self-defense. i think they'll have to go on a preemptive, more proactive strike to prevent these operations from occurring from houthi militants. >> even more concerning, the reports of iranian warships have entered the red sea. we'll be watching closely to see if there's a wider chance for

conflict. lieutenant twitty, thank you. we're back in 60 seconds. from london, to sydney to new york city. the party is over. the holiday glow is gone. for a lot of us, reality setting in. what the roads and skies can look like today as a holiday travel season comes to a close. also, new year, new laws, from stopping book bans to distracted driving. the new laws that just went into effect. later, the leading cause of death among firefighters isn't fires. we'll explain. isn't fires. we'll explain. le getting around, but i want to live in my home where i'm comfortable and my friends are nearby. i can do it with the help of a barber, personal shopper and exercise buddy. someone who can help me live right at home. life's good. when you have a plan. ♪ ♪

welcome back. the beginning of 2024 was marked with celebrations around the world. here in new york city tens of thousands of revelers watched the famous crystal ball drop in times square with a heavy security presence. in the florida keys, a giant red high heel dropped with a

drag queen sitting inside. jornl solace is joining us. it looks all quiet. people are either nursing hangovers, getting extra sleep or maybe still celebrating. >> reporter: frances, happy new year to you. it was quite a party as it was expected to be before the ball dropped. people were here early to make sure they had a spot. vowing to stay here until every piece of confetti was picked up. we were seeing a lot of revelers making sure they were adhering to the security protocols here. they were happy to celebrate and be with their loved ones to take in this historic moment of ringing in 2024. the big apple isn't the only place where 2024 was rung in. we saw amazing fireworks displays over in australia. new zealand was one of the first

countries to welcome in 2024. paris, the city of lights, had a dazzling display. paying tribute to the upcoming summer olympics. more than 8,000 people expected at the champs-elysees. thailand had a wonderful display. around the world we saw the ushering in of 2024, leaving 2023 in the past. getting back here to new york city, times square. crews are still working to put everything back in place. when you talk about the cleanup here, more than 100 sanitation workers were here the second the ball dropped to clean up all the confetti to usher in 2024 in times square. >> that is always what fascinates me as much as the entire operation, the cleanup. there ooers not a single square of confetti behind you that we can see.

george, thank you. the holiday travel season has been the second busiest in over 20 years. antonia hylton is live outside laguardia airport. i think i see one passenger behind you. it seems really, really quiet. >> reporter: it is a pretty quiet morning right now, frances. although there have been groups that came through. i've had many conversations. what they tell me is they've arrived in the airport in anticipation or really in fear of what we saw happen this time last year with the southwest airlines meltdowns, 2 million americans sleeping at times for days in airports and cities like new york and boston's logan airport. while there have still been long lines and delays certainly throughout this ten-day travel holiday period, it hasn't been as bad as that. still those images we saw last year on everyone's mind. i talked to a family. they got here four hours before their check-in time, just to be

sitting here in laguardia ready to go. that's the kind of mentality people have because they're so eager to get through. they've really heeded all the warnings. as aaa has been estimating, about 115 million americans going at least 15 miles from home, traveling by plane, also driving on the roads, delays of about 20% expected on the roads. for a while, major cities here in new york, atlanta, denner in, out of airports in florida, we were seeing delays around christmas time. that's the kind of stuff that has travelers preparing particularly when they have kids, wanting to make sure they have a backup plan, another route to get home if necessary. at least they've scoped out the best restaurants and snacks. if they're stuck in a terminal like this, they have a game plan. as you notice, it's pretty calm this morning. people have their fingers crossed that's going to be the tone we set this new year with.

it is off without a hitch, as you heard george say, here at the airport, too. >> that's great. amtrak in the northeast had snafus yesterday. hopefully all smooth from here on out. antonia hylton, thank you. this morning new laws take effect across the country from gun ownership to library censorship. they touch nearly every aspect of american life. nbc's ken dilanian has more. >> good morning, from the meaningful to the mundane, new laws are taking effect in every state. here are some of the measures drawing attention as 2024 gets under way. after threats drove away half the state's top election officials, nevada took action. starting january 1st, those who harass, intimidate or harm election workers performing their duties in the state could face up to four years in prison under a new law that unanimously passed the state legislature. >> most people don't realize either 80% of our election

workers are women. >> reporter: a campaign promise by secretary of state francisco aguillar, the law makes threats to election workers a felony. >> we cannot run elections without people. they are our unsung heroes of democracy. >> reporter: in tennessee, a new law toughens penalties for distracted driving. those cited can see their license suspended. >> if it's just one life we save a year by this law, my dad would be honored to have it in his name. >> reporter: california is requiring stores with more than 500 employees in the state to offer gender-neutral toy sections. failure to comply could result in fines. >> why would bit that a dinosaur, truck or period tick truck would be in the boy's section. let's fundamentally allow kids to be kids. >> you've seen all the criticism of this.

one newspaper called it california's latest woke insanity. how do you respond? >> this bill was inspired by private sector, following that of major retailers, target and so many others are already going in this direction. this is a manufacturer controversy saying it's potentially awoke government. >> reporter: in louisiana the state legislature over rode the governor's veto banning gender affirming care for transgendered minors. it prohibits doctors from prescribing puberty blockers. >> it is my sincere belief that this bill is unconstitutional. i believe the courts will declare that in due course. >> reporter: pennsylvania toughened penalties for drivers who fail to stop for flashing red lights on school buses. michigan is allowing 16-year-olds to pre register to vote. >> our thanks to ken dilanian for that report. up next, 2024 campaign fever. with the iowa caucuses just two

weeks away, how the stakes are intensifying just hours into the new year. plus the warning from a republican governor and trump critic about how disqualifying the former president from some state ballots could actually play into his hands. [deep exhale] [trumpet music plays] 579 breaths to show 'em your stuff. every breath matters. don't let rsv take your breath away. protect yourself from rsv... ...with abrysvo, pfizer's rsv vaccine. abrysvo is a vaccine for the prevention

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♪ ♪ we continue to follow the breaking news out of japan. a tsunami warning is still in effect in the nation's western and coastal regions after a

string of powerful earthquakes struck the sea of japan. officials in the coastal city of wajima says it caused this fire to break out as well as a seven-story building collapse. new video captured by an eyewitness in the shopping mall. people rushing out of the store and heading to safety as others froze in place with all those products and items falling from the shelves. we turn now to iowa where two weeks from today iowans will gather in schools, libraries and other locations to cast the first ballots in this year's presidential election. several candidates have been barnstorming the hawkeye state. nbc news campaign reporter sarah dean joins us now from des moines. happy new year, good morning. >> happy new year. >> happy new year to you. we're seeing two weeks away,

what are each of the candidate strategies heading into the final two weeks there? >> reporter: frances, we're officially in the year of election. the candidates spent the bulk of 2023 trying to break through in a crowded field that has really been dominated by former president donald trump. they've also taken a little different approach to that. vivek ramaswamy has held by far the most events here in ooi wah, over 200. recently he's ramped up to even ten events a day. his campaign is really testing how much retail politics matters in the year 2024. governor ron desantis of florida has also poured all his resources into iowa. he's done what they call the full grassley, visiting all 99 counties. he even started his new year celebration here in iowa at a campaign event alongside governor kim reynolds, the

popular republican governor who is a key en donsment for him. they've set the expectation and goal that they will win the iowa caucus. nikki haley spent a lot more time and resources in new hampshire, but she has been seen more in iowa here recently. she's only held about 45 events here. recently she even went to the university of iowa women's basketball game this past weekend with her son. that's because she's really riding a wave of a little national momentum for her campaign as she's increasingly been seen as potentially the republican party's best chance to beat joe biden in a general election. she's not starting off her 2024 campaign here in iowa, but she'll be in new hampshire tomorrow, frances. >> that's something we've got to get used to seal. i can even see it happening as a verb, grassleying. they spent a lot of time on the ground. are they gaining any ground on

donald trump? what are we seeing as far as any difference? >> reporter: it's really a question that we'll get answered very soon, as we said, in just two weeks. right now donald trump still holds a commanding lead in most national polls and especially here in iowa. he has strong support here, and his campaign has a very sophisticated operation here in iowa unlike they did in 2016. all the other candidates have been fighting uphill battle here. although donald trump has really only done a fraction of the events that the other candidates have done, numberswise, that's going to change. over the next two weeks, almost every day, either donald trump himself or one of his campaign surrogates will be holding an event in iowa. iowans will not be forgetting about former president donald trump. we'll see how it plays out on the 15th. >> i'm sure he'll make himself very, very known in the next couple weeks. sarah dean, good to see you.

thank you very much. let's jump into the more. with us to continue the conversation sophia kai, national politics reporter for axios, and jeff mason, white house reporter. thank you for being with us. happy new year. >> happy new year. >> let's get started with you, jeff. as we know, donald trump clearly leading the pack in iowa. is there a way for someone to break out. we see this full grassleying campaign. what can we see? >> iowa is the first state in the republican nominating race for is a reason. it's a place where people go and meet with voters one-on-one to try to get them out to those caucus votes to come out for them. i think we'll see a lot of thoers candidates out there trying to get the people out over onto their side of the ledger. the broad question is, and i think this is what you're

asking, frances, doesn't make any difference at this point given how strong former president donald trump is doing in the polling. the answer is you never know what is happening. polling isn't always accurate. former president trump is so dominate in that state and so dominant in this race that has made the last several months and even the last couple weeks a race for second place. >> let's delve into this. what he's using as far as tools to get ahead. sophia, maine secretary of state announced donald trump would be removed from the state's ballot because he encouraged the insurrection. new hampshire governor chris sununu who is backing nikki haley responded in an interview on cnn on sunday morning. i want you to listen to that and we'll talk about it on the other side. >> donald trump has played this victim card wonderfully over the past year. nothing on policy, nothing on the future of america, but the

victimization thing. the irony there is just incredible, frankly. yes, this would only boost his opportunity to play that victim card down the road as we hit the primaries. >> all right. so sophia, he's got that card. how are we going to see trump use that to his advantage as we get started in the primary season? >> well, i think it's one of his biggest cards. he's not going to give that up. i think you see also his rival, chris christie, who has been very critical of trump, saying this will allow him to be a martyr and give him potentially more political ammo to get his base fired up and turn out not just in iowa but other primary early states as well. that's kind of how things fall, is that these secretary of states are ruling as they see fit. there could be political ramifications that could turn out in favor of trump.

that's the argument his surrogates and his team have been making. >> i also want to talk to you about this, jeff, when it comes to donald trump and having it turn in his favor. the past fu days you have nikki haley and ron desantis saying they would pardon former president trump if they were elected. here is what they had to say. >> i would pardon donald trump. if he is found guilty, the leader needs to think about what is best for the country. what's best for the country is not to have an 80-year-old man sitting in jail. what would be in the best interest of the country would be to pardon him, move on as a country and no longer talk about him. >> nikki haley said she would pardon donald trump if he wins the election. >> i've already said that. we need to move on as a country. >> that's the common theme we're hearing. they say trump should be

pardoned, the same rationale gerald ford used when he pardoned richard nixon. how are republican primary voters going to see that? >> well, i think, number one, there's a strategy behind that for both candidates whose sound bites you just played. they need to show some differentiation from former president trump. i think that's partly why nikki haley is acknowledging he could be found guilty, but also show they're on the side of the trump supporters who think he's being wrongfully pursued in these cases and, therefore, offer up the pardon. i think it's the strategy that's most important here. they need trump voters, they need former president trump's base to back them eventually if they have any hope of sidelining here in the 2024 election. this is sort of a peace offering or a gift of some -- on some level from these candidates to say to those voters, this is what i would do if he ends up being convicted. >> if he ends up being convicted.

let's start with you, sophia. looking ahead to the new year, what are you going to be watching for? >> well, first of all, everyone's got all their eggs in iowa. in iowa it's iowa or bust. and then i'll be watching for whether or not trump can really secure his nomination before super tuesday in mid march. so those are two key states. and then in new hampshire, whether nikki haley will break through. >> it's going to be fast and furious starting in two weeks in iowa. jeff, how about you? >> i'm going to switch to looking at current president biden. what is his strategy to take on former president trump if he ends up being the republican nominee. does the white house stop emphasizing biden opinion mix and start emphasizing more about the alternative and less about the current president's record, as strong as the economy is. that message so far has not been resonating with voters. >> it is business time, right? holidays are done.

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welcome back. this january 1 marks the start of firefighter cancer awareness month, the leading cause of death. among firefighters it's occupational cancer caused by carcinogens accumulated over time. since 2002 cancer has been responsible pour the deaths of two out of every three firefighters. joining me is ed kelly, at the helm of the largest firefighters union, representing more than 332,000 full-time professional firefighters and paramedics across the united states and canada. i appreciate your being with me, ed on this new year's day. >> good morning, frances. happy new year to you. >> same to you. you're a boston firefighter, and you know what it's like on the ground and the devastating toll the work you do takes. help us understand initially why cancer has become the leading cause of death among firefighters. we may not realize the risk that you expose yourself to every day on the job.

>> well, clearly as firefighters when we respond to the fire we inevitably get exposed to the off-gas and materials. which permeates our skin, sometimes we inhale and ingest. over the course of time that manifests into cancer. what we've come to realize is shockingly our personal protective equipment, our bunker gear like you see us wearing day in and day out is actually manufactured in accordance with the standard to include pfas which is a known carcinogen. our putting that bunker gear on day in and day out, over the course of time that exposure adds up to cancer for many, many, many of our firefighters. one of which, a good friend of mine diagnosed this week. he has a 5-year-old daughter and a 17-year-old daughter. he's in a tough fight but he's a tough guy. >> it's the story of so many. tell us in a tangible sense what

you're hoping to see, what kind of difference can be made and what is needed to get that change. >> well, we know scientifically, it's proven that being firefighters creates a much higher exposure and risk of cancer. in fact, in 2022, ioc, the international agency for research on cancer composed of the most well-recognized and accomplished researchers in the cancer space has designated firefighting as a class one carcinogen, the most dangerous of all. so we're working very hard not only through this cancer awareness month here in january for firefighters, to educate ourselves, to make sure we've taken all the most up to date precautions we can including decontaminating ourselves, eliminating our expoure to the gear. we've issued a safety bulletin recommending the chiefs of every

fire department create standards to limit their exposure to the ppe unless it's absolutely needed. we also need to think about how can we replace all of this gear. i'd like to credit the biden administration for the work they've done in cancers in particular around addressing pfas for all of us, all society and representative debbie dingell from michigan who filed a bipartisan bill support from both sides of the all, called the pfas act. it's very importantly, puts firefighters in the forefront of developing that gear, not the manufacturers or the chemical companies that stand to profit from this. another thing that we're doing -- go ahead. >> we're hoping -- i apologize. we're running out of time. we hope we can get the powerful advocacy you need, whether from lawmakers, strong voices we've

heard from jon stewart over the years when it comes to 9/11 first responders. we so hope you get that advocacy you so need. ed kelly, thank you very much. >> thank you very much. an exclusive nbc news interview, pennsylvania senator john fetterman is opening up about his struggle with mental health. he talks ability his decision to enter treatment last february months after suffering a stroke. he told my colleague kristen welker that he thought sharing his struggle would end his political career. now he's encouraging others to seek help if they need it. >> after the election, that's when things actually accelerated and got worse. at that point i wasn't able to leave bed. and my kids, i really scared my kids. they thought, you won, dad. why aren't we enough? why are you still so sad? why are you even more sad?

it was hard to explain why i was. >> why has it been so important for you to be 100% honest with the american public, with your constituents about your health journey this past year? >> it's a risk i wanted to take because i wanted to help people and know i don't want them to suffer or put any kind of despair that i've been in. if that conversation helps, then i'm going to continue to do that. >> certainly struggles shared by so many. up next here on msnbc, a new year, new minimum wage for millions of workers in nearly half of the country. nearly half of the country.

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a new year means a new paycheck for millions of workers making minimum wage. nbc's sam brock has more on the increases coming to half the country. >> reporter: after years of fighting for a higher wage floor in cities across the country, the new year is going to bring a new paycheck for millions of americans with about half of all states and the district of columbia either raising the minimum wage on january 1st or at some point during the year. hawaii's increase will be the largest, while washington will be the highest minimum wage of any state at more than $16 an hour. but it's california and fast food workers like aknee sha

williams who are seeing the most seismic changes after years of struggles. >> i have to pick which choose between rent, groceries. >> the golden state's minimum wage jumps to $16 at the beginning of the year and for fast food workers it rises to 20 in april. the mother of six, williams says that is a definite progress. >> we've protested every which way to prove our point. >> reporter: but businesses are reacting, especially in california where several pizza hut franchise owners will reportedly lay off more than a thousand drivers statewide and rely instead on companies like doordash. for mom and pop shops like frankie's pizz in old town sacramento, the opener tells us the wage hike will mean longer hours for him. >> you would hire more employees but because of the rate hike that is no longer an option? >> i cannot do it. i can't.

i wouldn't be able to afford to do it. i have to work longer hours to compensate for that. >> reporter: this new reality for many businesses coming as 20 states still rely on the decades old federal minimum wage of $7.25 in place since 2009. while workers like williams see new opportunities. >> so many people doubting us, and sometimes i can't even believe it, you know, and i'm just so -- i'm so happy. >> reporter: sam brock, nbc news. >> there is much more to get to in our next hour of msnbc reports including an update on the earthquake that jolted japan leading to reports of fire and landslides and a tsunami warning. plus, we'll talk to a doctor about your respiratory health after the holidays. and the big agenda and big fights facing congress as we kick off the new year. we're back after a short break. i know, right? i've been telling everyone. baby: liberty. did you hear that? ty just said her first word.

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