making nryone. g, everyone. right now on "america this morning," breaking news, the supreme court issuing a late night ruling on coronavirus restrictions. can states limit attendance at churches, synagogues and mosques? what the sharply divided justices have decided. plus, a new prediction from the cdc overnight. what we could be facing just before christmas. pressure to pardon. president trump's decision to pardon former national security adviser michael flynn who admitted lying to the fbi won't be the first. sources say more pardons are coming. so who is next? lottery luck or skill. the questions this morning after a group of college graduates took home dozens of lottery jackpots in just a matter of months. did they game the system? one boy's thanksgiving miracle. >> he was attacked by i think

six pit bulls. >> nearly killed by a pack of dogs. how some very generous people and one special doctor saved his life as a journey of 1,500 miles. and a thanksgiving like none other. from the big storm slamming millions today to the holiday football tradition postponed to the final macy's parade preparations under way, we're kicking off the holiday right now on "america this morning." good morning, everyone. and happy thanksgiving. we begin with several developments overnight in the coronavirus emergency. >> as families gather for the holiday, there's a grim reality that we're now entering the darkest days of the pandemic. more than 2,200 people died from the virus yesterday, the highest since may 7th bringing the death toll to more than 262,000. >> the economic toll is growing as well with lines at food pantries stretching for miles. 50 million americans are facing

food insecurity. >> and as more people protest coronavirus restrictions, some breaking news from the supreme court overnight, the justices have ruled that new york state cannot limit attendance at places of worship. a win for religious groups that claimed they were unfairly targeted by covid restrictions. >> more on that ruling in a moment, but first the virus out of control as millions hit the road for the holiday. from busy roads, to jam-packed planes, covid lockdowns have done little to deter travelers this thanksgiving. in ohio parking lots outside bars were packed last night on what is typically the biggest bar hopping night of the year. in pennsylvania where they banned alcohol sales after 5:00 p.m., officials sounded the alarm. a statewide emergency alert now warns the state could run out of icu beds by the end of the month. the number of coronavirus deaths nationwide has jumped 35% in the last week, and now fears of another wave of cases after the holiday. in parts of tennessee where hospitalizations are at a record high, retired nurses are being asked to come back to work.

>> we called on any person out there that's retired that's a nurse or any kind of caregiver, they could help out in the hospitals. >> reporter: many cities are facing growing resistance to new restrictions. in los angeles, restaurant owners are railing against the ban on indoor and outdoor dining now in effect. >> it'll probably put me out of business forever like many other small businesses. >> reporter: restaurant related outbreaks have doubled in two weeks. dr. anthony fauci emphasizing people must be cautious when eating even with family and friends. >> you let your guard down. you obviously have to take a mask off if you're eating or drinking. try to avoid that as much as possible. a sacrifice now could save lives and illness. >> reporter: but this mayor in colorado is pushing more drastic measures to enforce restrictions. >> i'm simply saying when the time comes there's not a bed or when the time comes there's not a physician, we're going to have to make a decision. >> reporter: calling on the city council to stop hospitals from accepting any patients from

towns where state safety measures aren't being enforced. >> don't squander your resources expecting to get ours. it's not fair. >> reporter: his tough love message coming as denver's mayor faces a holiday controversy flying to mississippi to visit his daughter despite urging people to stay put. >> during this holiday if you can, remain in your household. >> reporter: wyoming's governor tested positive announcing he has mild symptoms on the same day his new safety measures take effect, limiting restaurant capacity and gatherings. but he has yet to order a mask mandate. a different story in west virginia where the governor says masks and testing are the only weapons the state has left and now -- >> this is what it looks like when you breathe 40 times a minute. >> reporter: one doctor posting this video as a warning. >> i hope that the last moments of your life don't look like this. >> the cdc is now forecasting the u.s. death toll could top 320,000 before christmas. more now on that supreme

court decision siding with religious groups in a challenge to new york's covid restrictions. in a 5-4 ruling the justices blocked governor andrew cuomo from imposing certain caps on attendance at places of worship. chief justice john roberts joined the court's liberals in dissent. in her first decisive role justice amy coney barrett voted with the majority, which found the limits on capacity violated the free exercise of religion. justice neil gorsuch wrote, while the pandemic poses many grave challenges, there is no world in which the world tolerates color-coded edicts that re-open bike shops but shutter churches, synagogues and mosques. president trump's decision to pardon former national security adviser michael flynn. sources say we can expect more pardons soon. this all comes as the president continues to falsely claim that he was cheated out of winning the election. abc's elizabeth schulze has the latest. >> reporter: this morning, democrats speaking out against president trump's decision to pardon former national security adviser michael flynn.

>> it makes a mockery of our democracy to those watching from around the world. >> reporter: trump tweeting, it is my great honor to announce that general michael t. flynn has been granted a full pardon. fling pleaded guilty back in 2017 to lying to the fbi about his contacts with russia. but he's tried to take back the confession ever since. house speaker nancy pelosi slammed trump's decision calling it an act of grave corruption and a brazen abuse of power. but the justice department says the flynn pardon is obviously an appropriate use of the president's power. >> he should pardon everyone from himself to his administration officials to joe exotic if he has to. i think that the president ought to wield that pardon power effectively and robustly. >> reporter: sources say trump is planning more pardons. >> this holiday season will be pardon palooza. you're going to see flynn, bannon, the former rnc finance chair. you name it. >> reporter: but for now he remains focused on the election he lost. >> we have to turn the election over. >> reporter: trump calling into a meeting of pennsylvania

republicans one day after the state certified biden as the winner. among those in the meeting, rudy giuliani and the president railing against the race results making the same claims about fraud as he did around the country. >> this election has to be turned around because we won pennsylvania by a lot, and we won all of these swing states by a lot. >> reporter: the state's former governor also a republican called wednesday's event bogus and slammed trump for his, quote, brazen attempt to undermine the republic. meanwhile, president-elect biden is focusing on the transition of power trying to rally the nation ahead of what will be a very different thanksgiving for most americans. >> i remember that first thanksgiving, the empty chair, the silence. it takes your breath away. it's really hard to care. it's hard to give thanks. it's hard to even think of looking forward, and it's so hard to hope. i understand. i'll be thinking and praying for

each and every one of you at this thanksgiving, at your thanksgiving table because we've been there. >> reporter: as for michael flynn, he has not publicly accepted the pardon but if he does, he would once again be admitting his guilt. mona. >> elizabeth, thank you. a veteran cia officer has been killed in somalia. "the new york times" reports the still unidentified officer was a former member of the navy's s.e.a.l. team 6 and the officer's death comes as the white house plans to withdraw the nearly 700 troops still in that country. the postal service is expressing concern about the safety of its workers amid the surging pandemic and busy holiday season. postal officials have issued a bulletin to law enforcement officers around the country asking police to be increasingly vigilant to keep postal workers safe as they deliver mail through extended early morning and late night hours. package delivery volume is expected to smash all records. time now for a look at your thanksgiving day weather.

the storm system that spawned a destructive tornado near dallas is now moving through the northeast. some areas could see an inch of rain. elsewhere gusty winds will pose a fire risk in southern california. it will be unseasonably mild from d.c. to boston today. new york gets into the 60s. readings in the 40s will stretch from the pacific northwest to the great lakes. looking at the weekend, four to six inches of rain are possible across parts of texas and the southeast. have a safe thanksgiving. coming up, a thanksgiving tradition postponed for football fans. but first how a group of complete strangers helped save a young boy nearly killed by a pack of dogs. his remarkable recovery. and up next, the ivy league college graduates who keep hitting the lottery. are they lucky, or have they figured out a lottery se

♪ it all can get so out ♪of control sometimes ♪] ♪ you can lose your faith ♪ you can lose your mind ♪ lose your grip ♪ get stripped of your pride ♪ till you don't know how you're gonna stay alive ♪ ♪ hey, hey i got you ♪ i will give you what you're needing ♪ ♪ i'll be right there ♪ i got your back ♪ i got you

we're back with people celebrating soccer legend diego maradona on the streets of his native argentina where three days of mourning are underway. diego is being remembered as one of the greatest soccer players in history leading argentina to the 1986 world cup. he died of a heart attack. he was 60. the dallas cowboys are mourning the loss of one of their coaches. markus paul, the strength and conditioning coach was 54. he suffered a heart attack tuesday. the cowboys expected to honor him this afternoon before their game against washington. we turn our attention to a group of lottery players who keep winning big. they have dozens of jackpots. the question is how? here's abc's andrea fujii. >> reporter: this morning, some big paydays raising even bigger questions. >> they're either the luckiest

people in the world or they found a way to beat the system. >> reporter: a group of ivy league graduates raking in millions of dollars from lotteries across the country striking gold at least 66 times in 18 months. the biggest winner of the princeton bunch, manuel montori, the research analyst cashing in 61 winning tickets. his name plastered across this indiana lotto winner's page. so what's the strategy? possibly buying in bulk. >> so she would text me and ask me how many books i had and i would let her know then she would come in and just purchase all of them. >> reporter: in indiana, for example, the group reportedly bought them from four dozen different store, sometimes hundreds at a time. another potential strategy, waiting in the the last days of the lotto game. their biggest winner, a scratcher worth $5 million bought when the game was about to end. still all those tickets are expensive, and it's not clear if the group is actually profiting.

>> even under the best of circumstances, the amount that they're making net of what they're spending on the tickets is not going to be very large. >> reporter: according to "the indianapolis star" all four are associated with a company called black swan capital, a company montori founded. >> gambling losses can be written off your taxes, so they might be able to write those losing tickets off as an expense of doing business. >> reporter: no one in the group has been accused of any crime. lottery officials say everyone was vetted before they received their winnings and they also said there's nothing wrong with people playing the odds. kenneth, mona. >> all right, andrea, thank you. coming up, the big macy's parade preparations under way. also ahead, how the generosity of complete strangers is allowing one young boy who nearly lost his life to celebrate this holiday. advanced non-small cell lung cancer can take away so much. but today there's a combination of two immunotherapies you can take first. one that could mean... a chance to live longer.

opdivo plus yervoy is for adults newly diagnosed with non-small cell lung cancer that has spread and that tests positive for pd-l1 and does not have an abnormal egfr or alk gene. it's the first and only approved chemo-free combination of two immunotherapies that works together in different ways to harness the power of the immune system. opdivo plus yervoy equals a chance for more days. more nights. more beautiful weekends. more ugly sweaters. more big hugs. more small outings. opdivo and yervoy can cause your immune system to attack normal organs hd 4 lems may happen more often when opdivo is used with yervoy. see your doctor right away if you have a new or worse cough; chest pain; shortness of breath; diarrhea; severe stomach pain; nausea or vomiting; dizziness; fainting; extreme tiredness; weight changes; constipation; excessive thirst; changes in urine or eyesight; rash; itching; confusion; memory problems; hd 8.

oh what fun it is to ride in a one-horse open sleigh, bublé sparkling water. it's buble! new aveeno® restorative skin therapy. with our highest concentration of prebiotic oat intensely moisturizes over time

to improve skin's resilience. aveeno® healthy. it's our nature™. back now with the new look for the 94th annual macy's thanksgiving day parade. two new balloons, boss baby and red, from the kid series "ryan's world" are debuting today. the new floats include a tribute to women and science and dedicated to tom and jerry. people can only watch on tv today because of coronavirus restrictions and it will take place inside a one-block area in front of macy's flagship store. we turn now to a boy who is not from the u.s. but still extra thankful this thanksgiving. he just got a new lease on life.

>> it's all thanks to generous people and one special doctor. this is little mikele allen giving a wave in good spirits despite being almost bandaged from head to toe. the 5-year-old in new york city from jamaica where he nearly lost his life earlier this month. >> he was attacked by i think six pit bulls on his way to the candy store. >> reporter: dr. evan garfine the head of plastic surgery at montefiore medical center in the bronx moved by mikele's story and stepped up to help. the doctor raised $250,000 for mikele's medical care, the hospital even pitching in to help the boy and his mother get passports and medical visas flying for the first time ever last friday with a nurse. moments after touching down, mikele underwent a nine-hour surgery. >> he had about 50% or 60% of his scalp torn away, most of his forehead, his left ear, part of his left cheek. >> reporter: mikele's long road to recovery will include several skin grafts and reconstructive surgeries but mom telling our new york station her

son is a tough one. >> i saw him this morning, and he is recuperating very fast. he is eating. he is talking. he is just amazing. >> reporter: on this american holiday this mother from jamaica is sharing her heartfelt thanks to those who saved mikele's life. >> i'm so happy, where he is coming from and where he is now, i just want to say thank you, thank you, thank you. >> he is an absolutely an amazing little boy and, you know, i think the longer you do something like this, people are constantly amazed by how resilient kids are. >> a big thanks to our new york station wabc for bringing us mikele's story. and i am happy to report that he will turn 6 next month. he is just an incredible young man. his mother just so thankful obviously that people pitched in here in the u.s. to help him out. >> just an adorable little boy who has a new lease on life looking forward to see what he does when he grows up.

coming up, dr. imran ali is here answering your thanksgiving safety questions. also ahead, new coronavirus concerns in the nfl. jamaica. e mess but scrubbing still takes time. now there's dawn powerwash dish spray. the faster, easier way to clean as you go. it cleans grease five times faster on easy messes, just spray, wipe, and rinse. on tough messes, the spray-activated suds cut through grease on contact, without water. just wipe, and rinse. get dishes done faster dawn powerwash dish spray. spray. wipe. rinse. nurtec odt has worked wonders for me. don't take if allergic to nurtec. the most common side effect was nausea. for more information, go to nurtec.com

high protein. low sugar. tastes great! high protein. low sugar. so good. high protein. low sugar. mmm, birthday cake. pure protein. the best combination to help you stay fit. oh what fun it is to ride in a one-horse open sleigh, bublé sparkling water. it's buble! haha! you saved the bottle... and the ship is for friendship. this is incredibly thoughtful. my turn! no! um... you should wait. it's a charger! it's gonna power our friendship. a nivea breathable experiment. now they do. moisturizes deeply with no sticky feel.

the game changing nivea breathable. we're back now with how to stay safe on this thanksgiving. even small family gatherings can be dangerous. viewers across the country have been submitting their questions. earlier i spoke with dr. imran ali. what are you seeing right now in hospitals, and what are your biggest concerns heading into the holiday today regarding how the virus is spreading? >> well, mona, we look at charts and graphs, but one number is really important, the amount of hospitalizations, and we're seeing really large numbers. about 26% of america's icus are at 80% capacity. just think about it. that's an average icu of ten beds. that means eight beds are being

used. >> and what do you want to let people know, and what do people need to know about thanksgiving gatherings besides staying within your household, wearing a mask and trying to socially distance? is, for example, keeping a window open important and what else can be done? >> the thing is respiratory viruses are notoriously spread in winter months because people are indoors. and it's the dry heat that makes the respiratory droplets more light and fluffy and they float more in the air because there's less humidity. also the dry heat can, you know, dry out the nasal mucosa, the lining of our noses making it easy to catch viruses like influenza and coronavirus. people should stay outdoors if possible. i know it's very cold. some people use a fire pit. some people gather outdoors because it's much more safer. the respiratory droplets can dissipate, and just the fact that you're eating, you're going to definitely take your mask down, and it's human nature. you're not going to always keep that mask up all the time, so

the risk is so much higher when you're eating and talking. >> and, dr. ali, the tsa is reporting 5 million people have flown this week despite the cdc urging people not to travel. i want to know, what is your reaction to that news? >> well, people are tired. people are getting the pandemic fatigue and it's taking an emotional toll, and people are now seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. but we're not at the end of the tunnel yet. >> what else do you want to say to the american people who are listening right now who think there is very little risk to a small gathering among their family members today? >> stay within your immediate household. extended family can join in by zoom or virtual means. >> our thanks to dr. ali. a coronavirus outbreak has forced the nfl to move tonight's primetime game between the steelers and ravens to sunday. the ravens have disciplined a staffer who failed to report covid symptoms and did not wear a mask. alabama football coach nick saban is suffering mild

symptoms after testing positive for covid. he'll miss saturday's game. >> top headlines next. was another around the corner? or could it be a different story? i wanted to help protect myself. my doctor recommended eliquis. eliquis is proven to treat and help prevent another dvt or pe blood clot. almost 98 percent of patients on eliquis didn't experience another. ...and eliquis has significantly less major bleeding than the standard treatment. eliquis is fda-approved and has both. don't stop taking eliquis unless your doctor tells you to. eliquis can cause serious and in rare cases fatal bleeding. don't take eliquis if you have an artificial heart valve or abnormal bleeding. if you had a spinal injection while on eliquis call your doctor right away if you have tingling, numbness, or muscle weakness. while taking eliquis, you may bruise more easily... and it may take longer than usual for bleeding to stop. seek immediate medical care for sudden signs of bleeding, like unusual bruising. eliquis may increase your bleeding risk if you take certain medicines. tell your doctor about all planned medical or dental procedures. what's around the corner could be your moment. ask your doctor about eliquis.

what's ar♪und the corner could be your moment. ocean spray works with nature every day to keep you healthy chances are you have some questions right now here are a couple answers... lysol disinfectant spray and disinfecting wipes together can be used on over 100 surfaces. and kill up to 99.9% of viruses and bacteria. unfortunately, we can't answer every question you have right now. lysol. what it takes to protect.

♪ ♪ >> ♪ wish you a merry christmas, baby ♪ >> ♪ wish you a merry christmas, baby ♪ >> from chicago, it's the bmo harris magnificent mile lights festival... >> ♪ ooh-hoo >> ♪ let's deck the halls... >> ...with performances from grammy and oscar winner jennifer hudson, country superstars rascal flatts, heather headley, "american idol" winner laine hardy... ♪ ...plus johnnyswim, disney channel's kylie cantrall, and of course, mickey and minnie. >> happy holidays, chicago! oh, gosh, this is one of our favorite nights of the year. >> it sure is! >> here are your hosts -- alan krashesky and cheryl burton. >> happy holidays! and welcome to the