>> we appreciate you. >>, wonderful holiday. -- have a wonderful good morning, america, for our vierin thees the brand-new data from pfizer on this wednesday morning as a new variant spreads across the nation. shots versus omicron. new concerns this morning about if the vaccines hold up against the new variant as the u.s. enters another winter surge with christmas two weeks away. dr. jha is going to join us live here in the studio with the latest. tensions rising. president biden's stern warning for vladimir putin if russia invades ukraine. we're live on the front lines of the conflict this morning. breakthrough deal. the house takes the first steps to avoid a catastrophic debt default affecting everything from social security to troop pay.

this as former president trump's chief of staff mark meadows is now refusing to cooperate with the investigation. opening statements set to begin in the criminal trial of kim potter, the former minnesota police officer who killed 20-year-old daunte wright saying she mistook her handgun for her taser. no deal. after being on strike for two months kellogg's workers reject a new contract offer from the company. now kellogg's is hiring permanent replacements. major amazon outage. what the company is saying about the problem with the web service behind popular streaming sites to delta and southwest and were deliveries impacted at the height of the holiday shopping season. the grinch bots that stole christmas. the groups using computers to buy up the hottest gifts of the holiday season and how you can fight back. ♪ counting stars ♪ t-minus one day until strahan really becomes spaceman strahan. climbing the tower. taking his seat, all the prep for his big launch, stray and

crewmates join us live this morning. it takes a whole lot. ♪ it takes diff'rent strokes to rule the world ♪ >> to put on "live in front of a studio audience," the stars that had us rolling on the floor laughi laughing. >> what you talkin' bout, willis? >> in "diff'rent strokes" and "the facts of life." >> i'd know those knees anywhere. >> the hair, the head gear. the throwback commercials. the surprise guests. the original stars. ♪ the facts of life ♪ >> and the classic theme songs. ♪ together we'll be fine diff'rent strokes yes it does ♪ ♪ it takes diff'rent strokes to rule the world ♪ no, it is not 1994. it is 2021. good morning, america. hope you're doing well this morning. >> those are fun. people have been enjoying those throwbacks and that music, that

song. >> the theme songs. >> love those, yes, we'll talk more about that. but the big story, of course, continues to be this race to contain omicron, the new covid variant now confirmed in at least 21 states, just a week after it was first detected in the country. >> this as we're getting brand-new data from pfizer just this morning. dr. jha is here live. he's standing by in our studio to talk about that and more. first let's go to whit johnson who is at a hospital and vaccination center in the bronx in new york. good morning, whit. >> reporter: robin, good morning. this new data from pfizer appears to reinforce a previous study by scientists in south africa. both suggesting that the vaccines still work but are perhaps less effective against the omicron variant. this is all preliminary, though, and we expect to learn a lot more in the coming weeks. a new study in pfizer out just this morning indicates the omicron variant likely chips away at the efficacy of its vaccine, but the shots still provide some protection. especially against severe

disease and receiving a third booster dose appears to significantly offset the variant's impact. >> there are a lot of unknowns. >> reporter: pfizer's ceo speaking at a "wall street journal" event saying his company could have a vaccine for the new variant by spring if needed. >> if there is a need for the vaccine we will have a vaccine in march. i don't know if there will be a need for a vaccine. we will know that in a few weeks. >> reporter: this as health officials are scrambling to track omicron in the u.s. cases now identified in at least 21 states but the world health organization pointing to early research suggesting omicron may be less severe than previous variants. >> at the moment at least the preliminary data doesn't indicate that this is more severe. in fact, if anything, the direction is towards less severity but, again, it's early days and we have to be very careful. >> reporter: today marking two years since the first covid cases identified in wuhan, china, and the u.s. is entering another winter surge still fueled by the delta variant.

nationwide daily covid deaths up 57% in the last week. hospital admissions up 10% overall and 20% among children. and health officials are sounding the alarm about holiday gatherings. the cdc is now recommending that people get a rapid covid test before indoor activities with friends and family, even if you're vaccinated and not showing any symptoms. robin? >> all right, whit, thank you. joining us live and in person this time, dr. ashish jha, the dean of the brown university school of public health. you got a rock star welcome when you walked into the studio. thank you for being the calm during this ongoing storm that we're experiencing. the new study. the new study that is just out this morning from pfizer talking about how effective their vaccine is against the new variant. what do you know? >> yeah, so good morning, robin. thanks for having me here in person. the new study from pfizer last night from south africa put it together. here's what we're learning, two

shots of the vaccine probably not enough to prevent infections. we're seeing the data suggests drop-off in antibody levels and their ability to neutralize the new variant. three doses, with the booster, it's going to end up making a big difference. so that's what the preliminary data says. >> it is encouraging because we keep hearing in new reports and preliminarily that this new variant is more contagious, but it's less severe. >> it's a great question. we don't know the answer. my sense is you've gotten two shots or been previously infected you'll probably end up having a much milder course. a booster, you'll do even better preventing getting infected. if you have nothing, no vaccine, not previously infected i'm not sure it will be a milder disease for you. >> before omicron came along you were pretty relaxed about travel and gatherings over the holidays for vaccinated people. has that changed? >> it hasn't because omicron is not going to be dominant in the u.s. until probably january. it's just in small numbers still. for most americans if you're

fully vaccinated especially if you're boosted i think travel is pretty reasonable, pretty safe. obviously wear good masks on the airplane, all the things we say, but it's still pretty safe thing to do. >> what do you think the forecast is given the new information, so what are the next few months looking like? >> we are in the middle of the delta surge, especially in the northern states. it's cold. infection numbers are still rising. i expect that to peak and start dropping off in january. that's what happened last year.. what will happen with omicron is still the big question. i do expect a lot of infections from omicron once we get to january, february but i'm hoping it won't be terrible because if people are vaccinated they're boosted, we'll weather this. spring and summer -- again, as long as mother nature doesn't throw another curveball at us, which none of us can predict, i'm looking forward to a much better spring and summer. >> all right. >> thanks very much for coming

in. >> so good to have you. we'll turn to the high stakes showdown with russia. amazing troops near the border and president biden warned president putin of serious consequences if he launched an invasion and cecilia vega is tracking the latest. good morning, cecilia. >> reporter: hey, george. good morning. that meeting lasted more than two hours. let me jump right in and show you this remarkable split screen. president biden in the situation room surrounded by his top aide. the kremlin releasing video of putin dialing into this secure call from his home in sochi. when this was over national security adviser jake sullivan called the meeting useful but they say they still don't believe whether putin has decided if he'll go through with this and invade ukraine. so officials are now saying the president laid out the consequences if he does go through with this, everything from strong economic measures to sending more weapons and military supplies to the region. as for american troops, sullivan is telling me they expect allies to request additional support from troops in the region and the u.s. is going to help. so here's where we are right now, george, with the kremlin and white house saying aides on

both sides will keep the dialogue open and president biden is speaking to ukraine tomorrow. george? >> cecilia vega, thanks. let's go to ukraine right now. senior foreign correspondent ian pannell is on the scene, ian. >> reporter: yeah, good morning, george. that's right. although many were hoping this meeting would ease the crisis and officials have agreed to carry on talking, i think the reality here on the ground is that the tensions remain undiminished. this morning, exclusive pictures of americans supplied weapons on the front lines in ukraine's conflict with russian backed rebels. this is what vladimir putin means by a red line. what he sees as america's, nato's expansion in ukraine and why this crisis is so hard to resolve. we visited the battlefields of eastern ukraine. you hear that sound? that's the sound of small arms fire and we're hearing it every few minutes now. the soldiers are trying to keep

us moving forward, but we're here on the frontline. it's really active every few minutes. another gunshot there. the war has been grinding on for eight years after russia annexed crimea and backed a rebellion in the east. today ukraine's forces facing off against russian-backed separatists and the scars of battle are everywhere. now u.s. intelligence officials believe president putin may be planning to go even further. there's thought to be 100,000 russian troops on the border east of here which is raising tensions on the front lines where russian-backed rebels and ukrainians are at each other daily. less than 100 yards apart. we've been told we'll move back through the trenches. they heard the sound of gunfire coming from the rebel positions. they'll open fire more and it's too dangerous to stay here. this is where the crisis between russia and ukraine, in many senses between russia and america, is playing out.

>> are you worried russian forces, tens and tens of thousands of soldiers and tanks now on the russian border with ukraine? you're ready? >> we're ready. >> reporter: so that call has done little to change the uncertainty that dial if you like hasn't shifted in either direction and after so many broken promises, broken cease-fires, i think the people here on the ground have low expectations that things will change and as long as those tens of thousands of russian troops remain camped out on the border with ukraine it's unlikely that the guns will fall silent. george? >> seems right. ian, thanks very much. t.j.? we turn to that sigh of relief coming out of washington. lawmakers reached a deal to raise the debt ceiling keeping the u.s. government from going into default. our congressional correspondent rachel scott is on capitol hill with the latest. rachel, good morning. >> reporter: t.j., good morning. this really is down to the wire. the treasury secretary has warned the government will run out of cash to pay its bills in just one week if congress does not act. and so with just days to go, democrats and republicans have

reached a deal to raise the nation's debt limit. think of this like maxing out the nation's credit card. lawmakers have to agree to raise the balance or else the government defaults. now nearly 98% of the debt predates president biden's time in office, but republicans are refusing to help, protesting the trillions of dollars in new spending proposed by the democrats. now, this deal does establish a work-around that allows democrats to raise the debt limit without any republican support and this will certainly be welcome news ahead of the holidays. there would be catastrophic consequences if congress does not act. social security checks for millions of americans could be delayed. troops would go unpaid. leaders are confident that will all be avoided with this deal, t.j. >> rachel, another question out of washington today, is will he or won't he show up? a close trump adviser could be held in contempt. >> reporter: we're talking about former trump chief of staff mark meadows. this is whiplash for the the the

6th committee. initially meadows agreed to cooperate with the january 6th select committee. now he is refusing, accusing them of not respecting the boundaries of executive privilege. now, meadows is expected to be here today for a deposition, if he is a no show, the committee is threatening to held him in criminal contempt of congress, t.j. >> rachel scott for us, thank you as always. robin? t.j., now to opening statements in the manslaughter trial of the former minnesota police officer kim potter who shot and killed daunte wright during a traffic stop earlier this year. saying she meant to reach for her taser. stephanie ramos is in minneapolis with the latest for us. good morning, stephanie. >> reporter: robin, good morning. the criminal trial for former police officer kim potter begins today right here in minneapolis in the courthouse behind me. the former brooklyn center police officer said she mistook her handgun for her taser when she shot and killed 20-year-old daunte wright in april of this year. wright was pulled over for an expired tag and officers later

discovered an outstanding misdemeanor for his arrest. wright struggled, potter then fired one shot killing wright. a nearly all white jury will determine whether or not to find her guilty of first and second degree manslaughter for wright's death. attorneys for potter say it was a mistake and she never intended to kill wright. a 26-year veteran she wants to take the stand in her own defense. potter's trial will take place in the same courtroom where former police officer derek chauvin was found guilty in the killing of george floyd. gorge? >> stephanie ramos, thank you. we turn to the strike at kellogg's entering its third month and kellogg's is replacing more than a thousand workers after the union rejected the latest offer from the cereal giant and alex perez has details. good morning, alex. >> reporter: hey, good morning, george. the 1,400 workers have been on strike since october and since a deal has not been reached kellogg's says it's moving forward with plans to find permanent replacements for those workers. now, the striking employees have rejected a five-year contract offer which would have provided 3% raises and maintained current

health care benefits at its plants in michigan, nebraska, pennsylvania and tennessee. the union employees who turned down the deal say they won't return to work until kellogg's stops a two-tiered system of wages which gives newer workers less pay and fewer benefits. in a statement the president of kellogg's north america says we must take the necessary steps to ensure business continuity. we have an obligation to our customers and consumers to continue to provide the cereals that they know and love. and in another twist here, labor experts believe kellogg's won't be able to find the number of people it needs to replace those workers and employees. all of this far from over. t.j.? >> all right, alex, thank you so much. we want to turn to the major amazon web service outage disrupting some of the most popular sites and reportedly bringing some delivery services to a standstill right in the middle of the holiday shopping season.

our chief business correspondent rebecca jarvis is here with the happy holiday news. this does not sound good. >> no, it's not good, t.j. even if you say alexa, please resolve this massive internet outage that doesn't work. it didn't fix it. millions of people potentially felt this trying to use their smart devices like alexa, buying airline tickets or streaming their favorite movies and tv shows. this giant outage hit websites including netflix, stock trading app robinhood and disney plus owned by the parent company of abc and airlines like southwest and delta and at the heart of the problem was amazon web services. it powers cloud computing for about a third of the internet. the issue originated when several of amazon's network devices were flooded with traffic from unknown sources and on reddit there were reports that the outage also brought down critical tools used by amazon warehouse and delivery workers. they couldn't scan packages or access delivery routes. drivers were left scrambling

with plans to regroup today and it's all happening during peak time, t.j., for all the packages that everybody ordered in the last couple of days. >> you got everybody's attention with packages. so how many, how bad was it when it comes to packages and deliveries being impacted? >> we asked amazon for an answer. they are not telling us what the actual information is but we know this could have been many packages because it lasted throughout the day. amazon says it has resolved the underlying problem which impacted many sites. much of yesterday, a lot of the shipping companies, a lot of people delivering packages are getting back to business. >> after all that you're telling me all good? >> christmas is still a ways away so i hope so. >> okay, rebecca, thank you. a lot more coming up including t-minus one day until michael lifts off and will meet his fellow astronauts live. the grinch bots grabbing the products as they drop online, selling out before you even have a chance to buy. this morning what you can do to beat the bots.

first, good morning, ginger. >> good morning, robin. we know it was super rainy in hawaii. the wettest december day in honolulu on record and the second wettest day that they've seen in any month and so you can see some of the mudslide action there. the roads will still be covered. should be standing water but thankfully rain has slowed or eliminated. i have to show you what happened on interstate 90 in pennsylvania, erie county, accidents, spinouts, a little burst with all that cold air coming in and we will see what we're calling decorative snow during the day meaning it won't add up to much but in the mountains you get some and if you're looking for a white christmas, the 15th through the 21st. windchill forecast sponsored by target.

stay with us this morning. we'll check in with michael and the entire crew set to go to space tomorrow.

♪ all the gifts you really, really, really, can't wait to unwrap. ♪ joy. fully. ♪ what can i du with less asthma? with dupixent i can du more... joy. fully. yardwork...

teamwork... long walks.... that's how you du more, with dupixent, which helps prevent asthma attacks. dupixent is not for sudden breathing problems. it's an add-on-treatment for specific types of moderate-to-severe asthma that can improve lung function for better breathing in as little as two weeks. and can reduce, or even eliminate, oral steroids. and here's something important. dupixent can cause serious allergic reactions, including anaphylaxis. get help right away if you have rash, shortness of breath, chest pain, tingling or numbness in your limbs. tell your doctor if you have a parasitic infection, and don't change or stop your asthma treatments, including steroids, without talking to your doctor. are you ready to du more with less asthma? just ask your asthma specialist about dupixent. ♪ it starts with a mother's determination to treat her baby's eczema. and grows into a family business that helps thousands more.

it starts with an army vet's dream of studying the stars. and grows into a new career as an astrophysicist. it starts with an engineer's desire to start over. and grows into an award-winning restaurant that creates local jobs. they learned how on youtube. what will you learn? ♪ may you have joy, comfort and peace. ♪ ♪ we wish you well, oh yes we do! ♪ ♪ may you have joy, comfort and peace. ♪ ♪ can i get ten large fries please? i'm gonna need like ten egg mcmuffin sandwich things? night, or the next morning, you've been loyal. mymcdonald's rewards is for you. now, every order earns points redeemable for free mcdonald's.

>> building a better bay area, moving forward, finding solutions, this is abc 7 news. jobina:jobina:jobina:jobina:job: has approved two new police academies. the decision came after hours of public comment. the council is trying to address the rise in violence in oakland where there have been 129 murders. the chamber of commerce applauded the boat saying quality of life has been deteriorating. the police has 61 vacancies and it will be months before the future academies graduate and swear in 60 new officers. coming back to the studio and checking in on traffic with a live look at the bay bridge told plaza. we also have a new crash being reported just past the toll plaza blocking one lane.

you see a pretty extensive backup for everybody. a live look at the richmond bridge. these headlights are traveling towards the north bay so you will face speeds under the limit but the slow spots are really along highway four and also on 580. 580. so tracy to dublin will be one ♪ ♪ ♪ 580. so tracy to dublin will be one easy tools on the chase mobile app. simplicity feels good. chase. make more of what's yours.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ visit your volvo retailer for special offers during our holiday safely sales event.

mike: we are back and taking a look at temperatures. grab a coat that will keep you warm with 46 to 53 and are spread. future radar for the next 24 hours or so, spotty green from this one light storm on the storm impacts the -- impact scale. we have a chance for drizzle and tent of an inch of rain and really breezy tomorrow with increasing sunshine, freezing cold friday and saturday. jobina: coming up it is t minus

one day until michael lifts off. a look at his training and we a look at his training and we will have another healthier is on-demand covid testing to help you return safely. even if it's still... a little awkward. how've you been? -i'm so good! ♪ this is what healthier looks like. ♪ this is elodia. she's a recording artist. 1 of 10 million people that comcast has connected to affordable internet in the last 10 years.

and this is emmanuel, a future recording artist, and one of the millions of students we're connecting throughout the next 10. through projectup, comcast is committing $1 billion so millions more students, past... and present, can continue to get the tools they need to build a future of unlimited possibilities. someday you'll catch the perfect wave. and with access to elevated benefits at fine hotels + resorts. someday can be any day you want. one of the many reasons you're with amex platinum. to run a growing business, is to be on a journey. and along the ride, you'll have many questions. challenges. and a few surprises. ♪ but wherever you are on your journey.

your dell technologies advisor is here for you - with the right tech solutions. so you can stop at nothing for your customers. ♪ with the right tech solutions. why not? y, l'eau de parfum. yves saint laurent. at macy's the fragrance destination nyquil severe gives you powerful relief for your worst cold and flu symptoms, on sunday night and every night. nyquil severe. the nighttime, sniffling, sneezing, coughing, aching, stuffy head, best sleep with a cold, medicine. no one can deliver your mom's homemade short ribs. that's why instacart helps deliver the ingredients. and you add the love. celebrate the holidays with big savings. find great deals on the amazon echo show 8! get up to 40% off outerwear.

and cuddl duds pillows & throws starting at 40% off. plus, take an extra 25% off! and an extra $10 off when you spend $50 or more. kohl's. hey, i told you, this is my room too. >> see, that's the problem. i got no quiet. i got no privacy. i got nowhere to go to think my deep thoughts. >> what you talkin' bout, willis? >> yep, that's the line everybody was waiting for. kevin hart with that classic line bringing back "diff'rent strokes" and performing "live in front of a studio audience." "the facts of life" also getting a lot of laughs. we'll have much more on both all-star casts coming up in our next hour.

first here we need to get to texas. it's t-minus a day now, stray is going to space, yes, we'll talk to him and the entire crew, laura, lane, cameron, evan, dylan, there they are but first gio benitez. by tomorrow i'm guessing we might be calling you stowaway. >> reporter: i'll find my way on, t.j. good morning to you. listen, we are getting closer and closer to that launch. michael and the crew have just one day left of training before liftoff. it has been a wild ride so far. take a look. day two of training for michael began with a run through of launch morning at the tower 80 feet above the desert, seven flights of stairs and inside the safety shelter. >> good morning, astronauts. welcome to your emergency safety shelter. >> reporter: properly named since it's the most secure place on the tower. >> this is the place you're going to go if anything goes wrong on the tower before we launch. you'll never go downstairs. the only places you go in the capsule or in this room. >> reporter: safety of the blue origin astronauts is exceedingly important so they have equipped the shelter with emergency air

supply, direct radio access to mission control and safety ratings to withstand explosions. >> the entire booster can explode and you'll be in here and be safe. >> reporter: outside the shelter michael and his crewmates practice crossing the bridge to the tower where they'll load into the capsule. on the way a blue origin tradition, ringing that bell. at the crew access tower a quick explainer. >> before we go in the capsule you'll go around into your seat and immediately start buckling in. >> reporter: michael taking it all in. >> it's a beautiful view up here between the mountains. the closer we get the more these things that we do on the launch tower and walking across the bridge, ringing the bell the more you know this is the reality. so very excited. >> reporter: back at the astronaut training center, the day ended working inside the test capsule. with three to four minutes in space at zero gravity, the blue origin astronauts need to be masters at the technique of rolling into and out of their seats. >> the biggest limitation of training to go to space on earth

we can't simulate zero gravity, however, the technique that we have for getting back in the seat, you can execute it in 1g and do all of the motions. by the time they get into the 0g environment they know their steps cold and can execute it. >> ready to try this, michael? >> yep. >> all right, here you go. you're clear to egress. you loosen up. feet out, pop the harness and float out. >> get over there. >> reporter: that's right. do those somersaults. as always, mission control is watching the weather. forecasters are expecting high winds tomorrow afternoon but right now the morning is looking pretty good. so far we're go for launch. >> all right, gio, thank you. now we're joined by michael and fellow crew members, laura shepard churchley, lane and cameron bess, evan dick and dylan taylor. welcome to all of you. great to see you guys.

michael, how is your preflight routine different than your pregame routine? >> actually i'll probably sleep better for the preflight routine, george, because, you know, it's different in sports than football. you see me in the training center with my fellow astronauts. we have been training so much, going through all the different protocols, all the different safety features that you feel very confident and we all feel very confident and can perform any function that we may need if called upon and just all the different things getting in and out of your seat, all these things i never knew you needed to know. you just think you get in, strap up, go up, come down but there's so much you learn here and it's just been fantastic and puts you at ease. i know we're all excited and bonded as a team here in van horn, texas. >> ahhhh, that bond. i love it. laura, let me ask you, of course, we know alan shepard your beloved father, his forever place in history. laura, what do you think he would be saying to you right before liftoff? >> well, he probably would tell

me that it was going to be a beautiful view and that i needed to look at the view as opposed to just doing somersaults in the weightlessness. >> laura, you have had -- >> he would say to go for it, laura. >> laura, you have had the best answers. we've enjoyed talking to you. >> there's my daddy. >> aww. >> we're talking about your dad there. oh, just seeing your reaction is precious but we have there with us too cameron and lane, this is the first parent/child duo that's going to be going to space. how special of an experience is this for you all to be able to do it together? >> well, i'm very proud to be able to do this with my son. it was a boyhood dream of mine. cameron and i used to shoot model rockets when he was young and to be able to do this real and do it together, you can't

ask for more to be able to be father and child opportunity to go to space. >> i'm just happy he brought me along. you know, it's a great opportunity. >> i'll bet you are. so, what's it like to put on the space suit for the first time? >> oh, boy, this is a lifelong dream for me, george, so to actually go through the training and actually have a flight suit with my name on it and the mission patch which i think you all have seen which is brilliant is a dream come true. >> looks like a marvel movie. >> we're ready. hollywood, call us up. we're ready to go. >> well, we cannot wait and, michael, we are watching you. we are here for you. t-minus one day to go. thank you all and we'll have live coverage of the launch tomorrow starting at 9:30 eastern. coming up next the grinch bots buying up the hottest holiday gifts. how you can beat them. hem. ♪ ♪

this year take the time to melt into your holiday moments with lindor. ♪ ♪ irresistibly smooth chocolate. from the lindt master chocolatier. oh, don't forget. gifts for the kids. -bye. -hey, give it back! irresthat's mine.th chocolate. will you stop? get off my bed. hey, hey, hey. guys, guys. come on. i wish i had my own room. wake up! presents! where's dad? check the office. oh, my gosh. i love it! i love it! i love it! (laughter) -we get our own rooms? -uh-huh.

does scrubbing feel like a workout? scrub less with dawn platinum. its superior formula breaks down and removes up to 99% of tough grease and food residue faster. so you scrub less. tackle grease wherever it shows up. scrub less. save more. with dawn. ♪ ♪ acqua di giò & acqua di giò profondo giorgio armani at macy's the fragrance destination alright, here we go, miller in motion. wha — wait, wait, is that a... baby on the field?? it looks like it, craig. and the defensive linemen are playing peek-a-boo. i've never seen anything like that before. harris now appears to be burping the baby. that's a great moment right there. the ref going to the rule book here. what, wait a minute! harris is off to the races! we don't need any more trick plays. touchdown!! but we could all use more ways to save.

are you kidding me?? it's going to be a long bus ride home for the defense. switch to geico for more ways to save. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ when the chapstick goes on. it's on. get yours on at chapstick.com expecting someone else? it's the all-idays, and no matter how you jingle, we've got your jammies. nice, nice. it's the naughty ones who make history. alla the jingle jammies, alla the gifts. happy all-idays from old navy! nespresso vertuo. redifining coffee. with one touch. precision brewing technology.

a smooth crema. for an exceptional coffee every day. nespresso vertuo. what coffee is meant to be. we are back with our holiday shopping watch and a new hitch in getting gifts on your list. computer programs called grinch bots are grabbing the hottest products before real people can buy them. becky worley has a look at how they work and how to beat them. good morning, becky. >> reporter: good morning, george. so interesting to see how these things work. you want to give that gaming console or pair of sneakers and a retailer is saying new stock will drop at a specific time but it sells out in an impossibly short duration.

it's not that you're slow. it's what some people, even lawmakers are now calling grinch bots, computer software from bad actors that are bogarting all the good stuff. just like this grinch, grinch bots are really messing with online gift purchases. how? well, if it's hot, i'm talking ps5s, yeezys, luxury purses it's been bought by a grinch bot. >> it's a system of computers that are basically trying to purchase things from a website. >> reporter: jason kent, a security researcher says bots pounce on popular products fast and then resell them at a markup. >> how fast does all that happen? >> if it takes you 30 seconds to get through the website, if you're doing it as fast as you can, a bot can do it in about 3. >> they'll win every time? >> they'll win every single time. >> reporter: jason replays a bot attack that happened to one of his clients when they released a hot product.

>> the bots are here. i can see them lighting up. >> what am i seeing? looks like normal traffic then it starts to increase then it gets huge. >> this particular attack in the 30 minutes that they were online they got 6 million requests. >> so these grinch bots come from organized groups who have lots of resources. this is big business. >> it could be five people working in a group. it could be 50. and there's various pieces of the attack that have to be coordinated. >> is this illegal? >> it's a great question. is it illegal today? no. >> reporter: just last week legislation to outlaw this bot activity was introduced in the house. back in 2019 similar laws were proposed but went nowhere. >> not a day goes by we don't see a billion plus malicious requests from bots. it's a very large-scale problem day in and day out. >> reporter: web companies like akami say they're playing a cat and mouse game to figure out who is a bot and who is a human.

one giveaway, mouse movement. this simulation shows the cursor activity of a bot on an e-commerce site. very linear but i try it and, well, i look, well, distracted. and while companies are fighting back -- >> it is almost a perfect storm of we're creating too much demand and not enough supply. >> reporter: now, these grinch bots have been around for a while but with the supply chain issues and shortages and the rise of limited edition sneakers with timed hype sales, this year has really been a doozy. now, you may want to know how to spot something that's been purchased with a bot. it's pretty straightforward. if it hasn't been released yet and already listed on a marketplace or reseller site at twice the price, pretty much guaranteed a bot is going to buy it. >> how do you beat the bots, becky? >> reporter: here's some tips we got from our experts. sign in in advance, have all your payment info loaded, ready

to go. then they say buy only that one hot item. don't add in extras or peripherals. your goal is speed, speed, speed and on that note they say mobile browsers are often faster than a computer so buy on your phone. if you go to buy it at a specific time of a drop, it's sold out and you can't get it, wait three to five minutes and start hitting refresh on the product page. the retailers will spot those bots and then cancel their purchases, basically cancel out their cards. then it takes three or five minutes to reallocate the stock into the inventory and you might get lucky and show up if you have persistence. >> oh, is that all? >> trying to follow the whole thing. just hit refresh is what i took away. thank you, becky. >> i know. that is so true. it's terrible that people -- because there are always hot items and you know parents are trying to get for the kids and others.

so refresh. >> refresh. >> we look forward to that instructional email you send us. will smith tells us about his epic adventure from the deepest reaches of the ocean to a wild ice climb and everything in between. coming up, one of the most spectacular alley-oops you will ever see and it's not a basketball play. that's our "play of the day." stay with us. kevin! kevin? kevin. oh nice. kevin, where are you? kevin?!?!? hey, what's going on? i'm right here! i was busy cashbacking for the holidays with chase freedom unlimited. i'm gonna cashback on a gingerbread house! oooh, it's got little people inside! and a snowglobe. oh, i wished i lived in there. you know i can't believe you lost another kevin. it's a holiday tradition! that it is! earn big time with chase freedom unlimited. how do you cashback? chase. make more of what's yours.

music ♪ ♪ come together. ralphs club. the new fragrance. ralph lauren. ♪have yourself a merry little christmas.♪ ♪make the yule-tide gay.♪ ♪

♪from now on♪ ♪our troubles will be miles away.♪ ♪and have yourself♪ ♪a merry little christmas♪ shop pandora jewelry and receive a free sterling silver bangle as our special gift to you. it's my woke-up-like-this migraine medicine. it's ubrelvy. one dose can quickly stop my migraine in its tracks within 2 hours. don't take with strong cyp3a4 inhibitors. most common side effects were nausea and tiredness. ask about ubrelvy, the anytime, anywhere migraine medicine. ♪ ♪ ♪ (sha bop sha bop) ♪ ♪ are the stars out tonight? (sha bop sha bop) ♪ ♪ ♪

alexa, play our favorite song again. ok. ♪ i only have eyes for you ♪ ♪ hit me with your best shot ♪ >> hmm. ♪ hit me with your best shot ♪ all right, welcome back to "gma." our "play of the day."

i told you we had a spectacular alley-ooow whayo th is going to be a basketball play. no. watch closely. watch my man behind the goal. he picks it up -- oh! now, let's go back and slow this down for you here. trevor zegras is behind that net. he scoops that thing up to his teammate who swats it out of the air. that is an alley-oop in hockey. that is not something you see every day. >> he meant to do that. >> oh! >> oh, my goodness. what a goal. >> that's pretty cool. >> trevor zegras. >> alley-oop on the ice. >> nice freeze. thanks for sharing that, t.j. >> you got it. coming up, zachary levi plays nfl hall of famer kurt warner in a new movie called "american underdog." they're both going to join us live here in times square. come on back. ♪ ♪

♪ olive: wait wait wait! ♪ mom: wait honey, that's that's... ♪ ♪you and i,♪ ♪wait for each other♪ ♪you and i,♪ ♪ ♪stronger than lovers♪ ♪ ♪you and i,♪ ♪ ♪so much to discover♪ dad: oh boy. ♪for you and i♪ ♪ ♪oh, i hope you feel it♪ ♪you and i♪ ♪we wait for each other♪ ♪ ♪

libre, the original eau de parfum yves saint laurent happy holidays at macy's the fragrance destination ♪ ♪ ♪ look out baby, 'cause here i come. ♪ ♪ ♪ this year...let ford help make your holidays even brighter. ♪ ♪ get holiday ready, with ford. ♪ ♪ get a ford f-150 with 0 for 60, and $500 retail bonus cash. plus complimentary maintenance when you sign up for fordpass rewards. see your fd aler tay

lactaid is 100% real milk, just without the lactose. so you can enjoy it even if you're sensitive to dairy. so anyone who says lactaid isn't real milk is also saying mabel here isn't a real cow. and she really hates that.

welcome back to "gma." welcome back to "gma." what happens when you land in an airplane and gusts up to 50 miles an hour. a little anxiety provoking to watch that. they made it down safely in manchester, england. ireland, they were quite gusty n the backyard. so what do we do storm-wise? we're about to see severe storm possibilities by friday night. the same storm that's bringing potential for denver's first measurable snowy is so late, weeks late at this point.

keep an eye on this. this will happen late enough you'll be sleepy potentially. tragic news, nick cannon sharing his infant died from brain cancer. what we're learning and the warning signs from all parents. instagram safeguards for teen users where's mom? she said she would be home in time for the show. don't worry, sweetie. she promised she'd be here for it. ooh! nice shot! thanks! glad we have xfinity, with wifi speed faster than a gig! me too! woah, look! mom is on tv! she's amazing! (cheers) xfinity brought us together, after all! get a great offer on xfinity internet, and you'll get 6 times the speed for the same price

when you add xfinity mobile. switch today. sing 2 "good morning america" is sponsored by dick's sporting goods. every season starts at dick's.

we are going to start with the local traffic and san mateo. we had an earlier crash that has cleared but you will face residual delays down to 17 miles an hour as we approach northbound 101 past 92. and wrapping up with a live book in emeryville, a bit of a foggy start. let us hear more on that with mike. mike: a lot of the moisture trapped in the lower levels of our neighborhoods and that is why we are having fog and a little drizzle possible. also, rolling right through. we have a chance of showers, not only this morning but all the way through tomorrow morning. rainfall amounts are less than 507 inch. freezing cold temperatures friday and saturday, and then an atmospheric river with light to

moderate conditions. jobina: coming up, the new technology being used in schools across the country and how it can help save lives during an active shooter incident. we'll have another update in about 30 minutes and as always you can find us on our app. ♪ i see trees of green ♪ ♪ red roses too ♪ ♪ i see them bloom for me and you ♪ (music) ♪ so i think to myself ♪ ♪ oh what a wonderful world ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪

visit your volvo retailer for special offers during our holiday safely sales event.

good morning, america. good morning, america. it's 8:00 a.m. new questions this morning about vaccines. will they hold up against the new variant? the brand-new data from pfizer this morning as the u.s. enters another winter surge with christmas two weeks away. also this morning, a raw and emotional nick cannon revealing his 5-month-old passed away after battling a brain tumor. what we know now and the signs and symptoms for parents to look for. in the aftermath of the oxford high school shooting the innovative alert system that increases police response time in emergencies. giving officers a look inside locked down buildings and businesses. how the technology could potentially save lives. break time. instagram rolling out new features to encourage users to stop scrolling and protect teens

as its chief heads to capitol hill to testify about keeping kids safe online. ♪ the facts of life ♪ turning back the clock. all the laughs, "live in front of a studio audience," jennifer aniston and jon stewart and all the girls from "the facts of life." >> part of the package was a charming lovable dinner date and that's me! >> kevin hart as arnold. >> what you talkin' bout, willis? >> and john lithgow as mr. drummond an "diff'rent strokes." the all-star casts and the all-star reunions. ♪ i'm still standing ♪ a true underdog story. nfl hall of famer kurt warner and on screen kurt warner zachary levi live in times square and they're saying -- >> both: good morning, america. ♪ i'm still standing, yeah, yeah, yeah ♪ i remember the super bowl leading them to victory, the rams like that, looking forward to seeing them both. glad you're starting your day with us.

did you see this last night? i don't know if you had a chance to watch this. "live in front of a studio audience", boyz ii men, the way they performed the "diff'rent strokes" theme song. it was a showstopper. we'll have much more on this special coming up. >> those live specials have been so much fun to watch. >> they have been. i got a chance to sit down with will smith. we didn't talk just about the new movie and the book he has. we talked about a new adventure. he lights up with a childlike giddiness to talk about this new project he has, a new show taking him all around the world. you will hear from him, my conversation with him coming up. >> looks like he's having a lot of fun. want to get to the latest on the fight against covid. 21 states reporting cases a week after it was first detected in the country. we're also getting new data from pfizer. back to whit johnson at a hospital and vaccination center here in the bronx. good morning, whit. >> reporter: george, good morning to you. we now have two studies in less than 24 hours suggesting that the vaccines still work but are perhaps less effective against

the omicron variant. still two doses appear to be much better than nothing and booster shots could be key. a new study from pfizer out just this morning indicates the omicron variant likely chips away at the efficacy of its vaccine. but the shots still provide some protection especially against severe disease and receiving a third booster dose appears to significantly offset the variant's impact. earlier this morning, we spoke with dr. ashish jha. >> here's what we're learning, two shots of the vaccine, probably not enough to prevent infections. we're seeing the data suggest the drop-off in antibody levels. three doses with the booster is going to end up making a big difference. >> there are a lot of unknowns. >> reporter: pfizer's ceo speaking at a "wall street journal" event saying they could have a vaccine for the new variant in spring if needed. >> if there is a need for the vaccine we will have a vaccine in march. i don't know if there will be a

need for a vaccine. we will know that in a few weeks. >> reporter: this as health officials are scrambling to track omicron in the u.s., cases now identified in at least 21 states. one encouraging sign according to dr. fauci and scientists at the world health organization is that the omicron variant may be less severe than the delta variant but they caution this is all based on preliminary data and we expect to learn a lot more in the coming weeks. robin? >> all right, whit, thank you. now to the head of instagram testifying on capitol hill later today about keeping children safe online. as the social media platform launches new features it says will help protect teen users. our chief business correspondent doing double duty, rebecca jarvis, she is back. >> this will give lawmakers the opportunity to press instagram's top executive adam mosseri about the impact of its platform on young people. ahead of the hearing, instagram is rolling out new features aimed at teens including take a

break which encourages users to take a pause after they've been scrolling for a long time and here's how it works. if you've been scrolling for a while, you'll get this notification in your feed asking -- wanna break? then you'll be able to opt into future reminders to be alerted after 10, 20, 340 minutes. when the time is up, you get an alert to take a deep breath, write something down, check a to-do list or listen to a song. adam mosseri writing the platform will stop people from tagging or mentioning teens that don't follow them and the company will be nudging teens toward different topics if they've been dwelling on one topic for a long time. then starting next year teen instagram users will be able to bulk delete their content and previous likes and comments. the platform will launch its first tools for parents to get more involved in their teens' experiences on instagram, robin. >> rebecca, have we already gotten a sense how senators are responding to this news? >> yeah, for a lot it's too little too late.

for example, republican senator marsha blackburn criticized the company's product announcement as hollow saying in a statement that the company's attempting to shift attention from their mistakes by rolling out these new parental guidelines, use timers and content control features that consumers should have had all along. instagram says they will coninue to pause those plans for the instagram for kid service. still a lot of questions here, robin. >> i know you'll be back with those answers for us. in time. thank you, rebecca. >> thanks. coming up here on "gma," that heartbreak for nick cannon sharing that he lost his 5-month-old son to brain cancer. this morning what parents need to know about that. also we'll check in with will smith telling us about his new show and new adventure. chef david rose is here serving up his holiday favorites. we'll be right back. back. fries or salad? salad! good choice!

it is. so is screening for colon cancer. when caught in early stages, it's more treatable. hey, cologuard! hi, i'm noninvasive and i detect altered dna in your stool to find 92% of colon cancers even in early stages. early stages. it's for people 45 plus at average risk for colon cancer, not high risk. false positive and negative results may occur. ask your provider if cologuard is right for you. (all) to screening! ♪ fresh flavors... classic dishes... ♪ and a new seat at the table. ♪ ♪ it starts with a mother's a determinationat the table. to treat her baby's eczema. and grows into a family business that helps thousands more. it starts with an army vet's dream of studying the stars. and grows into a new career as an astrophysicist. it starts with an engineer's desire

to start over. and grows into an award-winning restaurant that creates local jobs. they learned how on youtube. what will you learn? i've been telling everyone... the secret to great teeth is having healthy gums. crest advanced gum restore. detoxifies below the gumline... and restores by helping heal gums in as little as 7 days. crest. the #1 toothpaste brand in america. so you want a smartwatch? how about one that can... tell you your fitness age. help you cross the finish line. or get your kids moving. so many smartwatches. at garmin. ♪ so man why not?tches. y, l'eau de parfum. yves saint laurent. at macy's the fragrance destination why hide your skin if dupixent has your moderate-to-severe eczema,

or atopic dermatitis under control? hide our skin? not us. because dupixent targets a root cause of eczema, it helps heal your skin from within, keeping you one step ahead of it. and for kids ages 6 and up, that means clearer skin, and noticeably less itch. hide my skin? not me. by helping to control eczema with dupixent, you can change how their skin looks and feels. and that's the kind of change you notice. hide my skin? not me. don't use if you're allergic to dupixent. serious allergic reactions can occur, including anaphylaxis, which is severe. tell your doctor about new or worsening eye problems, such as eye pain or vision changes, or a parasitic infection. if you take asthma medicines, don't change or stop them without talking to your doctor. when you help heal your skin from within, you can show more with less eczema. talk to your child's eczema specialist about dupixent, a breakthrough eczema treatment. someday you'll be better than your grandpa. ♪

you try it. i don't know what to draw? it doesn't matter what. just...a line. throw yourself in. ♪ don't be frustrated! okay. ♪ show me what you got there. ♪ wow... absolutely beautiful. ♪ can i get ten large fries please? i'm gonna need like ten egg mcmuffin sandwich things? night, or the next morning, you've been loyal. mymcdonald's rewards is for you. now, every order earns points redeemable for free mcdonald's. nespresso vertuo. now, every order earns points redeemable redifining coffee. with one touch. precision brewing technology. a smooth crema. for an exceptional coffee every day. nespresso vertuo. what coffee is meant to be. one... two... whatcha got for me, whatcha got? watch those eyes...

healthier is doing what you have to do while doing what you want to do. you're going to do just fine, you will. ♪ this is what healthier looks like. ♪ and we're back with our "gma" cover story. a raw and emotional nick cannon revealing his 5-month-old son zen has passed away. he talked about it on his talk show sharing that his youngest child had been battling brain cancer. deborah roberts here with this sad story. good morning, deb. >> reporter: good morning, george. nick cannon is known for his unscripted off the cuff commentary but this one caught his tv audience and fans off guard as the talk show host shared gut-wrenching news of his infant son's final moments of life. >> after the last -- holding my

son for the last time -- >> reporter: it was a raw moment for all who heard it. >> but it was still -- it was a beautiful setting. >> reporter: an emotional nick cannon, a father of seven, tearfully revealing that his son zen lost a battle against a brain tumor. >> the tumor began to grow a lot faster and so we knew that the time was -- >> reporter: the 41-year-old controversial talk show host describing how his son born in june appeared to have a slight cough and breathing problems. he also noticed the size of his son's head. >> i really wanted to, you know, take him to the doctor to get the breathing and the sinus things checked out so we thought it would be, you know, a routine process.

>> reporter: but doctors soon learned he had a rare condition called hydrocephalus, buildup of fluid in the ventricles deep in the brain, the fluid putting pressure on the brain. >> we'll find that a baby has a tumor because the tumor caused the hydrocephalus. the tumor just simply blocks the drainage system so the water couldn't get out. that's what caused the head to increase in size beyond what would be expected for his children and the finding of hydrocephalus led to the finding of the tumor. >> reporter: following news of their son's death alyssa scott, zen's mother, sharing these photos on social media and several videos of moments spent with their precious baby boy. cannon dedicated his show to his son zen, even including a therapist to talk about grief. he shared that during his son's final minutes he went on the beach where he watched the sun rise and set. many of his 5 million instagram followers are showering him with

love and support. george. >> i bet they are. thank you very much. let's go to ginger. >> thank you, george. we are watching a new storm make its way through the northwest in parts of the cascades, sierra all the way to colorado. a lot need snow to add to the snow pack. lynden, washington, we are seeing that cold air turn into snow instead of the heavy rains that they saw earlier into november. look at the winter storm warnings, winter weather advisories out, this is welcome news, not something you say, oh, no, they really need it. colorado, for example, right now about 50% of their average snowpack so we're just watching all of this come in.

all right, robin, is it that time of year again? >> it is, for the 11th consecutive year we have the year, what it's called. we look back. we look back on the year. >> you do it every year. >> i guess we could come up with a better title. >> it says what it is. >> it is. rough room. 2021 as you know was filled with so many changes and how we see the country, how we see ourselves, a lot of fun, a look at the breakout stars, the crazy obsessions and heartwarming heroes. we have a great piece on space

explorati exploration. i'm guessing michael strahan will do that piece because the entire team, many of our wonderful cbs correspondents will join in, the prime-time special that airs when? monday, december 27th, 9:00 eastern. where? right here on abc. >> i am, i am. >> but, wait, there's more. there's "pop news." >> yes, yes, yes, i too have to do my piece today for it. it's a spectacular -- what's it oh "the year."- it's going to be great. and you know what, this is fantastic. wanting to share with you some special news this morning, screen legend sidney poitier the academy award winner will have his life story told on the broadway stage. adapted from his own memoir called "sidney" set to follow his childhood growing up in the bahamas, trials and tribulations to becoming one of the great actors and the first black actor to win an academy award for his role in "lilies of the field."

the cast and opening will be announced at a later date. he is 94 years old. >> a photo that i treasure, it's me with sidney poitier and muhammad ali. still in my folks' home. >> i would love to see that. >> i treasure it. >> this sounds fantastic. i couldn't get into all the details but they really lined up incredible writers, directors. >> deserves it. >> yep. also this morning, the first ever '90s con. it's just been announced bringing stars of the most popular shows of the era together. "blossom's" joey lawrence. neve campbell. even reunions will be part of this. most of the cast from "sabrina, the teenage witch" will participate. also "boy meets world." the organizers stating that for us, they say, the '90s was an era of positivity and fun. %-p connection was treasured over the new trends of social media and virtual communication.

'90s con will take place in hartford, connecticut, next march. tickets available now. you thinking what i'm thinking? >> road trip. and big news for bts fans, the k-pop supergroup announcing they are going on hiatus. their rep states this is not, i repeat, not a breakup. the band simply getting much deserved rest. there will be no recording or touring for the immediate future. bts management company citing the pandemic schedule that the band had as one reason writing, bts stayed active in order to engage with fans in 2020 and 2021 amidst the covid-19 situation. the band which has been nature advocates for mental health has asked fans to show consideration while members recharge in hopes of being back on stage, they say, by march 2022. >> good for them. >> take some time for themselves. >> they have given so much of themselves. >> they brought a lot of joy during a dark time so time for them to take a beat and look forward to them being back on

"gma." finally, had to share this with you, made me laugh out loud. thank you to my daughter for finding it. we found it on tiktok. as the post says, she thought we were taking a picture. show it, show it. show it. yeah, so she thought we were taking a picture. sonny thought he should be getting more attention. hence, the zoomies during this very romantic and adorable proposal. jack planned that beautiful proposal in tasmania. in case you couldn't tell because sonny is slightly distracting, madison said yes. not sure they should make sunny part of the ceremony. just saying. >> not the ring bearer that day. >> he is serenading them. >> hey, give kate our thanks. >> she helps me every once in a while, producer extraordinaire.

now to "live in front of a studio audience," bringing together another star-studded cast for live performances of episodes of two beloved sitcoms. janai norman has all the big names and moments from last night. >> good morning, so many big names and the big moments that had everyone talking like cameos from original cast members, lisa wechel, proved to be ageless. so many of the characters were completely spot-on and the throwback commercials with a twist made for such a fun night. >> what you talkin' bout, willis? >> one of the most popular lines in sitcom history had audiences laughing once again. >> i'm about to turn you into a toothpick with my zap gun. >> reporter: kevin hart nailing the part of a re-imagined arnold jackson, the latest "live in front of a studio audience" delivering again, classic sitcoms re-imagined with a star-studded cast.

this time, reenacting episodes of both "diff'rent strokes" and "the facts of life." ♪ you take the good you take the bad ♪ ♪ there you have the facts of life ♪ >> the catchy theme song brought back to life by original cast member lisa whelchel and cameos from mindy cohen and kim fields. >> you write your opinions of everyone. >> reporter: who played the original tootie played by gabrielle union. >> this one was written by number 6. >> reporter: jennifer aniston as rich girl blair. >> i'd know those knees anywhere. >> reporter: another alum, jason bateman. >> i would love to bid on your dinner box. >> reporter: played natalie's love interest tim. and jon stewart was karl. a mix of the old and the new in the "diff'rent strokes" throwback. ♪ it takes diff'rent strokes it takes diff'rent strokes to rule the world ♪

>> reporter: boyz ii men performing that iconic theme song. [ applause ] john lithgow took over the part of phillip drummond. >> what's all the shouting about and why is all the furniture rearranged here? >> willis wanted to divide the room in half. >> reporter: the wealthy widower who adopts willis and arnold. >> i'm 13. even though he looks 45 he's just 8. >> reporter: while willis was portrayed by comedian damon wayans, todd bridges, the original willis delighting viewers with a surprise visit. >> it's hard to believe that i walked through those doors 43 years ago back when i had hair. >> reporter: and snoop dogg as willis' friend vernon. [ applause ] >> you better watch it, vernon. >> reporter: even commercials bringing comical relief. alfonso ribiero starring in classic commercials in between takes. >> whoa, how did this happen? >> reporter: including one with "this old house's" bob vila and

the kool-aid man only adding to the '80's nostalgia. and the kool-aid man says, oh, - yeah. great ad lib moments. kevin hart, even though he looks 45 is only 8. kevin had a good one about snoop dogg, if you know, you know. it was good. you never know what will happen live. norman lear, words we can't say on television. >> he said them. >> come on, george. >> thank you for safely making your way through that. want to turn to will smith's "welcome to earth" that follows the superstar who travels with experts around the planet even facing his fears as he explores six of the most natural wonders of the world. >> we think we know our planet. >> what do you get when you combine one of the world's

biggest superstars? >> that was spectacular. this is a bucket list moment. >> reporter: with planet earth's most spectacular sights. >> i asked the best modern-day explorers, take me to the ends of the earth and they said, oh, we can go further than that. >> reporter: "welcome to earth," the new disney plus original series produced by national geographic. >> what was that? >> there's only one way to find out. >> reporter: will smith embarks on an epic adventure from the deepest parts of the ocean to the sieinside of a lava spewing volcano. >> we need the helmet because the volcano spits rocks up in the air as if this helmet is going to do something for one of these big rocks. >> i've been a thousand meters down to the, you know, below the midnight zone in the ocean with translucent fish. it was -- yeah, it's been quite a journey. i hope that they will have me for the rest of my life. i'll do that forever. >> reporter: smith leans into

his fears as he descends into an endless chasm. >> did you hear that crack? >> yeah. >> it's just constantly moving. this is the kind of thing that people would say nightmares are made of climbing into an environment that's constantly changing and shifting and there's water filling in there. are you mad? that's the question. >> half of us think that. >> reporter: guiding him on the journey -- >> my name is will! >> reporter: -- national geographic explorers from across the globe. >> will, you want to go lower? >> you got to be kidding me. >> now look down. isn't that something? >> that hole just drops away into infinity. >> there is nothing i enjoy more than those nat geo explorations. there is nothing i enjoy more

than going to the ends of the earth with some wise explorer. the things that i've seen and got an opportunity to do on that show, it is the deepest and greatest pleasure of my life. >> wow. that's saying a lot because you've done a lot. >> you got to come hang with me on one of them. >> whoa, whoa. >> we went down into a volcano. >> i'm going to skip that one. what else you got? give me other options. >> you're definitely going to do that. >> seriously, guys? >> take him up on that. >> he went down into a volcano. he's trying to find one that's more my speed. let's not do that. all right. "welcome to earth" streaming now on disney plus. stay with us. we'll be right back on "gma."

announcer: building a better bay area, moving forward, finding solutions. this is abc 7 news. kumasi: good morning, everyone. let's get to chipping up with a look at traffic. jobina: good morning. we are following a crash were minor injuries are involved on southbound 880 past east raqqa road. the kumasi -- -- -- -- the drive times have not let up for our super commuters. it will be one hour and two minutes. out to concord, tournament. kumasi: thank you.

mike: i am tracking a chance of drizzle and some showers not only now, but all the way through tomorrow morning. it is a level one on the storm impact scale. more possibly over the ocean, but no one will be out there besides the croppers. --crabbers. look at the atmospheric river for sunday, monday, and tuesday. kumasi: we will have another

update in about 30 minutes. you can always find more on our news app or on abc7news.com. ♪ ♪ brenda, baby. >> i don't know where we go from here. i don't know what comes next but this, we did this. we did this together. i love you. >> i love you too. we did it. >> love that moment from the new movie "american underdog" based on the life of nfl hall of famer kurt warner. kurt is here along with the man who plays him in the movie. >> welcome. >> good to be here. >> that's why i got the job. >> you just answered my first

question. you said that in exact syncopation. i guess you got to know each other pretty well. >> we actually did. zach came -- once he signed on to be part of the movie came to the house right off the bat. it was nice to get to know him and see what he's all about. you wonder, i mean, obviously you can see the likeness. >> did you pick him? >> i didn't have anything to do with the casting. i'm not taking any credit. >> he wanted brad pitt. all of his choices -- i feel like i'm more of a dicaprio guy but we did get a couple of days and i got to meet him and brenda and almost all of the kids. they were all there. him and brenda were on the s about half the time we were making that movie, which is a little intimidating by the way. in other ways, me and anna, who plays brenda, had this incredible resource. what were you thinking or

feeling in this moment? what was some mannerism when you were on the field? >> i was like let's go in the backyard and throw the football. we got to get that right. >> we're going to talk about that. >> we know you can act. >> both of you have been on "good morning america" before. do you remember your first time? it was the after the super bowl and if you don't we'll remind you because charlie gibson had this to say about you right after your super bowl win. >> kurt, we were talking on this broadcast, boomer and al were talking about it on the show, if you gave your story to a hollywood studio they wouldn't produce it because nobody would believe it. >> and here you are. >> wow. >> here we are. i mean, amazing because that's kind of when people started talking about it. obviously when you win the super bowl and in moments like that and, you know, you're like, oh, that's nice but i got a career to play. so it's pretty incredible that ng andoue nored point, is peop believe your story can impact people anmade aovie thatan how mucow about his d orwhatd

most incredible about it? because we know about you on the field and the mvps and super bowl but, man, when people watch this movie and see the details, it's unbelievable you're sitting here. >> i knew -- i knew what everybody else knew. i was, you know, a slightly younger version of myself when he was a slightly younger version of himself when it was happening in realtime and it was insane. i mean, it really was. like charlie was saying you can't script it. obviously we did and made a movie about it but it was so unbelievable to watch this guy who came out of nowhere as this, you know, this rookie that was 2 -- how old were you when you got into the league? >> 27. >> and that's very, you know, different already but the fact that, you know, the bullet points of he was stocking shelves not too long before that, an arena football player and all of that was cinderella story. to take your team to the super bowl and win it, to win mvp in the super bowl, win mvp of the league and being paid league minimum, all of that was a cool

but i would say like the story -- the movie is 25% football, 75% family and relationship and love and struggle and scraping change out of your car door to put gas in your tank is the stuff that people don't know and the amazing journey he and brenda and the kids went on. i found that to be the most compelling and most relatable. >> we like to think it's real life. so much of what we went through -- my wife has an incredible underdog story as well. that was the movie. we want to connect with -- so many people have their supermarket moment. i know it's rare to go from supermarket to super bowl but so many people have that moment and that's where we believe the movie can connect with people. >> i have to ask about the 25%. is it true you never played football before? >> you're asking me? [ laughter ] >> well, i am you. so, anyway, listen, i played like flag football. i played basketball, baseball, volleyball but i had never played organized football

before. so, you know, learning how to throw a spiral at 40 is not idea. a lot of repetitions. i got a little tendinitis in the right shoulder but i threw some dimes. >> oh! >> i threw some really great -- >> wait. let's ask the hall of famer. is that true? kurt warner, can you -- >> there might have been a couple dimes. >> and i had -- we had incredible other football players around surrounding us, great doubles. it all worked out. i think the football stuff in the movie is really good, quite good. >> i do too and that was the one thing you worry about because you take someone that hasn't played football and go, okay, you got to look like a pro football hall of famer after three, four months of throwing a football but he pulled it off. did a great job and -- >> hey! >> you don't want to lose people with that, right? if you take them to a movie and they're thinking it's about football and the football stuff doesn't look real, you'll lose them for the rest of the movie. he pulled it off. he could still do a little more work. >> for the sequel.

>> it was really, really good. >> so much fun to have you here. >> thanks for having us. >> "american underdog" is in theaters on christmas day. coming up here, new technology being used in schools across the country that could help save lives. hi honey! hi mommy! oh i missed you! you just want to video call the kids. ok. hush little baby...don't say a word... but if slow upload speeds turns your goodnight call into an accidental horror movie... can you hear me? shut it down. just remember. you're not a bad mom. you just need better internet.

at&t fiber delivers faster upload speeds for more reliable video calls. get at&t fiber, plans starting at $35 a month for a year. limited availability in select areas. call 1.877.only.att. there's this feeling we chase... limited availability in select areas. like someone upped the brightness on the entire world. like your body is super-charged, but your mind is super calm. it feels like 20/20 vision for your whole being. and we'll chase this feeling, until we can feel it... one. more. time. feel the hydrow high. at hampton by hilton, contactless arrival means she can skip the front desk, go straight to her room,

unlock her door, and head right to bed. book our family of brands at hilton.com. to new memories. hilton. back now here on "gma" with the new technology that can potentially save lives. it's been just over a week now since that tragic oxford high school shooting with more than 650 mass shootings in the u.s. this year, one company is

tackling the issue creating an alert, a system that shaves seconds, maybe even minutes off of police response times. our victor oquendo has details for us. victor, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, t.j. alert rolled out in the spring of 2020 and ever since it has spread across the country. now it's making its way into businesses. >> all units be advised. active shooter. >> reporter: you're looking at what police say is new potentially lifesaving technology. >> the suspect went down the first left hallway. >> just saw the officers going down the hallway guiding them every step of the way. >> reporter: prepandemic abc news getting a look at a demonstration of alert. active law enforcement response technology being used in schools and now businesses across 14 states. alert gives police ago test to realtime surveillance cameras

within a building once a panic button is hit during an active incident. they can identify and track a suspect's location relaying that information to officers as they respond. >> this streamlines everything from communication to surveillance. >> reporter: lee mandel began developing it after sandy hook. >> we said how can we make a difference? they know where to go, how to get in, where the shooter is. >> reporter: andrew pollack lost his daughter meadow at parkland. since then he's been involved in legislative efforts but says his overriding mission is school safety. >> if this type of software was in place, she'd be alive today. there were so many failures that day. >> reporter: he created the school safety grant to provide unlimited funding to make the software available nationwide, free of charge. >> not just in schools. hospitals, movie theaters, houses of worship, anywhere people gather, the grant will provide all of that for life. >> reporter: alert in 50 entities nationwide including health facilities, a sporting arena and police departments.

the first recipient, coral springs police, the first to enter the school the day of the parkland shooting. >> it's life changing. it's taking us from being in a row boat to being in a starship. >> reporter: the charter school, stoneman douglas, a recipient. >> i would hope most schools would have the opportunity to look into this. >> this shooting will be going to the left. >> reporter: abc news right there as officers used alert for the first time last year. >> all units be advised. >> reporter: during the drill the dispatcher immediately alerts police and then takes over the school's p.a. system. >> shooter, drop your weapon. >> reporter: she relays crucial information. >> suspect is going to be a white male with a black shirt and camo pants. >> reporter: with the school on lockdown she can unlock the door for police. >> copy, unlocking the door. >> reporter: as officers rush to the scene she tracks the shooter. >> the suspect is in the first hallway to the left. >> close to the middle school bathrooms. >> you're walking toward the suspect.

>> drop the gun! >> reporter: the suspect apprehended in less than four minutes. >> god forbid that technology has to be used do you think it could he save lives? >> absolutely 100%. >> this is the future of responding. my daughter will be saying, well, look what we did now, daddy. >> reporter: alert tells us they have received hundreds of requests for grants. soon they say you'll see their technology implemented in small businesses, warehouses, even hoas. t.j.? >> potential life saver. victor, thank you as always. let's say good morning to ginger once again. >> it's that time of day we get out our phones and give you something making your holidays bright with "gma" gives back. all month long something special for you, our viewers, the chance to win a "deals & steals" gift box plus a $200 gift card. just scan that qr code. you could ha

♪ rocking around ♪ the countdown to christmas. chef david rose joins us with delicious holiday desserts from a new book called "eggin'." i love the title. great to have you here. >> pleasure to be back in the studio, audience, i'm here. >> so i want to talk to you first about the book, "eggin'" refers to an outdoor ceramic cooker, a grill, in your case the green egg. >> you're hanging out, drinking, eating, relaxing, cooking on the big green egg, you're eggin', casual way to approach grilling and cooking. >> most people think steak or meat. you're saying let's go dessert. >> soup, salads, smoked cooking

and desserts, your entire meal on the eggin'. >> let's talk desserts, my favorite topic. >> mine too. >> a combination of two of your favorite things. >> yes. this is right here it's a pecan -- sorry, sweet potato pie and cheesecake had a baby, this is what you have. sweet potato, cheesecake and pecan pie is good but this is fantastic. the great thing about the recipe, there is a natural sweetness, a natural savoriness in those sweet potatoes. >> and health benefits. >> sweet potatoes, cream cheese for the cream cheesecake, you have eggs, you have a little bit of heavy cream, right? >> yes, please. >> you know, vanilla bean is sensational because it has that naturally sweet flavor but no sugar. add that. a little bit of condensed milk, right? goes in there like so. >> we had a lengthy discussion during the commercial break, graham cracker versus nilla wafer. you are throwing a third choice into the mix. >> yes, we are. >> for the pie crust. gingersnap. >> gingersnap cookie, oh, snap for the gingersnap and really drives home all those flavors of

the sweet potato, the cream cheese in there, the vanilla, all of that makes it really sensational. >> that leads into our second recipe. >> that goes in there. >> this is tv magic. how long do we bake this? >> 45 minutes to an hour in the big green egg, your grill or even the oven as well. do that and it's dreamy, creamy, luscious. it's savory. it's sweet. go and put whipped cream on there, you know. go put the whipped cream on there. that's the icing right there. you got to have that. if it's not delicious enough you're adding whipped cream. >> may i? >> yes. >> can i feed you, though? >> no, no. all good. all good. >> enjoy. >> this is your take on bread pudding. >> yes. >> a little flare. >> i'm jamaican. jamaicans love food, love rum. we have a jamaican rum raisin bred pudding. >> not just jamaicans love rum. >> everybody loves rum.

jamaicans have a special affinity forum in our hearts. we poach these raisins right here in rum and reserve the rum caramel, reduce it. in here we have white bread. white bread is readily available. brioche, sourdough and you got eggs, cinnamon, vanilla, heavy cream in there as well. a little brown sugar. nice bittersweetness. we're not counting calories, january 1st make your resolution and jump right into it. >> one piece each is not a problem. >> maybe share a piece. put that on that. >> i'm a huge fan of cooking in the skillet. you have two here. do you butter your skillet? >> yes. if you're in the south, you're not doing it right without cast iron. you get that nice crispy edge and everybody likes the crispy edge. >> they sure do, david.

>> no matter what you don't, count it down, three, two, one, the rum caramel right there. sop up all that flavor. >> it's all in david's new book, it's called "eggin'." it's also on our website, both of these recipes. so much fun working with you as always. the book comes out december 21st. >> yes, ma'am. >> let's eat and enjoy some shaggy joining us live on "gma." ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ visit your volvo retailer for special offers during our holiday safely sales event.

nespresso vertuo. redifining coffee. with one touch. precision brewing technology. a smooth crema. for an exceptional coffee every day. nespresso vertuo. what coffee is meant to be.

♪ oh, yeah, we're back now on "gma." shaggy, he has sold over 40 million albums and he has a deluxe version of his christmas album, "christmas in the islands." it's out now and can't wait to hear the music but first let's chat with our friend, shaggy. >> how are you? >> we were enjoying, t.j. and i, in the commercial break getting all caught up with you but tell folks about this special here that you have because it came about because of a disney performance with sting. >> yeah, sting and i were doing

the disney performance and a couple christmas carols and we did them in reggae, and we said, we should do an album like that. i got the idea from that and i said, let's do it, bud. when you see christmas in jamaica it's a little bit different. there's no snow, there's no santa coming down the chimney, it's rum, it's friends, it's family, it's food and it's reggae dance. so i did a reggae dance album and brought some of my best fiends on and made it great. >> we want to hear the performance. before you go, you have any family traditions you can tell us about quickly for the holidays? >> i like being -- you know, we open presents in my house with the family but we always have like a brunch, like so many breakfasts. jamaicans have a lot of breakfasts. there's all these jamaican things. there's dumplings, you do all that. we do a brunch of all the different types of breakfast, of course you got your eggnog and

hot chocolate, all that stuff to make it vibe with the family. always a big tradition. >> with a jamaican vibe. you got our mouths watering. >> full on jamaican, everything. >> oh, thank you so much. always a pleasure to have you here. wait, there's more. here he is with "amazing christmas" featuring hannah breyer. >> time to kick back, sit around the tree with the gift wrap, pour a couple glass and we sip that. doesn't this feel like christmas? ♪ ♪ christmastime is here i feel like escaping ♪ ♪ oh, yeah ♪ ♪ come on, baby, take me on a vacation ♪ ♪ vacation ♪ ♪ you and me on a plane flying over the caymans ♪ ♪ we should be spending this

december sun bathing ♪ >> one time. ♪ palm trees, mistletoe ♪ ♪ sun-kissed skin from head to toe ♪ ♪ plantains overload choose to life let's make a toast ♪ ♪ christmastime with you let's make it amazing ♪ ♪ yeah ♪ ♪ you and i spending christmas in the caribbean ♪ ♪ eggnog ♪ ♪ reggae music a playin', love, the vibe that we building on ♪ ♪ you wind to the rhythm and me a move when you move, oh, my what a feeling i'm thinking we should get it on ♪ ♪ you're the gift that i'm ready to unwrap before the morning ♪ ♪ take me to the ocean while the sun's fading ♪ ♪ mmh-mmh-mmh-mmh love the way this drum has got my hips

swaying, ah, ah, oh ♪ ♪ hoping that tonight my words don't betray me ♪ >> right ♪ let's keep going till we see the dawn breaking ♪ ♪ the dawn breaking oh, oh, oh, oh ♪ ♪ palm trees, mistletoe, sun-kissed skin from head to toe ♪ ♪ plantains overload cheers to life let's make a toast ♪ >> yeah, yeah. ♪ christmastime with you, let's make it amazing ♪ ♪ yeah, yeah, yeah ♪ ♪ ba ba ba ba ba bomba ♪ ♪ christmastime once again and it's "gma" ♪

♪ ♪ ♪ finding your new favorite spot? piece of no-you-really-have-to-try-this cake. get exclusive access to sought after restaurants. one of the many reasons you're with amex platinum.

♪♪ well, now it's eight. >> we appreciate you, shaggy, and hannah, for that great performance. have a great day. >> have a great day. have a great day. >> have a great day.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ with chase security features, guidance and convenience, banking feels good. chase. make more of what's yours. there's a different way to treat hiv. it's once-monthly injectable cabenuva. cabenuva is the only once-a-month, complete hiv treatment for adults who are undetectable. cabenuva helps keep me undetectable. it's two injections, given by a healthcare provider once a month. hiv pills aren't on my mind. i love being able to pick up and go. don't receive cabenuva if you're allergic to its ingredients or taking certain medicines, which may interact with cabenuva. serious side effects include

allergic reactions post-injection reactions, liver problems,...and depression. if you have a rash and other allergic reaction symptoms, stop cabenuva and get medical help right away. tell your doctor if you have liver problems or mental health concerns, and if you are pregnant, breastfeeding, or considering pregnancy. some of the most common side effects include injection site reactions, fever, and tiredness. if you switch to cabenuva, attend all treatment appointments. with once-a-month cabenuva, i'm good to go. ask your doctor about once-monthly cabenuva.

>> announcer: it's "live with kelly and ryan!" today, emmy and tony award winner, cynthia nixon. plus, from the new film, "the last son," heather graham. and 'tis the season to learn how to avoid holiday scams. all next on "live!" ♪ ♪ [cheers and applause] and now, here are kelly ripa and ryan seacrest! ♪ ♪ [cheers and applause] >> ryan: morning, deja. >> kelly: i feel like we are dressed at -- >> ryan: to go somewhere. you want to go somewhere later? >> kelly: yes. >> ryan: i