his lives, but why did we have to go to the worst christmas carol? kumasi: good morning, america, for our viewers in the west. as we start this wednesday morning together, the stark warning about the covid variant spreading unlike anything we've seen yet. omicron taking hold. the world health organization urging caution. the fast spreading variant threatening to overwhelm health care systems. this morning, a level red alert at one of the country's top universities with more than 900 new cases shutting down campus. we're there live. and the outbreaks impacting some of the biggest names in sports plus how this grocery giant and one of the nation's largest employers is dealing with unvaccinated workers. breaking news overnight in washington, the historic vote. former president trump's chief of staff mark meadows held in

contempt of congress, the first time ever for a former member. will the justice department prosecute the top trump aide? massive winter storm on the move. the dangerous conditions in the west triggering flash floods and unleashing mudslides. that major storm now heading east taking aim at the hard hit heartland as search and rescue crews race against the looming storm after those deadly twisters. plus, the new rare elevated tornado threat this morning. inside afghanistan. as the humanitarian catastrophe unfolds in real time our ian pannell there at an illegal secret school for teenage girls putting their lives at risk for their education. o.j. simpson free. why the disgraced nfl legend was released early from parole. ready for takeoff. airline ceos set to be grilled on capitol hill over hundreds of canceled flights after receiving a $54 billion bailout.

what to know if you're heading to the airport for the holidays. ♪ signed sealed delivered ♪ merry deadline day. the christmas shipping dates you need to know to get your packages delivered on time. plus, the top stores offering epic savings on gifts and the apps to download right now to be first in line for deep discounts. ♪ signed, sealed, delivered ♪ ♪ i'm yours ♪ ♪ get down tonight, get down tonight ♪ and t.j. was right. what a night for steph curry. > it's curry for the record. it's good! there it is! >> a history-making moment. electrifying the entire arena, the superstar now the nba's all-time three-point king sharing the all-time moment with his dad and soaking up all the glory. ♪ get down tonight, get down tonight ♪ ♪ do a little dance ♪ ♪ make a little love ♪ ♪ get down tonight ♪ good morning, america. way to start it off by saying t.j. >> a little love for t.j. make it t.j.'s day instead.

>> i went to the game last night because i wanted to witness history. i was sitting next to your good friend michael j. fox and his wife tracy. the first thing tracy says, do you work tomorrow? i said absolutely. she goes -- george would never be out this late. >> it's true. >> it was 8:00, george. come on. >> it was starting at 8:00. >> it was a great night. >> we'll have more on steph curry coming up. first we start with the new warnings about the omicron variant. it increased seven times, 35 states and washington, d.c. now reporting confirmed cases of omicron. >> the u.s. averaging 116,000 new cases per day up 48% over the past month. and 67,000 patients hospitalized for covid. that's up by 21,000 a month ago. let's go to trevor ault with more. he's at cornell university in ithaca, new york, which is in the middle of an outbreak. good morning, trevor. >> reporter: good morning, robin. this is as close as we can get to cornell this morning.

they have banned visitors from campus. they canceled all activities and moved all the finals online because of a rampant covid-19 outbreak. school officials say 900 students are infected. most are from the omicron variant. health officials are worried what could happen here could happen often. this morning, the omicron variant already taking hold in the u.s. and around the globe prompting this stark warning from the world health organization. >> omicron is spreading at the rate we have not seen with any previous variant. >> reporter: the w.h.o. cautioning even if this variant is more mild than delta or other previous strains, the sheer volume of cases could overwhelm health care systems. just in the past week omicron infections in the u.s. have increased sevenfold. the cdc now meeting to discuss possible scenarios in which the new variant can spread and dr. anthony fauci telling cnn the booster will help as omicron

certainly becomes the dominant strain in the u.s. >> the vaccines that we use, the regular two-dose mrna don't do very well against infection itself. >> reporter: potential omicron outbreaks are already bubbling up. cornell university entering a level red alert shutting down its campus, moving all finals online after this week more than 900 students tested positive for covid with the university officials saying a very high percentage are omicron cases. and other covid outbreaks are impacting the sports world. dozens of athletes from the nba, nhl and nfl getting infected. 13 players on the los angeles rams added to the covid list in just the past three days. >> we're in intensive protocols. this has definitely been the most uniquely challenging situation we've dealt with with covid over the last two years. >> reporter: just an hour before

tip-off brooklyn nets star james harden placed in covid protocols, the seventh net to do so in the past two days. this morning america now surpassing 800,000 lives lost to the virus, as hospital admissions have risen more than 14% in the past week and pediatric admissions up nearly 24%. >> this is why it's so important for those kids that are eligible to finally get vaccinated. the vaccine currently still is our best weapon to prevent spread among our kids and really across the community. >> reporter: the u.s. hit that awful milestone of 800,000 covid-19 deaths almost exactly one year from when the first dose of the vaccine was administered here. president biden is asking americans to honor those lives lost by continuing to take action, getting vaccinated, getting the booster and masking up. george? >> those boosters make a big difference.

want to turn to the breaking news in washington. the house voted to hold former trump chief of staff mark meadows in contempt of congress for defying a subpoena refusing to testify to the house committee investigating the january 6th insurrection. the justice department must decide whether to prosecute meadows. our chief white house correspondent jon karl is tracking the story. good morning, jon. >> reporter: good morning, george. meadows pleaded with his former colleagues not to go forward with this, but he is now the first former member of the house in american history to be held in contempt of congress. the vote was nearly party line. >> the resolution is adopted. >> reporter: only two republicans joined all democrats in holding the former white house chief of staff and former member of congress mark meadows in criminal contempt for defying a subpoena to testify before the committee investigating the january 6th riot. >> if you're making excuses to avoid cooperating with our investigation you're making excuses to hide the truth from the american people about what happened on january 6th. >> reporter: meadows says he can't speak to the committee because former president trump has asked him to keep everything confidential but he did turn over some 9,000 documents

including emails and text messages people close to trump sent him during the riot pleading for him to get trump to do something to stop the violence. january 6th committee vice chair liz cheney read some into the record. >> it is really bad up here on the hill. another one, the president needs to stop this asap. another one, fix this now. hours passed with no action by the president to defend the congress of the united states from an assault while we were trying to count electoral votes. >> reporter: trump ally jim jordan condemned the vote as an attack on the presidency. >> today they are destroying executive privilege. >> reporter: although meadows is not fully cooperating many others are. dustin stockton, an organizer of the rally at the white house that preceded the riot said he regrets how the rally unfolded and blames former president trump for the violence. >> the buck's got to stop at

president trump. the fact that he delayed for so long responding, i think, really speaks ill of what his intentions were. >> reporter: criminal contempt of congress carries a maximum penalty of one year in prison, but the decision to prosecute lies solely with the department of justice and there is no word yet, george, on whether or not doj will go forward with the prosecution. >> they did go forward with steve bannon. another house debate over how to deal with islam abroad got ugly. >> reporter: it sure did. at one point republican scott perry of pennsylvania actually said that ilhan omar, the congresswoman from minnesota, had ties to a terrorist organization. that remark was -- caused quite a reaction in the chamber. it was ruled out of order and struck from the record. >> it is not sure. all right, jon, thanks very much. michael?

george, we're going to that massive storm in the midwest. several feet of snow in some areas. torrential rain, mudslides and flooding. matt gutman is in soda springs, california, for us this morning. good morning, matt. >> reporter: good morning, michael. it's been a fire hose of moisture aimed right at california. you can tell it's still coming down. over 60 inches of snow here at the sugar bowl ski resort. that's over five feet. i want to show you the side by side image of what it looked like just a couple days ago. almost completely bare. in fact so little moisture had fallen in this part of california over the past month that climate scientists had actually begun to worry about the disappearance of california's snowpack. this morning, after hammering the west coast, that massive winter storm surging eastward. the so-called atmospheric river breaking several daily records across the state of california making for treacherous driving conditions and triggering multiple mudslides. >> wow. >> reporter: including these in southern california. firefighters on patrol overnight in silverado canyon after

rescuing trapped residents from these floods which fired dirt and debris down the canyon. >> at one point someone said they saw eight feet of mud outside their house. >> reporter: in the same neighborhood an entire shed from a nearby home sliding down the hill. near san francisco, a firefighter rescuing a resident trapped in his house completely surrounded by the rapid floodwater. the system also dumping feet of snow in california's mountains clogging i-80 with immobilized tractor trailers. the mammoth mountain ski area barely visible after picking up 27 inches of snowfall. over on the west shore of lake tahoe ski resorts accumulating about five feet of snow since sunday evening. and on the south of the lake this neighborhood painted white by the storm. now, the snow caused avalanches, nightmarish traffic on interstate 80 but today's opening day at sugar bowl and resorts all over here, there

will be many grateful skiers and, of course, the thousands of people for whom their livelihoods depend on these ski resorts being open. michael? >> thank you for that, matt. that storm is on the move this morning and it could head right for some of the areas already devastated by the tornado outbreak. ginger is tracking the latest. good morning, ginger. >> good morning, michael. it made for a wreck on the roads in salt lake city too. look at those images coming out of there. nearly 100 crashes, as this moves east almost everybody will feel widespread winds. most importantly, though, there will be dancing wind threat today from iowa up to minnesota. even parts of wisconsin. minnesota has never had a tornado in the month of december. there could be embedded thunderstorms with tornadoes there but damaging wind is the main threat. the area so hard hit by those tornadoes, robin, they will look for mostly rain from this by thursday. >> all right, ginger, thank you. as you know president biden is heading to the disaster area this morning. elwyn lopez has the latest on

the devastation and the road to rebuild. >> reporter: this morning, the despair in kentucky hard to bear. president biden set to arrive in the state later today as search and rescue crews comb through debris looking for more than 100 people still unaccounted for. >> he will be surveying storm damage firsthand, making sure we're doing everything to deliver assistance. >> reporter: the nation's deadliest tornado outbreak in more than a decade, claiming the lives of at least residents. the governor expecting it to climb. >> there is just so much destruction. >> reporter: in hard hit dawson springs, homes flattened. dozens still missing.

agencies from across the country pouring in to help sift through what's left behind. just 70 miles southwest in mayfield, christopher wray drives back and forth from clarksville, tennessee, to help those in need. >> this isn't going to be a week thing but a couple weeks to a couple months. >> maybe years. >> possibly. >> reporter: this morning a new threat. a storm system making its way across the u.s. taking aim at areas already decimated. >> supposed to be hit with a lot of rain. nobody has a roof anymore. so that's a big concern to us. >> reporter: ricardo gomez tells me his home is still standing, but he and his young children are left without power, heat or running water. >> you don't have electricity or water for heat. [ speaking foreign language ] >> spending the nights cold? >> yeah. >> reporter: a sea of homes completely destroyed or damaged. the president getting a firsthand look at all of this today and, george, people here are racing to get ahead of the heavy rain by salvaging whatever they can covering them up with blue tarps. george? >> heartbreaking what they have to deal with.

elwyn, thanks very much. we're going to turn to a major u.s. company cracking down on unvaccinated employees. kroger says it is taking steps to protect the rest of its employees and customers. rebecca jarvis has the details. good morning, rebecca. >> good morning, george. this is a significant decision by one of the largest employers in the u.s. with 500,000 workers kroger announcing it will pull paid emergency covid leave for unvaccinated employees and will add a $50 monthly insurance surcharge for salaried associates unvaccinated. these new rules take effect starting january 1st and kroger saying in a statement we have been navigating the covid-19 pandemic for almost two years and in line with our values, the safety of our associates and customers has remained our top priority. the supermarket chain says employees who are fully vaccinated will still be entitled to paid leave and the policy changes do not apply to workers with approved medical or religious accommodations. they will also continue to pay $100 to workers who choose to

get vaccinated. michael? >> thank you for that, rebecca. now to the new three-point king of the nba, steph curry, of course, t.j., robin gave you credit, man. you were right. >> does it almost feel like you did it yourself? [ laughter ] >> let me admit here, this wasn't much of a stretch. i wasn't -- didn't go out on a limb here for this prediction. we saw it coming. let's go back to 2009 for some perspective. he came into the league in 2009. steph curry has had to average about four three-pointers every single game the past 13 years. >> wow. >> to get to what we saw last night, him breaking that record, a record that may never be broken again. history is his. >> here's curry for the record. it's good! there it is. stephen curry, the all-time three-point king of the nba. >> reporter: and that's the shot that did it. steph curry hitting from behind the arc, something he's done thousands of times before but this makes him the nba all-time leader in three-pointers.

>> now he stands alone at the top of the three-point list. >> reporter: the warriors game against the knicks came to a stop so curry, his teammates and a raucous star-studded madison square garden crowd could take in the moment. curry immediately went over and shared a hug with his dad dell, a former nba player who was a record shooter in his day, giving him the record-breaking ball. ray allen embraced curry and told him i'm so proud of you and everybody from lebron to brady sending congratulations on social media. brady saying what an accomplishment. lebron tweeting, wow, congrats, brother, incredible. after the game curry was presented with a special jersey bearing that record-breaking number, 2,974. >> i've been thinking about this number for a long time. i even got it on my shoes so basketball history, this is pretty special. >> what makes this even more special listen to this quote. he will have limited success at the next level, quote.

quote, he is probably never going to be a star in the league. those were the scouting reports on him in 2009 when he came into the league and he has changed the game completely. he said he wants to put this record out of reach for anybody to get. >> you can't scout heart, desire and flat out talent. you can see yesterday -- like i said earlier i went to the game. after it, it was like relief. every time he touched the ball the entire crowd stood up waiting for the moment. it was amazing. >> at the garden. perfect. >> thank you, t.j. a lot more coming up including a development for o.j. simpson. are the major airlines ready for the holiday travel rush? first ginger. >> record december heat possible all the way up to des moines and then a tornado and damaging wind threat over places that have snow. incredible setup. your local weather in 30 seconds. first the record warm cities sponsored by capital one.

t.j. said he's responsible for about five of those three-pointers. we'll be right back. your kindness outshines your highs and lows. your strength can outlast any bad day. because you are greater than your bipolar i, and you can help take control of your symptoms -

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still know kung fu. >> welcome back to "gma." keanu reeves is back in "t >> welcome back to "gma." keanu reeves is back in "the matrix." michael, your interview is coming up with him in our next hour. looking forward to that. >> i was looking forward to talking to him. always been a fan and what a great movie and what a great guy. you're going to enjoy the interview. >> looking forward to that. following a lot of headlines including the stark warning about the covid variant from the world health organization. the w.h.o. director says omicron is spreading at a rate we have not seen with any previous variant. the w.h.o. also cautioning

health care systems. the house voted to raise the debt ceiling. it goes to the president's desk and he must sign before the deadline or the nation would default on its debt. for the first time ever a woman will run the nation's largest police force. keechant sewell has been named police commissioner by mayor-elect eric adams. she is the first african

know, the one thing they can't touch is his nfl pension which is $25,000 a month but beyond that, they should be able to access money -- >> why can't they touch the pension? >> because it's protected legally as -- michael can probably tell you more about that. >> don't put michael in the middle of this. [ laughter ] >> no, but, no, it's actually protected legally from any kind of judgment at all. so that's the one thing that's protected but in theory any other kind of income should be something that they can get access to. >> all right, dan, thank you, as always. appreciate you. and now we'll turn to the humanitarian disaster unfolding in afghanistan.

four months after the last u.s. troops left the country and the taliban regained control our senior foreign correspondent ian pannell is there on the ground in kabul with the latest. good morning, ian. >> reporter: yeah, good morning, michael. we're just outside the entrance of the now defunct u.s. embassy. the walls are draped with a giant flag but they're presiding over one of the world's worst humanitarian crises. you have sanctions, frozen aid,

how brave those little girls are. a big day on capitol hill for the airline industry. gio benitez is covering the hearing. hey, gio. >> reporter: hey, robin. airline ceos are facing tough questions on what they did with that bailout money and are they ready for the holiday travel rush? to treat her baby's eczema.

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good morning, america. it's 8:00 a.m. the stark warning about the covid variant spreading unlike anything we've seen yet. the covid variant spreading unlike anything we've seen yet. the world health organization urging caution about omicron, the fast spreading variant threatening to overwhelm health care systems. this morning, a level red alert at one of the country's stop universities with more than 900 new cases shutting down campus. we're there live. ben affleck sets the record straight opening up in a rare and candid conversation about his split from jennifer garner. what drove him to drinking and what gave him pause when it came to getting back together with jennifer lopez. we're in the home stretch. will your presents make it home for christmas? what to know about the final deadlines from fedex to u.p.s. to make sure you get your gifts on time.

plus, where to shop on super saturday to find epic savings on gifts and the apps to download right now to be first in line for deep discounts. ♪ good morning ♪ good morning, 2021. >> here's a check for $10,000. >> the best "gma" moments as we look back. >> the real donation we want to give him is $1 million. >> the heart, the confetti and the dancing. >> i'm going to dance here on "gma." >> what? >> no, i'm not. ♪ just jump ♪ after almost 20 years, keanu reeves is jumping back into the place he says changed his life. >> i know kung fu. >> now neo is back. >> i still know kung fu. >> don't miss my one-on-one with the star of "the matrix" as we say, good morning, america. ♪ jump in ♪ ♪ you know these arms can fill you up ♪ ♪ jump ♪ good morning, america. >> you jumped when you saw what

he said about -- >> every time i see it i think he's going to dance. i'm still waiting. one day you'll do it for me. i promise you that. >> you promise me that? [ laughter ] >> good point, george. >> nothing is getting by you these days. good one, george. >> i'll talk to you about that. ali, we'll get him to dance. >> but keanu reeves. >> keanu reeves, awesome, great interview. he said his movies were life changing. he's going to tell you and you can see why they were so important to him in his life, so, yeah, we'll have that coming up later in the show. george, you got me. >> just a little bit. we're also counting down to christmas with our 12 days of christmas cookies. are you ready for the best chocolate chip cookie recipe ever? that's what some are calling our dear friend and chef whisperer, he's back, anthony underwood.

it's his cookie. it took him ten years to perfect the recipe. >> wow, ten. >> we'll have to give it a shot. a lot of pressure. >> that's coming up. the news right now including new warnings about the omicron variant. the number of cases increased seven times in the last week, 35 states and washington, d.c. now reporting confirmed cases of omicron. let's go back to trevor ault at cornell university in ithaca, new york. they're right in the middle of an outbreak. good morning, trevor. >> reporter: good morning. we're hearing pretty seriously concerning warnings from health officials around the world. the world health organization says the omicron variant is spreading at a rate that we haven't seen with any other prior variant and the cdc says omicron could lead to another surge that peaks as early as next month. even if the symptoms from omicron tend to be more mild than other variants the sheer volume of cases could threaten you mentioned the campus here at cornell, it is shut down because of a rampant covid-19 outbreak that school officials say is largely driven by the omicron

variant. dr. fauci says our typical two-dose mrna vaccines don't work well preventing omicron infections, but the booster shots do. it is so important to take action because the u.s. has now crossed 800,000 deaths from covid-19. robin? >> trevor, thank you. we're going to turn to holiday shipping deadlines and making sure you get your packages before christmas. erielle reshef is here with those all important cutoff dates. good morning, erielle. >> reporter: good morning, robin. the clock is ticking. just ten days to go. if you want to get those presents under the tree in time for the holiday, time is running out. most of the cheapest options expire today. if you're planning to use the u.s. postal service better act fast. today is the cutoff date for their retail ground shipping. if you go with usps priority mail you have options until december 23rd. if you're sending packages through u.p.s., you have until

december 21st for their three-day select service within the u.s., but check their holiday shipping page on their website for other options and make sure that your local shipping store is open and if you're shipping through fedex the last day for most ground services is also today. if you're likely to procrastinate use fedex express which gives you december 21st up to december 24th for same day delivery. those are pricier. bottom line, you still have time to ship my gift. >> duly noted, erielle. duly noted. thank you. coming up, ben affleck gets candid on his why marriage to jennifer garner ended. also this morning we'll tell you where you can still find savings on holiday gifts. my interview with keanu reeves. why he decided to return to "the matrix" after all these years. plus, we look back at our favorite "gma" moments of the year. stay right there. we'll be right back. good choice! it is. so is screening for colon cancer. when caught in early stages, it's more treatable.

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visit your volvo retailer for special offers during our holiday safely sales event. ♪ with all my favorite colors ♪ >> nice view of times square ♪ with all my favorite colors ♪ >> nice view of times square this morning in new york city. welcome back to "gma." great to have you with us on this wednesday morning. great to have lara here. >> thank you so much, michael. good morning to you. we'll turn to our "gma" cover story. ben affleck getting candid about his ten-year-long marriage to jennifer garner. kaylee hartung is back with us with the details. good morning, again, kaylee. >> reporter: hey, lara. so ben affleck says divorce is the worst. but now sober after more than three years out of his latest stint in rehab he says he fears he'd still be drinking if he and jennifer garner were still married. >> somebody's responsible. >> when things happen, jack, i'm responsible. >> reporter: ben affleck setting the record straight on his 2015

divorce with jennifer garner. >> the truth was we took our time. we made the decision. we didn't want to show -- we grew apart. we had a marriage that didn't work. this happens. >> reporter: during a candid appearance on "the howard stern show" the oscar winner explaining his struggle with alcoholism during his ten-year marriage. >> i was trapped. you know, i was like i can't leave because of my kids but i'm not happy. what do i do? what i did is drank a bottle of scotch and fell asleep on the couch which turned out to not be the solution. >> reporter: affleck says it was not the drama portrayed in the media. >> there are only bad options. it's about finding the best one. >> we can did it amicably. we did our best. was stuff difficult for us? did we get angry? yes, but fundamentally it was always underpinned with respect.

>> reporter: affleck says being a father is the most important thing in his life, he says. >> we tried and tried because we had kids then both of us felt like we don't want this to be the model our kids want to see of marriage. >> reporter: he admits the relationship with jennifer lopez gave him pause because of the effect it can have on his kid. >> my responsibility to my children is the highest i have. i'm not doing anything that's painful or destructive to them. that being said i know my life affects them >> reporter: putting his concern for his kids first. he says ever since he hit the point of jeopardizing his relationship with his kids because of his drinking he never wanted another drink. you'll hear more from him about his new movie "the tinder bar" with juju chang on friday. guys? >> all right, erielle, thanks.

george? we turn to one stop shop. everything you need to know about this year's shopping season after months of supply chain setbacks and rising coume discounts. the deepest are about five percentage points less than previous years and rebecca jarvis has help. >> it's not in your imagination as you said. the deepest discounts are 5% less than they were in years past because in part you have the supply chain mess, the businesses themselves are paying higher costs. they're paying rising costs and consumers are so hungry to shop that they will and they'll spend any amount and as a result of that these retailers are able to pass those prices on. >> what do people do? >> there are a lot of things you can do. first of all download the store app. once you get that you'll get push notifications of the deals out there. you can use honey, that will make sure you apply all of the discounts that are readily available before you check out, cashback apps, we talked about this before. that is savings on top of your savings, rakuten, ibotta. they all apply cash back on top of whatever you already spent somewhere, already the discounts you're getting. finally, the credit card points. if you have credit card points this time of year, sometimes the credit card companies will make savings even better for people who have those points. >> a little bonus, rebecca,

thanks very much. michael? >> all right, thank you so much, george. now to keanu reeves jumping back into the "the matrix" after nearly 20 years. had the chance to sit down with the star and talk about his return to the highly anticipated fourth movie, "the matrix resurrections." >> i remember this. >> reporter: his career spanned more than three decades. from rolls like high school rocker ted "theodore" logan. >> party on dudes. >> reporter: to the fierce john wick. >> i'll kill them. i'll kill them all. >> reporter: his most mysterious role, neo from the "the matrix." >> i know kung fu. >> reporter: now for the first time in nearly 20 years reeves is heading back into the "the matrix." >> am i crazy? >> we don't use that word in here. >> you played some roles that are iconic. do you have a favorite? >> a favorite? oh, my gosh. >> i know it's hard when you've been in 68 films to pick a

favorite. >> i would say that "the matrix" changed my life. >> when you're walking down the street do people come up to you and recite their favorite lines from any of your movies? >> yeah, sometimes -- yeah, i did a film called "bill and ted's excellent adventure," i played ted "theodore" logan and once in a while on the street i would get "be excellent" and "party on." >> so many scream keanu, keanu but at one point they wanted you to change your name. >> yes, they did, sir. >> did you ever consider? >> okay, so i'm 20 years old, i'm in my first car. i wanted to be in movies. went to hollywood. i get there. they're like we want to change your name. i'm just like, why. keanu, maybe it's a little too exotic. we don't want to -- so, yeah, i did. >> what were some others? >> chuck spadina. they came up with ridiculous names. i just couldn't do it. i couldn't do it. >> i'm happy you didn't.

>> yeah, me too. >> what made you know it was the right time to do another film? >> really came from the writer/director/visionary lana wachowski. when she called, i was like what's up? she's like, i'm thinking about doing another "matrix" and i'm like, what? >> one of the fans' favorite parts of the trailer is when your character says -- >> i still know kung fu. >> we know you learned martial arts for the trilogy. >> yeah, movie martial arts. >> movie, okay. movie martial arts. how much time did that take? how much did you have to train for that? >> on the original about three months and on "resurrections" we did -- i want to say it was at least ten weeks. then we had training to jump off the building. >> you did it? >> yeah, we did it. >> how many stories? >> well, it was about 44 and then you had to walk up a couple of stories. >> no, no, i'm not worried about the walking up.

you jumped? >> the leap we take in the film. >> yeah, yeah, yeah. >> there's no cgi in that. that's real. >> carrie-anne moss. >> i wasn't sure i'd see you again. >> how was it to work with her again? >> really amazing. the performances she gives at the top of that building, i don't want to give too much away but i'm going to cry, but it was like -- i got to see that up close to see her, her strength and stuff and it was just cool to be there. >> you're allowed to cry. i do it. don't worry. >> you can't go back. >> we won't. >> you know, like this is -- might be the last time again, you know. so i'm trying to take it in. >> reporter: with some candy we ask the question on everyone's mind. >> which one would you take? >> you know, it gets harder and harder as i get older to take that red pill. >> because you like your life. you love your life.

>> yeah, but if i know there's a matrix, i'm still going to eat a red pill. >> i love it. >> oh, wow. that was great. >> it was a great time. if you listen closely, he said it might be the last time. >> yeah. >> so i'm going to focus on the key word might, everybody. "the matrix resurrections" is in theaters and streaming on hbo max on wednesday, december 22nd. now we'll go to ginger. hey, ginger. >> red pill all the way, all right. let's talk about the arctic report card. it is out and it is still warming, the arctic, two times the rate of the rest of the globe. greenland has lost ice mass every year since 1998. this past summer it rained on greenland's summit for the first time since records began. the arctic ocean is acidifying faster and unprecedented amounts of foreign trash from fishing vessels because they have more wa

>> put on your put down your lipstick. you put down your lipstick. you almost got -- i love it when we're all together like this because we know that 2021 has been one of the most challenging years in our lifetimes. here at "gma" we've also had moments we'll cherish. we've been able to celebrate our beloved viewers, you, hometown heroes, thrivers, helping them along their journeys. here are just a few of the moments we will never forget. >> this is a celebration for

you. >> got a great surprise coming up. >> this man's going to cry. >> here's a check for $10,000. [ cheers and applause ] ♪ good morning, good morning ♪ ♪ na, na, na, na, good morning ♪ >> giving in a big way. >> it makes a difference. >> thank you. >> $50,000 scholarship. >> doesn't even know what it is yet. >> you could see it in her face. >> she had no idea. >> we have a message from you from rob gronkowski. >> you're going to super bowl lv. >> we have 25 students here and we have a message. >> the college board is awarding each of you a $40,000 scholarship. ♪ good morning ♪ >> it's all true, guys. >> that is what you call sheer happiness. >> uh-huh.

>> we want you to meet lumene "lightning" montissol. tell us about your nickname. >> it comes from when i was 14 in middle school. i was faster than any other kid. >> she has her sights set on making it for the very first time to the 2022 special olympics usa games in orlando, florida. what would it mean to you to be able to compete at those games? >> it's everything for me. >> we do have something special for you. your dad is nearby. he's going to hand you a box. let's see what's inside. >> okay, wow. >> i am honored to tell you that you are advancing to the 2022 special olympics usa games. >> oh, my god. >> you're going. >> oh, my god. >> congratulations. yes! you've earned this. what are the emotions? why are you crying right now? >> i'm crying because i'm happy. >> reporter: in september of

2018 army major jose perez almost missed out on the love of his life. >> i was invited to a friend's party. i was hesitant. immediately when i got there i saw heather. >> our eyes started locking and he started to flirting. >> reporter: they planned a wedding in mexico but covid has caused them to postpone it twice. >> it's devastating to go in and have to modify your guest list because people have died. >> reporter: they have no idea i'm calling. hello, heather. >> oh, my -- >> surprise! >> surprise. >> oh, my gosh. >> i know you've said you waited 50 years for each other. we don't want you to wait any longer. we are going to marry you right here on "gma." >> are you serious? i am so ready. >> we brought in your family and your friends, everyone from the guest list is here. >> oh, gosh. i just am so grateful. thank you. thank you. >> now by the power vested in me from "gma," you may now kiss the bride.

♪ [ cheers and applause ] >> we are counting down to mother's day. >> this year we're celebrating patricia joan or miss pat, mother of 12, 52 grandkids, one great grandkid, a caretaker to her husband while dedicating time to serving her church's local food bank. >> hey there. you're live right now on "good morning america." >> oh, my gosh. no. >> miss pat, i need you to come with me. just trust me. >> no. >> you might recognize some of these folks. >> i do. >> come on, miss pat, come on, miss pat. >> oh, no. oh, no. oh, my gosh. >> come with me. it's all right. >> no. >> open that up. let's see what else is in there. yeah. [ cheers and applause ] ♪ >> you take care of the community and they're going to help you continue to take care of the community. miss pat, what we have here, $166,000 worth of food for your

food bank so you can continue to help the community like you've been doing. >> thank you, thank you, thank you. >> oh, my gosh. i'm about to cry. >> we've got a surprise for denise. >> thank you. my god. >> can you move this sign for me? [ cheers and applause ] we got friends, family and they're all here to celebrate you. >> what we got? what we got? 40,000 will do it. actually i was authorized no matter what you landed on, the real donation we want to give him is $1 million. [ cheers and applause ] ♪ >> every time, every time -- and we like to thank doug for producing and editing that and he did it from home. he's still doing that from home. art director liz alters contributing the great graphics. >> so great to relive that year.

all so amazing stories but when all those kids got a scholarship on zoom it was like the ultimate game of hollywood squares. they all lit up. >> life altering. really makes that impact. >> makes you happy to see that. >> lumene for me, special olympian. >> miss pat can't be beat. i get her every time and think about her face and her family being there because they haven't seen each other a lot of them. >> the work it takes on our end to get -- to make those surprises happen. i mean, it's just perfection all the way around so thank you to everybody. >> thank everybody especially as you said behind the scenes who makes all that happen, but, boy, there is something about giving that feels so good. coming up, some of the funniest moments that made us laugh this year.

>> building a better bay area. moving forward. finding solutions. this abc 7 news. >> good morning. jobina has a look at your commute. >> we start with a live look at walnut creek. we love this. this time of morning because the traffic is so slow. southbound stalls and crashes have cleared out of the way. we have some rain and some snow in the area. mike will have more on t

>> a potentially wet and windy wednesday. fastest wind in solano, mendocino counties. gusts up to 50 miles per hour from 10:00 this morning until 10:00 this evening. 2 on the impact scale. you can see yellows and orange in the north bay, red through the afternoon and evening hours. most of us still have moderate rain. tapering over tomorrow's commute. only two days without rain in this forecast. >> another update in about 30

minutes. you can always find us on our news app and abc7news.com. ♪ ♪ when you call me ♪ welcome back, everybody. and every day on "gma" we bring you the news, but we also bring you the fun. get ready to laugh as we look back at some of the best moments of "gma" 2021. ♪ >> good morning. >> good morning. >> good morning. ♪ america ♪ >> whoo! ♪ >> did i hear george say that he's ready to dance? >> yes. >> your hearing is not great. i said i'm ready to watch. ♪ dancing, dancing, dancing ♪ >> tom hanks.

♪ do it, do it, do it ♪ >> the "soul train" line. y'all remember that, right? >> i'm going to dance here on "gma." >> what? >> no, i'm not. [ laughter ] >> come on out, boys. >> oh, my goodness. wow, look at this. ooh. >> we're just talking about the penguins going back and forth. that little waddle. >> you're really going there. >> the walk. >> that move is correct again. >> school is just around the corner. in fact, my daughter also off to college with so many others. what -- i'm confused. why is this prop coming out? >> packing. >> whoa! >> come on. >> time for me to school you

guys in the sports. >> that 73-point victory, that is the largest margin of victory ever. that's when cleveland beat miami by a mere 68 points. none of this was in the teleprompter. i just know all of this. >> that was an incredible cold read. >> yep. t.j., i got to go to espn. ♪ >> ultimately i'm giving them what they want, what they really, really want. there you go. >> yes or no, adam levine going to perform at your wedding? >> no. i think maybe -- >> that's a no. >> adam sandler maybe. >> i don't know. i don't know. i'm on "good morning america." i don't want to get too deep. >> where are your dogs? >> right here. >> i'm wondering where riva is. because riva usually takes over. >> i wanted to pull the broom out, but i'm going to keep the broom in the closet for now. >> what's the best thing that's happened to you this year? >> love. >> i love love. >> i love love too.

>> you're smiling. >> michael keaton. >> he's like give me my emmy. give it to me. give it to me. it's just like he's so good. >> the crew had a little surprise for me so i brought out my mirror and i look, this is true and this is what -- >> them light eyes you got. that is old school r&b. got to bring the light eyes back. >> you see my light eyes. >> george, you want to take this next one. >> let's turn to the milwaukee bucks, nba finals and giannis antetokounmpo making his triumph return to greece. thank you, t.j. >> very cool dog. okay, but, wait, everybody. let me show you my dog, jalisco. can you do it? ginger, becky, what are you doing? >> just a couple of ladies trash-talking. this is what we always do on friday morning. >> it's the beat live. >> trending big. even popping up on tiktok trends and roblox so it's something the

kids are watching which is exploding. >> i have to ask what roblox is. >> i can see you being james bond. can you see it, george? >> i can see it. >> bond, black bond. >> amy is live there in tokyo. >> to be able to see all of this, it's amazing. >> i will be blasting off in the next blue origin space launch. >> countdown is on. ♪ i got you moonlight ♪ >> astronaut stray going to the moon next? >> yes. >> amy begins our most ambitious journey yet. she's heading to antarctica. >> we made it. i have agreed to do a polar plunge. i got in there pretty quick then i got all real quick. take a look. >> ooh, yeah. ♪ dynamite ♪ >> hello, good morning. >> three, two, one.

>> i made it. ♪ it's dynamite ♪ >> what an incredible morning in central park. we are back after two years. ♪ i'm waiting for that green light i want it ♪ ♪ gonna soak up the sun ♪ >> here we go. you slept through four alarms and now you're late for work, go. ♪ ♪ ♪ freedom is a highway ♪ ♪ freedom is a highway ♪ >> so i'm going to take her up on that invitation and head down to hudson yards. >> all right. >> say a little prayer about the traffic. got to get there in time. ♪ freedom, freedom, freedom, freedom, freedom ♪

>> no, you didn't. >> whoo. >> what a year. a lot of fun. >> yes. yes. >> we would like to thank our producer cameron harrison. ki junk park and liz alters and marcello mossero for putting that together. hopefully they had as much fun putting it together as we had watching it. >> good to watch. something we've been waiting for, the chocolate chip cookie recipe that took ten years to perfect as we count down our 12 days of christmas cookies. ♪ 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 ♪

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♪ run, run rudolph ♪ ♪ run, run rudolph ♪ we are back with day three of our 12 days of christmas cookies and this morning we are thrilled to have a former member of the "gma" family, once a member, always a member, anthony underwood was "gma's" very own chef whisperer during his years of producing food segments at "gma." >> oh, my gosh, look at those pictures. >> i know, i know. you are just extraordinary. could not be more proud of you. >> oh, walking on hot coals. >> he has a newsletter sharing the tips and tricks and a cookie recipe of his own that "forbes" magazine called the perfect chocolate chip cookie recipe and you can get it by scanning the qr code on the screen. anthony, hi. we love you. >> i love you. this has been so great. it's like a reunion.

so wonderful. >> we want to get to the cookie but we have been asking our chefs, so what christmas movie or tv show has inspired this recipe? >> okay, my favorite, i wore out the vhs tape, and it was the claymation rudolph and i watched that 24/7. it was my favorite. i watched it in july and so it's a classic to me and i think a chocolate chip cookie is a classic cookie. >> it goes -- so tell us about this cookie. >> okay, so this cookie took me -- >> a secret ingredient. >> yes, a few. this took me ten years to perfect. my husband josh literally has been like the chief taste tester for ten years. it's kept our marriage alive. okay, so we're going to start with dry ingredients. our flour, our baking soda and then this secret ingredient is instant espresso powder and it's not going to make the cookie taste like coffee, you're not going to taste it in small

amounts but what it does, it's kind of like salt for chocolate. it makes all of the chocolatey flavors come out so we'll put some of that in and mixy, mixy, mixy. get it incorporated all over your counter. >> got to have butter. >> we're going to brown our butter. i've already done that here and like to use a wide high-sided borks you wantalthe lexeer cavrw will pour all that into here and this is going to give us that english toffee kind of vibe. >> i can smell it already. >> it gives you that caramely english toffee thing. to get that to stop cooking we'll add in more butter. >> more butter, more butter. more better, more butter and the whisking is key. >> we'll get this all nice and

melted. >> you have a trick with the whisking. >> what's going to happen, i learned it from america's test kitchen. they're geniuses. what's going to happen we'll add our sugars and our dark brown sugar, okay, salt to balance out, a little vanilla. >> okay. >> and then for texture this is going to make it chewy, extra chewy is one egg and an extra egg yolk, that will make it really chewy and help the texture. what you'll do is whisk it all together and it will be kind of runny and got to put some muscle in it. then let it chill out for two minutes then you'll go back and whisk again vigorously like this like your life depends on it and it thickens and gets all glossy so at this point we're going to take our dry ingredients, mix them all in. >> boom. >> and, boom. >> two types of chocolate, semi sweet and dark chocolate, toasted nuts if you like, you

mix all this, guys, together. >> then there's something else you do once you have it all mixed together. >> once i have it all mixed together i want to hang it out in the fridge for a little why. that will hydrate the dough and the chilled dough will make the cookie spread less. if you put this in right away, you'll have a flat cookie. this way you'll get nice high thick and chewy cookies. you put it on a tray. put this in the freezer then you always have chocolate chip cookie dough ready to go and there is no party trick like having a plate of warm chocolate cookies at the end of a dinner party. >> to dip or not to dip or dunk. >> i dunk and i dip. >> yes, you do. are you a dunker? >> i'm a dunker. >> i'm not a dunker. >> you're not? come on now. i mean, what do you think? >> the best chocolate chip

cookie ever. [ applause ] i like to wash it down with the milk. mm-mm. >> that's really good, right? >> that's really good. michael told me -- he's a cookie freak. >> we'll takee to him. >> wonderful to see you. >> so good to see you. >> so proud of you. he started here and became a producer and look at him. anthony underwood. >> wild. this is wild. >> get this recipe on goodmorningamerica.com and you can find more of anthony's cooking adventures on his instagram kitchen what is it called. >> @kitchensitch like what's your kitchen situation. ginger? >> anthony's dance there, that's what i do every time i have a chocolate chip cookie, dance. we'll celebrate "gma" gives back all month long. you can donate a toy to the toy drive. so far 115,506 toys have been donated.

so let's keep it up. get that number pumping. we are giving back to our viewers too. you could win a gift box full of "deals & steals" goodies plus a $200 gift card. scan the qr code on the screen and that will give you all the information you need to enter. two great ways to celebrate the season. coming up we are sharing our favorite books of the year. you don't want to miss it. ♪

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♪ ♪ nice version right there. we're back with our "gma" book club holiday hit list. this morning we're sharing our favorite books of 2021 all lined up here in the studio. our team is helping us out bringing out some of the books.

>> yes. >> hello. wow. >> that's sal. >> santa sal. >> thank you, sal. >> that's sal. you've been a good girl, robin. >> that's really sal, right? >> that's sal. >> could your hat be any longer? could you have a longer elf hat? this is called "the milk wagon" written by michael hughes. their family and my family have known each other for generations, henderson hughes works for "gma." he's one of our bookers and this is his uncle. it is a beautiful read. it is a coming of age story. it's a thriller. it's about how those friendships you make back in high school, how they stay with you and it's based on the mississippi gulf coast, the setting but you don't have to be from there to appreciate it. "the milk wagon," michael hughes. i highly recommend it. second pick "a heart's landscape" by susan lax.

this is my neighbor, y'all. remember i had my neighbor from connecticut? >> yes. >> this is another neighbor of mine here in new york. she gave me her book for my birthday and it is a beautiful -- i mean the landscape, the pictures that she has and she really explores the gifts of awareness and encourages the reader to have an attentive heart so i reached out and said, hey, do you mind if i put your boom on "gma." >> do you mind? >> that was not her intent in giving it to me. she said my intent when i wrote the book was to have a moment of awareness, inspiration, comfort and joy reach as many people as possible. >> and she did. >> excellent. >> love it. >> i got some here too. >> george. >> another elf. >> he's been a good boy. >> thank you. >> max. >> the first one is "our country friends" by gary shteyngart, a russian immigrant. this is the first novel i read that was set in the pandemic. a group of friends in upstate new york.

it is funny. it is wise. it is sad. i haven't read anything like it and recommend it to everybody. and the second one is -- i think it's "clara and the sun" by kazuo ishiguro. he's the nobel prize winner for literature. this book is incredible. it's set in the future where robots are companions and writes about a robot that becomes a companion to a little girl. >> i remember you talking about this book. >> from our book club and my choices -- hey. i got to say, our elves, all i got to say to our elves is we're sorry. >> looks so good. >> ah, mine is "dwyane" by dwyane wade. your books are so serious. mine are more like picture books, that's right but pictures say a thousand words and have always admired dwyane and the way he lives his life and when he came out with this book i

just think -- >> it's beautiful. >> i love the way he talked about it when he came in. >> it's more than just about sports. it's about family. it's about love. it's about acceptance. it's about everything so that is my first book. "dwyane" by dwyane wade and the second is "the truth fairy" by tori praver and her husband mark. it's about lily, a young lady who has a bad habit of telling fibs but it's a technique tori uses with her own kids and truth is one of the most important things you can live your life with. there you go. "the truth fairy" and "dwyane." >> i'm going to jump right in. i'm all about -- thank you. thank you. "golden girl" by elin hilderbrand. she is a prolific fantastic writer. this is her 27th. it is so good. in the first scene, it's not a

spoiler alert. the heroine dies. it's about looking back and looking down, being able to give your children down on earth a nudge that might help them live a better life. it is a beautifully written book. everything she does is. i also love "something she's not telling us." oh, get into it girls. darcy bell, you have done it again. "a simple favor" was her book. you might remember the movie starring blake lively. two great reads if you're going on vacation. >> i'll bring in "atomic habits" this changed how i live. a big thing to say but something as simple as thoughtlessness and using social media. very simple habits, how to hide those things from yourself so every time you go there it's a thoughtful thing and stacks these habits and "how to change your mind" michael pollan and psychedelics and how to heal your mind. >> very popular right now. >> quite a list you got. >> so excited. >> great range. >> take a look at this. we have a little free library

that's right here in times square. more elves are out there. max and sal again. the little free library, nonprofit organization with works to build community and increase book access for all. this one is stocked with all from our picks from this morning. >> we'll be right back. financial planning is finding your home away from home. ♪ and, it's designing a plan to help get you there. start a relationship with citi and earn a cash bonus when you open a new eligible account and complete required activities. 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.

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>> moving forward, finding solutions. this is abc 7 news. jobina: good morning everyone. we will start with a quick check on traffic. slow moving traffic through oakland as you travel northbound on 880. it is improving there and also really seeing a nice improvement in walnut creek. this is a live picture of 680. southbound traffic was crawling by but finally we are getting some relief. mike: the weather is going to not cooperate as we had through 10:00. high profile vehicles in solano county we have a wind advisory. enjoy that sunshine and relative columnists right now because eshkol -- calmness.

jobina: time for life with kelly and ryan. >> announcer: it's "live with kelly and ryan!" today, academy award winner matthew mcconaughey. and the chef eric ripert takes over >> ryan: closed captioning sponsored in part by:'s kitchen as we continue our "holiday cooking dream team week." plus, a michigan mom and daughter are delivering cheer and gifts on our "good news story of the day." also, actor mark consuelos joins us for another day at the co-host desk. all next on "live!" ♪ ♪ [cheers and applause] and now, here are kelly ripa and mark consuelos! [cheers and applause] ♪ ♪ >> kelly: oh, sn