that there would be some 300 million test kits bought so that everybody could afford one regardless of income. that is still not the case in america today. >> those tests, the president said, will be going out in the beginning of january. jon karl, thank you so much. gio? will, omicron is on everyone's mind. with christmas just two days away and overall the number of covid cases up by more than 70% since last month. dr. jha will join us with more on the big questions but first trevor ault has the latest. >> reporter: this morning america's health care expanding their medicine cabinets in the fight against the virus. the fda authorizing pfizer's covid pill. you can take it at home. studies show it can reduce the risk of hospitalization among

90%. >> as soon as they're manufactured, we'll distribute them. >> reporter: the federal government ordered 10 million pills. with the holidays here, dr. fauci said you should consider asking unvaccinated family members not to come. >> we're dealing with a serious situation. if there's an unvaccinated person, i would say i'm sorry, not this time. >> reporter: omicron is l load past its highest daily total ever. >> this virus is going straight up. >> reporter: officials trying to keep up with the staggering demand for test. >> i'm here to get tested for covid-19 because everyone around me has it. >> reporter: thousands lining up at this drive-through site in cleveland. >> we have not been able to find rapid tests or any tests, really, anywhere. >> reporter: there in ohio six

hospitals taking out a full page ad in "the cleveland plain dealer," saying help, pleading for people to get vaccinated. these pills will be available by prescription and some hospitals expect to receive the first doses as early as next week and those limited first supplies will be given to people showing serious symptoms and have other underlying conditions that make them high risk. janai? >> all right, trevor, thank you so much for that. joining us is dr. ashish jha, the dean of the brown university school of health. dr. jha, thank you so much for being with us. the government is ordering the rapid tests but what else should they be doing to stop this wave and as we saw in trevor's piece, the staggering demand for testing, people can't find tests. what should the government do anticipating a next wave? >> thank you for having me

plenty of work to do getting us through this wave. >> christmas eve is tomorrow. does omicron change how you'll be celebrating the holiday? >> we're keeping it smaller. i haven't got any major holiday parties. we're getting together with family and friends. everybody is vaccinated and boosted. i got a bunch of rapid tests. we have enough so everybody that's coming can get tested. definitely a little different christmas, much better than the last one. >> for those people planning to go to gatherings and can't find a test,what should they do? should they opt for a pcr or rapid test? >> for gatherings rapid tests are better. pcr tests quite good as well. they can take too long to come back. if you can't get a test at all, how risky is it?

is it a small group and everybody is vaccinated and boosted? it's a low risk. unvaccinated people there, it's clearly higher risk. it's about being careful and minimizing the risk as much as possible. >> slowly but surely we're getting there. dr. jha, thank you for joining us. happy holidays. >> happy holidays to you. >> gio? now to something i know a little something about. holiday travel in full swing. today could be the busiest day if you're flying and those lines are already forming at airports across the country. you're going to have plenty of company if you're traveling by car too. we'll have more on that in a moment. first elwyn lopez is at atlanta international airport with more. elwyn, good morning. >> reporter: hey, gio, good morning. that travel rush already starting to pick up here and that's because today might be the busiest travel day in two years and this airport is expected to be the busiest one over the holidays. nationwide about 2.5 million could take to the skies. tsa screening more than 12 million since last week.

all of this despite concerns over omicron and while a negative covid-19 test is not required for domestic flights, many travelers are stopping by testing sites like this one ahead of large gatherings with family and friends. all of this comes as jetblue joins delta in its push for the cdc to shorten quarantine times if you get covid and are fully vaccinated claiming the current ten-day period may significantly impact its workforce and operations. and, gio, hopper predicts we could see 2.2 million travelers every single day over this holiday rush. that is double what we saw in 2020. >> just so many people who want to get out there. elwyn, thank you. we turn to alex perez in chicago now with a look at the roads. how is it looking? >> reporter: hey, good morning, gio. take a look behind me here. you can see traffic moving pretty freely here on lake shore drive. if you're planning on getting in a car this holiday, well, guess what, you are not alone.

in fact, a record number of people are expected to get on the road this holiday season, about 100 million people according to aaa. it depends where you're headed. try to avoid peak types if possible. aaa says the worst will be from noon to 6:00 p.m. the best after 7:00 p.m. some gridlock spots many are bracing for. detroit this morning, on u.s. 23 north, eight mile road expecting 209% more traffic than usual. san francisco this evening, i-80 north from 580 to san pablo dam, 166% higher and from chicago, a whopping 240% more traffic than usual. the reminders you probably have heard before. leave early, don't rush and, of course, bring as much patience with you as you got. gio? >> thank you so much. happy holidays to you.

check this out. a dramatic ending to last night's armed services bowl. army beating missouri as time expired. kocking it true and through from 41 yards off capping off a second half comeback. they were down 16-7. they fought back with their second string quarterback in the game after their starter was ruled out with a leg injury. that field goal keeping army undefeated in the armed services bowl. they end their season at 9-4. >> time-out. you are way too excited about army just beating mizzou. >> yeah. >> i went to mizzou. i've got a problem. you are so excited about that. >> i love dramatic endings and field goals and i loved our armed services, they support our troops. >> we got something to talk about. >> you're on the wrong side of history and -- all right. that's -- >> ooh. >> we are going to let this calm down.

we are following a lot of other headlines this morning including rapid covid tests flying off the shelves. how can they help keep your gathering safe. and the outrage this morning after that 110-year prison sentence given to a truck driver involved in a deadly interstate crash. first let's go to ginger. hey, ginger, good morning. >> reporter: if you want a white christmas get to the mountains, but don't go on the roads. interstate 80 really slick. what it means for areas south. these rivers pounding places like los angeles to san diego where we have flood watches. one to three inches of rain. let's get the christmas cities sponsored by wayfair.

we will be right back.

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.

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order today, get it today at target. [ music ends ] >> building a better bay area. this is abc 7 news. reggie: good morning. more big news is out this morning in fighting against covid-19. the fda has just authorized a second pill to treat covid-19. merck' people 18 and up. pfizer's pill was authorized yesterday for people 12 and older. sue: wet weather with standing water, hydroplaning, flooding around the bay area. walnut creek, 600 80, just a solid stream of red. a couple of incidents with flooding and accidents. we have lots of areas of standing water. be careful. that is westbound 24. reggie:

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mike: sue touched upon it. let me fill in gaps. we have a flood advisory. rainfall rates on the radar, estimating that a lot of these areas will see more standing water than other areas. the heaviest of rain has passed to the south. it takes hours for this to congregate and fill up our streams and some other areas. as we head to today, at least until 10:00, downpours we cannot escape during the commute. we switch over to cold systems, with snow levels dropping down to our mountains saturday through wednesday. reggie: coming up, where you can still find last-minute holiday deals and get them under the

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your dell technologies advisor can help you find the right tech solutions. so you can stop at nothing for your customers. ♪ i won't ask for much this christmas i won't even wish for snow ♪ welcome back to "gma." i wasn't sure if you would jump in to harmonize. we can't get enough. mariah carey's christmas classic and apparently neither can you. that song hitting 1 billion with a "b," 1 billion streams on spotify. the queen of christmas sharing this photo on her instagram commemorating the milestone writing, i truly appreciate each and every one of these 1 billion streams. holy cow. >> will and i have a million of those. >> yeah. >> each. now, back to the top

headlines we're following including the fight against the omicron surge as the variant has now been detected in all 50 states. the fda authorizing pfizer's covid-19 pill. studies show it can reduce the risk of hospitalization nearly 90% among people at risk for severe illness. that pfizer pill will be available by prescription and some hospitals expect to receive the first doses as early as next week. also right now we're tracking the latest on that breaking news overnight after reports of an explosion. a massive fire breaking out in an exxonmobil refinery in baytown, texas. at least four people were injured. a thorough investigation will be conducted. also, congresswoman mary gay scanlon was carjacked at gun point in philadelphia in broad daylight. the pennsylvania democrat was walking to her car in fdr park when two armed men demanded her keys and took off with her acura, her phone and government cell phone. they were all taken. her purse and i.d. were inside.

thankfully she was not injured. here's the story of a holiday hero. the 11-year-old boy who saved not one, but two people on the same day. first the sixth grader from oklahoma jumped into action when one of his classmates was choking and performed the heimlich maneuver and while he was on a walk later that day, he saved an elderly woman from a house fire. >> wow. >> he was honored by both his school and the sheriff's office. a brave and quick thinking young man. no surprise here. the young hero wants to be an emt. >> aww, i love that. >> that's amazing. >> what are the odds of that? >> bravo. that is really, really great. we've got a lot more ahead. it's still not too late. it's hard to believe, but you can still find deals and get them in time for christmas. we will tell you where and how. that's coming up. >> i feel like that story is just for me, will. so thank you. now to the -- we want to turn to the outrage over that 110-year sentence given to a truck driver involved in a fatai r clency andmofarninli othe

victims and survivors are speaking out. kaylee hartung has the latest. kaylee, good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning, janai. this is a painful process for so many people involved. now that a jury has determined that this truck driver was responsible for this deadly collision, the question sparking so much backlash now is does this punishment really fit the crime? this morning, pressure mounting on colorado's governor to reduce the 110-year prison sentence for the truck driver convicted in this deadly highway crash. >> it doesn't really spell justice. [ crowd chanting ] >> reporter: calls for justice for rogel aguilera-mederos on the steps of the colorado capitol. his mother in tears. > governor polis, we want you to reduce or give clemency for the unfair sentencing of 110 years. >> reporter: those voices

echoing the nearly 5 million people who signed an online petition asking for his controversial sentence to be reduced. >> nobody is asking that he not serve any time. they're just asking for a reduction that's commensurate with the crime here. >> reporter: and now the district attorney filing a motion for the judge to reconsider the sentencing in an expedited hearing calling this an exceptional case involving unusual and extenuating circumstanceay wha justice would look like because there's no justice for, you know, like the ones who died, the ones injured. >> reporter: in 2019 four people were killed, several injured in this fiery pileup just outside denver. gage evans' husband bill bailey was one of the victims. >> for people to recognize that he was responsible for killing my husband gave me the chance to breathe. >> reporter: mederos claiming his brakes failed causing him to lose control and slam into dozens of stopped cars but prosecutors arguing he was going nearly twice the speed limit just before the crash. a jury finding him guilty on 27

counts, the most serious charge being first degree assault. the judge saying he wouldn't have chosen this lengthy sentence but his hands were tied by state laws which carry mandatory minimum penalties for certain crimes and require some sentences to be served consecutively. >> it raises the question of murderers in the state of colorado receiving significantly less time and they're serving less time than mr. aguilera-mederos. >> reporter: kim kardashian tweeting, colorado law really has to be changed and this is so unfair. >> there's long ways to go to reform our justice system and this is just one example of a man who woke up with no this tragic accident happened and that's something right now the mandatory sentencing is not taking into account. >> reporter: in this upcoming hearing that the d.a. requested if the judge determines he doesn't have the authority to amend this sentence, well then the power will ultimately lie in the governor of colorado's hands

to decide mederos' face. gio? >> kaylee hartung in los angeles, kaylee, thank you. we turn now to the struggle to find covid rapid tests. as families look to gather safely for the holidays, mireya villarreal is in dallas with the latest. mireya, good morning. >> reporter: hey, good morning, gio. as millions of americans get set to travel for the holiday, this morning, growing concerns over the new variant, omicron, and how highly transmissible it is. if you're starting to feel those symptoms, the runny nose, the headache, the fatigue, rapid antigen tests just like this one can help you figure out exactly what's going on, but that's i have, a big if, them. they're the hot ticket item that could potentially save your holiday gathering. and this morning, these rapid antigen tests are flying off store shelves. some third party retailers on

amazon even limiting their number of tests for purchase. digital health company ro packing and shipping tests out of their new york office. abbott, the maker of binaxnow telling abc news they're running their u.s. manufacturing facilities 24/7, hiring more workers and investing in automation. by january, they say they'll be making 70 million tests a month. unlike a pcr test that can tell you if you're infected experts say rapid antigen tests are effective at detecting if someone is potentially contagious before walking into a holiday gathering. >> if you're positive on a rapid antigen test, you should assume that it means that you are currently infectious. >> reporter: there are at least ten different fda authorized at-home rapid antigen tests on the market that take about 15 minutes to give you a result. dr. michael minick says they can detect the fast spreading variant omicron but with one

caveat. >> you could start spreading the virus for a day before a nasal swab picks you up. >> reporter: for so many concerned about false positives, mina suggests using two different brands which may mean trading with family members. take one right before your gathering, a positive test on one can be followed up with the other brand until you're able to get a lab run pcr test. he says false negative results are rare. we watch as our doctor delivered a rapid antigen test on one of his office employees, matt. >> said there is a strong pink line and that according to this test indicating that it's a positive reaction. >> reporter: although asymptomatic matt tested positive. another brand test confirming that result. so we were just talking about that new pfizer pill that was just approved. here's the thing, once you start to feel symptoms you have to take the pill within five days,

so dr. mina suggests having these tests around to try to detect the virus sooner rather than later. >> oh, absolutely, mireya. the federal government and pharmacies are also stepping up to help get those rapid tests to more people, right? >> reporter: that's exactly right. so cvs is actually taking the test and trying to distribute them around the country where they're needed most. also the federal government is stepping in and really ramping up their efforts on the testing program they have going on right here at dfw airport, gio, there is three testing sites, one before tsa security, two after and they're testing about 300 people a day. >> just incredible. mireya, you know, we should say here this is your first live shot on "gma." welcome to our little family here. [ applause ] >> reporter: well, thank you so much. >> we are glad to have you, my friend. thank you. >> so glad. and coming up, this isn't an excuse to procrastinate but you still have time. where you can find last-minute deals and get them under the tree. all without leaving your couch.

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>> reporter: hey, good morning, will. okay, will, so you, gio and janai might want to listen up. the malls will be packed today and tomorrow although, janai, i know you'll try to make an attempt but some of the best deals like here at the gap can be found online. the christmas crunch is on. >> i've always been a last-minute shopper and this year with, you know, all that's going on last year like christmas snuck up on me. >> reporter: with two days left to go there's still last-minute deals you can snag without even leaving your couch. >> what makes gift cards great, they don't rely on shipping which has been iffy all season and is even more iffy at the very last minute. they can be delivered instantaneously either to your in-box or your recipient's and there's so many option, gift cards get a reputation of being generic but there are so many options you can cater to someone's interests. >> reporter: a $50 digital gift

card from adidas is just 40 bucks until the end of the gap is offering 10% off i-gift cards until christmas. looking for something to go under the tree if you order by christmas eve bed, bath & beyond is offering same day deliveries until 7:00 p.m. for orders over $39 and target will same day deliver to your home for $9.99 but you're taking your chances, it's only if a slot is still available. walmart will deliver within two hours before 1:00 p.m. on christmas eve but for some of the biggest deals, even if you order online you might have to pick them up in store. if you order curbside pickup from dsw, you'll get 15% off your entire order and they'll have it ready in two hours. >> that gives you the convenience of online shopping but the security of getting your item the same day so you can take it home and wrap it. >> reporter: so i have one major tip for you three. i mean if you waited this long, look, some of the biggest retailers have their best deals right after christmas, could be one perk to procrastinating.

>> that is and i will say you sold me out, zohreen, but, i'm all for will's rebranding of procrastinator to people who are just busy. >> always busy. also deals on christmas afterwards is just getting a head start on next christmas. there you go. >> no, you're not. >> our thanks to zohreen. coming up next our "play of the day." 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,

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♪ ooh, i'm blinded by the light ♪ ♪ ooh, i'm blinded by the light ♪ back now with our "play of the day" as we groove along on this christmas eve eve and the christmas convoy that you cannot miss. guys, look at this. it's an annual tradition in belgrade, montana. there's 75 big rigs, semis, garbage trucks, logging trucks, totally decked out in lights. how cool is that. >> unbelievable. >> there's one with a flame thrower. do we have that? did i time that right? >> people, wait for it because the flame thrower truck is pretty epic. my nephew -- there it is. >> there it is. >> my nephew, christopher, i hope you're watching because this is christmas come early for you. my man loves trucks. tucks, trucks, trucks. super cool. coming up, the guys who are also super cool and from the

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>> building a better bay area. moving forward. finding solutions. reggie: good morning. please be careful out there. sue: you are right. we do need folks to be careful. there is flooding. there is hydroplaning. that is the big issue. lots of solo spin outs and cars getting stuck. please take extra caution. we are reminding you the bay bridge is looking wet pretty light, with an earlier problem, south 880 near the coliseum. mike: living up to its name steak -- a moderate storm. there is a little bit of flooding in parts of marion county and here in san mateo county we have a flood advisory until 9:30. you can see our storm is slowing as it rolls southward. we are seeing wave after wave of

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good morning, america. it's 8:00 a. good morning, america. it's 8:00 a.m. with omicron now the dominant covid strain in the u.s. and christmas just two days away, this morning, the new covid fears as officials struggle to keep up with the staggering demand for tests and the new hope with the fda authorizing a new antiviral pill. now what dr. fauci is saying when it comes to unvaccinated family members and the holidays. cancer detection breakthrough. the new a.i. technology that may predict breast cancer years before symptoms. we're one-on-one with the head researcher and thriver on what could be a game changer for millions. ♪ i'm burning up ♪ battling burnout. stress among american workers is on the rise.

now with covid cases surging across the country, how to take care of your mental health and what to do if you're struggling. ♪ bring it on home ♪ a home for the holidays. a boy who went from foster home to foster home and the adoptive mom he found at school about to spend their first official christmas as mother and son joining us live and we have a major surprise to make it extra jolly. ♪ christmas every day ♪ and we're decking the halls with david archuleta live. bringing a special performance as we count down to christmas and he's saying -- >> good morning, america. ♪ good morning, america. great to be with you on this christmas eve eve alongside janai and gio. we are rounding the corner and heading for home for the holidays for christmas. our favorite holiday movie experts will join us live. they are the deck the hallmark

guys. >> bran, panda and dan are giving us their best tips and tricks for throwing the perfect made for tv holiday gathering, plus they're sharing their picks for favorite holiday movie this season and spoiler alert, it is not a hallmark movie but it is one of my favorites. >> it is not a holiday without bran, panda and dan. but first we do have a lot of news we need to get to starting with the fight against covid. new fears with the omicron variant detected in all 50 states. new hope with the fda authorizing the first covid pill that patients can take at home. let's go back now to trevor ault who is tracking it all. good morning again to you, trevor. >> reporter: good morning, again, janai. we know millions may be reassessing their holiday plans seeing these infections piling up and have a new tool to fight the virus with this first covid-19 pill but you should be aware it could be some time before you can count on its availability. this morning, america's health care workers expanding their medicine cabinets in the fight

against the virus. the fda authorizing pfizer's covid-19 pill paxlovid to treat infection early and you can take at home and it reduces the risk for hospitalization nearly 90% among people at risk for severe illness. >> as quickly as pfizer gets them manufactured and delivered we will immediately provide them to states and jurisdictions for distribution. >> reporter: the federal government ordered 10 million courses of the pill but that order will take months to fully fulfill. janai spoke to dr. ashish jha earlier this morning. >> the problem is in the short term we won't have a lot of this. the u.s. government is buying them all but the bottom line in the next few weeks we won't have a lot of these so it won't help us much with the omicron wave but will make a huge difference down the road. >> reporter: omicron is already leading a significant new surge. the u.s. topping a million new infections over the past week. new york's caseload rocketing past its highest daily total ever.

>> this virus is going vertical. it's going straight up. >> reporter: and we have all seen the unbelievable demand for covid tests ahead of the holidays and the government's trying to act quickly to keep up. today here in new york, the federal government is opening several new testing sites in new york city we'll have five pop-up sites simile to hand out covid tests people can take at home. gio? >> trevor ault, thank you so much. we turn to that busy travel day ahead and what you can expect if you're taking to the skies or hitting the road for christmas. let's go back to elwyn lopez. she's at atlanta international airport. elwyn, good morning again. >> reporter: hey, gio, throughout the morning we've een a steady buildup of traffic here and that's no surprise as today might be the busiest travel day in two years and this airport is expected to be the busiest one over the holidays. nationwide we could see about 2.5 million people taking the skies today. tsa already screening more than 12 million since last week, all of this despite concerns over omicron.

hopper predicts we could see 2.2 million travelers every single day over this holiday rush. that is double what we saw in 2020. all of this comes as jetblue joins delta in its push for the cdc to shorten quarantine times if you get covid and are fully vaccinated claiming the current ten-day period may significantly impact its workforce and operations and, gio, while a negative covid-19 test is not required for domestic flight, we've seen many travelers stopping by testing sites before making their way here to the airport to board their flights. gio? >> yeah, incredibly busy at the airports. elwyn, most of those traveling will be by car. >> reporter: yeah, aaa predicts we could see 100 million people hitting the roads this holiday season. experts say the worst time to travel is between noon and 6:00 p.m. and the best right after 7:00 p.m. gio? >> all right, elwyn, thank you so much for that. all right, well, coming ups the possible breakthrough cancer

technology coming out of m.i.t. you don't want to miss this. how artificial intelligence may help detect breast cancer years in advance. >> just incredible. also, the rise in burnout from workplace stress to covid anxiety. the signs you should be looking out for and how you can manage that stress. we know you've been waiting for it. our 12 days of christmas cookie countdown continues. jake cohen is here. he'll share some post-hanukkah inspiration and his amazing cookie decorating tips. so you'll want to stick around for that. we'll be right back. type 2 diabs knocking you out of your zone? lowering your a1c with once-weekly ozempic® can help you get back in it. oh, oh, oh, ozempic®! my zone... lowering my a1c, cv risk, and losing some weight... now, back to the game! ozempic® is proven to lower a1c. most people who took ozempic® reached an a1c under 7 and maintained it. and you may lose weight.

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incredible dad who went viral for his dancing videos with his young son battling cancer who we are happy to announce is now cancer-free. >> oh! >> and tomorrow morning we will be celebrating a special christmas eve morning with them. can't wait for that. >> this just gets better and better. the video was amazing. the baby going with it and good news there so looking forward to that. now to our "gma" cover story about the latest technology that could revolutionize early breast cancer detection. it's a story we first saw in "the washington post" and i spoke to the m.i.t. professor leading the charge. this morning, researchers are revealing a new diagnostic tool in the battle against breast cancer. while mammograms have long been considered the gold standard in breast cancer detection, a new technology developed by m.i.t. professor regina barzilay and her student could change how women deal with their health.

it's called mirai. they say it can see beyond what the human eye can detect on mammograms and determine if a patient is at risk years earlier. >> how did you train the machine? >> the way you train the machine is a similar way as your iphone is trained to identify your face. give it examples of images with known outcomes and machine is trained to kind of correlate the distribution of pixels to predict the future, to tell who is likely to get breast cancer. >> reporter: the technology is still in development and undergoing medical trials. regina using her own mammograms to test the accuracy of the technology. she scanned her first mammogram from 2012 seen here into mirai. from that picture the ai determined she was at high risk, something her doctors didn't identify until 2014 when it was this mammogram seen here that led to her breast cancer diagnosis.

>> mirai was correct about 76% of the time. 76% is millions of women, people who could benefit from this technology. what does that potential mean to you? >> you can assess what's to come and then you can reorient yourself and some of it can be medication, some changing your lifestyle. >> reporter: not only changing the rate of detection but also potentially changing the course of treatment early on, possibly saving millions of lives. >> if this technology is used in the uniform way, first of all, we can identify who is high risk patients and intervene once the cancer is detected, easier to treat and outcomes are much better. >> doctors say traditional diagnostic tests are still needed and this technology is still in early trials but the

early indicators are hopeful so dr. barzilay wished she had earlier noticed and now trying to help so many others get that. >> when you were telling me about this, just so incredible. i'm so glad you brought that to us. thank you, janai. turning now to the spike in burnout. a lot feel it. a headline we saw in "the wall street journal" citing a recent survey that found more than three-quarters of american workers surveyed are struggling up from 55% six months earlier and abc news medical contributor and emergency medicine doctor, dr. darien sutton, is here with what you need to know. dr. sutton, thanks for being here. good morning. >> good morning. >> listen, doctor, those numbers, they are pretty startling, of course. so why don't we first start defining what is burnout? >> sure. so burnout is a syndrome resulting from chronic workplace stress that cannot be successfully managed and honestly often leads people feeling helpless and hopeless as well as physically and mentally exhausted. >> those signs, a lot wonder

could those signs of burnout, the symptoms, could they make you think you have the common cold, maybe you have even covid? >> usually pandemic fatigue has a lot to do with it but the signs to burnout are often gradual, including things such as feeling tired. even though you've gotten adequate sleep, a loss of motivation and mental distancing from work, a constant cynical thinking and negative feelings related to work and often procrastination and taking a long time to get simple tasks done. >> doctor, this is really something. burnout can really affect your mental health in the long term, can't it? >> absolutely. we're still learning about the long-term mental health impacts of burnout and we know that t's likely associated to things like anxiety and depression and also negatively affects your relationships outside of work. >> and obviously this is not just something we're thinking about just with work because we've got the pandemic going. we've got the holidays going at the same time. a lot of it, all stressful for a lot of people. so tell me a little bit, what

can people do if they're struggling? >> you know, i always say first off start with self-care as sleep, diet and exercise are often overlooked. also setting boundaries and limits on your commitments and making sure to check in with a primary health provider to make sure you rule out possible underlying health conditions that might be disguised as burnout and most importantly talking to people that you trust and if needed seeking out professional help. you know, as a physician i've experienced burnout in my academic and clinical career and i'll have to say the most important thing that i learned was that it's okay to ask for help. >> yeah, it absolutely is. dr. darien sutton, such a pleasure to have you here. happy holidays, my friend. >> you too. >> all right, thank you so much. will? >> gio, fascinating and so important. and on top of burnout, finding balance is so tough. work, family, especially during the holidays and particularly if you have multiple children at home. but one mom and working professional extraordinaire has

a whole list of tips from "a" to ginger zee. ginger, take it away. >> reporter: oh, i like what you did there, will. thank you. i am no expert for sure but i realized that so many of us and society tells us you got to carve out time for a date night with your partner. i think we all know that but when it comes to our kids it always kind of feels like everybody is together all the time which is nice, it's just that for me it started to feel like a really bad episode of "the bachelor" where it was a lot of group dates, never ending. so i made some one-on-one time with each of my child -- or each of my children. sometimes balancing it all feels next to impossible. especially when it comes to making sure that you're giving quality one-on-one time to each of your kids. >> you are a wonderful big sister. >> reporter: mom of two with als finding ways to make sure her kids feel equally loved and appreciated is important to her. >> i work from home. i run two businesses and my husband works full time.

his job is very demanding so time is always an issue as well. it's definitely a balancing act to try to isolate time. getting them together is one thing but spending the individual time with them separately is a whole other thing you have to plan for. >> oh, my boy. >> reporter: alana is not alone. i've noticed as my kids get older that one-on-one time would be even more critical cause it's kind of a constant fight for attention. >> do we need to have date nights with our kids? >> absolutely. one-on-one time with our kids is so much more important than we ever imagined. having one-on-one time with your child can help boost their confidence. it lets them know that they're important and that you love hearing from them and being with them and talking about those social, emotional development of a child. >> i find myself when i try to find date time even with my kids

sneaking out with adrian because there's such jealousy and sibling rivalry. how do i deal with this? >> look, no matter how old your kids are there will probably be some jealousy and competition. don't let that stop you from having one-on-one time. you have another kid that will be jealous and upset, let them know, look, it's mommy's time to spend with your brother. have an age appropriate conversation and let them know that you both are getting one-on-one time but now it's your siblings time. >> reporter: spending time together doesn't have to be a big event. >> just a walk and a skate for us today, right? >> yeah. >> kids love having a chance to talk to mom and dad one-on-one and do something relaxing and fun that could be making a holiday playlist, helping pick out other family members' gifts online, taking a walk, going on a bike ride, every single relationship in your household needs to be nurtured. it only takes a little bit of time to make everyone feel special.

. >> reporter: the last time i ran and adrian biked, he said, mommy, that was so fun so it really doesn't have to be a lot and this is my favorite tip from ericka, it's never too late to start. even as an adult, you can nurture that. you need quality time throughout life and it will help the relationship. i'm coming for you, mom. that's the big picture. now that was such great information from ginger, so really appreciate her for

sharing that. now we want to get to a heart warming story of a chosen family that went viral on tiktok. paige bramlett started working with 5-year-old william in the foster care system. fast forward a couple of years and she is now his mom. take a look at their story. >> i knew i made a good choice, my best friend. >> reporter: for paige and william, best friends is an understatement. breakable bond but have an paige was a behavior specialist and was paired with william at her former elementary school. a life-changing assignment. william was in foster care and after months of one-on-one sessions with him, in her heart paige says she knew what she had to do to give him a chance at a forever home. she had to become a licensed foster parent and on october 12th their bond cemented legally

when she turned the page on being a foster parent and started a whole new chapter as william's mom. paige just turned 26 this week and now says she already has the best gift of all. >> buckle up because our journey is just at the beginning. here's to number 26 around the son, but this time it's with my two best friends. >> oh, joining us are paige and william. welcome to both of you. we just saw you smiling as we were playing that piece. it's so, so sweet. happy belated birthday to you, paige. we are so happy -- >> thank you. >> -- for both of you. paige, tell us, did you feel a special bond with william just right away? >> i did. it was challenging times. i met him as soon as his kindergarten year just began so as you can imagine, being a kindergarten student with a lot of new faces as well as just being in foster care with a lot of new faces all the time was a challenging time for him, but we

became best friends very quickly. here an wli, at ig y sspia is christmas?a to >> i want a remote control >> not only do you have a new mom but you also have a new puppy. what do you think about banks? >> what do you think about her? >> she's a good dog. she's cute and sometimes she's really crazy. >> oh, banks is also a huge tiktok star. so can we learn a little bit more about banks? can we show banks off to america here? how cute. >> sure. >> sure.

thank you. well, there's banks just chilling, huh? >> oh, adorable. >> paige, between banks and william, you have a very full house these days. what are you guys planning to do for the holidays? >> we are enjoying creating our own traditions in our own little home this year but we love spending time with our family and we are excited to just be with family and create our own traditions this year for sure. >> well, as you're creating your new traditions for your first official christmas as mom and extra special for you and five below is the newest -- has the newest and coolest trendiest items, mostly $5 and less and want to make sure you two have everything a family needs. so not only for an amazing first official christmas, but to start your future off, in the best way possible, so that's why five below would like to donate $10,000 to help you both to continue to achieve amazing

things together. >> oh, my goodness. >> plus, that's not all. they will be sending you a bunch of the newest toys and gifts for you to enjoy together this holiday season. can you see that? >> oh, my goodness. >> megalodon in there? >> we'll have to get the megalodon. how do you feel? >> thanks. >> oh, my goodness. >> you are so welcome. >> look at all those toys. >> they're for you. >> oh, my goodness. >> a big thanks. a big smile from william. a big thanks to five below. merry christmas, paige and william. and coming up here -- >> is that a football? >> a football and a basketball. everything you need, william. so sweet. >> merry christmas, guys. thank you. >> merry christmas to you. >> oh, amazing. well, coming up here, the deck the hallmark guys are joining us live. still a lot coming up on "gma." >> there's a guy named panda. [ laughter ]

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mike: we've got some issues. my highest priority was urban flooding and there you go, we've got it for parts of san mateo county until 9:30. you can see around nor nor n sections of san francisco bay until 10:15 with a chance for flooding lingering until 10:45 in sonoma county. the front has stalled and a wave has developed across it. that is why there is so much heavy rain falling and why we will have that ponding on the roadways. the storm will taper this afternoon. kumasi: we will have another update in about 30 minutes, but

you can always find the latest on our app and at abc7news.com. ♪ santa, tell me ♪ ♪ are you really there ♪ ♪ don't make me fall in love ♪ the christmas play list continues here on "gma." only two days to go until the big day and having our next guests on the show is one of our favorite holiday traditions, the guys from deck the hallmark. it is a podcast. they are back. it is bran, dan and panda and they have a new one called "i'll be home for christmas movies" and they are sharing some of the tips to help us throw a made for tv holiday gathering. welcome back to "gma" and we have to start with the movies. you each have a pick to make that you're making the season bright. i find this hilarious. dan, you hate hallmark movies,

which is awesome because you do a hallmark movie podcast, but that's one that actually stole your heart this season. >> yeah, the deal is bran loves them. panda likes them and i am just not a fan. how many times can we plan the same christmas party but this year hallmark pulled out all the stops, they got one called "unexpected christmas" and believe it or not after watching hundreds, this one finally won my heart over. it is a good movie. hallmark, please be listening, more of this, more of unexpected christmas because it was a delight and i finally found one i could stomach. thank you. >> i believe they're listening to the man who doesn't like hallmark movies from the man who doesn't like hallmark

glad you finally found the one. panda, you like them. what's your pick? >> oh, listen, i have one that you're going to absolutely love is called "next stop, christmas." it is a back to the future kind of reunion. christopher lloyd, lea thompson, time travel, a train, choo-choo. you're going to love it. >> you had me at time travel. hey, bran, what about you? >> well, listen, we're going to go to netflix. a little bit bigger budget. a whole lot of fun. way." my favorite movie of the year from all the networks, so festive, hilarious, dan liked tat one too. guy, it's all a bit. he loves these movies. don't listen to him. "singing all the way." let's do this thing. >> sounds sadistic, dan, to not like hallmark movies and be a part of this. sounds like you're doing a bit. speaking of bits, you got to have a bit of something sweet when you're enjoying these movies. you guys are in a festive atmosphere and i feel like you wear these sweaters 365 days a year. what do you have in front of you and we have in front of us to make the holiday party that much sweeter? >> as much as i hate the movies, and i do, i love these brownies. they're in our book called

the -- >> this book? >> this book, "i'll be home for christmas movies." save the town brownies. we make them from scratch and it takes a lot of work but it's the 23rd so don't do all of that. >> no one has time for that. >> go to the bakery section and get you brownies, chocolate frosting and grab a candy cane you have decorated around the house, crunch them up. put them on top for a little festive flair. you know what's not a bit? these brownies, you're going to love them. fantastic. guaranteed and in the book if you want to do the recipe. >> they look delicious but you've got to have something to drink too. panda, what do you got for us? these look incredible. >> oh, listen in the book we have -- >> this book? >> we have our own eggnog, homemade eggnog recipe, we call it yule nog. you don't have time to make that. go get a glass ornament, clean out the inside real good. >> no time for that, though. >> funnel in the eggnog and,

listen, put a little salt here for snow. it looks real good then just sip it right up. >> go, go, go, go, go, go. yeah! >> it looks fun. >> i want to do that too. >> ready, guys? >> go, go, go. >> i think you three are the only people having more fun than us this morning. go, go, go. >> that's really good. quite sweet. can confirm. that's eggnog. >> i feel like this is going to fall. so, bran, you created a party game. what you got? >> yeah, i wish i created it. our friend amy and her crew made it, and i'm stealing it for national television. it's a choose your own adventure hallmark movie. we got this amazing card. find it online. you pick an actor, pick an event, pick how they meet, all this fun stuff, and it's kind of like fantasy football, but more fun. so i did this, of course. and i chose my guy tyler, ty and

tamara from "sister sister." she's a firefighter. he burns down a tree. she saves him, and they fall in love, and it's called "red hot christmas." it's not a real movie. it should be. hallmark, call me, i'll set it to you. >> i love that "sister, sister." i heard that. ♪ sister sister ♪ >> so much fun. >> what was your movie? >> i picked a tree farmer in a small town and a city tradition is in danger and that's very serious. >> that may have happened in the time that i've -- >> that is something -- >> out of the box, gio. >> that is something i would watch. bran, dan, panda, thank you so much. "deck the hallmark." you guys are awesome and got us further into the christmas spirit. get these recipes and the card for that movie game on our website, goodmorningamerica.com. not too late to pick up a copy of "i'll be home for christmas movies" at your local book stores and listen to "deck the hallmark" wherever you get your podcasts.

coming up here, our 12 case of christmas cookies. mm-mm, more food. mm-mm, more food.

and we are back now with our 12 days of christmas cookies, just two days of cookies left. and this morning, we've got jake cohen, author of "jew-ish: a cookbook: reinvented recipes from a modern mensch."

hey there, jake. good morning. >> hi. >> hanukkah may be over, but that spirit is still very much alive. what was your inspiration for these? >> so there aren't many hanukkah movies, but "the hebrew hammer" is my favorite. it's hysterical jewish conspiracy theory. 90 minute, ideal time for a movie so making glazed almond shortbread. some shaped like hammers, others like the traditional hanukkah garb. >> i took a bite too late. we were just talking about this. almond cookie and it's delicious. let's start with the dough. how do you make it? >> yeah, so you've been making cookies for too many days. we have a nice shortbread dough, typically add vanilla extract and i add in almond, it's my husband's favorite but instead of kind of shaping the cookies and chilling them we're taking the dough as soon as we make it and roll it in between parchment

paper that will help us get a nice, even shape and then we'll chill it before we cut it out. you just want to get it to about a quarter inch. >> and you know we've got them here in studio and they're so beautiful, jake. how do you get that stunning sort of marbled effect there? >> i'm telling you, it is the best icing technique you'll ever do. when you have your chilled dough, cut it out, everyone has a million cookie cutters, whatever shapes you love. but the icing, my favorite part about this, there is a little bit of vodka in it, just powdered sugar, half and half. what the vodka does -- >> this is going to be an interesting morning. >> the vodka evaporates and helps give that beautiful matte finish. what we'll do for that color is we're going to add in a couple of drops of food coloring and start to stir it together. the point is, you just don't mix

it all the way then when you dip in the cookies you get beautiful striations for that marbled effect so just like this and then we're going to go in. i got my little hebrew hammer here. we're going to dip it. and you get those beautiful kind of marbled effects. >> i don't know if that vodka evaporated. i can taste the vodka. >> janai is swaying back and forth. >> one tablespoon. you'll live. you'll live. >> and, jake, so we love the way that these cookies all turned out. they were absolutely delicious. thank you so much for joining us. >> all right. and you can get -- >> my pleasure. >> you can get this recipe on our website right now, goodmorningamerica.com and, of course, jake's cookbook, "jew-ish" and it's in stores right now. ginger? >> reporter: oh, i still have to that dough going. i'm inspired. thank you, gio. 'tis the season of giving. so you can join "gma" by sharing that holiday cheer by donating a toy to the disney ultimate toy drive.

there's still time. scan the code on the screen and find out everything you need to do to put a smile on the face of a child in need and so far, an amazing 141,121 toys have been collected through the drive. so let's keep giving. let's get that number up and let's get a check a little national restaurant association, well, according to the national restaurant association, the food service industry is down more than 900,000 jobs since the pandemic began. but we have a story of one atlanta restaurant that took helping others to heart. "gma" contributor megan ryte visited and has their story. megan, good morning to you.

>> reporter: good morning, janai. so many restaurants are doing all they can to help their employees, opening up their hearts and wallets to keep thei claompany w understands just how tough it is and they wanted to help so teamed up to give that restaurant a big surprise. take a look. >> we're celebrating and the food is awesome. the collard green spring roll and mussels are my favorite. >> reporter: with a little heart and a lot of passion the twisted soul cookhouse & pours adds an international touch to southern cuisine. >> okay, you ready for the kitchen? they're getting ready for brunch. >> reporter: after 32 years as a globe-trotting flight attendant fine-tuning her cooking skills, deborah vantreese returned home to become a full time chef. >> i sat out on my journey to bring some respect to the food i grew up with. >> reporter: here deborah invested her recipes and her employees.

>> she has a mindset where she believes in investing in actual people that work with her because she sees potential in us. >> reporter: at the height of the pandemic the restaurant was forced to close and change the way they do business. do you remember the first conversation that you had with your employees? how were those tough decisions made? >> the first thing is i knew i had food so i could at least feed them. then we realized it was bigger than us so we started feeding, you know, the food community. with the money we made from that, we distributed to the employees and then we were able to come up with pay what you can plan. i changed my concept completely at a point. >> reporter: those changes making it possible to continue paying it forward. i just came in to kind of talk, see how things were going and i'll never forget she gave me $100 and it meant a lot to me at the time. not knowing how i was going to pay my bills. >> reporter: to help hard hit restaurants enjoy this holiday season to the fullest, we teamed

up with our sponsor the coca-cola company to deliver a big surprise. you guys have worked so hard during this time and the coca-cola company wants to help, okay? they're spreading holiday magic this season by honoring small restaurants with a big tip for you and your employees to share. here is $10,000. >> unbelievable. [ cheers ] oh, my god. oh, my god. thank you so much. i'm trying not to get real teary eyed. i'll go ahead and let it slide because it has been difficult. we tried to do all we can and, oh, my god, this is amazing. this is amazing. because we're still struggling, you know, and every little bit helps and this is a big bit so this is -- thank you. just thank you. [ cheers ] >> reporter: thanks to our sponsor. next week the coca-cola company will be surprising another local

restaurant with a similar magical holiday gift and we'll be right there with him. back to you, guys. >> megan, that was so much fun, that scream at the end got us jazzed up. megan, thank you to you. coming up, multiplatinum singer david archuleta joins us live and is bringing a very special holiday performance you won't want to miss. ♪ ♪ i see trees of green ♪

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and ♪ and welcome back to "g and welcome back to "gma." david archuleta became a star when he was just 16 years old on "american idol." now he is a multiplatinum singer with millions of followers on social media and he is going to get us in the holiday spirit with a fun performance in a moment but first he is here catching up with us. hey there, good morning. >> good morning. how are you doing? >> oh, i'm doing great. listen, you know, you have had such a big year. you know, we're talking about here after 13 years in the public eye you finally -- you decided to come out and you told us here on "gma" that it felt like a weight had been lifted off your shoulders. tell me about that.

how are you feeling right now? has it freed you as an artist as well? >> yeah, i feel like i'm still learning how to -- learning it because i -- i always thought it was something i needed to change and work on and if i prayed enough and fasted enough, you know, coming from a religious background, i'm still religious so i thought if i thought i work hard enough i can get rid of this. but after realizing it's like god said, you know what, hey, david, you can see at this point it's not something i intend to change about you because that's how i intended you to be and i need you to understand why and so i'm in that process of learning and understanding it better but it has been a huge relief and, yeah. >> yeah, and you've been busy ever since. two new singles out "beast" and "moving" and that tour in february. are you ready to get on the road again?

>> yeah, yeah. i'm actually on my last day of a christmas tour today and then go back to the rest of pop music in february and i'm looking forward to that. that will be fun. >> and, you know, david, you also wrote a children's book and it's called "my little prayer" based on a song that came to you in a dream. tell us about that. >> yeah, it's -- i try to pray every morning and every night. sometimes i forget. especially at night. so i forgot one night and this -- that song came in my dream and god said, hey, get up and write this down and i said, but i'm sleeping. i don't think i can. but he said, hey, if you don't you'll forget it in the morning so i did and i kept it to myself but i was like, you know, i think i was given this to share so i released it as a song and a book. >> we are so glad you did and now you'll get us hyped up for the holiday. here he is performing "christmas

every day" from the deluxe edition of his album "winter in the air." ♪ sidewalks covered up in snow lights up everywhere we go ♪ ♪ santa's on his way it's christmas every day ♪ ♪ it's here again finally the season when ♪ ♪ everybody's caroling peace on earth, good will to everyone ♪ ♪ children all having fun waiting on santa to come ♪ ♪ with the bag full of christmas cheer ♪ ♪ it all goes by so fast if only i can make this last ♪ ♪ sidewalks covered up in snow ♪ ♪ lights up everywhere we go ♪

♪ sidewalks covered up in snow lights up everywhere we go ♪ ♪ santa's on his way, it's christmas every day ♪ ♪ friends all warmed up by the fire ♪ ♪ sometimes i just wish that i could always feel this way ♪ ♪ like it's christmas every day ♪ ♪ oh ♪ ♪ like it's christmas every day ♪ ♪ friends all warmed up by the fire ♪ ♪ sometimes i just wish that i could always feel this way ♪

♪ like it's christmas every day ♪ ♪ ahhhhhhh ♪ ♪ i just want to yell ♪ ♪ ahhhhhhh ♪ ♪ every day, it's christmas every day ♪ ♪ friends all warmed up by the fire ♪ ♪ sometimes i just wish that i could always feel this way ♪ ♪ like it's christmas every day ♪

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and thank you to david archuleta for that great holiday performance. archuleta for that great holiday performance. so good to be with you. >> what a way to end. such a fun morning. thank you for watching. >> what a way to end. such a fun morning. thank you for watching. thank you for watching. before that drink turns to drinks, make a plan to get home safe. just call a friend, a cab, and get a rideshare. whatever you do, don't let drunk drive. go safely, california.

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>> building a better bay area. moving forward, finding solutions. this is abc 7 news. kumasi: good morning everyone. here is sue with a look at traffic. sue: good morning. wet and flooding and hydroplaning. 73 incidents on the chp log right now. we had an earlier problem, and now you can see that is very slow. 680 and 580 in the east bay area have jammed. mike: not many places -- here is a look at our flooding advisories for standing water in parking lots and the earliest one is until 9:30. eventually by noon, this system will start heading to the south and we will drop down to a one

with more rain on the way. kumasi: time now for life with kelly and ryan. we are back at 11:00. we are back at 11:00. deja vu: 'tis the season for kelly and ryan's annual holiday sweater party. on today's show, our favorite cardigan couple, goldie hawn and kurt russell. and a sweet treat demo, how to make and decorate your very own sweater cookie. plus, find out which of our amazing viewer finalists will be our holiday sweater pageant winner. all next on live. and now rocking the first of your holiday sweaters, here is santa's adorable helper, kelly ripa. and the elf off the shelf, ryan seacrest. [applause] hello. ♪ you make every day feel like it's christmas ♪ [ryan laughing] -great. -hi. it is our holiday sweater party. can you tell? were you having the chocolates backstage?