let's go. tes good morning, america. guilty. ghislaine maxwell convicted of five out of six counts of sex trafficking minors. >> a unanimous jury has found ghislaine maxwell guilty of one of the worst crimes imaginable. >> the jury deliberating for five days before delivering the verdict. jeffrey epstein's confidante now facing decades in prison. overnight, her victims speaking out. what they're saying as one of them who took the stand joins us live, only on “gma” this morning. covid tsunami. the u.s. shattering its daily case record. the nation now averaging more new infections than any point in the pandemic as the w.h.o. warns about the twin threats of omicron and delta driving up cases worldwide. this morning, the encouraging

news about the new variant. and the breaking news overnight about the johnson & johnson vaccine. extreme travel trouble. more than 1,000 flights canceled already this morning as covid-fueled staffing shortages keep planes on the ground and passengers stuck in airports. now one airline cutting back scheduled flights well into january, and another asking travelers to delay non-essential travel as customer service wait times soar to as long as 20 hours. overnight -- wicked weather slamming the south, reported tornadoes and golf ball sized hail wreaking havoc as parts of the west are buried under snow. the millions on alert for extreme weather through new year's day. high-stakes call. president biden and russian president putin set to talk with tensions running high about those 100,000 russian troops on the ukraine border as fears grow. is an invasion next? breaking overnight -- tiger attack.

a maintenance worker at a florida zoo with serious injuries airlifted to the hospital. what we know this morning. caught on camera. a dog owner brutally attacked while walking his french bulldog, dragged by the car trying to save his pet. are these dognappings on the rise? ♪ shake it off ♪ ♪ shake it off ♪ and taylor swift hoping to shake off a lawsuit over her hit song, claiming she lifted some of the lyrics as we shake off 2021. ryan seacrest joins us live as he prepares to help drop the ball right here in times square. ♪ shake it off ♪ ♪ shake it off ♪ and good morning, america. so great to have you with us on the last thursday morning of 2021. the final countdown. >> we're there. >> and we're happy to say good-bye to 2021 and hello to the new year. excited to be at the desk with

mary bruce and janai norman. to. >> that's right, a busy day indeed. a lot of news to get to including those new covid numbers that are truly staggering. new cases higher than they've ever been during the pandemic. >> yeah, the cdc saying the u.s. is now averaging 277,000 new cases a day and another stunning number to consider, if you need another one, three americans are testing positive for covid every second. >> this comes as more than a thousand flights are already canceled this morning. more on all of that in a moment. but we begin with the new reaction coming in to that bombshell verdict in the trial of ghislaine maxwell. the former associate of jeffrey epstein convicted on five of six counts. abc's erielle reshef has been covering this trial since the very beginning. she joins us live from the federal courthouse in manhattan. erielle, good morning. >> reporter: good morning to you, whit. this was a sweeping victory for the u.s. government. the jury of six men, six women deliberating more than 40 hours finding maxwell guilty on the

most serious sex trafficking charges. this morning that stunning verdict in the high-profile sex trafficking trial of ghislaine maxwell, the jury finding the british socialite guilty on five of six counts. maxwell who once ran in a circle of presidents and princes led out of the courtroom wednesday by two u.s. marshals now waking up behind bars facing up to 65 years in prison. >> a unanimous jury has found ghislaine maxwell guilty of one of the worst crimes imaginable, facilitating and participating in the sexual abuse of children. crimes that she committed with her longtime partner and co-conspirator jeffrey epstein. >> reporter: maxwell, longtime companion of convicted sex offender jeffrey epstein, has been in jail since her dramatic arrest at a new hampshire estate in the summer of 2020. prosecutors calling her a serial predator who helped epstein sexually abuse underage girls

between 1994 and 2004. epstein and maxwell known for their lavish lifestyle. the government claiming there was a dark side to the globe-trotting pair and that maxwell was epstein's partner in crime inviting young girls to give him explicit massages, managing the details right down to the lotions and the oils. prosecutors said maxwell did it to keep epstein satisfied and to maintain her status. >> the consequences have been tremendous on literally hundreds of young women. her life of jet-setting and living in mansions and running around with billionaires is finally over. >> reporter: the case against maxwell hinging on the accounts of three accusers who in emotional and sometimes graphic testimony said maxwell played a central role in their sexual abuse beginning when they were just teenagers and lasting for years. >> unimaginable crimes were committed against them and they worked up the courage to show up

in court and finally face the person who did all this bad stuff to them long ago. >> reporter: annie farmer, the only of maxwell's accusers to publicly identify herself, saying, i hope this verdict brings solace to all who need it and demonstrates that no one is above the law. throughout the trial maxwell's defense team claiming she has been made a scapegoat after epstein died by suicide in his jail cell in 2019 while awaiting trial. her family standing by her saying, we have already started the appeal and we believe she will ultimately be vindicated. and no sentencing date has been set yet for maxwell. her attorneys arguing they want her to get her booster shot in light of the rapidly spreading omicron variant. maxwell spent her 60th birthday on christmas behind bars. she now faces the prospect of the rest of her life in prison. whit? >> erielle, thank you. so many reacting to this verdict. coming up in our next half hour annie farmer, one of ghislaine

maxwell's victims, joins us live in an abc news exclusive. janai? now to our other top story this morning, covid cases soaring across the country, hitting new highs and showing no signs of slowing down. the world health organization now warning of a, quote, tsunami of new cases worldwide. trevor ault joins us live from an urgent care facility here in new york. trevor, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, janai. yeah, it has only been six short weeks since the omicron variant was first detected anywhere. already we're rocketing past the records we set during the darkest days last winter. thankfully because of the help of the vaccines, it feels that the impact in our hospitals has appeared to be somewhat blunted but it could still be many weeks or even months before we feel the full weight of this surge. this morning, the u.s. inundated with covid infections unlike ever before, shattering the record average daily caseload set last winter with 277,000 new cases a day. this week alone the u.s. seeing nearly 1.9 million new cases

meaning right now on average, three americans are testing positive every second. >> i'm highly concerned that omicron being more transmissible circulating at the same time as delta is leading to a tsunami of cases. >> reporter: there are now more than 84,000 americans currently hospitalized with the virus. our affiliate wjla speaking with one covid patient in maryland. >> when i breathe, it hurts. when i cough, it hurts. >> reporter: but u.s. health officials say all indications seem to point to the omicron variant being less severe than delta. >> it looks like it is less severe. it's much more transmissible, which is something you need to take seriously. >> reporter: with omicron's transmissibility long testing lines continue to plague much of the country. this one in massachusetts snaking through the parking lot and here in milwaukee, wisconsin, this pharmacy considering staying open 24

hours a day until the surge dies down. >> i've been waiting here for about two hours now. >> there is nowhere else available. you can't buy any of the home kits right now. >> reporter: while turnaround times for results can take days, some major diagnostic labs tell abc news demand and delivery of tests is an evolving situation and some companies are moving samples to less busy labs. new york is now opening 13 new testing sites bracing for even more cases. looking ahead to new year's eve tomorrow dr. fauci says vaccinated family parties are still a go but large-scale parties may not be safe. >> that would be a risky situation that i would recommend against. >> reporter: here in the new york city area city m.d. had to close 31 of their clinics because of staffing shortages. they say they may need to close more. this one is operational today, but the line formed to get in well over an hour before the doors are opening, janai.

>> that means we could see more of those long lines but a silver lining here, we are getting some good news this morning about the efficacy of the j&j vaccine? >> reporter: this is a study out of south africa examining health care workers who got the johnson & johnson vaccine and then a second dose of it as a booster and it found that those two shots were 85% effective at preventing hospitalization. that's very good protection and this study was conducted in a time when the omicron variant was dominant. some good news for people who got j&j, janai. >> trevor, that is a silver lining. thank you so much. coming up, we talk to education secretary miguel cardona about kids going back to school amid the new surge. he joins us live. mary? now to those surging covid cases leading to holiday travel chaos. flight cancellations are piling up. more than a thousand flights canceled already just this morning and now one airline is asking passengers to consider rescheduling their flights while another is scaling back service. alex perez joins us from chicago's o'hare airport. alex, good morning. >> reporter: hey, good morning,

mary. in fact, about a thousand flights a day since christmas eve have been canceled and with the final stretch of the holiday travel rush ahead, there seems to be no relief in sight. this morning, another tough travel day at airports as an omicron fueled wave of covid cases causes crew shortages forcing hundreds of flight cancellations and delays. >> we are seeing a lot of people who are out sick but also people whose anxiety is rising again. it's really adding a lot of stress and strain all the way around. >> reporter: just yesterday over a thousand flights were canceled nationwide according to tsa estimates. more than 12.5 million flyers are still expected to travel between now and january 3rd. >> we try to get here as early as we can about the delays, you know, but they're here and we're waiting. >> reporter: washington based alaska airlines sounding the alarm after wintry weather in the seattle area caused an

avalanche of cancellations. they're now urging passengers to reconsider nonessential travel before january 2nd and warning customers that they're experiencing extremely high call volume with wait times exceeding 20 hours. >> i even looked on flight aware about what alaska and delta were doing from seattle to l.a.x. like any other southern california airport, all of the flights were canceled. not even delayed. >> reporter: jetblue also gripping with problems. the airline proactively reducing their schedule through january 13th citing in a statement rising covid cases in the northeast where most of our crew members are based. >> it's not easy on us either and we really want to make the operation work. people are trying really hard to do that. >> reporter: and right now airlines are canceling flights about 24 hours ahead of time. so check the schedule and rebook if you need to and remember, if your flight is canceled, you can get a refund. it is also sometimes useful to open up the app and check the

aircraft on your specific flight. mary and whit? >> good advice, alex, thanks. one thing that won't make travel easier that wicked weather, reported tornadoes in the south and more snow pummeling parts of the west and rob marciano joins us with more. millions will be on alert for that extreme weather through new year's day. >> reporter: yeah, it's a bad combination, whit. we have all that energy from the storms in the west, bumping into record-breaking heat and that's causing severe weather and a number of tornadoes yesterday. damage out of winfield, alabama, one of three reported tornadoes doing severe damage. there were eight people trapped inside a pizza restaurant that collapsed on them but they're okay. scary stuff for sure and they have a lot to rebuild. then in georgia another tornado reported there. the funnel you see, light damage in that part of georgia. what we see today, more in the way of rain, that stationary boundary is not moving. that's why we call it that. flood watches out for parts of

alabama. that's where the rain is. still record-breaking heat in georgia and more energy coming along the front from the west. so tomorrow, new year's eve from dallas to little rock, memphis and nashville, that's where you'll see a severe weather threat and then it slides to the east and expands for new year's day including nashville and atlanta so damaging wind and large hail beginning tomorrow. mary, back over to you. >> thanks, rob. now to president biden who will speak with russian president vladimir putin this afternoon as fears mount that the country is preparing a full-scale invasion of ukraine. tens of thousands of russian troops are currently stationed at the border. terry moran joins us now with all of the details. trry, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, mary. it's the only thing on president biden's schedule today right now. this high-stakes call between him and vladimir putin and it's the second call between these two leaders this month, the first since president biden directly threatened vladimir putin with severe economic sanctions on russia if putin decides to go ahead and invade ukraine and, since then, there's no sign of russia backing down from its massive military

buildup. 100,000 troops on the ukraine border or from cyberattacks on ukraine's infrastructure, most ominously from putin's absolutist demands that the u.s. must sign a treaty that would forever block ukraine and other nations from ever joining nato and demanding a pullback. both of those are nonstarters for the u.s. >> so far no indication that putin is changing course but he did send biden a holiday greeting. is that a good sign? >> reporter: he did today, a holiday greeting from president putin to president biden. good wishes on the holiday and added more importantly that he believes it is possible for a constructive dialogue. he's confident he says that there can be constructive dialogue between the two countries. that is a good sign, but it's always hard to read vladimir putin. those 100,000 troops on the border, fun of them have bulged. >> we will watch that call

closely. terry, thank you. janai? now to that breaking news overnight, the tiger attack at a florida zoo. a cleaning service worker flown to the hospital in serious condition. victor oquendo is in miami with the latest this morning. victor, good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning, janai. just an awful scene. according to the early information from police, the member of this cleaning service company was in an unauthorized area and never should have been near the tiger to begin with. this morning, a maintenance worker at a florida zoo seriously injured after a tiger bit his arm. the collier county sheriff says a member of a cleaning service was either petting or feeding the animal, both of which are unauthorized and the tiger latched on to the man's arm and pulled it into the enclosure. >> the tiger is still inside the tiger cage. >> reporter: the first deputy o tried to get the tiger to release the man's arm from its mouth, but says they were forced to shoot the animal. seen here in a video on the zoo's website, zoo officials confirming overnight that the

8-year-old tiger named eko did not survive. the man who is in his 20s was transported to the hospital with serious injuries as a trauma alert. authorities say the cleaning service is responsible for cleaning restrooms and the gift shop, not the animal enclosures. and that this employee traversed an initial fence barrier before sticking his arm through the fencing of the tiger enclosure. and the zoo will be closed today with plans to re-open on friday. janai? >> just an unfortunate situation all around. victor, thank you so much. whit, over to you. we turn to a story a little more uplifting hopefully. "jeopardy!" champion amy schneider in a league of her own this morning. she won for the 21st straight time on wednesday, the most by a woman, just days after taking the record for highest all-time earnings for a woman earlier this year. schneider made history as the first transgender contestant to make the tournament of champions. still has a long way to go to

catch ken jennings and his 74-game winning streak, but it's been fun to watch. >> well on her way. one question -- who runs the world? girls. >> there you go. we do have a lot of other news we're following including this headline, the abc news exclusive with annie farmer, one o ghislaine maxwell's victims speaking out about the verdict. and the dog owner attacked. his french bulldog snatched. are these dognappings on the rise? but first, back to rob. hey, rob. >> reporter: good morning, again, guys. we mentioned record-breaking heat across the southeast. again it will happen for the next several days, december warmth, bitter cold on the other side. depends where you are. if you want warmth, head to the southeast. into the 70s for atlanta once again. time for your warm cities sponsored by wayfair.

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>> good morning. the impact of the omicron variant is spoiling plans throughout the bay area. eve performances. the club says a breakthrough covid case was detected. tuesday, san francisco canceled its new year's fireworks show because of the surge. >> a couple problem spots lingering. the waldo grade, south 101, an overturned car. that is in the clearing phase. still slow as you approach the tunnel. north 17 at idlewild, an

overturned car cleared out of the lanes. >> thank you. - [announcer] the more we learn about covid-19, the more questions we have. the biggest question now, what's next? what will covid bring in six months, a year?

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>> good morning to you. just like that, the rain is gone. the sun is out. 40's, 44 san jose and take a look at zephyr cove. temperatures just in the single digits. we have a 3, 4 day break from the precipitation. upper 30's santa rosa, nevada. it will get a lot colder overnight. this morning, anywhere from two to seven degrees colder than we were this time yesterday. also looking at temperatures below average. we should be in the upper 50's but we are at least getting out of the 40's. 52 today in fremont, 53 santa rosa and along the coast. the seven day forecast showing we stay dry through monday. >> thank you.

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at target, the things that matter are always within reach. what we value most, shouldn't cost more. [ music ends ] ♪ yeah 'cause the players gonna play, play, play and the haters gonna hate, hate, hate, hate ♪ ♪ i'm just gonna shake, shake, shake, shake, shake it off, shake it off ♪ ♪ i'm just gonna shake it off ♪ players gonna play. welcome back to "gma." taylor swift now asking a judge to shake off a lawsuit about her mega hit "shake it off." see what i did there? the pop superstar being sued by two songwriters who say she lifted lyrics from their song. hear them side by side and see what you think. that's all coming up. >> appreciated your singalong. >> nailed it. we have much more ahead. the top headlines we're following.

covid cases in the u.s. shattering the daily case record. now averaging 277,000 new cases per day. more than at any point during the pandemic. and this morning some encouraging news on the johnson & johnson vaccine. a trial in south africa finding a booster offers 85% protection against hospitalization from the omicron variant. president biden holding a high-stakes call with russian president vladimir putin this afternoon with tens of thousands of russian troops on the ukraine border, and fears of an invas invasion. new year's eve in times square set to go on. yesterday they tested some of the million and a half tons of confetti will rain down when swo 2021 comes to an end. bye, felicia. masked and vaccinated spectators and ryan seacrest, host of dick clark's new year's rockin' eve will be coming up. >> looking forward to all that.

now back to our top news story this morning. the verdict in the sex trafficking trial of ghislaine maxwell. the former jeffrey epstein associate convicted by a federal jury on five of six counts facing now up to 65 years behind bars. joining us live is one of maxwell's victim, annie farmer and her attorney sigrid mccawley. thank you both for joining us this morning. annie, let's start with you. this has been a long journey. you were 16 years old when you met ghislaine maxwell and jeffrey epstein. it's been almost 20 years since you first tried to speak out about your abuse but for years you were discounted, ignored or simply not believed. how does it feel to finally have this verdict? >> it's a tremendous relief to be here. i wasn't sure that this day would ever come and i just feel so grateful that the jury believed us and sent a strong message that perpetrators of sexual abuse and exploitation will be held accountable no matter how much power and privilege they have. >> sigrid, what was your

reaction? and what does this mean in the bigger sense for the many other women who have alleged their lives were also damaged by maxwell? >> it's really a historic moment in the history of sexual trafficking. what you've seen here is a jury who took it upon themselves to believe in these victims, hear their voices and render a verdict that told the american public that regardless of power, privilege, whether you're a president or a prince, you will be held accountable if you engage in sexual trafficking. >> such a strong message about accountability here. and, annie, from day one, you have spoken out under your own name, in fact, the only survivor to do so in court in this case. why? why make that decision? >> well, honestly, you know, i was pretty reticent to do that after, you know, what happened in 2002 not being believed by

the media. but i think ultimately seeing the -- you know, the inspirational, you know, stories o other women like virginia giuffre and all these women coming forward publicly, using their names, telling what happened to them and creating momentum for criminal charges to be filed, i felt like it was the time for me to do so. i understand completely why it might not be -- have been the right time for others so i think it's important that women don't have to do that but for me it felt like it was the right time and it was important to be able to do so. >> it sends such a strong message. annie, you are a psychologist. you treat people who have suffered trauma, people like yourself. what did it mean to take the stand and speak out publicly on behalf of yourself and so many other survivors like those you treat? >> it meant a lot. i think one thing that, you know, having the privilege of

hearing so many stories from the people that i work with, i have really recognized that it's a very rare opportunity to be able to be in court and tell your story and to see the person that perpetrated the abuse held accountable and so i definitely felt that was just not for me but for so many other people involved in the case that didn't have that opportunity and also for the many people that i've worked with and that i've known and that have contacted me to say, you know, i didn't get that chance and thank you for speaking out. >> giving them all a chance they may not have themselves. when you think about this in the bigger sense, is this justice? does this feel like enough, especially after so many years and your own long personal journey? >> i think justice is a complicated term, but, yeah.

i was speaking with another epstein survivor last night and she said it well. she said, this is one important step towards justice and i think, you know, in this particular case there are, we know there were other people involved and other perpetrators and we certainly hope that they will continue to investigate so others will be held accountable for the ways they abused people and then i think just in a wider sense, you know, we have a lot of work to do in this country in terms of holding people accountable and educating about things like grooming. you know, i didn't know when i was 16 -- i had no idea. i hadn't heard that term and didn't understand what was happening to me, being given gifts and positive attention and having this abuse and i think we have a lot of work to do and i hope to be part of it to continue to educate people and hold people accountable. >> certainly a lot of work still to come, but this is a big moment indeed. thank you both for being here. sigrid mccawley, annie farmer, thank you for your courage and joining us this morning.

janai? >> we certainly do applaud her courage, mary. well now to a violent dognapping caught on camera. a man was brutally attacked and his french bulldog stolen while out for a walk in los angeles and will carr has the story. >> reporter: what started as a normal walk in the morning quickly turned into a nightmare for robert marinelli and his french bulldog. >> he's a special little dog. i never really understood the connection that people have. >> reporter: in dramatic surveillance video you see a car takes off dragging marinelli down the street. >> i grabbed onto the handle and held on hoping that they were going to stop the car. >> reporter: inside that black sedan marinelli's 8-year-old frenchie luca and two thieves who he says stole the dog. >> i tried to get in the car and grab the dog away from him. >> reporter: this video part of the los angeles police department's investigation into the alleged robbery. french bulldogs like luca can

fetch around $1,500 to $5,000, sometimes even more. in february tmz obtained this video of lady gaga's french bulldogs being stolen and her dog-walker shot in the chest in west hollywood. >> in addition to being so grateful that my dogs are alive, i am so grateful that my friend ryan fischer is alive. the fact that he was shot was so outrageous and painful and i pray for his healing all the time. >> reporter: thiefs are targeting high value dogs like frenchys, chihuahuas and yorkshire terriers. he is offering a $10,000 reward for luca. >> i'm really hoping that motivates someone to return him. we're just really hoping that someone will return the dog. >> reporter: here's what you can do to protect yourself and your dog. chip your furry friend.

that way you can track your dog wherever they go. change up your walk routine. don't walk outside when it's dark if you don't have to. make sure you pay attention to social media. if you're posting pictures with your dog you don't want to have your location on and also watch out for those hashtags because dognappers are paying close attention. whit? >> important information. will carr for us, thank you. coming up here, taylor swift asking a judge to throw out a lawsuit accusing her of swiping lyrics for her massive hit, "shake it off." we'll play it for you. you can listen and see what you think. that's still ahead. ♪ [band plays] ♪ a place where everyone lives life well-protected. ♪ and even when things go a bit wrong, we've got your back. here, things work the way you wish they would. and better protection costs a whole lot less.

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we're back with taylor swift we're back with taylor swift hoping a judge puts a swift end to a lawsuit that claims that she ripped off the lyrics to her hit song, "shake it off." it's a copyright infringement case with huge industry implications and mona kosar abdi has more. ♪ shake it off, shake it off ♪ ♪ shake it off, shake it off ♪ >> reporter: this morning, off a lawsuit that claims she stole some of the lyrics used in her number one smash hit. ♪ shake it off, shake it off ♪ >> reporter: the lyrics in question -- ♪ yeah, 'cause the players gonna play, play, play, and the haters gonna hate, hate, hate ♪ >> reporter: those words in "shake it off" too similar

according to song writer sean hall and nathan butler who wrote "players gonna play" in 2000 for the girl group 3lw. ♪ players gonna play ♪ ♪ yeah, yeah, haters they gonna hate ♪ >> taylor was first sued in 2017 and her attorneys have been arguing and are arguing again that these lyrics at issue in this case, the idea of players and haters, they are just too simple and commonplace to be the exclusive property of any one songwriter. >> reporter: swift's team calling the suit unprecedented and asking the judge on the case to reconsider moving forward with the case at all. writing, quote, both works use versions of two short public domain phrases, players gonna play and haters gonna hate, that are free for everyone to use. attorneys for the songwriters firing back saying, quote, we represent two amazing lower income black artists with pride. the motion filed by the taylor swift camp does not satisfy the legal conditions for reconsideration. >> her argument has always been and her and her team continue to

argue that these were common lyrics and that if the judge's ruling is allowed to stand, it means that anyone can sue anyone for using information that's in the public domain. >> reporter: and, again, this is taylor swift's second attempt to get the case thrown out. a previous judge dismissed her first request explaining that while there are differences between the two songs, there are also significant similarities. the only way this case isn't going to trial, is if both parties reach an agreement. whit? >> all right, mona, thanks so much. >> we'll see what happens. >> yeah, we will. coming up next, ryan seacrest takes over our "play of the day." he joins us live. stay with us. stay with us.

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and even his kids and their kids. usaa is made for all who've honorably served and their eligible family members. are we still exclusive? absolutely. and that's exactly why you should join. ♪ ooh i'm blinded by the light ♪ ♪ ooh i'm blinded by the light ♪ we are back now with our "play of the day" and we are officially counting down the moments until the ball drops in times square with the man who throws the world's biggest new year's eve bash, ryan seacrest joins live. ryan, thank you so much for being here with us this morning. >> good morning. good to see all of. >> yeah, you too. this year is the 50th anniversary of dick clark's new year's rockin' eve. how do you make the biggest party on the planet even bigger for number 50? >> well, this year some people are coming to times square so that is a good sign. there will be attendees and also we'll have three different live

countdowns through the night. puerto rico will have one obviously in times square and in new orleans with billy porter so lots of excitement and live motion all night. >> we cannot wait. that is all coming up. the 50th anniversary of dick clark's new year's rockin' eve with ryan seacrest 2022 kicks off tomorrow at 8:00 p.m. eastern here on abc. we will have much more on the big celebration with ryan coming up in our next hour as we count down to that big ball drop.

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pretty thick out there. florida, the midsouth also seeing fog with that warm air and some thunderstorms yesterday through panama city beach. that's a daunting looking cloud. record heat continues across much of the southeast. temps in the 70s and lower 80s. coming up, answers to your questions about sending kids back to school safely. education secretary miguel cardona joins us live. and 2021, the civilians who conquered space including one we know very well. you know her from th say hello to 2022 with xfinity and you'll get fast and reliable internet

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>> this is abc7 news. >> good morning. here is a sue hall with traffic. >> good morning, kumasi. if you are traveling to los angeles for the new year, i-five is closed over the grapevine due to snow. 80 is open with chains, and 88 and 50 open with chains. it is holiday like here. green sensors. >> two to seven degrees colder with clear sky. 43 downtown. san jose 45 at half moon bay and a look at the airport. it is also sunny. 37 nevada and santa rosa. with the clear sky, colder. even colder tonight. but in between, sunshine and highs today in the low 50's. that's a switch.

a four day break before we get back into the rain for 2022. >> thank you. we will have another abc7 news update in about 30 minutes. you can always find the latest on our app and at abc7news.com. therink. 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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go safely, california. good morning, america. it's 8:00 a.m. ghislaine maxwell guilty, convicted of five out of six counts of sex trafficking minors. the jury deliberating for five days before delivering the verdict. jeffrey epstein's co-conspirator now facing up to 65 years in prison. overnight victims speaking out. covid tsunami. new cases reaching an all-time high during the pandemic shattering daily records. with omicron and delta raging, the new headline this morning about pregnant women and the vaccine. the best time to get it. secretary of education miguel cardona joins us live on how to get kids safely back to school after the holidays. ♪ hey, i am not my hair ♪ jada pinkett smith's hair loss journey.

the star getting candid about her alopecia. >> i'm just going to put some rhinestones in there and make me a little crown. >> what you need to know about hair loss and how stress can play a role. ♪ celebrate good times come on ♪ and we're counting down to 2022. we'll show you how to make the ultimate party board for your celebration. the marching band getting a new year's surprise from top gun himself tom cruise and the man hosting the biggest party of them all -- >> three, two, one. >> ryan seacrest joins us live. how they're pulling off a new year's rockin' eve like never before. that's all ahead as we say -- >> good morning, america. ♪ celebration ♪ he's gearing up. the party is coming here. good morning, america. good to have you with us.

that was the man right there, ryan seacrest. we had a teaser with him earlier in the broadcast but we'll talk to him a lot more coming up, the behind the scenes and the big buildup. >> very excited for that. know who else is excited this morning? these american girl doll fans. we are revealing the girl of the year this morning. whit, i know your girls are big fans. any guesses in your household? >> they are. well, i don't know. i don't know. they're very excited. i know that much. very excited. >> can't wait to find out whose silhouette that was. >> i know. but first, we do have a lot of news this morning starting with the ghislaine maxwell verdict. some of her victims speaking out this morning after the former associate of jeffrey epstein was convicted on five of six counts. abc's erielle reshef joins us from the federal courthouse here in manhattan. erielle, good morning to you again. >> reporter: good morning to you, janai. maxwell's accusers say that that bombshell verdict was a pivotal step towards justice. six men, six women on that jury finding maxwell guilty on the most serious sex trafficking charges. maxwell now waking up to the

prospect of spending the rest of her life in prison. this morning, that stunning verdict in the high-profile sex trafficking trial of ghislaine maxwell, the jury finding the british socialite guilty on five of six counts. maxwell who once ran in a circle of presidents and princes led out of the courtroom wednesday by two u.s. marshals now waking up behind bars facing up to 65 years in prison. maxwell, longtime companion of disgraced financier and convicted sex offender jeffrey epstein, has been in jail since her arrest at a new hampshire estate in the summer of 2020. prosecutors calling her a serial predator who helped epstein sexually abuse underage girls between 1994 and 2004. epstein and maxwell known for their lavish lifestyle. the government claiming there was a dark side to the globe-trotting pair and that maxwell was epstein's partner in crime. annie farmer, one of maxwell's accusers, speaking to mary bruce

earlier this morning. >> it's now been almost 20 years since you first tried to speak out about your abuse but for years you were discounted, ignored or simply just not believed, so how does it feel now to finally have this verdict? >> it's a tremendous relief to be here. i wasn't sure that this day would ever come and i just feel so grateful that the jury believed us and sent a strong message that perpetrators of sexual abuse and exploitation will be held accountable no matter how much power and privilege that they have. >> reporter: and no sentencing date has been set yet for maxwell. her attorneys say she plans to appeal. her family is standing by her saying they believe she will be vindicated. janai. >> and annie farmer not only calling this a relief but a step toward justice. erielle, thank you so much. mary, over to you. now to those soaring covid

case, the daily average of new cases now the highest of any point during this pandemic. and there's also some news on vaccines and pregnant women this morning. trevor ault joins us live with more. trevor, good morning, again. >> reporter: good morning, again, mary, the u.s. has truly never seen a surge like this. we have blasted past the previous daily case average record we set last winter. we're averaging 277,000 new infections a day. in the past week three americans have tested positive every second. now, the good news is u.s. health officials say all the indications seem to point to omicron potentially being more mild than the delta variant, in fact, in the past week deaths decreased 11%, that's great news though deaths do tend to be a lagging indicator and this virus is so transmissible we could still see long lines plaguing much of the country and that extra demand may stretch out the wait time to get your results. we reached out to many of the many diagnostic labs. they say so far they're managing but this is an evolving situation. now, looking ahead to new year's eve tomorrow dr. fauci says small gatherings with your

family or a few friends, they are safe if everyone is vaccinated but the major parties, 50, 60 people where you don't know their vaccination status, probably a good idea to avoid those. finally that news for pregnant women who are considering when is the best time to get vaccinated, a new study looked at women who gave birth and got vaccinated in all three different trimesters and found no matter when the vaccine was given they found antibodies in the mother's blood and baby's umbilical cord regardless of timing. since pregnant women who have covid are at risk of complications, sooner rather than later to get vaccinated. miguel cardona joins us live about getting back to school safely after the holidays. plus, how jada pinkett smith is embracing her hair loss and how stress could be affecting your hair loss. and we're counting down to new year's eve with ryan seacrest live. he'll be back with us taking us behind the scenes of the year's biggest celebration. you don't want to miss it. we'll be right back.

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♪ welcome back to "gma." it's time now for our cover story. kids and covid. millions of schoolchildren will return to class next week as the nation is setting new case records, more than 270,000 new infections per day and pediatric hospitalizations are on the rise. for more on getting kids back to school we're joined now by the u.s. secretary of education, miguel cardona. secretary cardona, good morning. it's good to have you. >> good morning. glad to be with you. >> so washington, d.c., and a number of other school districts across the country will require all students and staff to test before returning to class.

is that the right approach now? >> we know there are many different ways to ensure safety. i do believe all students should have access to testing, but i don't know that it needs to be required. we need to make sure that our students get into class safely and stay in the classroom. >> you said you hope all students have access but we've seen tremendous demand on testing and long lines. can you and the federal government actually guarantee that any school or district that wants these tests can get them? >> right, you know, since the american rescue plan was passed in march, money was made available, $10 billion for testing in schools and districts across the country have been engaged in setting up testing protocols, going as far back as march, so the testing supply that schools are using is different than what you might see happening at cvs or walgreens where folks are looking for tests and we also

partnered with the rockefeller foundation who are working to get school systems set up for testing, some of the guidance that we put out last week shows examples of that and provides resources for districts that are interested in getting those systems set up to move on. >> given the dramatic rise in cases do you think some schools should actually consider going remote again or at least delaying coming back to class after the holiday break? >> if you're fully staffed to provide a safe school environment students should be in the classroom full time every day. we've done this before. we did it before vaccines were available. if you recall we re-opened schools this year right at the height of the delta variant. we know what works, we know mitigation strategies work. now we have access to vaccines for children as young as 5. we know what to do and let's remember our students suffer when they're not in the classroom. we need to do everything in our power to provide in-person learning options for students as soon as possible and making sure that we have the resources that

are available to you now through the american rescue plan being used to fully staff our schools, provide testing protocols, mitigation strategies so that our students stay in the classroom. >> this week the cdc released new guidelines shortening the period of isolation and quarantine. explain how this applies to schools and how teachers and students can actually return to class after infection or exposure. >> i'm really pleased with this progress and it's important to remember that since the beginning of the pandemic, guidance has evolved based on what we've learned with covid-19. i'm really pleased with this because to me what this is going to do is allow for some of the staffing issues to go away. we know that many schools couldn't open because teachers or educators were in quarantine. the fact that it's shortened now allows for educators to get back to the classroom and have school open. it does help us and i do believe that we can do that while maintaining safety in our schools.

keep in mind we're supposed to be wearing masks in school anyway. >> i have two young kids myself. we're all waiting to see how it plays out. secretary cardona, thank you for your time this morning. we really appreciate it. >> thank you. have a great new year. >> you too. let's turn now and head back over to rob for a check of the weather. rob, good morning once again. >> good morning, whit. let's go to the west where they continue to get snow and wind and rain and driving is difficult along i-5 here heading up toward's grant's pass. look at this car sliding -- boom, right into a parked vehicle. it's tough go over the siskiyous. check this out. they got snow. 15 feet so far this winter, fresh powder and in southern california, san gabriels not quite as deep. but good enough to get fresh snow goi

so our former colleague dan harris used to call her the human swiss army knife because she does it all. a little bit of news, a little bit of "pop news." >> he called me a lot of things. that may be the nicest. it's time for "pop news." we begin with "spider-man: no way home" swinging into movie history breaking box office records, tom holland's third "spider-man" movie has now officially made $1.1 billion worldwide making it sony's top grossing movie ever and domestically it is now the third fastest movie in history to reach half a billion dollars in ticket sales beating out 2019 "the rise of skywalker,"

"spider-man" netting more than $516 million nationwide in less time than the "star wars" megahit and mind you this all happened during a pandemic so very impressive. hats off to tom holland. also this morning, this marching band's need for speed is breaking the sound barrier. okay, so, back in november, the ohio state marching band performed a halftime tribute to "top gun" playing the 1986 movie's hits w mr. tom cruise incredible performance and decided to send the band something special. take a look. >> your band, the "top gun" tribute was fantastic. what a phenomenal performance. thank you so much. i'd love for you all to be my guests for a special screening of "top gun: maverick" this spring and best of luck to ohio state in the rose bowl. sincerely, tom cruise.

>> yeah, cruise also sent the team some official "top gun: maverick" merch. after seven delays, "top gun: maverick" is set to hit theaters may 2022, almost 36 years to the day after the 1986 original debuted, somebody is excited. >> uh-huh. we haven't seen good high-fives in movies like since then like up top classic 1980s style. finally this morning, it's been almost a year since amanda gorman, the first national youth poet laureate captured our hearts at president biden's inauguration. and now gorman is teaming one instagram to share a brand-new poem she wrote for the new year called "new day's lyric." take a look. >> come, look up with kindness yet for even solace can be sourced from sorrow. we remember not just for the sake of yesterday, but to take on tomorrow.

we heed this old spirit in a new day's lyric. in our hearts we hear it for auld lang syne, my dear, for auld lang syne. >> gorman also partnered with instagram to raise funds for the international rescue committee. a powerful moment. she's had quite a year. >> just amazing. absolutely amazing. all right, now to jada pinkett smith's hair loss journey, the star opening up about her experience with alopecia, embracing what she says is going to be a little bit more difficult to hide. erielle reshef is back with that story. erielle. >> reporter: good morning to you, mary. pinkett smith says it was actually her 21-year-old daughter willow who inspired her to completely shave her head and make peace with her alopecia saying it was just time to let go. >> now at this point i can only laugh, y'all know. alopecia. >> reporter: this morning, jada pinkett smith getting candid about her experience with alopecia.

>> now, this is going to be a little bit more difficult for me to hide. >> reporter: the 50-year-old star taking to instagram to show followers a balding patch on her scalp adding the caption, me and this alopecia are going to be friends, period. pinkett smith first revealed her struggle in 2018 in an episode of her facebook watch show "red table talk." >> i've been having issues with hair loss and i'm going to tell you, it was terrifying when it first started, you know, i was in the shower one day and then just handfuls of hair just in my hands and i was just like, oh, my god, am i going bald? >> reporter: since then saying she's at peace with her new reality, proudly showing off her shaved head in a recent episode this year. >> there are many types of hair loss and hair loss can be due to many different factors including things like hormones, genetics, stress, physical or emotional or an autoimmune condition. >> reporter: alopecia, the

medical term for hair loss, occurs in approximately 12% of young female patients by age 30 and 30% to 40% of women by age 60 to 69. >> so stress, not surprisingly, can make hair loss worse. while getting your stress under control might not completely cure your condition and bring back all of your hair, it can certainly help with your outcome. if you're noticing sudden or rapid hair loss like you're losing chunks of hair or if you're feeling or seeing any symptoms, for example, redness, itching, flaking, burning. >> reporter: pinkett smith making it clear she's not only living with alopecia but embracing it. >> put some rhinestones in there and i'm just going to make me a little crown. that's what momma is going to do. >> reporter: and pinkett smith thanked everyone for the outreach from doctors to holdistic practitioners who have offered advice and words of encouragement.

mary. >> she is setting such a fantastic example and doing it with such style and grace and a good sense of humor. plus she looks fantastic. >> she certainly does. now to the year civilians conquered space. turning dreams into reality for many, including one of our own. >> to boldly go where no man has gone before. >> reporter: it was the first year where going to space became a feasible dream for millions of americans. >> the second human spaceflight crew. >> reporter: civilians boldly going where they had never gone before. three different companies making giant leaps in 2021, all in very different ways. kicked off by richard branson's virgin galactic. >> fire. >> fire. >> the first fully crewed spaceflight with civilians, that sounds crazy, right? like what was that like? >> it sounds crazy but it's not really. this is such an incredible time for the commercial human spaceflight industry.

its not crazy anymore. which is the crazy part. >> reporter: while virgin galactic was the first, richard branson maintains it wasn't a race to be won. >> i know that it's been painted as a race. honestly i don't think either of us see it that way. i'm just expecting the most extraordinary trip of my lifetime. >> reporter: on the other side of that billion-dollar point -- >> feels good to be in the flight suit. >> reporter: -- jeff bezos' blue origin. >> we are go for launch. go new shepard, go. >> reporter: bezos' launch system designed to go ten miles higher than branson's giving passengers three to four minutes of weightlessness. >> holy. >> moly. >> reporter: having star power on every flight from wally funk. >> honey, that was the best thing that ever happened to me. >> william shatner. >> reporter: to captain kirk himself. >> there is an adventure in my life that i would not have had had i not done this. >> reporter: even our own michael strahan getting his chance.

>> hey. >> reporter: but no flight as scientifically impactful as elon musk's spacex. >> lots of waves, thumb's up. >> reporter: the inspiration4 team, the only civilian-led flight to orbit the earth. the four civilians on this journey ventured 367 miles above the planet orbiting earth about 47 times traveling at 17,500 miles per hour before returning home. >> inspiration4, welcome home. to planet earth. >> reporter: the inspiration4 team made up of four members meant to represent hope, leadership, generosity and prosperity. the entire flight used as a fund-raising platform for st. jude's research hospital, a cause close to the heart of one of its crew members. >> when i was 10, i was diagnosed with bone cancer of my left femur.

so that's not something i ever saw in my future. >> medical officer hayley arceneaux has now egressed the vehicle. >> reporter: hayley arceneaux, a pediatric cancer survivor whose life was saved at st. jude's hospital. she now works there to help patients get through such a trying time. the astronauts wearing st. jude's logos on their space suits, even having a call with patients at the hospital from space. >> do you take pictures in space? >> great question. we absolutely can take pictures in space and we've been taking a lot of those pictures. >> reporter: helping to raise more than $200 million for pediatric cancer research. >> it was all about focus and represent everything that ourselves but for st. jude and for future generations that will be looking to this mission. >> reporter: no matter how they got there, the civilian spaceflight experience is one to remember. [ applause ] >> it was the most amazing transformative experience of my

life. >> it's incredible. >> absolutely the greatest experience of my life. >> it was everything that i hoped it would be and then much, much more. >> it's hard to believe it even happened. >> reporter: and one that will inspire future generations to shoot for the stars. really is amazing what we have seen this year. >> i still can't believe strahan went to space. >> i know. >> it all just feels so cool. >> when that thing lasted off it was amazing. >> yeah, it was. still coming up here, ryan seacrest joins us live as we get ready to rock into the new year. stick around.

>> building a better bay area. moving forward -- finding solutions. jobina: i'm jobina fortson from abc 7 mornings. it's check in with sue for a look at traffic. sue: it is holiday light. it has finally hit us now that the rain has stopped. the roads are looking good. the 880 freeway by the coliseum is moving at the limit. no delays. a beautiful morning if youthe dn from tracy to dublin. i weigh four westbound at the concord and 101 from mehran into the city looking good.

- [announcer] the more we learn about covid-19, the more questions we have. the biggest question now, what's next? what will covid bring in six months, a year? if you're feeling anxious about the future, you're not alone. calhope offers free covid-19 emotional support. call 833-317-4673, or live chat at calhope.org today.

lisa: good morning to you. what a gorgeous start to the day. 40's in san francisco. 43 in san jose. sunshine at the airport. a beautiful day to get out, get some vitamin d. a little chilly right now, wait until we get friday night into saturday morning. highs in livermore coming up just a bit. that is thanks to that sunshine. we will be chilly tonight. another cold night. the coldest night should be friday night into saturday, new year's eve. more rain next week. kumasi: we will have another

update in about 30 minutes. as always, you can find us on our app and abc7news.com. okay, now, i love me some "gma," so much, time for me to do, well, a little "gma"-ish promo. ready? "gma," 7a. every day, boom, boom, boom. yes. now we're talking. that's how you start the day with robin, george, michael and "gma" starting sharp at 7a every day and, people, those first 30 minutes of "gma," no better way to jump-start my day. maybe that's why "gma's" america's number one morning show. ♪ bring your friends ♪ >> yes, "gma," 7a every day to start the day so go on, just say -- >> good morning, america. >> good morning, america.

so, how did i do, robin, george, michael? >> boom, you nailed it. >> pretty good-ish, anthony. >> see you at 7:00 a.m. >> yeah, bring your friends. >> like i said, i can't start my day without some good "gma." welcome back to "gma." you got that? "gma" at 7a, of course, we are very excited to have the great anthony anderson, a true "gma" superfan voicing our new campaign, perfect match, wouldn't you say. >> i think so. i like that. now, we're going to turn to what is the biggest party, the biggest new year's eve party in the world, "dick clark's rockin' eve with ryan seacrest 2022" is one day away. the host for the past 17 years, ryan seacrest. ryan, it is always great to have you with us. >> good to see all of you >> you too. >> practicing. >> now, this year is the 50th anniversary. it will be one of the biggest

shows ever and, of course, it comes as covid is surging. one of your headliners, ll cool j, just had to pull out because he tested positive. you still have an incredible lineup, so tell us, what can we expect to see this year? >> well, we wish ll well. bummed i can't see him in times square but i hope he's doing okay. with a live big event like this, considering the circumstances, things are always changing and especially in a year like this year. so we still got a great action-packed several hours of live music, performances and action. we've got just before midnight journey doing some of their biggest hits, which i'm such a big fan of their music. we've got avril lavigne and travis barker. we've also got daddy yankee performing live in puerto rico. between all of it and all the action in times square, we'll do the countdown live in puerto rico, live in times square and also live in new orleans with billy porter. liza koshy joins me in new york city, so it's always

jam packed and busy no matter what's happening in the world. >> i'm from the bay area. journey was a big part of my life. "when the lights go down in the city" was the last call song in my youth. last year you had the smaller audience. it was just some select essential workers. this year you are bringing back some crowds but it also scaled back. take us behind the scenes with the challenges in the pandemic and how you're adapting day to day to keep everyone safe but still have a great time. >> i was watching some of the footage you were playing back earlier this morning on "gma" and gave me a thought in that context and i was speaking with our director about some of the moves we could make as things evolve with covid at midnight and after midnight. but we're taking every precaution necessary. we're vaccinated. we'll be tested on a regular basis, so we're doing everything we can to pull this off. have a lot of fun but still be safe. >> and that is absolutely top of mind and now, ryan, this is your

17th year hosting new year's eve and congratulations because you've signed a new deal to keep hosting for years to come, lucky us. you make it look so smooth, so easy with everything you do, but i understand that behind the scenes last year, you had a little bit of a hiccup, a delay right before midnight and j. lo's performance, that's like the highlight of the night. tell us what happened. >> well, first of all, she always pulls it off beyond belief and she did but believe it or not leading up to midnight the show's pretty precise but between 11:40 and 11:59 it's to the nanosecond precise and they put my voice into all of times square the last few seconds from abc into all of times square to introduce j. lo and at the moment i was leading up to saying and, ladies and gentlemen, right before i said here's j. lo they said they're not ready and so i started -- what is in my j. lo almanac. what do i know about her? rattling off -- well, i was

just coming up with things on the fly but in that moment i will have to say i don't know what it looked like on the outside but there was a little bit of panic inside. >> you would have never known from watching it. 50 years is not the only milestone you have coming up, but one with "american idol." you have been there since the beginning so tell us, i think we have footage from the very first year we'll roll here. how is season 20 going and what stands out to you? no, no, no. this is a good thing. don't block your eyes. what stands out to you after 20 years on this show? >> really good fashion and hair decisions back in the day. that looks very, very natural. what stands out, first of all, "american idol" is such a great franchise here in this country and what stands out to me every year is how much

remarkable talent there is across the country, people, young people who are going to their jobs every single day that really are stars but they just need that shot. they just need that big break and that's what we try to do every season. >> ryan, the busiest man in television by far. thank you so much for joining us. it is always a pleasure having you and good luck with the big party. the 50th anniversary of dick clark's new year's rockin' eve with ryan seacrest 2022 airs live tomorrow at 8:00 p.m. and those american girl fans are waiting patiently. american girl doll reveal of the girl of the year up next. we can't wait.

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♪ ♪ ♪ look at her now ♪ all right, we are back now with the "gma" tradition revealing the new american girl girl of the year doll. we have a ton of fans joining us on zoom for the big announcement. there they are, the anticipation has been building all morning long. all right, kids, are you ready? >> yes. >> there we go. >> i think they are ready. >> from the peanut gallery, janai. yes, we have a bunch of kids out there. finally time to reveal the american girl 2022 girl of the year. there are the kids. here we go. drum roll, please. ladies and gentlemen, this is corrine nailing it on the slopes as you can see, corrine loves to ski, corrine is from aspen, colorado, where she lives with

her chinese american family. she is a big sister to gwynn and is training her new puppy to be a search and rescue dog. she has a lovely blended family that supports her when she faces prejudice about her heritage and celebrates her courage in speaking up. her message about the power of love between families, friends and communities, so as we all work toward the world where everyone is treated with fairness and respect. all right, kids, what do you think of corrine? they're not in the studio but if they were they would be so loud. they'd be very excited. so some of the children with us this morning are from aapi, youth rising, a student led nonprofit that celebrates their asian american and pacific islander heritage and brings awareness to the rise of xenophobia against

asians in america and calling for positive change through education. let's talk to the eighth grader who founded the group, mina fedor. great to have you. >> hi. well, first of all, i'd like to say i'm so excited for being here so thank you so much. i'm doing great today. >> well, good. it's good to have you. what does it feel like to see a doll that shares a similar heritage to you. >> well, corrine is a super positive role model and so happy she's girl of the year for 2022. representation means everything. many of us at aapi youth rising actually grew up with american girl dolls so this means everything to see an asian american girl doll of the year. i definitely relate to her story and so do a lot of our members because she's courageous and speaks out about issues that are important to her. at aapi youth rising, our mission is to take small actions to create change in our communities and this is an exciting time for change and we're so happy to be part of this announcement. and so happy about corrine's story. she is such an inspiration to everyone. >> kids, we do have a big

surprise for all the kids there on the zoom. we know you're all very excited so you can meet corrine and, guess what, you're all getting the american girl 2022 girl of the year. parents, that's your cue. if we can see in the zoom, there should be surprises are taking place. the dolls are coming into the mini little screens. you can unwrap it. it's a late christmas gift from "gma" and american girl. congratulations, how exciting. american girl is also donating $25,000 to aapi youth rising and its one/180 pledge. which can schools and teacher across the country to include one classroom lesson abo ylesso. for more information on the american girl 2022 girl of the year go to our website, goodmorningamerica.com. the corrine tan doll is available online at all american girl retail locations nationwide. thank you to all the kids out there who joined us and had fun. congratulations on the new doll. congratulations to mina.

>> they are excited. >> they are very excited. and aapi youth rising. rob, what's going on in the weather department? >> nothing more american than the american girl doll and, of course, american college football. let's talk football, whit. it's been a great week of games and bowl season rolls on today on espn with four big games including pitt taking on michigan state in the 53rd annual chick-fil-a peach bowl. that game starts at 7:00 p.m. eastern time but the first game, at 11:00 a.m., so a go we are joined now by alana haim. you know her from the grammy-nominated group haim and we're used to seeing her share

the stage with her sisters but now she is starring in "licorice pizza." an unforgettable coming of age drama set in the 1970s, san fernando valley getting tons of award buzz. alana, good morning to you. thank you for being here with us. >> i'm so excited. thank you for having me. >> so this is your acting debut, so exciting. you are alongside bradley cooper, tom waite, sean penn and some of your co-stars were your actual family and we heard that your dad was a scene-stealer but heard what you called one of your most awkward passover dinners ever inspired a scene in the movie. >> oh, yeah, it's a true story. it wasn't my boyfriend. let it be known. it was my sister's boyfriend. her boyfriend at the time had come to passover dinner and refused to read the haggadah which is the story of passover and it was a very awkward encounter and i remember telling paul the story and he put it in the script and then decided to have my whole family play my

family which was hilarious. >> that is incredible. and so your mom also turned out to be quite the method actor. she even made her famous matzo ball soup for the scene? >> yes, there is matzo ball soup on the table when we shot and my mom stayed up all night the night before and made her famous matzo ball soup which i've had millions of times. >> let's check out a clip. >> why would you do that? why would you do that? he was going to be my boyfriend. >> listen, young lady, you don't bring this idiot to dinner. >> dad, he is an atheist and actor and famous. >> but he's jewish. >> don't you even look at me. you're always looking at me. what are you doing? >> i can't even say anything. >> what are you thinking? i work for mom and dad. i'm perfect. i'm a real estate agent. alana brings home stupid boyfriends all the time. >> i mean -- >> i knew it. you're always thinking things,

you thinker. you think things. >> i love watching you react to that scene. >> oh, my god. it's -- i've never screamed at my family that way. just so everybody knows, that was the first and last time i ever screamed at my family that way but it was really fun to shoot. >> so you were just acting. it's all make-believe. in the movie -- >> i'm acting. >> you star alongside cooper hoffman, the son of late philip seymour hoffman and heard you bonded over the music of flo rida, destiny's child, is he a haim fan too? >> i hope he is. i actually haven't asked him that question. no, when you get into my car the only music that i play is songs that were popular when it was bar mitzvah season when i was in seventh grade so if you like anything like that you are more than welcome to come in my car. that's what you can expect. >> okay, so, let's take it even farther back in time than bar

mitzvah season. and the movie takes place in the '70s and you really immerse yourself. no cell phones on set and that you even can put together a waterbed in a record eight minutes? >> oh, yeah, we had to go, me and cooper had to go to waterbed school where we had to put together a waterbed as quick as we can and we started out at like an hour because it's a very intense process. and then after an hour we got it down to eight minutes. so, if anyone needs a waterbed and needs someone to put together a waterbed, me and cooper, we're here in your service. >> alana, you sing, act, you can put together a waterbed in eight minutes. so impressed with you. thank you for being here. >> thank you for having me. such an honor. >> and "licorice pizza" is out now, and still coming up here, elle simone joins us and shows us how to make the perfect party

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back now with one of the hottest trends in entertaining, these beautiful, elaborate and delicious party boards that you're seeing everywhere. elle simone has a new book coming out. good morning, elle. >> good morning. >> so small at-home gatherings, of course, seem to be the way to go this new year's eve. so you'll help show us how to elevate your parties with some fun boards. we've been enjoying this during the break. if you're a board beginner, how do you begin to put together something like this? >> well, first, all you need to do is choose a theme and then what your focal point is going to be on your board. here we've chosen to do a basic classic charcuterie board and i did some fancy things like wrapping prosciutto around breadsticks. also doing the new famous trend of making a salami roll which is

so simple basically using a wine glass and then putting the meat in around the edges, right, and just laying it out and turning it over on your board, look at that. >> okay. >> fancy. >> so, janai already butchered our board here. but once you do get the theme -- her mouth is full so once you get the theme and the focal point down how do you make it look pretty and fill it up? >> well, you can just take cheeses and meats, you can fold them, put them in to look beautiful. here we've chosen tapas as our theme. all of these cheeses and meats are from spain and we're using this as our focal point. a traditional spanish tortilla and i'm elevating it with some ricotta almonds to fill in the spaces, this is an easy way to elevate the board.

>> elle, you've got an entire book coming out called "board: stylish spreads for casual gatherings." that's coming out soon. one is the tapas board that you're showing us right now. tell us overall with board, is there a science to this or do you just get all the good food you can think of? >> well, i mean, there's really no science but what you do want to do is stick to the theme, right, because we chose spanish tapas, i went and shopped specifically for spanish cheeses and meats, a lot of imported tin, fishes, which are all very affordable and very easy and fun to shop for and find. this spanish tortilla recipe is actually one of the longtime famous recipes, extremely easy to make, i love it. it really elevates the board and takes it from snack to dinner. >> usually we think about them

as being snacks and munchies but you have a whole meal on a board. tell us about that one. >> oh, yeah, i mean, you know, sometimes you want to have a dinner moment that's, you know, a little bit less formal than plating and maybe you want to entertain just a few friends so this board is perfect for four to six friends here. we have steak cooked just the way we like it, we have the fries soaking up all the delicious juices from that steak, but what's really bringing this board to life are our sauces and condiments. we have caramelized onions, you know, we have steak sauce, that recipe in our book, it's really amazing. my family is from the south, so i give a nod to the south by adding tomatoes and grilled onions. it really takes the board to another level. >> that looks absolutely delicious. elle simone, thank you for

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>> building a better bay area. moving forward. finding solutions. jobina: good morning. let's check in with sue for a look at traffic. sue: we go to the bay bridge toll plaza. we never did have the metering lights on. what a beautiful day out there. it is nice to see the roads dry for once. it will take a look at oakland, where we have a stall blocking the lane. it looks like it might be in the clearing phases. south 880 past oak. lisa: a drier and somewhat warmer pattern taking hold. a few clouds around. it is 44 in san francisco. 45 in mountain view. what a gorgeous view from the golden gate bridge. some low 40's, but temperatures will be dropping into the 30's the next few nights. even a few 20's. a clear sky and warmer today, in

the low to mid 50's. jobina: time now for "live with jobina: time now for "live with kelly and it's "live with kelly and ryan." today, from "dear evan hansen," actor ben platt, and liza koshy tried to break a guinness world record right here on our show. plus, we'll find out what's cooking with padma lakshmi. all next on "live." and now, here are kelly ripa and ryan seacrest. [cheering and applause] ♪ [cheering and applause] ryan: oh... the drop. hi, deja, good morning. there's a sparkle in everyone's eyes - this morning. - oh, boy. it's coming, guys, it's coming, brace yourselves. thursday, december 30th. - it's-- it's almost-- - 2021. it's almost here, is that why there's