the pandemic perils of heading home for the holidays. the warnings from health experts for the millions of americans traveling this week. stocking the cabinet president-elect joe biden prepares to name his top advisers this week the front-runner for secretary of state as president trump's legal challenges continue to crumble. the raiders give the chiefs a run for their money in the sunday night thriller. the nail-biter in las vegas, plus the big loss for the bengal "early today" starts right now. thanks for starting your week with us i'm frances rivera. >> and i'm phillip mena.

a third wave of uncontrollable coronavirus spread is gripping the country. health officials continue to urge americans not to travel for thanksgiving, but errants just had their busiest weekend since before the pandemic began. nbc's blayne alexander joining us now from atlanta's airport. blayne, good morning. >> reporter: phillip, good morning to you of course we've heard those warnings from health officials, from the cdc for days now not to travel many not listening and has dr. anthony fauci concerned about what thiscould like like after thanksgiving a direct and dire warning to travellers like these already packing airports ahead of the thanksgiving holiday. >> when you get in a crowded plane, you're in a crowded airport, you're lining up, not everyone's wearing masks. >> reporter: friday and saturday the tsa processed more than 2 million passengers, the highest two-day total since march. she travelled from dallas to new york laguardia airport. >> the think that surprised me

more than anything was that members of the army or national guard were here in new york meeting passengers as they get off the plane, making sure that they fill out health forms or have shown proof that they've taken a negative covid test within the last three days. >> reporter: experts are worried not only about the journey but the destination. >> we have covid-19. >> all my family have covid-19 >> reporter: in arlington, texas, officials point to this family as a warning. after months of staying apart, they spent one afternoon together for a birthday party. soon after, 15 positive tests. >> i went to my nephew's house and loved seeing my family, but now i'm fighting against covid-19 >> when we took my mom to the hospital, our hearts broke we feel guilty for gathering >> reporter: but across the country, those warnings are falling on deaf ears new york governor andrew cuomo angrily called for an investigation into this mega-wedding thousands packed together in direct defines of state

restrictions but for some travellers, it's a calculated risk worth taking. >> all of our meals we'll take to go, go sit outside away from people. >> reporter: jimmy sweeney cancelled his family thanksgiving plans instead he is taking his wife and young daughter to disney world. >> for you, what made this a risk worth taking? >> i think we were able to look at it and say, we can do this in the least risky way possible. >> reporter: but dr. anthony fauci warns if we're not careful now, christmas could be even worse. >> you're not going to see an increase until weeks later things lag, so what you don't want to see is another spike in cases as we get colder and colder into the december and then you start dealing with the christmas holiday. >> reporter: now, phillip, while demand is certainly down overall and certainly much less busy than we would normally see during holiday travel, some airlines are actually addinga number of flights this week

because they're anticipating the busiest travel week since what we saw back in march keep in mind while the traffic is up in the airports, it's also up on the roads. in fact, aaa is estimated some 95% of all travel this season will be done by car. phillip? >> a lot of people moving around still. blayne, thanks. as millions of americans gear up for a pandemic thanksgiving, november is turning out to be the worst month by far there have been over 3 million cases reported this month. bringing the total number of americans infected past the 12 million mark and huge progress on the vaccine front. oxford university and astrazeneca say their vaccine can prevent up to 70% of people from getting covid-19. and is effective with different age groups this is pfizer and regeneron announce their own breakthroughs. our kathy park is following that for us kathy, good morning. >> reporter: frances, good morning to you in just a span of a few days, we've seen major progress in the fight against the coronavirus. if all goes as planned during

the fda approval process, vaccines could be rolled out as soon as next month the chief science adviser for operation warp speed says the first americans will receive the coronavirus vaccine in three weeks. >> it's almost a full insurance against this pandemic. >> reporter: this news arriving just days after pfizer and its partner biontech applied for mj fda approval. >> our plan is to be able to ship vaccines to the immunization sites within 24 hours from the approval. so i would expect on maybe day two after the approval, on the 11th or 12th of december. >> how realistic is that timetable? >> i think we have to let each step play out. the evidence has gone to the fda. we'll probably also see the cdc weigh in on the top priority groups, given the data that's there. >> reporter: and another critical breakthrough in the fight against the coronavirus,

the fda cleared regeneron's antibody treatment for emergency use, giving patients with mild to moderate symptoms a boost to fight the coronavirus. >> we have shown that it works best in the patients who have not yet made their own immune response against the virus. >> reporter: antibody therapies could reduce the burden on hospitals. >> this treatment has indicate for people early in their infection -- >> reporter: president trump received the regeneron treatment when he was diagnosed with covid-19 last month. >> they gave me something, regeneron, and a day later i felt like superman. >> reporter: during clinical trials, regeneron's experimental cocktail reduced hospital visits she was one of the first to enroll in the drug's study. >> do you think it potentially could have saved your life >> yes, i would have to say that, 1,000%. >> reporter: signs of hope amid months of heartache.

and how soon can we expect regeneron's antibody doses to be rolled out well, we are told that a certain number of doses will be available in just a matter of days, plus 300,000 by january and ultimately the goal is to produce 2 million every year frances? >> progress there. kathy, thank you. california governor gavin newsom is under quarantine with his family after being exposed to a california highway patrol officer who tested positive for the virus. over the weekend hundreds of protesters swarmed huntington beach against the governor's coronavirus curfew our scott cohen is in san francisco with the latest. scott, gorge good morning >> reporter: phillip, here in san francisco, they've prided themselves throughout this pandemic on staying ahead of the curve, but even here they're starting to get nervous now as case rates nearly quadruple over the last four weeks, including among communities that typically haven't been hard hit, like affluent whites that are able to

work from home there has been robust demand from testing at sites like this one, 1 of 19 across the city even as officials warn that a negative covid test now has very little bearing whether it's safe to gather for thanksgiving later in the week. they're also afraid it is only a matter of time before san francisco moves into the restrictive purple tier so-called that most of the rest of the state is involved in as case rates go up that requires curfews from 10:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. and lots more restrictions on businesses and where people can gather. scott cohen, nbc news, san francisco. phillip, back to you. president-elect joe biden is filling up his cabinet this week last night nbc news learned that veteran dpd anthony blinken is the president-elect's top choice for secretary of state previously served as national security adviser in the obama administration as well as deputy secretary of state and citing three sources, "the washington post" reports that biden is planning to nominate

linda thomas greenfield for ambassador to the united nations. she served as assistant secretary of state for african affairs from 2013 to 2017. meanwhile, president trump continues to try and discredit the election results garrett haake has more >> reporter: hey, frances, good morning. as we come up on three weeks from election day now, the president's arguments about overturning the election and his legal team are both falling apart. president-elect joe biden preparing to announce the first members of his cabinet. >> you're going to see the first of the president-elect's cabinet appointments on tuesday of this week meeting the pace -- beating, in fact, the pace that was set by the obama/biden transition, beating the pace set by the trump transition. >> reporter: as a federal judge this weekend dashed the hopes of president trump's campaign in georgia. judge matt brann dismissing the case calling their legal argumen

arguments frankenstein's monster based on strained and skeptical accusations. more republicans calling for the transition to begin in earnest >> it should happen tomorrow morning because it didn't happen last monday morning. i just think you have to begin that process. >> reporter: president trump has exhausted all plausible legal options to challenge the results of the presidential race in pennsylvania republican senator pat toomey wrote in a statement, i congratulate president-elect biden. >> here in michigan, it was 154,000-vote margin by president-elect biden. no one has come up with any evidence of fraud or abuse. >> reporter: maryland's republican governor larry hogan tweeted back at an attack from the president, stop golfing and concede. even trump allies now criticizing the president's post-election efforts to overturn the results >> and what's happened here is, quite frankly, the conduct of the president's legal team has been a national embarrassment.

>> reporter: but no sign today the president is backing down. his campaign calling for a new taxpayer-funded recount in georgia, which has already certified its results and where two january run-offs will decide control of the senate. and on sunday night, the trump campaign putting out a statement that attorney sidney powell, who has made some of the most extreme and unfounded claims about voter fraud, no longer works for the president. frances? >> garrett, thank you. we have an update on the wisconsin mall shooting that happened on friday police say they have arrested a 15-year-old boy in connection with the shooting at mayfair mall that left eight people injured. the suspect was arrested saturday night with a gun alleged to have been used in the shooting officers say the shooting happened during an argument between two groups no word on what charges he may face. a messy start to the week for parts of the northeast let's check in with nbc meteorologist janessa webb janessa, good morning. >> frances and phillip, good to see you both good morning, everyone as frances said, we do have

messy conditions across the east coast. all due to a cold front that is going to collide with colder air. for foreign n for northern new england, expecting a little bit of snow behind that front, clear conditions, but colder weather going to be in place, also lake enhancement across the ohio valley also going to watch the winds pick up throughout the daythe u midwest. 37 for green bay chicago, 46. we'll take a look at your week ahead coming up. >> all right sounds good. thank you, janessa. now to week 11 in the nfl. the chiefs were in las vegas sunday night looking to avenge their only loss of the season

against the raiders, and vegas, they kept the defending champs guessing early that's derek carr there finding nelson agholor in the corner of the end zone to make it 14-7 fast forward to the fourth, under two minutes left, carr has time to scramble aroundand fin jason witten, still in the league and still zscoring touchdowns it looked like the raiders were going to upset them for the second time, but patrick mahomes finds travis kelce in indianapolis, the packers have the colts' number in the first half, but indy would outscore green bay 17-3 in the second half to force overtime. and in overtime, the packers coughed up the ball at a very costly time, and that allowed rodrigo blankenship and his cool goggles to line up the game-winning field goal. the colts earned the win 34-31 in baltimore, derrick henry did what he does best and found an opening in overtime.

taking this one all the way to the house to end the game. the titans proved last year's playoff win over the ravens was no fluke they win 30-24 the cowboys took to the skies in minnesota to turn their season around incredible falling catch to put dallas in front. down by four in the fourth quarter, andy dalton would find dalton schultz wide open for the game-winner. dallas wins up in minnesota, 31-28. and in washington, cincinnati bengal quarterback joe burrow had to be carted off the field after an ugly knee injury. the 2020 number one draft pick reportedly suffered a torn acl he told fans on twitter, see you next year. all right. still to come, an urgent warning to anyone considering getting back on to a cruise ship. and remembering a man who inspired thousands to get involved in the fight against als. we'll be rhtacig bk. i don't have to worry about that, do i? harmful bacteria lurk just below the gum line. crest gum detoxify works below the gum line

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new warning about taking a cruise the cdc just raised the risk level to its highest one yet, saying that passengers should avoid cruise travel altogether it says the risk of covid spread on ships is very high and that passengers who do go should get tested and stay home for a week after travel. one of the men known for launching the ice bucket challenge has died pat quinn. he was 37 years old. the ice bucket challenge exploded in popularity in 2013 and raised more than $220 million. the als foundation says it dramatically accelerated the fight against the disease, helping to lead to new discoveries and expanded care. coming up, behind the scenes for a macy's thanksgiving day parade unlike any other. the arsts shine bright on the big stage. the show-stopping moments from the american music awards. psors

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♪ ♪ in your eyes i see there's something burning inside you ♪ ♪ oh, inside you it was a star-studded night at the 2020 american music awards hosted by taraji p. henson it aired live in microsoft's theater with a limited audience. justin bieber kicked it off with two of his latest hits, holy and

lonely. the show featured memorable performances from billie eilish, jennifer lopez with maluma and bts. doja cat took home best new artist of the world. the weekend named favorite male artist and taylor swift with the highest honor of artist of the year when we come back, janessa will have our thanksgiving forecast and the new wave of fears as hundreds of theaters are forced to close again the hectic. the tender. the tense. and the fiery. but for many, migraine keeps them... ...from saying... ..."i am here."

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gain flings works in all wash cycles, even in cold water. try gain flings and smell the difference or we'll give you your money back. happy monday, everyone we are starting off the week pretty slow weather wise, quiet conditions, but fall highs, they are submerging the south and southeast, we're above ave rara so please enjoy that going to be experiencing some early morning rain, but the storms pick up for thanksgiving. widespread rain is going to be a washout for your thursday afternoon, unfortunately, and then these storms start to push out of the area. going into your friday, look at this, we do rebound temperature wise back up into the upper 60s to low 70s by fridays. guys >> all right janessa, thanks so much for that update. next here at "early today," the big anchges to the macy's

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in today's top stories, caught in the act. new york city police say they have busted a swingers club in queens for breaking the state's 25-person covid capacity order authorities say they found at least 80 people at the elicit gathering and operating within a state-desert mat state-designated yellow zone white a bit of illegality going on the police say they saw three couples having sex three people charged with multiple misdemeanors and the owner faces a $15,000 fine. it is curtains again for the big screen movie theaters set to close for

a second time as covid cases surge across the country the pandemic dealing a major blow to the movie industry several independent movie theaters have been forced to close down while bigger chains like amc and cinemark reported millions in losses. things have been done differently this year, including the iconic macy's day parade the show will go on, but only on tv chris pollone has the details. >> reporter: thanksgiving will be different because of covid-19 millions will still tune into the macy's thanksgiving day parade. >> we'll still be doing a live parade, but it is going to be shortened and only for viewers at home. >> no crowds lining the streets of manhattan as marching bands, floats and balloons make their way to herald screen performances will only take

place on television, utilizing every precaution to stop the virus' spread. >> safety is our number one priority. >> reporter: that means the number of people involved has been cut by 75%. there will be masks and social distancing and those trademark macy's helium balloons will be tethered to vehicles instead of being walked by dozens of handlers. >> the viewers can expect to see a lot of the same stuff that they know and love that the macy's thanksgiving day parade brings every single year. >> reporter: there will still be big starts like dolly parton, bb rexha and jordyn sparks. >> there has never a turkey company in the macy's thanksgiving day parade. >> lots of clowns. my favorite. >> reporter: and much to my own personal terror, there will still be clowns, way, way too many clowns. >> i can't deal with the clowns. >> reporter: no macy's thanksgiving day parade would be

complete without a special visitor from the north pole. a symbol of hope in a year that truly needs it chris pollone, nbc news, new york. >> as we know, santa isimmune when it comes to covid thank you so much for watching . m frances rivera

virus concerns take off. the dire warning from health officials as millions of americans head home for the holidays despite record covid cases across the country. >> the road map to the white house. president-elect joe biden readies his list of key cabinet members whe president trump faces growing calls to end his legal barrage on election results. grab your turkey and a side of safety. how to navigate the packed supermarkets ahead of thanksgiving great protection again mahomes to the end zone. wide open! touchdown, kelce