so you can shake up and wake up your breakfast. we're bringing that big bacon energy all day long so you can always be baconating! with a free breakfast baconator. as we kick off the final month of 2020, dr. anthony fauci is predicted a surge upon a surge following thanksgiving where millions ignored urgent warnings. the commissioner has bee summoned to the white house on why he his hasn't moved faster on the vaccines. plus we've got the latest on what pharmaceuticals are doing to send the vaccines around the country. a man clinging to a capsized boat 86 miles off the coast. and on this giving tuesday, we'll tell you how a small group of very special people are

helping to mentor over 7,000 students welcome to december. "early today" starts right now. >> good morning. i'm phillip mena. >> glad you're with us i'm frances rivera the next few months could be devastating. more than 13.5 million have been infected and fatalities have surpassed 258,000. officials expect to see new infections spike in the next five to ten days new york's governor andrew cuomo called the covid the grinch as they prepare for new restrictions meanwhile california is on the brink of new stay-at-home orders about 75% of the state's beds are occupied nbc's miguel almaguer has more. >> reporter: the end of the month marks the most dire month of the pandemic with a grim

35,000 fatalities. now as tens of millions of americans return home from the holiday, the darkest days may be yet to come. >> as we go for the next couple of weeks in december, we might see a surge superimposed upon that surge we're already in. >> reporter: expecting to see new infections spike in the next five to ten days, in states like rhode island, there is no place to go. the state is urging residents to stay home. several regions are on the brink. >> at this point with covid, it's widespread. all bets are off. >> reporter: new york's governors told hospitals to start recruiting retired nurses now. in los angeles county, daily cases have quadrupled while hospitalizations have nearly tripled. >> some of the nation's toughest restrictions are in l.a. county. among them, no mixing with other

households, not even for a walk in the park. >> reporter: in the bay area, santa clara is banning contact sports, the measures applauded by nurses who have watched colleagues become infected with the virus. >> when we're gone, there's just nobody who's going to take care of you when you're if the hospital, and that should scare everyone. >> reporter: a record number are hospitalized as officials scramble to slow the surge miguel almaguer, nbc news. now to the ee more muss challenge of distributing the vaccines was approved here and in europe. here's tom costello. >> reporter: the challenge, moving the vaccine to every corner of the country once the country gives the go ahead moderna's vaccine can be kept in

a normal freezer while pfizer requires arctic cold they're using cargo flights packed with dry ice to pre-position massive doses american airlines is using empty passenger planes to rush supplies around the globe. >> reporter: inside this 787, there are no passengers. it's all cargo pharmaceuticals that require cooling are shipped in mobile freezers, their temperature constantly monitored. >> if the temperature drops by a quarter of a degree, our team is ready to investigate what's going on. >> reporter: a cdc advisory committee will meet to decide who gets vaccinated first. what is your biggest challenge in arkansas? >> i think our biggest challenge

is going to be reaching those urban constituents that need the vooerng rural health care centers, rural hospitals. >> reporter: all the military will rush vaccines to every state and territory, each health department must get it to the most remote corners of the country. moderna and pfizer require two shots. one concern, keeping the pfizer vaccine cold enough. >> it may not be possible to get it out to some remote clinics and smaller hospitals that don't have the capacity to store it in the appropriate fashion. >> reporter: with lives on the line, one of the biggest civilian cargo airlifts in history is ramping up. tom costello, nbc news, philadelphia. now to navigate the country out of a recession this afternoon president-elect joe biden will introduce his task force team. at the helm is his pick for secretary ir, former chief janet

yellen nbc's tracie potts joins us for the latest this is as coronavirus relief talks take place on the grounds. >> right iechlts a question of whether they'll come to some sort of agreement on the covid funding. they've been stuck, at odds for months now now they're back and it's critical because some of that funding would help distribute the vaccine. nbc has learned there's a group of democrats and republicans informally behind the scenes trying to come up with some sort compromise publicly. the leadership hasn't signaled there's any sort of compromise, but both sides saying this needs to get done. >> there's no reason, none, why we should not deliver another measure pandemic relief package to help them through what seems poised to be the last chapters of this battle. >> the american people cannot afford to wait to have its

government working at full force to keep them safe deerks feet the virus, and get our economy back on track. >> now, axios is reporting that the chief of staff of the white house has summoned fda commissioner stephen hahn to the white house to explain why it's taking so long to get an aimprovement hahn saying we have to me the decision one of the coronavirus task force advisers dr. scott atlas is resigning his detail was up next week, but his resignation comes after months of back-and-forth with other members of the task force about the advice of people should gather in large groups for thanksgiving when other advisers were saying anything but. finally, election results, wisconsin and arizona have

certified their results. president trump going back and forth with arizona's governor on that, saying doug ducey was rushing a democrat into office doou ducey responding he was sworn to do his job. the seahawks and eagles. seattle got the early lead philly would respond before the half it cut the deaf sichlt the clutch catch from d.k. metcalf put the seahawks ahead for good, and they win it on the road, 23-17. from hurricane season to snow in your forecast, we've got it all covered with nbc meteorologist janessa webb she joins us now good morning

>> good morning. good morning, everyone we have 140 million people under freeze warnings, and we're going to continue to see our temperatures dropping across most of the lower 48 there is a small section across the northeast that includes new york, boston you are above average. right now we're watching the alerts from georgia to ohio with winter weather advisories and winter storm warnings in a place. you can see from the radar, a lot of snow right now forecasting the a potential of . only 32 degrees for daytime highs. boston, 60 freeze warnings also in place for the south. we'll talk about that coming up. >> sounds good, janessa. thank you. something humongous is among

us the 62-foot robot debuted in an exhibit in japan the robot can walk and move its arms tourists can start visiting the robot on december 19th. coming up, a close shave with the golden arches how you can exchan ygeour beer for a mcrib. and the miraculous rescue making waving this morning want to eliminate odors without heavy, overwhelming scents? we get it.

introducing febreze light. it eliminates odors... with no heavy perfumes... in light scents you'll love. new febreze light. isn't like yesterday. (grrrr...put down that rake...) (and pick up that pb and j.) daddy? silence your growl. with kellogg's frosted mini-wheats. made to help fill you up. now, braava jet mops right where you need it with an adjustable precision jet spray and an advanced pad system. and offers personalized cleaning suggestions unique to your home. braava jet m6 and the irobot home app. only from irobot. laso you can enjoy it even ifst you're sensitive. se. braava jet m6 and the irobot home app. yet some say it isn't real milk. i guess those cows must actually be big dogs. sit! i said sit! did you know that 70% of the on your clothes are invisible? under u.v. light,

you see the invisible dirt trapped deep down. try new tide pods hygienic clean heavy duty. for a deep clean, just toss in a pac. formulated with 10 concentrated cleaning actives, that clean deep down into the fabric to remove invisible dirt. see the difference, after being washed with tide hygienic clean. for a deep clean, try tide hygienic clean! with a 100% money back guarantee! if it's got to be clean, it's got to be tide. leading the news, the gun sales happened on friday they reported over 186,000 checks on the shopping day that's a slight drop from the over 200,000 checks reported last year. however, the number of firearms sold on black friday is likely

hire because multiple guns can be included one traction. now to a remarkable rescue off the coast of florida a man was spot at sea just in time by a passing cargo ship nbc's kerry sanders has his story. >> reporter: this 62-year-old is lucky to be alive, lucky to have been spot. he was 86 mile off the florida coast clinging to the tiniest portion of his 32-foot boat. >> miraculous isn't a strong enough word for what they found. that's a made-for-tv most. >> it was the top of the bow of the boat poking out of the water at that point. >> that's exactly lift. >> reporter: he left friday afternoon after a friend reported him missing saturday, the coast guard put out an alert, that's how the cargo ship angeles knew to scan the sea marine officials are not sure why the boat sank, only that he

hung onto the bow for at least four hours >> i cannot imagine the december station he was going through at that moment or the elation of finding a vessel out at sea. that was a needle in a haystack. >> reporter: stuart exhausted and weatherworn is still on the cargo ship that rescued him. >> wow look at that beard he looks exactly like tom sank all that's missing is a buddy, wilson >> i'm reading a joke about it now. i would have lost all hope at that point what a miracle. still to come. it's giving tuesday. we'll high lhthaig wt you can do. >> sher is doing her share by coming to the rescue of the world east loneliest elephant. we'll explain next relief in a delightful chew with pepto bismol chews.

clif bar is brown rice syrup, which is another name for sugar. in this kind bar, it's heart-healthy almonds... with the taste of dark chocolate and 75% less sugar than the leading clif bar. be kind to yourself. ♪ just one look at you... ♪ ♪ and i know it's gonna be... ♪ no matter how you celebrate this year, make this holiday extra special with a gift from pandora jewelry. make this holiday extra special every time you touch a surface, bacteria is left behind. try microban 24. it kills 99.9% of bacteria and viruses initially, and keeps killing bacteria for 24 hours, even after multiple touches. try microban.

vicks vapopatch. easy to wear with soothing vicks vapors for her, for you, for the whole family. trusted soothing vapors, from vicks it's time for theraflu hot liquid medicine. powerful relief so you can restore and recover. theraflu hot beats cold.

in today's "quick hits," singer cher has helped rescue the world east loneliest elephant from decades of captivity. >> mcdonald's iconic mcrib sandwich is returning nationwide starting tomorrow. they're partnering with no shave november because they believe mcribs and beards don't go together. tokyo prepares for next

year's postponed summer games that remain in place next to the olympic bridge until they finish in august. today we're marking giving tuesday which embraces a movement of individuals and organizations that are making a difference in their communities, and there's never been a more important year than 2020 to highlight all the ways to give back nbc news and msnbc return as the signature media partners of giving tuesday, and this morning we're shining a light on inner city new york. we're hoping students to not only cope but thrive in a school like none other. >> reporter: for this middle school in harlem, it's been a difficult year. >> since the powe dimmick, we have to work from home sometimes the internet can shut off and keep acting up. >> reporter: the mental around emotional toll of the pandemic and virtual learning challenging students and teachers. >> it's been kind of hard not being able to communicate with people on the outside.

>> the students have been experiencing loss, they've been experiencing a roller coaster of different emotions. >> reporter: which makes programs like the non-profit city year in new york more important than ever. this year the organization, which focuses on education, putting a greater emphasis on social emotional learning. >> it's hard for many people to be able to express feelings of anxiety, of stress, and so emotional learning is about checking in with someone or checking in with yourself. >> reporter: city year new york working closely with mentors to support and mentor 7,000 students in some of the areas hardest hit by covid, some communities already underresourced americorps member alicia spearman connects with students every day, using the emotional

tools she learned from city year. >> maybe parents lost their job or parents are working from home and it's a struggle, like wi-fi and having a struggle. i know as a 25-year-old this toll took a toll on me, and i'm 25 i can imagine what my students are feeling. >> reporter: and the students and teachers say the support of city year and americorps members like alicia are crucial to their success. >> as my mother likes to say, it keeps us sane during these tough times because usually you would have this huge amount of mental break youn. >> some of the improvements i've seen with students that have been working with city year is them being more open, so expressing their feelings and their emotions city year does a wonderful job with connecting with students on a personal level and a human level, and i think that that's important during this time. >> city year truly believes that

relationship-based tutoring and social emotional learning is going to be the key to helping students recover from learning loss this year, and the gates foundation recently launched a back-to-school campaign naming city year as one of its three guaranteed making a notable impact really important impact there. if you want to know more, head over to nbcnews.com or givingtuesday.org. i don't know who gets the most out of it really, the kids or the mentors and volunteers too both giving so much. >> it's the toughest year i can remember a great organization. much more ahead including a new first for disney plus and "the mandalorian." a flag burning we can all get behind no tomatoes.. [hard a] tonight... i'll be eating four cheese tortellini with extra tomatoes. [full emphasis on the soft a] so its come to this? [doorbell chimes] thank you. [doorbell chimes] bravo. careful, hamill. daddy's not here to save you.

oh i am my daddy. wait, what? what are you talking about? did is locatedhat 70% of youin your gut?tem to boost your immune system: try align gut health & immunity support. align's quality probiotic strain, adds more good bacteria to your gut, to help strengthen your immunity. try align today. isn't like yesterday. (grrrr...put down that rake...) (and pick up that pb and j.) daddy? silence your growl. with kellogg's frosted mini-wheats. made to help fill you up. with kellogg's wthe natural light is amazing. hardwood floors. there is a bit of a clogging problem. (clog dancing) at least geico makes it easy to bundle our renters and car insurance. yeah, helping us save us even more...

for bundling made easy, go to geico.com so this aveeno® moisturizer goes beyond just soothing sensitive skin? exactly jen! calm + restore oat gel is formulated with prebiotic oat. and strengthens skin's moisture barrier. uh! i love it! aveeno® healthy. it's our nature.™ aveeno® each febreze car vent clip gives you up to 30 days of fresh air. so, you can have open window freshness...

even with all the windows up. enjoy fresh, any time, with febreze. that's a hurricane warning flag being set ablaze to celebrate the official end of the hurricane season the group took a moment to honor everyone impacted from senn tralg america to the caribbean to the u.s. from the hurricane season right into snow, nbc's janessa webb is tracking it all. hi, janessa. >> hi. they did not call me i would have been all for that situation glad hurricane season is over, but it is gumbo weather that we're talking across the south and southeast. man, it is chilly today with freeze warnings in place across this area for 32 million people. we're talking about highs in the 30s, guys. >> allig rht, janessa.

when we come back, why netflix labels "the crown" as fiction. our extended release melatonin helps you sleep longer. and longer. zzzquil pure zzzs all night. fall asleep. stay asleep. ♪ just one look at you... ♪ ♪ and i know it's gonna be... ♪ no matter how you celebrate this year, make this holiday extra special with a gift from pandora jewelry. make this holiday extra special good mormore treatment? we're going to try something different today. hi! awwww, so pretty. dogs bring out the good in us. pedigree® brings out the good in them. did you know that febreze air effects uses 100% natural propellant? cheaper aerosols use artificial propellants. that's why febreze works differently. plus, it eliminates odors with a water-based formula and no dyes. for freshness you'll enjoy.

"the mandalorian" broke a record breaking the record and becoming the top streaming show. the show's nine episodes were watched for a total ofover 1 billion minutes. it placed third on the list behind "the queen's gambit" and "the office. for the past two years netflix has put the top ten. it's pretty cool to see a place where they're all ranked >> more pressure to knock them all out. i haven't done "the crown" yet

that's all fact versus fiction now. "the crown" is being called out by uk's politicians and even the royal family they're urging the giant to label a fiction label on the series let's bring in chapman bell live from london. no spoilers here. >> reporter: more and more remierjding people not to believe everything you watch this for the latest series of "the crown," the uk culture secretary adding his voice to a growing chorus saying that a disclaimer should be put at the beginning of "the crown" to remind viewers it's not all fact, that there is fiction in i. the latest series focuses on the relationship between charles and the late diana, princess of wales, something that's always been a hot topic the creatored a ad mitts they

have meticulously researched this to make it as historically accurate as possible, but they've had to use a creative license to fill in the gaps behind closed doors t dialogue, things that people don't know. this is what's making people to make a call it's not all fact. this includes her brother errol spen spenceer who said they asked to film at the estate and he said no he wants to remind people, this is not a history lesson. they say a lot happens behind closed doors even for the royal family and you can't believe everything that you watch. >> the intrigue is going to make people want to watch it eve more chapman, thank you. >> especially when it's not flattering they might say it's not true, but it's a fascinated series. it's december 1st. that means it's the first day of summer in australia and they've already been facing heatwaves.

this koala has taken matters into his own hands the temperatures have been record-breaking, 110-plus. the heed wave is expected to blt through the end ofas ♪ with triple cheese and bacon or chili cheese. try my sauced and loaded fries. it's pretty delicious. ♪ try my sauced and loaded fries. when they're sick, they get comfortable all kinds of places. they also spread all kinds of germs, from cold and flu to strep and more. nothing kills more cold and flu viruses, including the covid-19 virus, on more surfaces than lysol disinfectant spray. lysol. what it takes to protect.

seasoned curly fries, with triple cheese and bacon or chili cheese. try my sauced and loaded fries. it's pretty delicious. right now at 4:30, the cdc is preparing to make a key and critical decision when it comes to a covid-19 vaccine. the major question it's set to answer as the u.s. waits for the fda to weigh in. plus -- don't mess with grandma. a san francisco woman fights back after a woman threatens her granddaughter. the physical confrontation caught on camera. >> more chilly morning temperatures. a live look at the current conditions, but besides the