the metering lights are on at the bay bridge. mild backup in the middle lanes. 880 through fremont, a crash at stephenson blocks the left two lanes. should clear over the next few. >> that does it for us. a live look at oakland's skyline. the "today" show is next. . good morning, taking their shot. >> the most pain free job i've ever had >> overnight, the vaccination rollout expands over the uk. >> back to the new normal now, hopefully. >> what we're learning about including a new warning about allergies just issued this morning. third wave, skyrocketing coronavirus cases now overwhelming hospitals across the country, the dreaded thanksgiving surge starting to surface, and with that crucial fda panel set to meet tomorrow to approve the first vaccine in the u.s., the encouraging data

just revealed showing results from the shot coming more quickly than expected. rejected, the supreme court denying a last gasp republican effort to reverse joe biden's win in pennsylvania, why that decision from the nation's highest court all but ends the president's push to overturn the election breaking overnight, dangerous blast, an explosion and fire at a chemical plant in west virginia, several injured, people living within two miles ordered to shelter in place. the latest from the scene straight ahead college football chaos, the iconic ohio state/michigan rivalry game canceled for the first time in more than 100 years. this morning the covid concerns throwing the season and the championship into turmoil. all that, plus sirius cash, howard stern's new five-year deal worth a reported $600 million that will keep him on the air. >> radio is my love.

it's been great to me, i'm very proud of this crew and what we put out. >> and keeping t him the undisp king of all media today, december 9th, 2020 >> announcer: from nbc news, this is "today" with savannah guthrie and hoda kotb from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza hi, everybody, good morning, and welcome to "today. it is wednesday morning, and we are glad to have you starting your day with us. >> we sure are good to see you, savannah. >> we have a lot to get to including of course that high profile blow to the president's push to overturn the election. it came from the united states supreme court. >> plus, we have a big story in sports, major questions surrounding the college football season this morning after the cancellation of the annual michigan/ohio state showdown we're going to have a lot more on that in just a moment. first, our top story, of course, the coronavirus, that

vaccine program off to a promising start in the united kingdom. this morning health officials there are raising a new concern tied to those shots. we'll talk about that and more with the former acting director of the cdc but let's start our coverage in london nbc's chief foreign correspondent richard engel on duty for us. good morning. >> reporter: it's day two of the vaccination rollout here in the uk it is encouraging rollout in the uk.people it is giving people a sense of it is encouraging people, giving national pride, but now a warning about how the people a sense of national pfizr pride, but now a warning about biontech vaccine may how the pfizer/biontech vaccine with allergies do it fo may interact with allergies.bri' do it for britain.s the message this morning that's the message this morning, as the uk pushes ahead, as the pushes ahead as th first nation in the world to distribute a fully approved anda fully approved and tested coronavirus vaccine. tes coronavirus vaccine. after millions here watched aftr 90-year-old margaret keenan get 90-year-old margaret keena the first injection yesterday n the firs and shrug it off. t injection y >> it was fine. and shrug it off it was fine. it's fine it's i wasn't nervous at all. fine. i wasn't nervous a >> reporter: followed by the al. >> reporte equally stoic 81-year-old equally stoic 81-year-ol

william shakespeare. d william >> it could make a difference to our lives from now on, couldn't it?ifference to our lives from now on, cou >> reporter: many brits are n't it >> reporter: many br expressing optimism, that they're finally heading down the expressing optimism that they're finally heading down the road to road to recovery. >> i'm key to get it. just get back to normal as much recovery >> i feel as possible. >> i feel ecstatic. i can't wait for 2021.ecstatic i can't wait bring it on. bring it on. i'm very excited. life hopefully will resume as >n campai normal. gn is reviving a britis >> reporter: the vaccination campaign is reviving a british a fighting spirit for v-day, vaccination day vaccination day, as they're calling their rollout.e rollout. newspape newspaper headlines in the uk thundered fight back begins. it's v-day.rered fight back begin and doing my duty on v-day.it's >> prime minister boris johnson is prime minister boris johnson iss a national responsibility. >> how's pushing covid vaccination as a ? >> it's all for britain. >> i national responsibility. s all right. >> reporte >> how is that? he took o it's all for britain, that's right. n anti-vaxxers directly. >> i k >> reporter: he took on now thas anti-vaxxers directly. of people wh >> i know there are loads of people who count themselves as anti-vaxxers. anti-vaxxe that's the wrong approach. it's safe.

it's completel it's the right thing to do.the approa it's good for you and it's goodg for the whole of the country. >> reporter: for all its enthusiasm, the rollout has beeo it's good for you and it's good for the whole of the c extremely slow.ountry. >> reporter: for all the pfizer vaccine's extreme t n extremely slow the pfizer vaccine's extreme cold temperature requirement cold temperature requirements s presenting presenting logistic issues. logs people being vaccinated are oveh 80s, vulnerable medical staff oe today are over 80, vulnerable medical staff or employees of retirement employees of retirement homes. f th but because of the pfizer vaccine's cold storage e pfizer storage requirement, vaccinations requirements, vaccinations are e for no only taking place, for now, in appointment only, so you have to be well enough to get here in the firs hospitals, by appointment only.. then today a so you have to be well enough to get here in the first place. na health service then today, a snag. the national health service reported two of its staff s sta members who received the ived th vaccinations yesterday had e vad adverse adverse reactions and issued ans advisory on a precautionary d an advisory on a precautionary basi basis, that people with s that h significan significant history of allergici reactions do not receive this vaccination.c reactions do not receive this both are recovering well. vaccination. the national health service here described the advisory as recol the national h common.ealth service here described the advisory as common the medica the medical regulatory body in n

this country said that people this country said that people with known with known, significant allergi reactions to vaccines, reactions to vaccines, medicines medicines, or food shoul or food should not take the d n take this pfizer/biontech vaccine. pfizerh >> richard, thank you very much. >> tha here at home, a new report e from the fda is reinforcing thet from the fda is reinforcing th safety and effectiveness of safety and effectiveness o pfizer's vaccine ahead of its meeting to consider approval for emergency use. national correspondent miguel almaguer is more in l.a. on that, and the coronavirus surge all across the country. numbers are terrifying. miguel? >> reporter: hoda, good morning. in the first week of december, the u.s. added 1 million new cases of covid, that benchmark more grim when doctors here in l.a. county say the full effects of the thanksgiving surge are just now starting to show. all this as the president promises tens of millions of doses of the vaccine will be available by the end of the year. as a third wave of covid cases threatens to overwhelm health care systems nationwide, on

tuesday, president trump expressing optimism that a covid vaccine will bring long-awaited relief. >> it will end the pandemic. you'll be seeing that over the next few months. the numbers should sky rocket downward. >> reporter: in the latest report from the white house covid task force obtained by nbc news, top health officials warn the vaccine will not substantially reduce viral spread, hospitalizations or fatalities until late spring. president-elect biden setting an ambitious goal for the first days of his administration. >> at least 100 million covid vaccine shots into the arms of the american people in the first 100 days. >> reporter: with the fda calling pfizer's vaccine safe and effective, it may be approved for emergency use by the end of the week. some hospitals are already prepped for a warp-speed rollout. in l.a. county, 84,000 doses are expected to be delivered by next

week, but that won't cover the 150,000 health care workers who are first in line. >> this is the first glimmer of hope in this long pandemic. having a vaccine will be yet another line of defense and protection. >> reporter: with the dreaded dark winter approaching in the first week of december, nearly 16,000 americans lost their lives. the second deadliest week ever, as icus in five states hit an average 90% capacity. across the country, daily infections have been climbing since march and are now spiking yet again post-thanksgiving. the latest surge frustrating those who have seen so much loss. >> people are dying. people are dying alone, and that is, i think, one of the hardest things. >> reporter: meantime the country's division over lockdowns on full display in boise, idaho, where a health board meeting was halted because of intense protesters. one member getting motional and

leaving the meeting. >> my 12-year-old son is home by himself and there are protesters banging outside the door. >> reporter: pro-mask member seen fighting back tears. this is the scene outside of her home. >> i'm going to go home and make sure he's okay. >> reporter: here in l.a. county, the governor is working to roll out a smart phone tracking app that will tell residents if they've been r meab exposed.eing taken in other sta some are already raising privac. concerns. similar measures are being taken savann in other states as well. ah. th >> miguel, thank you.ulet's turt dr. richard besser is now ceo of beser, now president and ceo the robert wood foundation. good morning. of the robert wood johnson foundation lots to talk about. dr. besser good morning. lots t can we start in england?o talk t can we just overnight, the authorities over there issued an advisory about e issued an advisory about allergic allergic reactions to the pfizer vaccine that's being administered now t vaccine that's being here sayin that if you have a administered now there, saying t that if you have a significant shouldn' history of allergies, you t geti shouldn't get this particular r vaccine. vaccine.that s vaccine. that seems incredibly broad and

vague to me. what's your take on this >> i agree with you totally. it's extremely broad and vague when i look at the data that pfizer posted, that the fda posted in terms of their analysis, they didn't find an issue in terms of allergies, but i would suspect because of this report out of the uk, it will be something that the fda advisory committee that will be meeting tomorrow will consider but it is broad. we need a will the more information on that. >> yeah. it's based on two cases, so perhaps it's an abundance of caution. let's talk about what you just mentioned, which is we got kind of a treasure trove of documents, scientific data that the fda has been scrutinizing, and according to one expert said it's basically an a-plus report card for a vaccine there was some good data in there. what struck you about it >> well, you know, i love this about the fda process. it's very transparent. anyone who wants to can go online and look at the analysis that the fda did on this

and i would agree. this is the report of a vaccine that is extremely effective. so, 94, 95% effective and extremely safe you can expect to get a sore arm from this, especially after the second dose. you can expect to feel pretty lousy, but that's your body reacting to this and building an immune response. one of the things that really excited me about the report, though, is that they found a significant level of protection, greater than 50%, one week after the first dose it doesn't mean you don't need a second dose. you do, because it's -- you know, it's really important in terms of how long your immunity lasts and getting up to that 94, 95% protection following that first dose, people who get that vaccine could expect to see some benefit. >> that was my next question i mean, that is so exciting, to think that you could -- you're not just going to have those two weeks and you're waiting for the second shot but you'll get some protection while you wait. really good news

on the not-so-good news, i saw some hospital data analyzed in the new york time this is morning, saying more than a third of americans live in areas where hospitals are running critically short of intensive care beds and one in ten americans across the south and southwest live in an area where the intensive care beds are either completely full or fewer than 5% of beds are available. what does this say to you, especially when we're still waiting for the thanksgiving surge? >> yeah. you know, savannah, it's such an important point. when you hear the exciting news about vaccines, you can get the sense of, wow, it's over we don't have to worry anymore this is the most dangerous period of the pandemic our hospitals are filling up hospitals are looking at something called crisis standards of care, and this is

something we talked about in the spring it's what do you do when your hospital is full how do you share resources to make sure people can get treatment? but in addition to people with covid not being able to get in, think of people who are having chest pain, people who have diabetes that's out of control or someone who feels a lump in their breast and needs to get that evaluated for cancer. when our hospitals are full, it's not just people with covid who suffer it's everybody so, we have to double down on wearing masks and keeping apart. if congress doesn't provide support to people, then there are millions of people who are going to have to go to work even if they've been exposed, even if they feel sick. >> dr. besser, always good to get your analysis. thanks for your time this morning, sir appreciate it. >> thank you, savannah. >> let's turn now to the presidential transition as president-elect biden continues to build his team. president trump's efforts to overturn the election has suffered a blow, this time from the supreme court. peter alexander is at the white house with more. peter, good morning. >> reporter: hoda, good morning to you president trump has insisted for months that the outcome of the election could be decided by the supreme court, confident a conservative majority there and

three justices he personally appointed, one just weeks before the election, that he would come out on top instead the court refused to even consider a last-ditch challenge from a trump ally in pennsylvania, denying it with no explanation and no written dissents one of president trump's last remaining paths to overturn the results of the 2020 election has now evaporated, the supreme court rejecting an effort by republicans to reverse president-elect joe biden's win in pennsylvania, refusing to take up an appeal by a republican congressman, who argued nearly all of the state's mail-in ballots were illegal it's the first request to overturn or delay the election results that reached the court the entire order just one sentence long. the application for injuncturive relief is denied still, president trump keeps falsely claiming victory, again tuesday when pressed by nbc news at a white house summit on the coronavirus vaccine. why not include members of the biden transition team as part of this summit that you're hosting

today? >> we'll have to see who the next administration is, because we won in the swing states, and there were terrible things that went on. hopefully, the next administration will be the trump administration. >> reporter: even as pennsylvania republican senator pat toomey said it's completely unacceptable for president trump to pressure state lawmakers to subvert the will of the voters, the president did it again. >> let's see whether or not somebody has the courage, whether it's a legislator or legislatures, or whether it's a justice of the supreme court or a number of justices of the supreme court, let's see if they have the courage to do what everybody in this country knows is right. >> reporter: on tuesday, another long shot legal effort texas' republican attorney general asking the supreme court to scrap the results in four states, georgia, michigan, pennsylvania and wisconsin, all of which voted for biden legal experts overnight say that unprecedented case has no merit

and is unlikely to go anywhere meanwhile, six weeks until inauguration day, president-elect biden is building out his cabinet nbc news has confirmed biden selected ohio congresswoman marcia fudge to lead housing and urban development. if confirmed she would be the first black woman to hold that post in decades. and biden has picked former iowa governor tom vilsak as his agriculture secretary, a job he held all eight years under former president obama hoda, savannah >> peter alexander, thank you. let's get the first check of the weather from mr. sunshine himself. >> we have snow to talk about instead of the sunshine. disturbance pushing through from flint, michigan, to upstate new york, central pennsylvania snowfall amounts generally three to five inches there, more atmospheric based as far as altitude as well we'll be looking at the aurora borealis high speed injection of particles charging toward the

earth. they mostly make their way to the poles. what is going to happen over the next couple of days is that we will be seeing the aurora oval right around the north pole will make its way to the south so some folks from oregon to pennsylvania will see the aurora borealis, and the viewing is iffy for today for a good portion of the country and some clearing in the pacific northwest and cloudy skies, and clear skies as you get into iowa and poor viewing in the northeast, and good news in the northeast, the viewing is better, but it is a cool thing to see if in fact your sky conditions are correct. we will get to your local forecast in the next 30 seconds. . house plants. and a 3pm happy dance. with pizza buying. and reindeer flying. and just a little joyful crying.

with all your family. and all your friends. first bites. and happy ends. it's all essential. in every way. and together. it makes a holiday. let's end the year with what matters. good morning. i'm meteorologist kari hall. as we take a live look outside at our beautiful sunrise over san jose we're waking up to a clear sky and very chilly temperatures. it's going to be partly cloudy today and warming up into the mid-60s for our afternoon highs for the inland areas. as we go into tomorrow slightly cooler and breezy and getting ready for some rain set to move in, possibly starting with scattered showers on sunday and continuing off and on sunday. weather. >> all right, al thank you. chaos in college football as covid cancels one of the sport's most iconic rivalries, ohio state and michigan

the reaction and the impact of the game being called off for the first time in more than 100 years. and with the u.s. on the brink of a vaccine rollout, tom costello taking a look at what will happen at tomorrow's fda hearing, the data scientists will consider and the tall task of convincing the public it's safe first this i. s

the usual gifts are just not going to cut it. we have to find something else. good luck! what does that mean? we are doomed. [laughter] that's it. i figured it out! we're going to give togetherness. that sounds dumb. we're going to take all those family moments and package them. hmm.

[laughing] that works. coming up, damaged on arrival. our investigation you need to see if you are among the millions who get your prescriptions by mail. >> cynthia mcfadden talks to families who say the system has left them with potentially less effective medications. her story. but first, your local news and weather. one. jake from state farm, it's the least i can do. you really did me a solid with that "maya markdown" on my insurance. here's the deal maya, state farm offers everyone surprisingly great rates.

right. no really. there's no markdowns, just great rates. pull around back in 20 minutes. i'll hook you up with the good parts. when you want the real deal... like a good neighbor. state farm is there. ithe first full prescriptionis pstrengthwant the real deal... non-steroidal anti-inflammatory gel... available over the counter. voltaren is powerful arthritis pain relief in a gel. voltaren. the joy of movement. irresistibly smooth chocolate. to put the world on pause. lindor. made to melt you. by the lindt master chocolatier.

♪ your whole team can see your upper thigh ♪ ♪ pour that smooth roast and aim that camera up high ♪ ♪ the best part of wakin' up is folgers in your cup ♪ toni(doorbell rings)ting crab cakes with spicy aioli. thank you. can we be besties, simone biles? i guess? yessss! should we dismount now?

i'm gonna show you guys how everyone: hey! to make my famous holiday rolls, cause 'tis is the season! first up, you're gonna wanna knead the dough. yeah yeah, good! give it some life, ya know? then you're gonna wanna talk to the dough like it's your ex-boyfriend. carl! i'm not giving you the sweatshirt back! yeah, and i've stretched it so it won't even fit you anyway! (slap) i thought you liked the slapping... uh, okay guys... you're not doing it. your rolls are gonna be terrible. keep kneading everybody! when your underarmso your are cared for? ♪ it shows! our new dove advanced care formula is effective... and kind to skin, leaving underarms cared for and you... more confident and carefree.

don't settle for less. revitalift triple power with pro-retinol plus hyaluronic acid and vitamin c. it visibly reduces wrinkles. firms. and brightens. now that's triple power. revitalift triple power moisturizer from l'oreal. no uh uh, no way come on, no no n-n-n-no-no only discover has no annual fee on any card. did you know diarrhea is often causedtry pepto diarrhea. food? pepto® diarrhea is proven effective to treat symptoms, and it also targets the cause of diarrhea. the 3 times concentrated liquid formula coats and kills bacteria to relieve diarrhea. while the leading competitor does nothing to kill the bacteria, pepto® diarrhea gets to the source, killing the bad bacteria. so, try pepto® diarrhea, and remember to have it on hand every time you travel. also try pepto®-bismol liquicaps for on-the-go relief.

a galaxy far awaya frgets closer to home. and a low price unlocks a high score. good morning. it's 7:26. i'm laura garcia. san jose police reporting a deadly shooting that happened around 1:00 a.m. near a gas station on center road near monterey west of 101. right now police are only telling us a man was shot and killed. he has not been identified. so far they are not telling us if they have any details on what led up to the shooting or a suspect description. >> reporter: i'm cierra johnson in san mateo county. many are seeing a decrease in availability of icu beds, a crucial marker to let us know where we stand in the fight against this virus. right now santa clara county,

16% of their icu beds are available here in san mateo as well as marin and sonoma counties all in red meaning they have less than 15% availability. so right now the concern the surge will continue after christmas and folks still plan to travel and mingle over the holiday. cierra is bundled up. another cold start to the morning, kari. yeah, some of the temperatures dipping into the 30s. milder in san francisco where we're starting out with sunshine but still the potential of high waves along the coastline and the big breakers making it up to 25 feet today. it's going to be very dangerous to be anywhere near the coastline. and as we go through this forecast some breezy winds and cooler temperatures headed our way. as we watch the rains, we're only going to see highs in the upper 50s. could start to see the showers moving in on saturday. laura? all right. we look forward to the change. thanks so much for joining us.

another local news update in half an hour. enjoy your wednesday morning.

♪ all we are saying is give peace a chance ♪ give peace a chance. back at 7:30 that, by the way, last night's scene in central park's strawberry fields, fans of john lennon honoring him with songs, flowers and candles. as we told you it was the 40th anniversary of his death. >> a lot of people remembering him fondly. we will start this half hour with your 7:30 headlines breaking overnight, an explosion

rocked a plant in west virginia. residents within two miles of the plant in bell were told to shelter in place that. order has since been lifted. at least four people were hurt in the explosion their conditions are not known this morning an investigation into the cause that have explosion is now under way. an update on a story we brought you monday about that mysterious illness suffered by u.s. diplomats and cia officers serving in cuba and china. on tuesday, a bipartisan group of senators introduced a bill that would authorize additional compensation for victims of so-called havana syndrome. since 2016, individuals working overseas began to report unexplained illnesses, including headaches, dizziness and loss of balance. after a year-long investigation, experts included they were likely symptoms of targeted microwave attacks. the investigation stopped short of naming which country could be behind those hostile acts. surfing competition in hawaii was called off on tuesday

after a shark attack it happened off the coast of maui near kapalua. a surfer was paddling out when a shark bit his leg, took a big part of his surfboard, too he is expected to recover from those injuries beaches in the area were close and absurfing competition that was about to get under way was postponed indefinitely. >> look at that surfboard. tells the story. >> uh-huh. now to the major shakeup in college football annual showdown between arch rivals michigan and ohio state has been canceled for the first time in more than a century. >> a decision that could have ripple effects on the entire season sam brock joins us now with the latest on this one. good morning. >> reporter: savannah, hoda, good morning it is called the game for a reason ohio state/michigan has been a staple of college sports every single year since 1918 until now. university of michigan having to pull the plug on this game because of rising covid-19

cases, at the same time making powerhouse ohio state potentially ineligible for the big 10 championship. this morning, a storied college football rivalry stuck on the sidelines. this weekend's battle between heated rivals, the ohio state buckeyes and michigan wolverines called off because of covid. >> the unbeaten buckeyes need this one for the big 10 title. >> reporter: the annual match-up, which dates back to a century, was canceled due to an uptick of cases in their program. >> the players, to a man, wanted to play this game. >> reporter: michigan's athletic director described the decision as disappointing, but pointed to a bigger picture, writing in a statement, the program's health and safety is paramount and will always come first in our decision making. on the field, the two programs in very different places this season ohio state is stacked with likely nfl talent and poised to compete for a national championship star quarterback justin fields could be a top pick in the nfl

draft. >> touchdown, justin fields! >> reporter: michigan, meanwhile, has a rich history, but has performed poorly the wolverines notching only two victories in their six games. >> we wanted to play odds are against us but let's go do this. >> reporter: now no game could have major ramifications for an ohio state squad that's already seen two other contests wiped out by the virus with just five games completed, all victories, the buckeyes are one short of the six required to earn a birth in the conference championship pivotal in helping the selection committee pick which four teams compete for a national title. >> if we don't quite get the games we need to get in the championship game that needs to be looked at hard, just like anybody else in the conference, but there's no easy solution at times like this. >> sam, how likely is it that ohio state will still be playing in a championship anyway >> reporter: there's a really good chance they will, hoda. the big 10 athletic directors

will be meeting in a matter of hours and expected to discuss this very situation. they have the power to change the threshold from making it to the championship game from six games played down to five. it is also important to note ohio state right now still ranked in the top four by the selection committee, even after everything that's happened michigan's athletic director saying they're one of the best programs in the country, they deserve to represent the conference history, unfortunately, with the game is going to be on hold either way hoda, savannah, back to you. >> sam brock in for us thank you. straight ahead, steps unfolding behind the scenes right now to begin the vaccine rollout here in the u.s. and what needs to be done to boost public confidence in the shots. right after this or gifts shipped right to your door. let's end the year celebrating. ♪

let's end the year celebrating. ♪ ♪ life's more fun with a dog. and doglife is more fun with milk-bone. ♪ ♪ irish cream cold brew holiday a new way festive is a tap away download the app today isave morethis week... circle. a new way save $10 when you spend $50 on toys. now through saturday. join target circle on the target app. this week only. save more with target circle. only at target.

santa knows a gift when he sees one. ford. built for the holidays. get zero percent apr financing for seventy-two months plus $2000 trade assist cash on top of what your eligible trade is worth on 2020 ford fusion, explorer and expedition. who've got their eczema under control. with less eczema, you can show more skin. so roll up those sleeves. and help heal your skin from within with dupixent. dupixent is the first treatment of its kind that continuously treats moderate-to-severe eczema, or atopic dermatitis, even between flare ups. dupixent is a biologic, and not a cream or steroid. many people taking dupixent saw clear or almost clear skin, and, had significantly less itch.

don't use if you're allergic to dupixent. serious allergic reactions can occur, including anaphylaxis, which is severe. tell your doctor about new or worsening eye problems, such as eye pain or vision changes, or a parasitic infection. if you take asthma medicines, don't change or stop them without talking to your doctor. so help heal your skin from within, and talk to your eczema specialist about dupixent. if your financial situation has changed, we may be able to help. ♪ i was born right in theof my doorway♪ has changed, ♪ i don't know where i am, ♪ i don't know where i've been ♪ but i know where i wanna go

walmart makes it easy with groceries, gadgets, and soo much icing. let's end the year deliciously. ♪ we're back, 7:39 with in depth "today." an effort to get a coronavirus vaccine out to the public.

>> it is most critical step in curb the coronavirus, and we are seeing signs that some people could be receiving doses in a matter of days. tom costello is in washington with detail this is morning. hi, tom. good morning. >> reporter: yeah, good morning. the typical journey of a vaccine from the start in a lab to somebody's arm, that can take a decade to navigate the fda is now giving its strongest signal yet that we could see needles in arms as soon as this weekend, which would be record time first, though, the outside advisory panel will review that data tomorrow. this morning, a vaccine rollout in the u.s. will be close. poised to approve pfizer's vaccine for emergency use, suggesting it's both safe and effective. nearly 95% effective after the required two doses according to pfizer, and the fda found even after just one dose, it was at least 52% effective. now an independent panel of experts called the vaccines and

related bio logical product committee will meet tomorrow to make the review and trial data and make its decision. committee chair has been tracking viruses and studying vaccines for more than 50 years. it's early, but is there anything here that gives you pause? >> not really. the data are so much better. the efficacy is so much better than what we expected. these things will be available and totally transparent so the public has no question about whether the vaccines are safe and effective. >> reporter: the fda could quickly issue its emergency use authorization, which would come days after the uk began giving doses of the pfizer vaccine to its public so, how did we get here? early in the pandemic, scientists around the world worked simultaneously on multiple vaccines. pharmaceutical companies like moderna and pfizer focused on a new vaccine that codes for a

modified protein of the virus called messenger rna, instructing cells to make a spike protein associated with covid, but without making anyone sick. the immune system then kicks in and creates antibodies to fight off the virus. candidates in late-stage, human clinical trials include an average of 30,000 volunteers each larger trials gave researchers more data to track any potential safety concerns and included a diverse group of volunteers of different ages and medical backgrounds, to help monitor potential side effects, vaccine manufacturers are required to submit two months of follow-up safety data to the fda seven months after melissa hunkin took part in a pfizer trial. >> it would be a great way to help. >> reporter: she doesn't know if she received the vaccine or the placebo, but she tells us she feels great and hasn't been sick at all. >> the only time i felt a little out of it was just one day after the second vaccine, and at that time, i just took a tylenol and i felt better. >> reporter: but convincing the

general public the vaccine is safe is a tall task. >> you asked me for a single source which across the board will be the most impactful it will be the person's primary care doctor. >> reporter: pfizer's ceo hopes the entire process will give confidence to anyone reluctant to receive the shot. >> i understand their concerns, but they need to think it wise, because the decision to vaccinate or not is not affecting only your health, it's affecting the health of others and, likely, people that you love. >> tom, already there are questions about whether people could be required to get the vaccine. what's the latest thinking on that >> reporter: yeah. president-elect biden said he would not make it mandatory. some schools and health care facilities may require it. 24 states already require health care workers to get the flu vaccine. all 50 states have seen vaccine requirements for students and some companies may require their employees to get vaccinated. osha has said in the past that

employers can require flu vaccines, but you can imagine that could create some conflict if that becomes an issue over the next year. >> yeah. i think they're hoping people will just want to get the vaccine and get that protection. tom, thank you. 7:43 time for our weather i have a feeling we're going to get a lesson, a little education. >> an update. >> oh, okay. >> billion dollar disasters we've seen so far this year for 2020 right now 16 and that ties 2011 and 2017 for the most in a year, however, we have not seen september on through the rest of this year, and we have had a lot of land falling systems, and as you are looking by decade as the climate has warmed, look at it by the time we have gotten into the past decade, 119 events and $110 billion worth of damage so we will get the update on that later today and bring it to you tomorrow, and for today, near record highs as far as warmth today, and for minneapolis where it is 20

degrees warmer than average, and dallas is 15 degrees warmer, and nashville has well, and tomorrow, the warm air is moving to the east, and washington, d.c., is going to see a high 15 degrees warmer than usual, and 10 degrees warmer in atlanta, and omaha warmer, and then temperatures will cool off as we get into the weekend and more good morning. i'm meteorologist kari hall. as we take a live look outside in san francisco a hazy start to our wednesday morning and it's also very chilly. we're going to see temperatures heading towards the mid-60s across the bay area today. we'll see a few more clouds mixing in with breezy winds as we get ready for more changes in our weather going to the end of the week. it continues to cool off and we'll be watching out for some rain, some scattered showers starting to move in on saturday. it will continue off and on on sunday as well.

>> and that is your latest weather. >> al, thank you coming up next, five more years of howard stern, what he's saying about his lucrative new deal and his source of evolution on air and off but first, these messages. go ahead. jimmy john's® sandwiches? i used promo code "5off20," got $5 off our $20 purchase. i knew she was your favorite! use "5off20" online or on our app. when your underarmso your are cared for?

♪ it shows! our new dove advanced care formula is effective... and kind to skin, leaving underarms cared for and you... more confident and carefree.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ i am what i live. my way. the new fragrance giorgio armani. at macy's. the fragrance destination. welcome back sheinelle is here. hello, we're ready big news in the radio world. >> yes good morning fans of howard stern are

rejoicing this morning after the broadcasting legend announced a new deal. >> nbc's joe fryer joins us with details on this lucrative deal hello, joe. >> to say the least. good morning, guys the icon interviewer and host is getting plenty of money to put his money where his mouth is, a hugely lucrative contract for one of the most powerful voices in media. the king of all media is extending his reign this morning. howard stern announced his new contract tuesday with satellite radio giant sirius xm. >> i've signed a five-year deal with sirius satellite radio, stay for another five years. >> reporter: the financial details were not officially disclosed but bloomberg is reporting it's up to $120 million per year for five years. >> radio is my love. it's been great to me. >> reporter: stern built his reputation as a raw shock jock in the '80s and '90s. >> we'll have more sex on this show than we've ever had. >> reporter: on full display in

his bio pic, "private parts. >> i have 11 kills in vietnam and i'm telling you, i really should have had more. >> reporter: in recent years, a nuanced interviewer, drawing praise for getting his guests to be candid and spontaneous. >> that's pretty perceptive. your therapy really -- >> it's paying off in a way you're giving this guy too much by writing a song about him. >> i can't help it. >> who knows who broke -- everyone has a theory. >> i know. >> who broke it up >> john. >> john did? >> reporter: stern, who turns 67 next month credits his evolution and revelation to a cancer scare in 2017. >> they came in and said look, it is cancer. >> stern ditched the traditional airways in 2005 to join satellite radio start-up sirius. his uncensored show has helped to grow the company and fend off

new rivals like spotify. >> 600,000 subscribers, now it has 34.5 million subscribers he really deserves a lot of credit for distinguishing sirius from so much other content out there. >> reporter: stern, grateful for his powerful platform and his long-time partner. >> if robin wasn't in, i wouldn't be in, because i don't want to do a show without robin. i'm very proud of this crew and what we put out. >> reporter: so what if howard stern had left sirius or retired from the airwaves? a recent analysis estimated that 15% of stern's listeners which is 2.7 million people could cancel their sirius subscriptions if he left the company which by our math could have cost the company $5.7 million a year, and that is a good chunk of change. >> a bargain. >> i am glad that he shouted out robin, too. >> that's right. >> monopoly money. >> i'm glad he shouted out to

robin, too got a little bit of love there. >> he surprise immediate he has supposedly never gone on anybody else's radio show on sirius he came in one day. >> wait, what? >> years ago. >> wait, what? did he talk? >> i'm kicking myself, because i'm over here, recording myself and i'm like, sheinelle, you're supposed to be recording >> look how tall he is. >> he walked in and did the show he is royalty. >> that's high praise for off the rail. >> tuesdays on sirius xs xm. >> 1:00. >> there you go. >> the fun keeps going this morning. we have a fun pop start for you, including jenna's open book chat with our favorite, dolly parton. and hoda you have a very special zoom meeting to share. >> i sure do we have hollywood icons meryl streep, candice bergen and dianne wiest on their new movie after these messages ♪ windows open, i'm yelling unity ♪ ♪ side by side with my community ♪ ♪ celebrate, let's have a jubilee ♪ ♪ it's bigger than you and me ♪ ♪ they've been there for us ♪ ♪ let's be there for them ♪ ♪ they've been there for us ♪

cue rachael ray. hey friends! today we're whipping up some delicious recipes. so? who's hungry? pets love rachael ray" nutrish® and its kitchen-inspired recipes. with real meat, poultry or fish. rachael ray" nutrish®. real recipes. real ingredients. real good.® to visit your doctor right now. but if you're experiencing irregular heartbeat, heart racing, chest pain, shortness of breath, fatigue or light-headedness, don't wait to contact your doctor. because these symptoms could be signs of a serious condition like atrial fibrillation. which could make you about five times more likely to have a stroke. your symptoms could mean something serious, so this is no time to wait. talk to a doctor, by phone, online, or in-person. jake from state farm... after you saved me so much dough on insurance with that "parker promo" i devised a promo for you. here's the deal parker, state farm offers everyone surprisingly great rates. yeh, right.

pepperoni pocketz, atomic brownie, cuckoo crustiez... there's no promo. just great rates. and a side of ranch. you're the man, man. when you want the real deal...like a good neighbor, state farm is there. ♪ ♪ over video calls. with sweatpants. house plants. and a 3pm happy dance. with pizza buying. and reindeer flying. and just a little joyful crying. with all your family. and all your friends. first bites. and happy ends. it's all essential. in every way. and together. it makes a holiday. let's end the year with what matters.

good morning. it's 7:56. i'm laura garcia. a look at what's happening now. president-elect joe biden will publicly present lloyd austin as his pick for defense secretary today. the first time an african-american will be nominated to run the defense department. however, austin will need a special waiver as he was in uniform just a few years ago and american law does not allow that. several democrats have already said they will vote against giving austin that waiver. >> reporter: i'm cierra johnson in san mateo county. health officials keeping a close eye on the availability of the icu beds throughout the bay area. as we know right now several counties are under tighter restrictions. we're keeping a close eye on those beds because they're a marker of where we stand in the

battle against the virus. santa clara county, 16% of their beds available and here in san mateo, marin and sonoma counties are all in red meaning they have less than 16% of their icu beds available. kari joins us now with a look at our forecast. another chilly start. yes, it's cold this morning but it will be another nice day. we'll see a few more clouds in the mix and temperatures reaching into the mid-60s. we continue to cool off by the end of the week. this weekend we're getting ready for some rain finally moving in. it will be off and on on saturday as well as sunday. laura? all right. thank you very much. thank you for joining us as well. another local news update in about half an hour. have a great morning.

it's 8:00 on "today. coming up, rollout overnight, more vaccinations taking place across the uk. >> any reservations, any worries? >> i hope the completion to have rather than not have it. >> new concerns over logistics and allergic reactions what it means as the u.s. prepares to approve it as soon as tomorrow. we're live with the latest plus prescription problems. nbc news investigates mail order

pharmacy prescriptions. >> mail order pharmacy can be very convenient for patience but it's not going to do patients any good to get vaccines that have been no good because it's been exposed to the wrong temperatures. hollywood trio behind a new movie that's one for the ages. >> want to go have a drink later? >> no, i can't. >> what the icons are revealing to hoda about their time on and off screen. >> you've got a couple of new grandkids who popped up recently what do your grandkids call you or what do you want them to call you? >> calls me mimi. >> mine is 6 months old so he just calls me ga. >> wednesday, december 9th, 2020 good morning we're the silverman family from brooklyn. >> today our daughter, marli, turning 2. >> we wake up with "today" every day. >> and today we want to say happy birthday >> surprise, mom.

>> happy 50th birthday. >> we wanted to celebrate you on "today" show. >> those are some good kids. >> good morning, mom, surprise. >> welcome back to "today. we're glad to have you with us midweek, wednesday morning craig is off this morning. he will be back soon. tomorrow on "today," beware of holiday grinches, top scams of the season targeting everything from gift cards to even families considering a new puppy. red flags to watch out for we'll have that tomorrow on "today." let's get to your news at 8:00 british health officials issued a new alert overnight about the pfizer coronavirus vaccine the u.k. is expanding its rollout one day before the fda here in the u.s. meets to consider emergency use in this country. "today" senior international

correspondent keir simmons has spoken with some of those who already sooved the shots overseas keir, good morning. >> reporter: savannah, good morning to you folks waking up to front page pictures of margaret, that 90-year-old patient a, and to headlines like this. v-day heroes who've made britain proud. they are voices from a momentous day and people making history, health workers and the elderly. >> if i can do it, so can you. martin hanson works at a hospital. it does hurt at all, does it. something so important is so simple. >> i got it done. >> any reservations? >> you have all sorts of thought, don't you, but i have the conclusion that it is better to have it. >> reporter: and a surgeon here knows all too well what is at stake. >> one of my good friends from medical school and his wife are

both ill and unfortunately his wife passed away and another friend was in intensive care for about eight weeks. >> reporter: barbara and arthur, both in their 80s have had a tough year. >> isolated and missing out on the grandkids and hugs and we have another granddaughter who is 2 and we have not been able to see her or anything. >> reporter: and these are nurses who care for the elderly. >> this is not the life that we are livingsh and , and we need t everybody vaccinate and get back to living. it is heartbreaking and losing one person is terrible. losing more than one, it is just sort of soul destroying. >> reporter: and for michael th in and have it.

because it's really no problem at all. and i think i'm very fortunate. >> reporter: hope and some hurdles tips, it was a day of hope. but to move forward and it is hopeful really. >> reporter: and people with a warning that if you have al l allergic reactions or a history of them, they did indeed react and you can bet that the u.s. regulators will be looking closely at what did happen there. >> yes, keir, they are. thank you very much. the u.s. army has disciplined 14 senior army officers and soldiers at fort hood after soldier harassment. we have morgan chesky outside of fort hood. >> this massive investigation was due in part to the death of vanessa guillen. her family called on the investigation due to her death right here at fort hood. an independent panel to

investigate the culture and to recommend changes. >> reporter: now, discipline action against their own firing or suspending 14 of their own at fort hood to address a disturbing pat person of sexual assault and violence at the military base. army secretary addressing fort hood. >> this is directly related to leadership failures. >> reporter: the director in charge was fired after vanessa guillen was found brutally murdered. >> this forced us to take a critical look at the systems and the policies and ourselves. >> reporter: according to the army the base is known for the highest rates of murder, and sexual assault and harassment in the branch. the guillen family speaking out

after the harassment. what have the last eight months felt like for y'all as a family? >> it has been a nightmare. >> reporter: the family's attorney making it clear they want more answers. >> we were looking for something that was completely outside of the military altogether, and for an independent investigation, and we understand they did, and that investigation is still ongoing. >> reporter: it is a panel including five women who they uncovered unreported sexual assault and harassment. chris schweiker formerly of the fbi led the committee. >> we found all forms of retaliation. >> reporter: and the conclusion was that the climate created a pervasive culture of harassment. >> this is going to change our culture.

>> reporter: and for the guillen family, this is a fight that is not over. >> this is a issue that is not just for vanessa, but for thousands of soldiers out there. >> reporter: included in the independent review, 70 recommendations all accepted by the army secretary, and a new policy better aimed at handling the missing cases of the sold r soldiers and new emphasis on the existing program to handling sexual assault and harassment within the army's ranks. hoda. >> morgan chesky for us. thank you. it is eight minutes after the hour, but we need a boost. >> i have a boost for you. and this is the sweetest thing, and friend helping a friend, but not the way that you would think. we have dexter, the boxer on the left helping his pal ginger climb the stairs, because ginger is blind. they take it easy the two of us one step at a time. dexter leans into the friend, and uses his head to keep ginger from falling forward.

>> wow. >> that is canine compassion, and by the way, they both make it safely to the end that is what a real friend does, doesn't it >> that is so impressive and so sweet. coming up next, we have an exclusive nbc news investigation, and families who rely on mail order prescriptions and crushed pills and broken vials and prescriptions exposed to harsh weather. >> cynthia mcfadden is going to investigate a report of a mail order prescription company used by millions of americans. tonight...i'll be eating a falafel wrap

with sweet potato fries. (doorbell rings) thanks! splitsies? ♪ oooh...you meant the food, didn't you? now walmart can help check off your gift list with free curbside pickup, fast delivery from your walmart store, or gifts shipped right to your door. let's end the year celebrating. test test test test test test test lindor. made to melt you. by the lindt master chocolatier. ...this one's for you. you inspired us to make your

humira experience even better... with humira citrate-free. it has the same effectiveness you know and trust, but we removed the citrate buffers, there's less liquid, and a thinner needle... with less pain immediately following injection. ask your doctor about humira citrate-free. and you can use your co-pay card to pay as little as $5 a month. humira can lower your ability to fight infections. serious and sometimes fatal infections,... ...including tuberculosis, and cancers, including lymphoma, have happened,... ...as have blood, liver, and nervous system problems,... ...serious allergic reactions, and new or worsening heart failure. tell your doctor if you've been to areas where certain fungal infections are common... and if you've had tb, hepatitis b, are prone to infections,... or have flu-like symptoms or sores. don't start humira if you have an infection. ask your doctor about humira citrate-free. the same humira you trust with less pain immediately following injection. if you can't afford your medicine, abbvie may be able to help. we'rethat are very acidic.foods and beverages medicine, it can soften the enamel.

pronamel repair, what it's doing is driving more minerals deep into the enamel surface, that's going to help actively repair. pronamel is taking it to another level. what's so great about dunkin' at home? you don't have to wear pants. okay, who drank all the milk? enjoy the great taste of dunkin' at home. >>hey les! her thick red stew's scrumptious scent wafted out of the window. hmm, be right back. ...mmm... ...mmm...story time got auntie leslie a little hungry. ...mmm...story time when your underarmso your are cared for? ♪

it shows! our new dove advanced care formula is effective... and kind to skin, leaving underarms cared for and you... more confident and carefree. at target, order today and get it today! just use target same day delivery or drive up. for groceries, gifts and more on your list. it's the fastest way to get what you need, today. at target. we're back with nbc news investigates this morning, an important story for the estimated 26 million americans who have their prescriptions mailed to them. >> a lot of folks are getting prescriptions delivered. it can be convenient and certainly cost effective some people have told nbc news it can also be a source of frustration and, in some cases, fear. >> nbc senior investigative correspondent cynthia mcfadden is here with an eye-opening investigation. cynthia, good morning.

>> reporter: good morning. over the past year, nbc news has investigated the complaints of more than six dozen patients we heard about things like broken vials, crushed pills and even life-saving medications exposed to extreme weather we begin with one little girl. >> big breath. >> reporter: sophie dean has cystic fibrosis. she has been on medication since she was a baby one of those medications, an enzyme that helps her digest food and grow. when her family started getting it through express scripts mail pharmacy, her mother said she started to see a decline in sophie's health. >> i started to think, okay, wait a minute. we were told when she was 2 weeks old, don't even keep the enzymes in the car, because they won't be as effective. >> reporter: the enzyme's label says it should stay at room temperature but without delivery notification, erica says it

sometimes sat on the family's north carolina porch for hours after arriving in an unair conditioned postal service truck. erica called express scripts asking them to ship it differently but was rebuffed >> you're not a pharmacist, ma'am. my response was, i don't have to be a pharmacist to read the bottle and know what the temperature requirement is. >> reporter: erica is convinced that sophie's failing health was due to the way her medicine was delivered, but experts told nbc news, that's nearly impossible to prove sophie did suffer, eventually getting a feeding tube. >> i remember just laying on the floor and crying until there was a puddle of tears. >> reporter: like the majority of customers we spoke to, erica's insurance plan forced her to fill long-term maintenance prescriptions by mail, or pay out of pocket what was the price of this medication

>> about $8,000 a month. for one medicine. >> reporter: express scripts told us that its employers and health plans that decide how people get to fill their prescriptions, not them. >> very often, patients have no choice in their prescription coverage. >> reporter: erin fox is a drug information specialist at the university of utah. >> mail order pharmacy can be very convenient for patients, but it's not going to do medicine that's no longer potent because it's been exposed to extreme temperatures it's really important to keep your medications that are room temperature room temperature that doesn't mean 90 degrees and it doesn't mean 40 degrees either. >> this is where we actually put pills in bottles. >> reporter: wendy barnes is the president of home delivery for express scripts. she shows us how they package refrigerated medications like insulin in coolers with gel packs but says for room

temperature medications, like sophie's, no special packaging is used. nothing is perfect, though and sometimes things don't work out the way they're intended. >> and if it was determined that, in fact, the medication wasn't useable or there was any concern about how that medication arrived we will, in fact, replace that medication. >> reporter: so when someone on your team says to the mother you're not a pharmacist, ma'am >> that's unacceptable i have every confidence in what it is we're doing today. >> reporter: our investigation found the devices indicating if a package has gotten too hot or too cold can cost under a dollar, but express scripts told us they very rarely use them. >> we're very confident that we've tested the most difficult conditions that that package could endure. >> reporter: the thing i really don't understand is why a temperature monitor inside the package wouldn't be good for you and good for your customers. >> i would never suggest that it's not a bad idea, it's just

not something that we do today. >> reporter: eventually, erica did get an exception, allowing her to fill sophie's prescription at a local pharmacy, and she says then sophie's issues went away. but the experience still haunts her. >> they stole a lot from us, emotionally. i never got an apology it was just, too bad yeah she deserves more than that. everyone deserves more than that. >> reporter: so the three largest mail order pharmacies told us that their service is safe, convenient and cost effective, and that, by and large, customers are very pleased with their service those companies generated over $300 billion in revenue last year. >> it's not just a matter of convenience when sometimes, as the mom in your story, you're required or else you have to pay out of pocket. you have to use these companies. are they regulated in any way, cynthia? >> reporter: well, mail order

pharmacies come under the jurisdiction of the state pharmacy boards. we reached out to all 50 boards, and here is what we were told. the vast majority do not have specific rules for how to ship medications, telling us ultimately it's up to the pharmacy to ensure safe shipment it's something worth taking a very hard look at for your own medications, and how they're arriving. >> absolutely. cynthia, a real eye opener thank you for your story we appreciate it. all right. we're coming up on 8:19. how about a check of the weather, mr. roker >> all right, guys we start off today with things relatively quiet snow showers in the northeast and new england, frost in florida. mild for december through the plains and wet weather and snowy weather moving through the pacific northwest. we're watching this storm out of texas. that will bring rain and snow. rain developing in the central plains and then saturday it's going to be cold enough as this moves into the mississippi river valley to bring snow from kansas

city all the way up to chicago then on sunday it moves into the east, bringing snow into northern new england wet weather along the i-95 corridor we're looking at anywhere from moderate to heavier snow, as you get into parts of wisconsin and michigan, but heavy rain as we move through the ohio and i should say the mississippi river valley lighter rain as you get into the midatlantic and northeast. g. i'm meteorologist kari hall. take a live look at high temperatures for today. we're going to see it still a little cooler than yesterday, but above average as we see highs reaching into the mid to upper 60s and the rest of the forecast cooler getting breezy winds. this weekend watching out for rain set to move in on saturday, off and on showers possible sunday but in for a cooling trend as we finally get some rain coming in to the bay area. >> and that is your latest weather. guys >> well done, al. >> thank you.

carson is out with "the voice. sheinelle has your pop start. >> pop start dolly parton is having a very busy holiday season but recently had a chance to sit down with jenna for her series "open book," asking some viewer questions, including one about dolly's imagination library, which gives books to children all around the world. >> what is your favorite book you send out through the imagination library? >> my favorite one still is the very first one that we send out. it's called "the little engine that could." it was a book that i loved when i was young, and it gave me a lot of confidence. and so that's the one i feel like is very important to send out first and we will probably always keep that little book in our imagination library, because i think it kind of starts them off to say i can, i can, i think i can. and i always say i am proof of that, because i am the little engine that did. >> i think adults should have that book, too i love it. you can check out the full

episode of "open book with jenna" at today.com. next up, tim mcgraw, the country star and his wife, faith hill, are getting their home into the christmas spirit with one of the biggest trees i have seen this year apparently he's trying to compete with our rockefeller tree he doesn't leave the decorations to professionals he's up on that giant ladder tim tweeted out the photos with the captions - a, santa's lead flying reindeer or, b, wife trying to get rid of me kudos to him beautiful tree. next up. how about taylor swift she released her festive track last year, christmas tree farm, and fans obviously loved it. one fan loved it so much this year she set her family's annual christmas light show to it watch this ♪ i love you ♪ baby baby merry christmas ♪ baby baby merry christmas

♪ baby baby merry christmas ♪ i love you >> how do you even do that >> next level. >> can you imagine if you're a kid and that's your house? >> how is that possible? >> or you're their neighbor. >> people love the display it turns out so does taylor. she messaged sarah, the fan who put it together, writing i love your family's christmas light show, i really love how you've chosen to give back by mentioning your local food bank so i've made a donation to our community hunger center in your hometown happy holidays. >> the coolest. >> everything you love about that story. >> love, love, love. finally, i like this one radio city rockettes in a normal year, we would have welcomed the talented dancers to our plaza. obviously, things are a little different in 2020. that's not stopping the rockettes from spreading some holiday cheer. here we go they've begun hosting free dance classes on instagram live. >> no, they have not.

>> they will show you how to do the complicated tap dance routines. >> no! >> and even the world famous kickline. ♪ ♪ we're always happy when it's christmastime again ♪ >> if you squint, savannah, i feel like it's you. >> squint and gouge out your eyes, that's me. >> after posting the hour-long class for the kick line, they're starting what they call the kick line challenge, asking people to send in their own attempts and have featured some really good ones they want to know if you want to volunteer. i'm just kidding, it doesn't say that. >> i'm with you. haven't you always wanted to do that >> how fun. >> you could do it together because you're about the same height. >> you could join us, sheinelle. >> the rockettes are doing dance lessons, we both go, what? >> i think this is kind of a thing. >> dot, dot, dot

>> guys, talk about a good one, four legends for the price of one. hoda catching up with meryl streep, candice bergen and dianne wiest i did my math correctly, hoda is the fourth one. >> you're right. >> so much fun to talk to them about a movie, their families that are growing anyway, you guys are going to enjoy them you'll feel so much better when this story is over but first your local news.

good morning to you. ike marcus washington. police investigating a deadly shooting around 1:00 a.m. right now police only tell us the man was shot and killed and not yet identified. so far they're not tellings if they have details what led ut to that shooting or a suspect description. look at the forecast on this wednesday. kari hall is tracking that. kari? >> starts out cold but warming up. highs for today, although reach into the mid-60s, a little cooler than we've seen recently, and cooling trend continues

through end of the week. looking forward to rain in the weekend. scatter eed showers moving in b saturday and rain chances linger into monday. check out san francisco. expect highs in the low 60s today but dropping back to the 50s for the rest of the week. it's been a while since we've had rain, although it doesn't look like a big storm, nice to see light showers and change in the weather pattern. we'll keep you upto date into the next few days. >> thank you. yore local update in a half hour. see you back here then. to all the businesses that helped us

make it through 2020... thank you for going the extra mile... and for the extra pump of caramel. thank you for the good food... and the good karma. thank you for all the deliveries... especially this one. you've reminded us that no matter what, we can always find a way to bounce forward. so thank you, to our customers and to businesses everywhere, from all of us at comcast business.

yep, 8:30, kids. it's wednesday morning it's december 9th, 2020. we are pumped up for this half hour we have a fun conversation with the stars of the new movie "let them all talk. how about this meryl streep, candice bergen, dianne wiest what makes it so unique and the fun stories of what they have been doing during quarantine and how we have been learn ing to d zoom together. >> it's like my brady bunch dream right there. how fun. a special community that's really helped them weather a

tough year. coming up on the third hour, just the most decorated olympian of all time, michael phelps will be joining us to talk about his new mission, life outside of the pool and we'll get his take on tokyo 2021. tomorrow on "today," get ready to shop and read we'll reveal the best books of 2020 that happen to also make perfect holiday gift. >> first, mr. roker, you're busy today. you've got the weather. >> that's right. let's show you what's happening for the weekend. we'll start with friday, milder along the eastern seaboard, heavy rain in the lower to mid mississippi river valley snowy in the plains and the rockies and saturday a few storms down through the gulf and snow back through the midwest and a big pacific storm moving through the west and sunday, sunday, showers and wet weather stretching from new england and the mid-atlantic and through the gulf and sunny through the good morning.

i'm meteorologist kari hall as we look as high temperatures for today. slightly cooler compared to yesterday. still dangerous waves along the coastline, but a mostly sunny sky inland and highs reaching into the mid to upper 60s. the forecast continues to cool off as dry weather continues through at least end of the workweek and then expecting rain for the weekend as our highs only reach into the upper 50s inland. see off and on light showers from saturday through sunday. weather. savannah >> al, thank you we've been waiting for this one. hoda sharing her very entertaining conversation with a trio of hollywood legends. >> what do you think of the way we do interviews now, all this technology let's start with you, candice. >> let me tell you what i think of it. i think it's a crock of -- i am so useless in all of this. oy >> that's a technical term, oy, that she used. >> maybe we edited one word out. >> yeah.

for this multitasking, number-cruncher, time is money. so, i go to floor and decor where i get rock-bottom prices on tile, wood, stone and laminate. plus, i score free in-store design services. now that's time well spent. explore floor and decor in person or online.

for members like martin. an air force veteran made of doing what's right, not what's easy. so when a hailstorm hit, usaa reached out before he could even inspect the damage. that's how you do it right. usaa insurance is made just the way martin's family needs it with hassle-free claims, he got paid before his neighbor even got started. because doing right by our members, that's what's right. usaa. what you're made of, we're made for. ♪ usaa

welcome back let's be honest, it's not really that often that a major motion picture follows the story of three women in their 70s, but meryl streep, candice bergen and dianne wiest, all you really need to do is roll the cameras. >> that's what stephen sodaberg on queen mary ii, and i had a chance to catch up with the actresses to see if it was all smooth sailing meryl streep, candice bergen and dianne wiest have a knack for collecting shiny statues, the trio has dominated hollywood for decades. when it comes to conducting introduce on zoom, it's nice to know they're human. >> we lost candice. maybe she'll come back.

>> hi, guys. am i in the right meeting? >> yeah. >> dianne? >> my link didn't work went through a whole catastrophe. >> candice is here >> i can't even -- >> could you lift up candice's computer a little bit, maybe on a book or something? >> make it easier. >> oh, no. >> i'm new in the business okay how is that? okay thank you. >> first of all, what do you think of all of this, the way we do interviews now with all this technology let's start with you, candice. >> let me tell you what i think of it. i think it's a crock of -- i am so useless in all of this. oy. >> that's a technical term, oy, that she used. >> clearly not much fazes these pros and this zoom is nothing compared to what the actresses

just pulled off in their latest film "let's talk." >> no, i can't. >> let talk about this movie it's different than anything we've ever seen. it was shot on a cruise ship, had minimal crew. >> and shot in ten days, a full-length movie. >> just tell us what that vibe felt like. >> it was very daunting, exciting and present you know, you couldn't not not be there. >> dinner at 7:00. back up to work or bed or both i'll probably work in bed. >> reporter: director stephen sodaberg shot the film himself guerrilla style, in a crossing of mary queen ii even the dialogue was improvised. >> oh, my god, you can't be intimidated by calvin -- >> oh, my god. >> what? >> was it exhilarating not having strict dialogue, was it terrifying >> in the beginning it was, well, once you got used to that, it kept everything very vibrant

and alive. >> tyler has a date, an older woman. >> how much older? >> like in her 80s >> dianne, you had beautiful, beautiful, poetic lines about sisterhood and friendship. >> thank you so much thank you so much. i love improvising, though i just love it so much, because you're so really free to look at the other person and really listen. >> here's to picking up the conversation where we left off. >> the film centers around alice, a pulitzer prize winning author played by meryl streep who invites her estranged college pals to accompany her across the ocean. >> i kind of feel like i'm spending time with three almost like -- >> dinosaurs. >> even in 2020, a film about three women over 70 is novel, and these three have cornered the market on aging gracefully

we're all kind of in that same age bracket, and you guys always seem so confident. do you ever look in the mirror like the rest of us do and go like this? oh, yeah, if i could just -- >> no. >> do you ever do that >> no. >> no? >> not anymore. >> i just don't pay attention to it it is what it is and i don't think there's anything to be ashamed of getting older. >> i always love what jessica lang said. she said see these i've earned these. >> offscreen, two of these actresses have taken on new roles of a lifetime. we've got a couple of new grandkids who popped up recently what do your grand kids call you or what do you want them to call you when they're able? >> he calls me mimi. >> well, mine is 6 months old, so he just calls me "ga. >> whether it's on board a cruise ship or over a glitchy zoom, with these ladies all you have to do is sit back and let them all talk.

>> i feel so lucky sitting in my seat right now i know it meant the world to me. so, thank you. >> it's always a pleasure. >> thank you, hoda. >> how amazing were those ladies i mean -- by the way, in the beginning, when we were trying to get the zoom all straight, we were 30 minutes, 30 minutes trying to get everybody together and i have to tell you, ied with meryl streep and dianne wiest for those 30 minutes, it was an amazing conversation it was a great way to spend time, but we finally got it together. >> that's everybody's family. first time on zoom. no, over here! dad, back up. >> is there more i want to hear more. >> there's always more we'll have more on the fourth hour we'll run more of that and "let them all talk" begins streaming on hbo max tomorrow. no dialogue. >> candice bergen will be directing our show coming up next, our series of giving series we're bringing some holiday joy to a remarkable group dealing with more than their share of challenges this year but first this is "today" on

♪ ♪ ♪ heart monitors that let your doctor watch over you, just like you watch over your best friend. another life-changing technology from abbott, so you don't wait for life. you live it.

>> announcer: "today's" season of giving is created with our sponsor, kohl's, with fast and free pickup, makes it safe and easy to give with all your heart. we are back, 8:43. our ongoing series, "today's" season of giving. >> this morning we have a truly special surprise for an incredible group of kids and dedicated coaches and mentors who support them. >> morgan radford joins us with that good morning to you, morgan. >> hey there, guys good morning new heights is a really special nonprofit, based right here in new york city. and it focuses on empowering and educating inner city kids through basketball, tutoring and mentoring. the truth, they also do a lot beyond the basketball court, like they did for one special young student named vi, who was having a really tough year this year, until her new teammates

helped her through it. 13-year-old brooklyn native vee avilaz, has big dreams. >> my dream is going to division i and hopefully, after that, going pro one day. >> reporter: but off the court, it hasn't been easy. a month before christmas, her family got the news. >> i found out my mom's cancer came back, and then before i found out her cancer came back, she had covid, too so it really affected me and my family. >> it's very scary i felt upset, because i knew how it would affect my children. >> reporter: vee says her mom, dawn, is her best friend and wrote this note before her recent chemotherapy treatment. >> dear mom, i know you will fight and beat this cancer again. no one can ever replace you. your battle is my battle you're my real-life hero i look up to every day, and the best mom i could have ever asked for. >> i love you more than you can ever imagine

love you >> i always tell you i'm going to be here for high school and college and when i go pro. i think about her all of the time. >> sorry i hate that she has to be worried about this. >> for nearly four years, new heights has been a godsend for vee and her mom. the nonprofit serves about 250 kids and new york city's underserved communities. >> it's like a family for us, a family away from our family. >> reporter: vee plays on their basketball team, but new heights is more than a sports youth group. they educate and empower, promising inner city kids like vee. according to new heights 100% graduate from high school, and 98% enroll in college, and 75% graduate from college. >> hold it up. >> it's not just about what they

can do for you on the court. it's really about what's going on off the court, how we can support them, be there for her vee has the heart of a champion. >> i'm hoping christmas this year for my family is special. >> reporter: we wanted to make this christmas one they'll never forget our "today" team set up a holiday surprise while we secretly transformed a concrete court into a christmas extravaganza. >> four, five, six. >> family. >> vee and her team thought they were headed to practice. >> ladies, good morning. how are you? i would like to do basketball practice a little bit differently today. so, come on inside come on inside we have a winter wonderland. do we like surprises >> yes. >> do we like gifts? >> yes. >> do we like all of the above >> yes. >> all right vee, we heard this was an especially tough year for you and your mom, so along with our sponsors at kohl's, we wanted to

give you some surprises. christmas, the holidays come a little bit early this one is for you. are you ready to see what's inside all right. we've got all kinds of goodies we've got fit bit, headphones, everything you can use to get your studies done. and mom, inside this big box for you, we've got some extra special goodies. we give you some rest and relaxation. >> thank you. >> even have kitchen appliances for you. we know you have a big family. don't worry, we did not forget anyone even your grandkids. >> oh, goodness. thank you. >> i want you to know how special you are, to your daughter, to your family but i also know, vee, this is your family off the court. but on the court, i understand you have a second family right here, your new heights team.

is that right? with all that energy, we've got all kinds of goodies for you all this holiday season. sneakers, athletic gear, brand new things for your coaches. >> yeah! >> but that's not it kohl's has decided to give your entire new heights family $15,000 for your brand new center, to put everything inside so you can continue to help other kids [ applause ] >> all right help me open up some of these boxes. yes, come on in. your mom says you are incredibly special. >> yeah. >> wiping away some tears. what's going through your mind right now? >> i'm happy and thankful for all of this. >> all these people who care about you and want to help, and want to make this year a little bit brighter than it's been. how are you feeling, mom >> i'm just so incredibly thankful

i didn't expect this at all. >> yeah. how would you describe this year >> it's been a little challenging, but like she said, i'm strong so hopefully it's going to be a better year. >> lots of love. lots of love here. and lots of love to spread this holiday season i hope you guys can enjoy all these holiday gifts. you guys are awesome. >> merry christmas >> reporter: so with the help of that new heights family, vee is now applying to top high schools here in new york, where she hopes to try out for their basketball team. and from there, she says, she wants to play basketball for a d-i school after that, she says if she makes it to the pros, she will dedicate everything to her mom. >> when she makes it to the pros, for sure that was beautiful, morgan. >> that's right. >> beautiful. >> lovely, morgan. thank you. we're back in a moment

in a land not so far away, people are saving hundreds on the most reliable network with xfinity mobile. they can choose from the latest phones or bring their own. and choose the data option that's right for them. they even get nationwide 5g at no extra cost. and since they are on the carrier rated #1 in customer satisfation, they live happily ever after. again, again! xfinity mobile. your wireless. your rules. your way to stay closer together. click, call, or visit an xfinity store today. we're back al, we saved something real special for the end here. >> yeah.

>> smucker's. >> let's bring out those jars and get started. first up, we'll start off with a happy 100th birthday to marion smith of washington, d.c., resident of our nation's capital for 88 years ms. marie stoddard is from myrtle beach, south carolina, active lady at 102, marry fod love of her life. happy 101st birthday to charles mcgee of bethesda, maryland, served as a fighter pilot in the korean and vietnam wars. we salute you for your service alice rainey of los angeles, 106 years old. love the glasses, that's right the secret to longevity, everything in moderation, except the sunglasses donald kent of port washington, new york, he's 100 in addition to his milestone birthday, donald and his wife, i

love her name, chickie, will celebrate 75 years of marriage in a few months. and happy 108th birthday to rose gamello, a hardworking from utica, new york. owned and operated her very own diner and word on the street is she's one of the best cooks you will ever meet remember, we want to help you and your loved ones celebrate the milestones in their lives. first birthdays, 100 birthdays and anniversaries. tell us all about it go to today.com/celebrates and make sure you include a picture. >> 100 and up. 108, you're in. >> that's it. >> exactly. >> we're all smiling as you read those. coming up on the third hour this morning, an exclusive look at u.p.s.'s plan to distribute a coronavirus vaccine. it's fascinating, and whether all that manpower to impact the holiday delivery crunch. with hoda and jenna, cheryl hines will talk about filming a new season of "curb your

enthusiasm." plus meryl, diane and candice bergen. >> finally figured out the zoom call love that. now a look at your local news, weather and these messages

good morning. it's 8:56 i'm marcus washington. in the bay area, five counties now under strict stay-at-home orders. grocery store capacity is supposed to set at 20%. according to "ed chronicle" at least three pushed store capacity up to 35%. that's in part limiting the possibility of panic buying and

shelter in place. stores in alameda, contra costa and marin counties made the change. this after a california grocers association warned it may lead to stockpiles. san francisco at 20% store capacity and santa clara, 25% max. happening now for you, following multiple pandemic-related story lines including bay area counties monitoring critical icu bed leveling at covid cases surge. more for you at "midday." ♪

we have the power to harness california's abundant solar and wind energy, but it's not available all day long. use less energy from 4 to 9 pm for a cleaner california.

>> announcer: live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza, this is the third hour of "today." >> good morning and welcome to the third hour of "today" on this wednesday, december 9th. i'm dylan with al and sheinelle. craig is off this morning. how are you doing? >> doing well. the week is flying by. >> it is. >> hump day. >> hump day. so much to talk about this morning, including our food for thought series. this man discovered a passion for beer. he landed his dream job and then his world totally changed. i had such a great conversation with this guy.