thinning out and another crash around 16th moving to the shoulder. >> all right. that's going to do it for us. >> live look for us outside. this beautiful sunrise for you. san francisco. means it is going to be a great day. see you back here tomorrow morning. good morning. dire milestone. a record 3,100 covid deaths in just 24 hours, as the feared thanksgiving surge takes hold of the nation. one health official fighting back tears to address the unimaginable toll. >> beloved members of thr families are not coming back. help on the way? a key fda hearing on pfizer's vaccine today, with approval and the first shot possible by this weekend. this morning, we'll talk about all of it live with the commissioner of the fda. still at it. at a white house hanukkah party

overnight, president trump pushing more false claims of election fraud. >> we're going to win this election. >> and joining a new legal challenge over the results, a move being criticized by some key republicans. even the senior senator from texas. >> i've never seen anything quite like this before. >> the latest in a live report from the white house. under investigation. joe biden's son hunter reveals he is now the focus of a federal tax probe. straight ahead, the potential case against him, and what the president-elect is saying about it. too big, too powerful? facebook under new fire this morning, facing major lawsuits from the u.s. government and 46 states. why they say the tech giant has made it impossible for smaller companies to compete, and what it could mean for your facebook, instagram, and what's app accounts. those stories, plus

christmas miracle. rescuers pull a 4-year-old boy to safety after he fell down a well and became trapped for hours. inside that remarkable rescue today, thursday, december 10th, 2020. >> announcer: from nbc news, this is "today" with savannah guthrie and hoda kotb, from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. >> hey, everybody. welcome to "today" on this thursday morning. so good to see you this morning. today is a significant day. both of heartbreak and of hope in the pandemic, with all eyes on that all-important vaccine hearing, savannah. >> at the same time, we have this horrible news, the nation dealing with a historic loss of human life, as we try to put it all in context. look at this. a record 3,100 covid deaths were reported in the u.s. just yesterday, making it one of the deadliest events on record in all of u.s. history. just focus on that.

more lives than were lost on 9/11. >> we'll talk about the surge, the promise of a vaccine with the fda commissioner, but let's start our coverage with the harsh reality on where things stand right now on the virus. nbc national correspondent miguel almaguer joins us from california which is, of course, one of the states being hit the hardest. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. california was the first state in the u.s. to issue a mandatory stay at home order in march. recent days here, things have gone from bad to worse. new lockdowns are being imposed in the state's capital tonight, but it may not be enough. >> reporter: this morning with the u.s. reporting another extraordinary day of deaths -- >> we are extraordinarily worried. >> reporter: -- experts say

california is just beginning to see the surge from the thanksgiving holiday, with hospitalizations rising 80%. some medical centers forced to turn people away. >> we have an unthinkable number of covid patients yet to come in the coming weeks. >> reporter: similar strains are happening in hospitals across the country. more than 1/3 of americans live in areas where hospitals are running critically short of icu beds. with the u.s. reporting another record day of deaths, the highest positivity rate is in idaho, where like many other states, small hospitals are at a breaking point. >> it becomes very scary. it becomes very difficult to handle. >> reporter: back in central california, at least three counties have run out of beds in their intensive care units. outside los angeles, some hospitals are running out of space. >> we ended up making this our emergency department lobby. >> reporter: this week, the er, icu, and covid floors at the regional medical center in san jose filled up. at times, exceeding capacity. >> what we're seeing now is a sustained demand for a high number of acute care beds. >> reporter: state health officials estimate 12 out of every 100 people who test positive will be hospitalized,

leaving california struggling to care for its sick. the first state to shut down at the beginning of the pandemic, some experts believe, the easing of restrictions in the face of rising numbers, pandemic fatigue, and the sheer size of diversity in the state, may have contributed to the turn of events. >> it is unclear to all of us here on the front line how we are going to manage and handle this. >> reporter: this morning, california's crisis signaling trouble to the rest of the nation. we are now exactly two weeks from christmas eve, and medical experts up and down the state and across the country are begging people to cancel plans if they plan to travel to see loved ones, warning that the visit could have deadly consequences. hoda? >> miguel almaguer for us in california. miguel, thanks. now, let's turn to the latest hope for a vaccine. the u.s. could be next to approve pfizer's vaccine for emergency use. an outside panel for the fda meets today to give its thumbs

up or down we'll talk about the road ahead live with the commissioner of the fda, stephen hahn, in a moment first, tom costello has our report from washington good morning. >> reporter: good morning. we expect the outside advisory panel could make a recommendation by the end of the day, then they throw it over to the fda for a decision the fda could decide within 24 hours, or it could take a few days regardless, once it pulls the trigger on this vaccine, we are told to expect the vaccine will reach every corner of the country rapidly and with military precision with pfizer's vaccine likely to be first to get the green light in the u.s., millions of doses could be delivered within days today, the fda's outside advisory panel will give its recommendation within 24 hours, the fda itself could formally grant emergency use authorization, or eua. that will pull the trigger on an elaborate distribution operation. >> as soon as eua comes aboard,

we'll start packing to the final destinations, and distribution will begin within 24 hours. >> reporter: the military-led effort involves a partnership with fedex and ups, as they take on double-duty during the already busy holiday season. they'll split the country for distribution fedex will handle the west ups will take the east by ground and air, delivering vaccine doses from pfizer's freezer farms in the midwest to every state and territory. all the while, tracking packages by gps and, more critically, by temperature. >> each vaccine actually has different temperature requirements with pfizer, it is a minus 80 degree celsius temperature. >> reporter: to help prepare, starting today, ups will begin shipping 150 million kits with syringes, ppe. and sterile water. actual doses will be shipped with population, and the

governors and local health officials designating drop sites and preparing to administer the vaccine. health care workers, the elderly, and at-risk populations will go first. those with a history of serious allergies to medicines or food may want to wait for now, after two front line workers in the uk had negative reactions >> it's not unusual, in fact, not unexpected, that at a low, low frequency, that people will have allergic reactions to the vaccine. >> reporter: dr. robert frank is a leading investigator for pfizer's vaccine candidate he says it could be a while before the general public has access. >> by spring, late spring or summer, we'll have a lot of vaccine available. at first, it's going to be limited. >> reporter: but with pfizer, moderna, and other vaccines much more effective than first expected, frank says we're now at a critical juncture. >> i liken that to being in the bottom of the ninth inning, two outs, three runs behind, in the seventh game of the world series, and hitting a grand slam to win the series. >> you think this is a grand slam >> i think this is a grand slam. >> reporter: couple reminders here first, we have the pfizer vaccine. moderna's vaccine expected to

also be approved in a matter of weeks. both require the follow-up shot several weeks later. also, a new quinnipiac poll out today says 60% of the country would be open to the idea of getting vaccinated 40%, though, still not sure. experts say we need 75% to 85% of the country to be vaccinated to achieve that so-called herd immunity savannah >> tom, thank you. that sets us up nicely for the commissioner of the food and drug administration, dr. stephen hahn good morning and thank you for being with us on an important day. >> good morning, savannah. thank you for having me. >> as we know, this outside panel meets today to consider the pfizer vaccine could approval of the vaccine come as early as today or tomorrow >> so i'm not going to pre-judge what the advisory committee, which is a non-binding committee of scientific experts will say to us. we'll have to see what the scientific and medical

discussion is today, but our plan is to take their recommendations into account for our decision making and make a decision shortly thereafter. again, it really depends on the complexity of the issues discussed, but we intend to act quickly. >> non-binding so could this panel raise questions or say, "we need to delay it," and the fda say, "well, we're going forward anyway"? has that ever happened before? >> there are scenarios like that, that have been experienced by the agency. we have the advisory committee to get outside opinions about this we think it's very important for transparency we're the only regulatory agency in the world that has a public vetting of the data. we'll make that decision our scientific experts will make that decision. >> to be clear, is this a formality? is it a foregone conclusion, this will be approved, or is there a genuine question >> so it is not just a formality. we take this very seriously, in terms of having the transparency around our process it is why we have outside experts, because issues, medical

issues, scientific issues, could be raised that need to be addressed. again, we'll make that final decision i have complete confidence in our scientific reviewers and their assessment of the data. >> as you know, the uk has already started putting shots in the arm and is now advising that those with significant allergies, such that they would carry an epipen around with them everywhere, that they should not get the pfizer vaccine do you expect the fda to issue a similar advisory when and if this vaccine is approved >> so it is possible we're working with our uk partners now to understand exactly what happened with respect to those reactions we take this seriously it's one of the reasons, savannah, that we add fda do such a careful review, line by line, of the patient data, is because our label around a vaccine will not just say who should get it but who should not receive the vaccine. >> did you -- i know you know the data well. i mean, did you see allergic reactions like this in the

clinical trials? >> so this is something that's going to be discussed today. stay tuned for that. what i can tell you is that the side effects are very carefully recorded we put our data out on tuesday that is going to be discussed today. we think that our initial assessment is that this is a vaccine that is -- that does meet our criteria, but we want to hear from the vaccine advisory committee. >> as mentioned, a recent survey found just about 60% of americans were willing to get the vaccine. you need a higher number to really break the back of this pandemic but there was also another concerning number. 41% said they would want to wait a few months now, is that concerning to you people saying, "you know, let me just see how this all plays out" >> it is concerning to me. because when it is appropriate medically, or from people's

point of view to get the vaccine, it is really important people carefully consider their decision as your previous reporter said, we need to get to herd immunity, and that requires a substantial percentage of americans to be vaccinated that's why we've been transparent. it is why we want this public discussion of the data it's why we've been very careful about the review of the data we'll make a very careful decision, understanding, of course, the importance of the situation and the urgency of the situation. >> you brought me right to my next question. on the flip side of that carefulness is people feeling like, hey, wait a minute, the uk is already giving people shots canada just approved it last night. what's taking the fda so long? is this just a bunch of washington bureaucrats kind of covering their back sides? >> not at all, savannah. fda is known around the world as the gold standard regulatory agency for authorization or approval of products our people, our scientists are world class.

they're mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, grandparents. they understand all that's happened during the last ten months we've also been there with the american people, and we understand the urgency we also have a very solemn promise to the american people our job is to assess the safety and efficacy and do that well. we have shrunk a process that normally takes months into one that's taken weeks i have 100% confidence in them, and the american people should, as well. >> i was thinking of you this morning. you were appointed and installed into the office, became fda commissioner one year ago exactly. one year ago, we hadn't even heard of the coronavirus one year later, we're on the eve of approving one, maybe two, maybe more vaccines. what's going through your mind on this occasion >> well, it's a really important day for the -- for all of america. it's an emotional one, obviously, because the country has been through so much in this pandemic it has been, you know -- it's

affected so many lives in devastating ways as we think about how we're going to get beyond this, a vaccine will be the primary way, in terms of stopping the spread. beyond the mitigation efforts we need right now so if, in fact, there is an authorization, and we begin vaccinating a national vaccine campaign, there is great hope, great light for this country i think we all look forward to getting beyond this and having a more normal and healthy life >> we do, indeed fda commissioner dr. stephen hahn, thank you for your time and work we appreciate it we are going to have more -- >> thank you, savannah. >> thank you we're going to have more on the latest surge we'll also get answers to your questions, your most common questions about vaccines with our panel of experts, just ahead. now, we turn to the white house, where president trump is touting a new lawsuit designed to overturn the election many critics say it just won't hold up. this as president-elect biden deals with an issue involving his son hunter nbc white house correspondent kristen welker has details

good morning. >> hey, hoda, good morning to you. president trump is making yet another last-ditch effort to try to overturn the election according to the "atlanta journal constitution," the president called georgia's republican attorney general and urged him not to rally other attorney generals in opposition to his latest lawsuit. nbc news hasn't independently confirmed the phone call, and the white house isn't commenting, but joe biden continues to build out his cabinet as his son is under scrutiny >> reporter: overnight, president trump is hosting a hanukkah party at the white house, using the gathering to once again falsely claiming that he can win the election. >> this is very important people that we have wisdom and if we have courage, we can win this election. >> reporter: it comes amid a new longshot legal effort. president trump saying he will join the texas attorney general's lawsuit, demanding that the 62 total electoral

college votes in georgia, michigan, pennsylvania, and wisconsin be invalidated the attorneys general of 17 states trump won backed the action yesterday the filing has come under fire for repeating several false, disproven, and unsupported allegations about mail-in ballots and voting in the four battlegrounds. texas republican senator john cornyn. >> states are -- handle their own election laws and voting and you can make claims of constitutionality in that state in a lawsuit, but i've never seen something like this >> reporter: as for president-elect joe biden, breaking news late wednesday, that his son, hunter, is under investigation by the department of justice over his taxes. hunter biden releasing a statement, saying in part, "i take this matter very seriously, but i am confident that a professional and objective review of these matters will demonstrate i handled my affairs legally and appropriately. the "associated press" reporting

investigators are examining the younger biden's business dealers in china, among other financial transactions nbc news has not independently confirmed that report. the biden transition team adding, "president-elect biden is deeply proud of his son, who has fought through difficult challenges, including the vicious personal attacks of recent months, only to emerge stronger." hunter biden's business dealings in ukraine and china, while his father was vice president, were the target of attacks by president trump during the campaign >> where's hunter? >> reporter: hunter biden denied any wrongdoing i pressed joe biden during the final presidential debate. >> in retrospect, was anything about those relationships inappropriate or unethical >> nothing was unethical not one single solitary thing was out of line. not a single thing >> reporter: now, the justice department has declined to comment on the investigation meanwhile, this morning, the biden transition announcing that the president-elect will travel to georgia next week to campaign on behalf of the democratic

senate candidates in that special election there hoda >> kristen welker for us at the white house. thank you. it's that time first check of the weather al, good morning. >> good morning, guys. we're going to start out west because this system is going to affect all the way across the country. phoenix, arizona, for the first time, going to be looking at its first measurable rain since august 20th, 112 days. this system is going to be pushing east rain and snow for the central plains tomorrow, few strong storms in eastern texas. as we move into saturday, the front crosses into the way to t. of mississippi river valley accumulating snow from kansas to the u.p. of michigan and then as we move into sunday, the rain will move off of the mid-atlantic coast and then a wintry mix leftover for new england. heavier snow through the rocky, then winter storm watches likely to be issued all the way from iowa into parts of michigan. rainfall amounts fairly heavy, stretching south of chicago all the way to northern louisiana. we're going to get to your local forecast coming up in the next 30 seconds

♪ ♪ life's more fun with a dog. and doglife is more fun with milk-bone. ♪ ♪ beautiful sunrise this morning. 43 degrees in san jose and couple 30s in the north bay. microclimate highs for this afternoon. a cooling trend is expected for this weekend. we are going to keep those 60s in the forecast and also an increase in winds for the north bay coastal mountains, sonoma and marin county and advisory in effect through 4:00 and gusts upward of 45 plus miles per hour.

>> that's your latest weather. yes, we did spell phoenix wrong. but it is part of the christmas spirit feliz navidad. ♪ feliz navidad >> i think it is going to catch on. >> i hope so. >> every time we do a typo, make up a song. careful. >> see ya later. >> bye-bye >> i mean, al just makes the most of everything i love it. straight ahead, a miracle rescue in texas. wow, the dramatic moment that a little boy, 4 years old, trapped in a well, is pulled out after crews spent hours carefully chiselling out the whole situation and making sure it was safe. >> wow. plus, as pfizer's vaccine faces its final hurdle today, we're answering your most googled questions about covid vaccines their safety, side effects, will they be required for your job, how much do they cost? anyway, our experts are ready to answer all of your questions

any other, who will be the person of the year for "time" magazine >> guess who is in right now we are about to reveal "time's" short list exclusively first, your local news ♪ ♪ with and eve and adam ♪ you get up and at 'em ♪ ♪ i'm ♪ ♪ oh, crossin' all your borders ♪ ♪ freein' freein' all the smalls ♪ ♪

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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. man 3 vo: ask your rheumatologist about humira. woman 4 vo: go to humira.com to see proof in action. a very good morning to you, 7:26. i'm laura garcia. a few of today's top stories and everyone waiting and watching on today's vaccine hearing. today is a monumental day in terms of the fight against the coronavirus. the first is a meeting that could decide the state of the pfizer vaccine. that emergency authorization of pfizer's vaccine the advisory panel is decidindeciding. if that panel votes to move forward, the fda will have to approve and federal officials say they plan to start vaccinating the first group of americans within a number of days. i'm sharon katsuda in contra

costa county. making adjustments for in-person learning after the rise in covid-19 numbers. in oakland teachers protested demanding the classrooms remain closed. the district planned to reopen next month. the san jose union school district sent a letter saying they will wait to reopen until the county numbers are in the orange or yellow tier. vianey in for kari this morning. she has a look at our forecast. it's cooling down? >> it is. it's cooling down and also bringing some wind up in the north bay, coastal mountain area, but beautiful skies to start our morning. 51 degrees in san francisco and little more cloud cover through san jose at 43 degrees and here's a look at your mic microclimate highs for this afternoon. increase in cloud cover and temperatures will remain in the low to mid 60s for the south bay and interior valley and san francisco only topping out at 58 degrees and there is a wind advisory that is expected to go

into effect starting at 8:00 a.m. for the north bay. laura? >> okay. good to know that. we'll be back with another local news update for you in half an hour. see you then. i'm looking at your mri. your shoulder seems to be healing nicely. i'm sorry baby... i don't want you to play with that...

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we're back, sounds of new york city. that humpback whale spotted in the new york harbor, just near the statue of liberty. >> are you kidding me? is this -- >> apparently, sightings have actually increased in recent years. i wasn't going to say it, but officials are saying because the water quality has gotten better and there is an abundance of local food sources. >> can you imagine -- >> hot dogs. >> -- if you're on a ferry or something and saw the humpback whale? incredible. >> pretty cool. let's get to your headlines at 7:30. rudy giuliani has been released from the hospital.

he had been treated for covid-19. the 76-year-old former mayor gave a thumbs up to the cameras on wednesday after his four-day stay at georgetown university hospital in washington. in a radio interview, giuliani said he was feeling about 100% and would spend the next few days in quarantine. the president's personal attorney has been traveling around the country in recent weeks, defending claims of election fraud. a test flight for spacex's starship ended with a fiery explosion on wednesday. the sn-8 flew more than 41,000 feet into the air, then attempted to land. as it touched down, the unmanned starship exploded. spacex founder, elon musk, said a problem with the fuel tank led to the ship landing with way too much speed. still, musk called the flight a success. he hopes the vehicle will one day take as many as 100 people to mars. one of the largest icebergs ever documented is on a collision course with an island in the southern atlantic.

the iceberg, which is the size of the state of delaware, broke off from the antarctic peninsula in 2017. now, it's headed toward south georgia island, a remote british territory. east of south america, and scientists say that a collision could devastate wildlife there including penguins and seals, but they haven't said whether it is possible that a collision is days the or weeks away. now to a remarkable rescue in texas. a 4-year-old boy was pulled to safety after he fell down a well, became trapped for hours. walking with his parents. morgan chesky has more on this. morgan, good morning. >> reporter: hoda, good morning. this video was posted overnight, and it captures just incredibly heroic efforts by first responders, trying desperately to save this 4-year-old boy that had fallen about 8 to 9 feet, right down into the middle of a well. we know that they were able to commune wait with the rescuers,

but it was hours that was harrow ing rescue as they were trying to rescue that young boy. for hours, it was tense moments as those first responders worked desperately to get him out. it's being called a christmas miracle. the dramatic rescue captured on camera. an unnamed 4-year-old boy getting pulled to safety after falling nearly 9 feet into a well on a property in texas. the boy was walking with his parents tuesday when he fell. becoming lodged in a pipe just 8 to 10 inches in diameter. >> what was key to the successful outcome of this is that everybody pitched in. everybody. >> reporter: dozens of first responders, a total of four fire departments, feverishly working for six hours to chisel the boy out of the well, a 44-foot pipe. >> we had an officer with a shovel, helping us move soil. whatever needed to be done. >> reporter: it required special equipment and strategy. >> any vibration, any wrong strike of a shovel could cause more soil to fall into the hole where the victim is at. >> all right!

cheers all around. >> reporter: the incident reminding many of the baby jessica rescue, also in texas, back in 1987. 18-month-old jessica mcclure fell into an 8-inch well in her aunt's backyard. the nation watched as rescuers worked for 58 hours to free the toddler. >> there she goes, being rushed off to a waiting ambulance. >> reporter: this boy was flown to a hospital where he was in stable condition and undergoing tests. city officials in mission, texas, posting video of the rescue on social media. calling it a testament of teamwork and strength. and also a testament to being at the right place at the right time. we know that young boy being able to communicate with the first responders after coming out of the well and he did communicate with officers after

being freed from that well. at last check he is in stable condition and doing fine. hoda. >> gosh, i love when the story ends with such great news. morgan, thank you. >> incredible first responders. can you imagine how pain staking and nerve-racking that work was? >> 8 to 10 inch diameter hole is so tiny that he was trapped in. wow. up next, we're going to talk about the vaccine again. the first covid vaccine in the u.s. on the verge of approval, it seems. it seems we're going to tackle your most searched questions on google including when and where it'll be available >> dr. john and vicky nguyen are standing by with answers, coming up right after this. and if you have to travel for care, like sam did? home can change, too. but, along with your donations, mcdonald's has helped ronald mcdonald house charities keep families like sam's together for more than 40 years. so that not everything changes for sam with cancer. or for his brother liam, without. ♪ or for his brother liam, without. this holiday, get the phone everyone wants on the 5g america's been waiting for. verizon 5g is next level.

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7:39 this morning on the race for a vaccine. we are rolling up our sleeves, and we're going to tackle your questions. >> that's right. emergency approval of pfizer's vaccine could come as early as tomorrow according to a recent poll, once that happens, 61% of americans say they're ready, willing to get inoculated. >> we know that a lot of people have a lot of questions and concerns, so we brought in our experts. dr. john torres and vicky nguyen here to answer the top questions on google. guys, good morning dr. torres, why don't we start with you one of the most googled questions is this, and it's a basic one, "is the covid vaccine safe?" >> you know, i think this is the big question not just for everybody around the country, but for the fda, as well dr. steve hahn, the commissioner of the fda, personally told me they wouldn't authorize this vaccine unless it was found to be safe and effective. so far by all of the data and the trials that we have, it has

shown to be a really good safety profile and good and safe vaccine. we know there might be minor side effects, but overall, seems to be a very safe vaccine. >> that was the next top googled question, what about side effects? >> so the side effects have been minor. they had no significant side effects. the ones they did see are ones that are typical with most vaccines injection site soreness or redness in the arm, maybe a little lump where you get the shot, fatigue, headaches those were the ones the majority of people. had some had muscle aches, but everyone said it went away in a day and a half it went through very, very quickly. >> let's go to vicky nguyen. another one of the top questions is this, a lot of people are desperate to get the vaccine it hasn't been approved yet. the question is, when can i get it >> as early as next week, if you're one of the 24 million americans who is a health care worker, elderly, or in a nursing home or care-taking for someone. the second phase, which is expected but not confirmed yet, is essential workers transit workers, teachers, police, first responders, people who work in food manufacturing facilities it's not been clear when, but that's expected to be the second

wave finally, for americans who are not priority groups, that's probably going to be late spring or early summer. >> can i ask a follow-up, because savannah and i were talking about our moms a lot of people have moms in that age category. how will someone tell them, "you can go get the vaccine now?" how will they know >> you were mentioning in some cases, hospitals and the pharmacies are actually texting people, giving them, you know, advance notice, we're doing what we can talk to your primary care provider, ask. if i'm in the first group, how do i get my hands on this vaccine. >> can an employer require folks to get the vaccine its employees? >> the answer is likely yes, considering it a health and safety environment if you work in a hospital, you're already required to get the flu vaccine. the covid vaccine is expected to be the same. there are some exceptions. if you're part of a union, your union may negotiate out of that requirement. perhaps you have a sincerely held religious belief against

vaccines that is another way to opt out and under the americans with disabilities act, you may be able to ask for an exception if you work from home. >> how long will the vaccine last or is it going to be like the flu shot and you have to get it every year? >> at this point, we don't know, and we won't know until time passes and we can see how long this is lasting in people. by all indications, we expect it to last a few years, hopefully longer the main reason is the virus itself is not mutating significantly, not changing, and it seems to be vulnerable to the vaccine. pfizer shared with me that they think this one will last years to come. we just don't know how many years it's going to be. >> dr. john, millions and millions of people have had covid and survived they may even have antibodies. do those people need to also get a vaccine, or are they already covered? >> no, they do need to get a vaccine. main reason is because we don't know how long that natural immunity will last or how many antibodies you might have from having had covid and recovering from it. we do know that when you get the vaccine, you get a baseline of

coverage, baseline of protection, and it's a vaccine that can be very, very effective, even if you've had covid-19 in the past. >> you can't overdo it, can't have too much in your system >> no, you can't have too many antibodies think about convalescent plasma, monoclone antibodies in the immune system to fight it off, your immune system does not work like that, because it gives you enough to fight it off and then it goes back into retreat. it's not something you can overload on antibodies. >> the other google question, vicky, where will i be able to get the vaccine? >> state departments are working out these details. expect it at the walgreen's, the cvss, hospitals and vaccine clinics, as well louisiana, we talked to the pharmacy director there for the largest hospital system, they've been working on drive-through flu clinics, so they'll be ready for vaccinating major numbers of people. >> it's free, right? you get it for free? >> the government says it will be free. there may be a fee associated with administering the vaccine, but most insurance is expected to cover that fee.

whether or not you're insured, you should be able to get the vaccine for free, according to the cdc. >> it is a massive undertaking when you're talking about inoculating hundreds of millions of americans, to say nothing of the whole world, it is incredible vicky and dr. torres, we'll be talking to you lots about this thank you. >> thank you. let's turn our attention to mr. roker. good morning >> okay, guys, ready for a little weather globe game? >> we love it. >> of course, it's time to think about a white christmas. who has a higher historical chance of a white christmas? we'll start off in st. louis and new york. >> new york, we love it. >> let's find out. take a look, who has a better chance it's st. louis 19% to 11% another shot >> okay. >> here we go. chicago or denver? ♪ may your days >> denver. >> chicago or denver 41% to 40% slightly for chicago bring in the next snow globes. ♪ may all your christmases >> buffalo or minneapolis? >> buffalo.

>> minneapolis. >> split decision. let's see, minneapolis by a landslide. >> boom. >> 80% one more ♪ i'm dreaming of a white christmas ♪ >> seattle, washington, or washington, d.c. >> seattle. >> i'll say d.c. >> d.c., seattle, let's find out. boom, 6%, washington, d.c. over seattle, washington. >> all right. >> there you have it that's what's going on around the country. nice snow globe. and no snow quite yet here in the bay area, but we will see a cool down and rain heading into the weekend. beautiful start to our morning and microclimate highs for the afternoon will be in the low to mid 60s for the south bay and the interior valleys and another thing to keep in mind is a wind advisory is in effect for north bay, coastal mountains.

until 4:00 p.m. we're talking of gusts up wards plus 45 miles per hour. >> and that is your latest weather. nicely done, guys. >> thank you we had a tie, too. peace is in the galaxy still ahead, who do you think it should be "time's" person of the year for 2020 our exclusive first look at the short list first, these messages.

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a very good morning to you. it is 7:56 right now. i'm laura garcia. here is a look at what is happening now. >> i'm cierra johnson in marin county. a monumental day in the fight against coronavirus. an app that could alert you of possible exposure. google, apple and california. the app uses blue tooth technology to help figure out where you were and if you were near someone that possibly could have been exposed, you would then receive a notification. developers of the app say it's crucial that more people participate to have more accurate data. good morning, everyone. i'm scott mcgrew. 853,000 americans applied for first-time jobless claims last week. that was higher than expected. meanwhile, the ipo palooza continues on wall street.

this time air bnb will be the first to sell its stock in a debut this morning. vianey is in for kari this morning and she has a look at our forecast. cold start to our day. >> it was a cold start. it's in the 30s, 40s and some 50s in san francisco. we've got green skies. we'll notice an increase in cloud cover and heading into a bit of a cooling trend. look at your daytime highs. slightly cooler temperature compared to yesterday. 61 in oakland, 58 for san francisco. and a wind advisory reminder for the north bay coastal mountains until 4:00 p.m. laura. >> all right, thank you very much. another local news update is coming up in about half an hour. enjoy your morning.

look who it is and coming up, it is covid crisis and the u.s. reports the highest deaths in one day pushing most emergency departments to the brink. >> this is now our lobby. >> and we will take you to the front lines as hospitals prepare to vaccinate millions of

americans. >> this morning, as the country waits for pfizer to get the green light, we'll take you inside the efforts to vaccinate hundreds of millions of americans. >> we have to be at least minus 70 to minus 80 degrees in our freezers. plus, the short list we'll have your first look at the top contenders for "time's" person of the year who made the cut an exclusive reveal just ahead and checking it twice. the top gifts for everyone on your list, and they're all under 40 bucks we'll help you finish up your holiday shopping today, thursday, december 10th, 2020. ♪ underneath the tree >> from maryland, celebrating our favorite essential worker. >> and checking off my bucket list. >> we're on the "today" show >> it's a beautiful day in stockton, california. >> celebrating adam's 19th birthday. >> happy birthday, adam. ♪ baby, you're electric >> here in richmond, texas. >> we're celebrating our first wedding anniversary. cheers, "today." >> season's greetings. >> from nashville, tennessee. >> we're celebrating a first birthday >> oh, so cute. >> we start every hour with a giggling baby, we would. welcome back thursday morning, so happy you're joining us. craig has this morning off.

>> yeah, we also want to mention hanukkah begins tonight. the eight-day festival of lights, celebrated around the world. happy hanukkah. >> happy hanukkah. we are going to get straight to your news at 8:00 the single day covid death toll in the united states has reached a record 3,100, as the fda today considers green lighting a vaccine for emergency use. nbc's sam brock is in florida, where overwhelmed health care workers are preparing to start the vaccinations as soon as they get the go-ahead sam, good morning. >> reporter: hoda, good morning. certainly, the stakes could not be higher. inside of this massive warehouse, baptist health here in florida is distributing critical medical supplies to a dozen hospitals throughout florida. in a couple weeks, it'll include doses of pfizer's new vaccine, which will come here via truck then it gets moved to specialized freezers around the corner, where then it goes to front line health care workers at high risk those are the first folks set to

be vaccinated. >> reporter: the anxious wait for a country sick zenned by covid is about to end with pfizer's vaccine poised for emergency approval by the fda. with more than 3,100 people dying from the virus in just the last 24 hours. a monumental task will be convincing the public to trust the vaccine and show up for a shot the fda commissioner talking to savannah earlier on "today." >> 41% said they would want to wait a few months. now, is that concerning to you >> it is concerning to me. and that's because when it's appropriate medically, or from patient -- or from people characteristic point of view to get the vaccine, it is really important people carefully consider their decision. as your previous reporter said, we need to get to herd immunity. >> reporter: in miami, baptist health's chief pharmacy officer madeleine comejo giving us a

look into their vaccine distribution operations. there is heightened anticipation, with the pfizer vaccine expected to arrive soon, and doses then sent to member hospitals. in a box like this, how many vials could you fit inside of here >> that, we could probably fit about 200 vials in that particular box. >> reporter: 200, times five, is roughly 1,000 doses. >> correct. >> reporter: in one box like this >> correct. >> reporter: she doesn't know how many boxes will come in the first batch, likely in late december >> we have to be at least minus 70 to minus 80 degrees in our freezers >> reporter: but they're eligible for pfizer's vaccine because of access to specialized refrigeration. what do you see as the biggest challenges that lie ahead for you? >> there's a lot you know, making sure our employees, people show up to get the vaccine, getting the word out that the vaccine is safe. >> reporter: and health care providers have to vaccinate their high-risk front line workers first. >> doctors, the nurses, the technicians, the employees in general who work in the emergency departments, who work in the covid units.

>> reporter: dr. johnson says that after the first wave of workers, who comes next and where they'll be vaccinated is a formula the government is still ironing out. similar preparations playing out across the u.s., from wisconsin to california. expecting 300,000 plus doses in its first shipment the message right now to a weary population is clear. >> it's something we need to do for humanity >> reporter: as the hospitals right now are preparing for storage, stocking up, the capacity, guys, is absolutely incredible this one freezer right here can hold 118,000 doses, which is about 60,000 patients worth. this is a two-dose shot. once, however, hoda, it comes out of the freezer, there is only a six-hour window after its mixed and diluted where it can then be administered it has to. it is critical that people are ready to actually receive it so precious. every single dose, every single

vial. hospitals are doing what they can to help fight this battle. hoda, back to you. >> sam brock, thank you. president-elect joe biden's son hunter has confirmed that he is now the focus of a federal tax investigation. hunter biden was a frequent target of president trump during the recent campaign. according to the "associated press," this investigation covers business dealings in china, along with other matters. hunter biden has denied any wrongdoing his father's transition team said the president-elect is deeply proud of his son, and added that he fought through personal attacks in recent months to emerge stronger. this morning, facebook is facing massive anti-trust lawsuits from the federal government and nearly every state. those suits claim the company has created a monopoly jo ling kent has more. >> reporter: authorities want to break up facebook, a large company hit by several lawsuits, one by the federal trade commission and the other by attorneys general in 46 states both lawsuits allege facebook illegally crushed its competition, violating

anti-trust laws and creating a monopoly >> the commissions requested relief includes unwinding facebook's prior acquisitions of instagram and what's app, and barring facebook from engaging in anti-competitive situations. >> reporter: it's alleged if companies stepped into facebook's turf or resisted pressure to sell, zuckerberg would go into destroy mode, subjecting your business to the wrath of mark. we spoke to attorney general james in an exclusive interview. >> at the end of the day, what does this mean for a facebook user >> some people believe that facebook is free it really isn't free the fact is, they use your personal data, and they monetize it they sell it to advertisers. as a result of that, your data, your privacy, those protections are compromised. >> reporter: back in 2012, the ftc itself approved facebook's

purchase of instagram. now, facebook the european commission approving the purchase of whatsapp just two years later. now, facebook blasting the lawsuit as revisionist history in a statement, writing in part, the agencies found no risk of farm to competition in any potential market these deals to move forward because they did not threaten competition. adding, now many years later, with seemingly no regard for settled law or the consequences to innovation and investment, the agency is saying it got it wrong and want as do-over. over the summer, founder and ceo mark zuckerberg making a similar argument when pressed by congress. >> merges and acquisitions that buy off potential competitive threats violate the laws in your words, you purchased instagram to neutralize a competitive threat why shouldn't it be broken up? >> congressman, i think the ftc had all these documents and reviewed this and unanimously

voted not to challenge the acquisition. >> jo ling kent, los angeles. >> all right. 8:08 and we are up to date on the news but not on the news. >> i think that you are going to be going crazy on this one. every kid dreams of having superpowers, lightning speed, amazing strength or like this little guy, the ability to turn on and off a fireplace. take a look. >> abracadabra. >> whoa! >> that is so cool abracadabra. that's cool! it went off. >> that was you, you're doing it >> superpowers >> yeah. >> i didn't know i had superpowers! whoa abracadabra. whoa >> we don't even want to -- >> how does he do it >> it is all superpower.

that's what we would say. >> are you going to do the year-end boost hall of fame? >> yes, doing the boosties. >> i'd like to nominate that one. >> noted. all right. up next, the editor in chief of "time" magazine joining us for a live reveal of the short list for its person of the year coming up right after this fifteen seconds is far too short to fully enjoy a jimmy john's® sandwich by this cozy fire. but, it's all the time you need to type in promo code "5off20" and save $5 on any order of $20 or more.

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of the year. >> ri year since back in 1927, "time" magazine has selected the man, woman, or group or concept that has the most influence on the world as they say for better or worse during the past 12 months. more than a decade, we've been revealing the top contenders on "today." >> edward felsenthal, "time's" editor in chief, here to help us. >> good morning. >> well, 2020 could be the man of the year. it's been quite a busy year. how did you narrow it down >> a year ago, we last did this. seems like longer. >> yeah, exactly how did you narrow it down >> you know, it's always hard. this is the hardest year that i've been involved in. so many massive stories all over the world. racial justice, the pandemic, presidential election, wildfires. i mean, really, really challenging year to make this call >> all right

edward, let's narrow it down we're going to break it down and reveal the top four. in no particular order, we'll begin with the first one, president-elect joe biden. why did you choose him >> well, historic win. more popular votes than any president in history larger percentage of the popular vote than anybody challenging an incumbent since fdr. historic choice for vice president. very different message than we've seen the last four years, emphasizing empathy and unity. obviously, enormous impact on this year and the years to come. >> next up, president donald trump makes the short list he was your person of the year in 2016. why is he on the list this year? >> he was. he wasn't re-elected, but he's not going away he's still very much in control of the republican party. completely changed the norms of campaigning from the white house, as he changed so many norms throughout his term. he has, obviously, had a huge influence, for better or worse,

as we say with person of the year, in how he handled the coronavirus pandemic obviously, massive, massive influence on the year. >> edward, sometimes you choose people, and sometimes you choose a group, or maybe a movement at number three for you is the movement for racial justice, which was front and center this year >> well, this was just, obviously, an extraordinary and incredibly important story the killings of george floyd, arbury, breonna taylor, so many others, and had the largest mass protest in u.s. history and as much as 10% of the population across the country and demanding the country to step up and stop making excuses against racism, systemic racism. >> finally, our last category,

dr. anthony fauci, joined by a group we certainly owe our lives to this year, front line workers. >> absolutely. you know, this was a once in a century story, affected every single person on the globe in some way dr. fauci in the united states, standing up for science at a time when science really needed to be stood up for so many workers, health care workers, and other workers all over the world who risked their lives to save other people's lives, who traveled to hard-hit spots, slept in their cars to spare their families from exposure just extraordinary action among this group and dr. fauci >> edward, thank you i guess we find out who the lucky winner is tonight on the primetime special. >> nbc primetime special we'll look forward to that edward, thank you. always happy to be on your short list of where to reveal it thanks. >> thanks, edward. >> thanks for having us. let's get -- oh, we want to know what you think. you can actually make a guess and go to today.com and cast

your vote. again, you will find out the answer tonight at primetime special at 10:00/9:00 central here on nbc. by the way, ahead in the third hour, we're going to reveal "time's" entertainer of the year and athlete of the year they do all those things. right now, let's turn it over to our weatherman of the year, mr. al roker. >> thank you very much i accept the honor we are looking at much warmer weather. a push of warm air coming into the midsection of the country. minneapolis today, 43 degrees. that's 16 degrees above average. dallas will be touching with 77 degrees. atlanta, 66. 11 degrees warmer. new york city almost near 50 degrees. tomorrow, the warmth continues from boston, d.c., above normal in atlanta, charleston, buffalo, out to st. louis then as we head on toward the weekend, that cooler air returns. by sunday, st. louis, you go from saturday, 50 to 39 on sunday 62 in charleston to 53 on sunday new york city, 48 degrees on monday after a high of 57 on

>> good morning. waking up to 51 degrees in san francisco. expect to see that increase in cloud cover swo into the afternoon along with breezy to windy conditions for the north bay coastal mountains. 46 in san jose. by the afternoon, a bit of a cooling trend heading into the weekend along with rain chances for friday, saturday and sunday. temperatures will range in the low to mid60s with upper 50s for san francisco and half moon bay. 56 degrees. >> check us out on "today" show radio. sirius xm channel 108. what time is it now? >> magic time. >> oh, yeah. >> yes, it is. >> "pop start" time. >> yes, indeed >> carson is back. he flew all night. al, he reported his arms are very, very tired, but he'll handle "pop start. >> hey, carson. >> that's right. graphics department with me. needs to earn a little money it looks like never seemed so eager to be here let's get to it. nbc celebrating broadway tonight with a special two-hour program. we would love for you to watch

and support, called "one night only, the best of broadway." it'll highlight a number of classic and new shows from the famed theater district which, as you know, has been hit very hard by the pandemic. hosted by tina fey you'll see performances from celebrity guests and shows, like "jersey boys," "ain't too proud," "chicago," and "rent." here's a sneak peek at that one. ♪ a gift from up above ♪ ♪ >> "one night only, the best of broadway," tonight at 8:00/7:00 central on nbc. hoda, you'll be into this one. nelly and kelly. hip hop artist nelly stopped byf

the kelly clarkson show. the two started to talk about his love of country music. he has a new single out with florida georgia line. in 2004, with nelly's hit "over and over" that featured tim mcgraw, that helped nelly pioneer the kind of country hip hop genre. helped pave the way for hits like "old town road" more recently nelly telling clarkson it was a surprising way he got into country music. >> my uncle got me into music, and he was a huge lionel richie fan. he did a lot of writing. he wrote for kenny rogers and different people my uncle would play anything by lionel richie, sung, written, produced, whatever he'd play it used to play kenny rogers a lot. that was kind of, like, how my love affair for country music kind of started. it's one of the purest art forms that still exists to this day. >> love. >> there you go. nelly, country music superfan. >> remember when lionel did the country album?

>> i loved that. >> beautiful. >> yeah. >> for sure. next up, we have a fun one our old "voice" coach, shakira, the colombian artist is the latest artist to have a hit go viral on tiktok. her moves from this track, "girl like me" with the black-eyed peas caught the attention of as spiring dancers on tiktok. here is shakira in action. ♪ tell me you're looking for a girl like me ♪ ♪ looking for a girl like me you're looking for ♪ >> as you saw, she gets the moon walk in there. tiktokers are doing this thing all over. >> geez. >> you can see you're thinking, she's a great dancer, how is everybody else doing on tiktok? here is a smattering of what people are doing ♪ tell me that you're looking for a girl like me ♪ ♪ tell me that you're looking for a girl like me ♪ ♪ looking for a girl like me l♪

>> >> oh, yeah. >> cool. >> there's always a treadmill guy in these dance crazes. always a guy who jump on a treadmill and does the moves i'm glad i'm at home and not in studio so you don't ask me to get up and try to do that. savannah's old jazzercise, weren't you an instructor? >> yes, aerobics first thing i said, i appreciate the '80s aerobics look i know it well >> i know you do >> yeah. guys, this is exciting this is breaking "pop start" news this morning. minutes ago, i kid you not, all true, taylor swift announcing a brand-new album dropping tonight. >> tonight >> she is revealing this on twitter, minutes ago, writing, i'm elated to tell you my ninth studio album and "folklore's" sister record will be out at

midnight eastern and the name is "evermore. talk about an early christmas gift for fans. it's the second album she's released during the pandemic another photo showing the track listing for "evermore. teasing a music video that will drop tonight for "willow." taylor is re-recording all the old albums somebody has been very, very busy she wrote a very poetic thing on instagram about her writing process right now, and why there's so much music out of this sort of folklore lane if you're a taylor fan, you might want to check that out and read it. >> that was, like, right after "paw patrol," that was my most played song. all the "folklore" songs. >> also jenna's number one, too. >> love it thank you, carson. >> thanks, carson. >> see you tomorrow. straight ahead, what a surprise, talking books in the next half hour we got to have jenna there. >> go, girl. two best-selling authors sharing their picks for the perfect holiday present. first, your local news t holiday present. first your local news.

good morning. santa clara county gearing up for its first delivery of mod earn's vaccine as well. they expect nearly 40,000 doses later this month. the moderna hearing is scheduled for one week from today. like today's hearing, moderna is asking for emergency approval combined with the 17,000 doses of pfizer's vaccine. santa clara county will receive 57,000 doses by the end of the month. all of it will go to health care workers and long-term care facilities. let's get a look at the traft for you. vianey keeping track of what's

going on. >> cold start, marcus. 37 degrees in the north bay. a couple 40s and 50s. by the afternoon, we'll be cool and skfcomfortable. starting a cooling trend with cloudiness and windy conditions expected for the north bay coastal mountains. wind advisory in place until 4:00 pm. we're talking about rain heading into the weekend. becoming widespread saturday night into sunday which is fantastic news for us not just in san francisco but we're expecting some of the higher rain totals to be in the north bay. marcus? >> thanks, vianey. we'll have another local news update coming up in 30 minutes. i'll see you back here then. today's ways of working may work differently tomorrow.

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8:30 now thursday morning, 10th of december, 2020 just two weeks until christmas eve. >> wow. >> public service announcement if you are looking for gifts, hurry up about it. actually, you've come to the

right place. >> we are going to start things off with jenna what a gift she is two of our favorite best-selling authors are going to share the best books to give and to get this holiday season. >> all right if those picks don't finish off your list, the next one surely will "good housekeeping" editor shirley scoured the internet for picks. they're less than $40 each good ones. >> nice price. coming up in the third hour of "today," the legendary jimmy buffet you parrot heads, come down. how he turned some of your fan favorites into a brand-new album. and coming up tomorrow on "today," another singer friend of ours, mandy moore she's going to perform a brand-new christmas song right here for us. we cannot wait >> waiting for a little baby. >> yes. >> she's expecting. let's see what you've got. what are you expecting in the weather? >> that's right. you won't have to wait nine months for it. it's the weekend for tomorrow, milder and sunny along the east coast strong storms in the mississippi river valley wet and snowy in the pacific northwest. snow in the midwest. rockies looking at some snow sunday, sunday, it's going to be a little showery and mild along

the mid-atlantic states. more rain in the lower mississippi river valley a big pacific storm starts to make its way into the west that's what's going on around the country. here's what's happening in you >> expecting an increase in cloud cover and temperatures will be in the upper 50s for the coast and 60s for the inland areas. expect cooler temperatures heading into the weekend. we're also talking about scattered rain moving in on saturday into sunday. temperatures will range in the upper 50s for san francisco. expect to see that increase in cloud cover along with windy conditions for the north bay mountains and also in through marin county as well. overnight lows will once again dip down into the colder 30s and 40s. guys >> thanks, al. up next, a nationwide health crisis doctors want everyone to know about the struggle to get proper care now facing patients without covid.

concern, as the covid surge overwhelms hospitals from coast to coast. >> that's right. the healthy patients without the virus is being put in jeopardy, causing delays in their care erin mclaughlin is in austin, texas, with more on a growing crisis erin, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, savannah here in austin, the intensive care units are at 83% capacity that number goes up to 90% for the entire state of texas. more than 1/3 of all americans live in areas where there are critical icu bed shortages to cope, hospitals are cutting back on care for non-covid-19 patients, making it more difficult to get treatment some cases, that can be fatal. ♪ ♪ happy birthday to you >> my sister died because of covid, and she didn't have the

virus. so nobody is counting her. >> reporter: stephanie dear's 47-year-old sister, lori, is not included in the hundreds of thousands killed by the coronavirus, but stephanie insists she should be. >> this is still hard because i miss her terribly. >> reporter: she was a healthy, active wife and mother in october, her heart suddenly stopped. specialized hospital beds in utah that lori needed to survive had all been taken many by covid patients it took them three and a half hours to get lori the kind of care she needed. the doctors say it didn't come soon enough. >> she had a medical emergency that anyone can have, but because she could not access medical care, she died >> reporter: experts call this a nationwide crisis. with the pandemic now pushing many hospitals to the brink, more are forced to choose between caring for covid patients and those with other

serious health conditions. nearly 5 million surgeries have been delayed because of covid. the next decade, it's estimated the pandemic will cause an additional 10,000 cancer patients to die due to delays in care >> i was just devastated i burst into tears >> reporter: outside seattle in march, christine raburn was diagnosed with stage three breast cancer. days before her scheduled surgery, doctors called to say it was canceled due to covid. >> when the phone call happened, i kind of went through the dread and the what ifs, and, like, do i start preparing for death? how do i take care of the family >> reporter: with the help of her state representatives, christine pushed the hospital to perform the surgery. months later, she's in remission. to avoid these nightmare scenarios, hospitals are now scrambling resources one review found more than 100 hospitals recently postponed or canceled surgeries due to the virus. at university of utah health,

they're having to delay or cancel up to ten surgeries a day. >> what does that mean for your patients >> it means not receiving the care that they typically would receive in timely fashion. it means living with pain, and that's a big deal. >> reporter: this will be stephanie dear's first christmas without her sister she's pleading with everyone to take covid seriously, so hospitals aren't overwhelmed and patients like lori get the care they need before it's too late >> one less sick person had been in the hospital that day, she would be here right now. >> oh, my god. that's such a sad story. erin, this is about doctors and hospitals cancelling surgeries, not people opting not to go. so what can people do if they're in that situation? >> yeah, hoda. doctors say there are steps you can take right now to protect yourself first, figure out how to connect to your doctor, whether telehealth or online, so you can access care quickly.

second, if you have any new ailments, any dizziness, any pain, any lightheadedness, see your doctor sooner rather than later, before it gets serious. finally, take extra good care of yourself a lot of times during the holidays, we let our diets go. we don't exercise as much. that can lead to serious health problems >> okay, erin, thank you for a lot of those folks, none of those tips would have worked. they were doing everything right. >> i think the whole point is, why are we wearing masks and doing these things we have to keep these hospitals open for other ailments. >> the health system is at its breaking point. >> it is >> important story we are going to take a turn just ahead jenna is along with two best-selling authors, and they are going to share their favorite books that you could give this holiday season everybody loves to get a book, right?

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we are back, as jenna joins us with read more we are back, as jenna joins us with read more today. 14 shopping days left until christmas, if you're still looking for a really good gift may we suggest a good book >> joining us with their favorites to give everybody on your list are our favorites. best-selling author and all-around book dude, isaac fitzgerald and jasmine gilory, another best-selling author. good morning. >> good morning. how are we >> we are so happy that y'all are here here's the thing, not many of us are going to travel over the holidays take us on a book vacation that's something we can do isaac, let's escape. >> okay. let's escape susanna clark. "piranesi. it is a slim novel that makes a great gift or stocking stuffer.

living in a world that is a giant house, kind of sounds familiar, right? this has endless, endless rooms. it's filled with statues there's even an ocean in it. the best thing about this book is how brilliantly written it is how it unfolds like a mystery. hang with us the first couple pages, even me, and i love this author, she wrote "jonathan strange," the first couple pages, i was like, what's going on? keep reading, and it totally delivers you're going to love this book. >> i love it jasmine, what's your escape pick >> mine is "you should see me in a crown. this book -- like, this year, i've had a really hard time reading. i need books that pull me in right away and, like, books that make me happy. this book did it for me. it's a coming out of age story it's about family. it's about friendship. it's about falling in love the end of this book, i think i smiled so hard, my face hurt it's just like such a happy, wonderful, great story.

>> don't you love to just listen to isaac and jasmine explain what they love >> yes. >> we all know books can inspire. inspire us, isaac, please. >> all right this book, kiese laymon's essays, "how to slowly kill yourself and others in america," is -- >> sounds inspiring. >> wow. >> no, hear me out >> okay. >> it is a heavy title, but this essay collection first came out in 2013. it is now re-imagined. this is a diamond of a collection with three new essays by kiese he has cemented himself as one of this country's strongest voices over the past decade. we're talking hip hop. we're talking outcast. we're talking race and class in america, yes, but also talking family the reason you pick up this book is for kiese's brilliant writing. this is for the reader in your life, the thinker in your life, and the person who is ready to be a little uncomfortable while they read but is looking for something wonderful. >> nice to read essays if you have a little discreet amount of time jasmine, what'd you pick >> my pick is "the selected

works of audre lorde." a collection of her essays and poems. the amazing thing i found when reading these essays were that she wrote them over 30 years ago, and they feel so incredibly relevant today like, it was like it was relevant to the pandemic, to racial justice, to politics. so much of what we're going through today, she spoke to. i think, you know, she inspired me and motivated me and really made me think. i just loved reading this collection >> sounds great. coffee table books are always a good gift. isaac, what do you have for us >> okay. listen, if you love fashion, if you love celebrity, let's be honest, the '90s, whether we like it or not fashion wise, are kind of coming back. so this is "in the limelight." it is an incredible coffee table book filled with never-before-seen photos want some celebs you have leonardo right there hanging out. why i love this book, and why i think it makes such a wonderful gift, yes, it is packed with style, yes, it's packed with

beautiful, wonderful pictures of celebrities, but really, it's the photos of people getting together and dancing that this year, above all years, it really makes me love this book. if you miss getting in a room, getting dumped on with confetti, spending time with other people, this book will -- >> or you miss the '90s. might have been my best decade jasmine, you're throwing it back to one of my childhood favorite, ramona quimby. >> yes, i am. this book is "the art of ramona quimby." this is the perfect gift for someone who grew up reading beverly clear ri's books, and basically that is everyone i know. so many people sharing the books with their kids now. the art is just beautiful and brings me back to reading the books as a child and there's a lot of text in there, text from the book but also things to put the book in context. there's things i learned about beverly cleary in reading, the way she wrote her books.

this is just, like, anyone who grew up reading these books will be so excited to get this. >> i love that. >> beverly cleary is a national treasure this takes us perfectly to kids. isaac, by the way, has a kids book out, too, "how to be a pirate." >> yes. >> which is a great gift isaac, tell us what you chose. >> jenna, thank you so much for shouting out the book. that means the world to me, right behind me. i'm picking "punching the air" by ibi zoboi and yusef salaam. great novel and verse. perfect for young adult reader between the ages of 12 and 18 and tackling unjust criminal justice system but the language in it is just, so, so beautiful. this is not only one of my favorite books of the year, but it is so many other people's favorite books of the year if you haven't read it, take the time i guarantee, you'll get it for the young reader in your life, and then you will read it, too. >> jasmine, i love the name of your book choice, "how to make sunshine." >> i love this book. >> it is the cutest book "ways to make sunshine."

this book made me think that, like, this character is a modern day ramona she, you know, is 10 this is a book for middle-grade readers. it's about her, like, growing up, her family they're kind of struggling a little bit but they all still love each other so much. it makes you, like, love her whole family, even her big brother who teases her all the time it's just, like, a darling book. i just love everyone involved. perfect book, again, to give to a little kid, but i read it and just smiled the whole time. >> i love it let's plug some more books jasmine, what is your book >> she has tons. prolific. >> my most recent book is "party of two," came out this summer. i have a christmas book, "royal holiday," now out in paperback. >> and i'll recommend "everything beautiful in its time" by jenna bush hager. she didn't pay me to say that. that was a freebie. >> isaac, jasmine, thank you so much. >> thank you for having us.

>> let's suggest buying them from our little independent bookstores you can also find -- >> yes, jenna! >> you can find all their picks at today.com/shop. >> library jenna is my favorite. >> i thought mom jenna was your favorite. >> i love her, too also drinking buddy jenna, but that's another story more gift ideas ahead from our friends at "good housekeeping," and all less than 40 bucks

we're back with today's we are back with the holiday consumer and more ideas to check off the holiday gift list. >> indeed. "good housekeeping" style director has scoured the internet to find a heap of great ideas and a bonus, guys. everything that lori is going to show us, 40 bucks or less. lori, get us started something caught my eye on your table, and it was that mini waffle maker okay >> i knew you'd love it. good morning and happy holidays, ladies. >> morning. >> this is from dash you can pick it up at bed bath &

beyond saying to one of your producers, i was worried one of my children was going to ste it is $10. >> looks cute. >> i have to tell you, i was saying to one of your producers, i was worried one of my children was going to steal the waffles off this plate they love it this is a great gift for families it is a great gift for somebody who even lives alone it's just comfort food, right? this is what you want during the december months. it's great 10 bucks. >> love. >> then we're going to move on to something that's personal you know, savannah, i heard you saying earlier, if you want a gift, you have to get moving, right? >> yeah. >> so if you want something that's personalized but don't have time to get it monogrammed, we love these state charms >> so cute. >> they are geode state charms. so hoda and savannah, we have louisiana up here and arizona up there, savannah for you. >> nice. >> these are $18 at uncommon goods.

aren't they cute >> adorable. >> i love how you went off the beaten path with all these ideas. super cute a lot of people became first-time pet parents during the pandemic what do you have for them? >> this is true. so a pet parent loves to wear their pet very close to their heart, right these are pendants from etsy these are only $20 these are personalized gifts you can see the pet portrait underneath is the name they can do them for cats, for dogs they come in rose gold, silver, and yellow gold. so head over to etsy we love supporting etsy because there are a lot of makers and small businesses there. >> all right take us back give us something vintage when it comes to lights. >> okay. speaking of small businesses, this little night light, i don't know about you guys, but this made me think of my grandma. >> oh, my gosh >> i loved it. >> we had a green one. >> little, right this is from occasionette. again small business and female own and carries it on her site owned by other small businesses. this is grand millennial

it was nostalgic but also you could see, like, a brooklyn hipster having it in his or her apartment. >> cool. >> my children love these. they come in green and white, 22 bucks. >> i love that okay, remote control car that doesn't ruin your floor boards tell me. >> savannah and hoda, i hope you're taking notes for this one. this was a good housekeeping toy award winner get it for your kids to delight them, but you'll want to keep it because you're not going to want to bash it against your wall it will not ruin your walls, you guys this is b-roll of my kids doing this in the dining room. pardon the bareness. we just moved in i would never normally let them do that, but because this car doesn't -- it's from air hogs and doesn't leave marks. it can go on couches it went on our piano it doesn't wreck anything. it's so much fun boys and girls will love it. >> how much? >> 25 bucks. >> all right what about your friend or somebody with a green thumb, what do you have for them? >> okay. do you have a green thumb? i do not. >> no. >> no. >> okay.

so this is why this was, like, answer to my prayers these are from lulasgarden they're succulents and you water them 10 to 14 days they get, like, a medicine dropper's worth of water it is impossible to kill these things they're beautiful. they start at $27. we saw a huge plant parent pandemic boom during the pandemic everybody was, like, i want something. i want to bring the outside in, right? check out lulasgarden. every time you buy one, they support water.org. you're supporting safe water for someone for six months in a developing country. >> i love that i've shopped there before. it is really cute. this is so 2020, but you know what, let's get glam with our masks, right >> right if anybody told me a gold-dipped mask chain was going to be the gift of the year, i wouldn't have believed them last year hey, guys, 2020, what a time to be alive so you're going to find this at silked.com, a black owned female business we love that what this is is, you know how

you're always losing the mask or put it down and you're like, did i just contaminate my clean mask this is a chain you can keep on. it functions like a lanyard but it is glam, gold dipped. throw the mask to the back, and it'll be a chain. >> we'll show the beautiful toy online afterwards. we have to run thank you so much for being with us. >> check it out on today.com/shop look for it there. more for you on the third hour. >> on hoda and jenna, a new series on spreading cheer. a big surprise for a very deserving woman. good morning. it's 8:56. i'm marcus washington. america waiting and watching as the fda weighs whether or not to approve the first covid vaccine. an independent panel is meeting right now reviewing the trial data for pfizer's vaccine candidate. fda regulators will follow whatever the panel recommends. the pfizer vaccine is already

being used in the united kingdom and yesterday was approved in canada. if it gets the green light, ucsf will be one of the first in line to receive the doses. our team monitoring that meeting and the complicated plans to roll out the vaccine across the bay area. we'll have a live update during our midday newscast. we're also looking at the icu bed crisis already emerging in some parts of the bay area. head to our home page for those complete details. this year, xfinity internet gives you more options

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is rockefeller plaza, this is the "3rd hour of today." >> good morning. welcome to the "3rd hour of today." i'm sheinelle here with al and -- i haven't made eye contact with you this morning. >> i was trying, but you were ignoring me. >> dylan and i were yapping. >> yapping away. >> good morning. i feel like you look people in the eye. look somebody in the eye today over their masks. now, it's creepy. stop. craig is off. thursday, december 10th. tonight is the first night of hanukkah. >> happy hanukkah. >> we might need more than an hour today because we have a lot to get to.