ersistent fever, bruising, bleeding or paleness. don't start enbrel if you have an infection like the flu. visit enbrel.com to see how your joint damage could progress. enbrel. eligible patients may pay as little as $5 per month. stimulus showdown. democrats push for bigger, direct payments for struggling americans, while the relief bill remains on hold awaiting the president's signature. home for the holidays. despite warnings from experts, millions of americans hit the road, as covid cases surge across the country a winter wallop. the christmas storm tearing across the country with high winds and heavy rain and coronavirus can't stop the christmas spirit from the pope's christmas-eve mass to caregivers giving kids a holiday they won't soon forget,

a special, christmas edition of "early today" starts now good morning thanks for waking up with us i'm michelle fisher. >> and i'm phillip mena. the covid relief package desperately needed by millions hangs in the hands of president trump's. the legislation still awaiting the president's signature. house democrats tried to oblige but republicans blocked their effort house speaker nancy pelosi is calling the house back into session, on monday, to vote on a standalone bill that would boost direct payments to $2,000, per person nbc's garrett haake has more >> reporter: athena has been struggling to make ends meet for months she is one of millions desperate for help going into the dark of winter. >> we are going to have to pay taxes in april and it's like, for what? what -- what -- what have they done for us? nothing. >> reporter: the president, demanding congress boost direct payments from the $600 his administration had supported, to $2,000 now. >> to apply only to the minority

leader >> reporter: a democratic effort to do just that, blocked by house republicans. >> merry christmas >> reporter: with federal unemployment insurance, rental assistance and other, critical programs set to expire this week, lawmakers from both parties appealing to the vacationing president's better angels. >> this is christmas eve surely, the president of the united states, whether he's in mar-a-lago or any place else, ought to empathize with the pain and suffering and apprehension and deep angst that the american people are feeling, this christmas eve. and sign this bill. >> i hope the president looks at this again, and reaches that conclusion that the best thing to do is sign the bill >> reporter: the house plans to return to washington december 28th if, by the end of the day, the president hasn't signed the combined covid relief and spending bill passed on monday

or another extension, the government shuts down. >> our thanks to garrett for that report. ignoring warnings from health officials, millions of americans were on the move desperate to visit loved ones this christmas but with covid cases rising, this could put lives at risk. >> reporter: despite desperate pleas from the front lines to stay home, packed airports the most crowded since the start of the pandemic. up to 85 million americans are expected to travel, through new year's defying public-health warnings. >> i'm nervous, but i'm confident i'm not going to transmit anything to my family >> reporter: this, as california's facing catastrophe. the first state to surpass 2 million covid cases. doubling, in just six weeks. >> there is an overall feeling of anxiety, fear, and uncertainty, as we head into christmas and the new year's >> reporter: heartache over the number of lives being lost

on average, nearly 250 dying a day. >> every day, i look into the eyes of someone who is struggling to breathe. they want to be home with their family >> reporter: similar scenes, nationwide hospitalizations have more than doubled since november adding to the troubles the vaccine rollout is not going as planned with roughly a million doses administered, far shortof the 20 million expected by year's end. while, in some places, confusion and outrage over who should get the doses first. forcing one university to apologize for vaccinating other staff, before frontline workers. >> this is a charged, emotional environment where people -- a lot of people, of course, want to get vaccinated as soon as possible there were hiccups in what was a very complicated effort. >> reporter: they lost their parents and grandfather to the virus, and have this warning for anyone taking a risk. >> what do you have to say to them >> they need to ask themselves, should i give up this one holiday? or should i give up a lifetime

>> erin mclaughlin with those latest figures for us. erin, thanks winter's especially hard on the families struggling to keep a roof over their heads. the federal eviction moratorium ends on january 31st, and it could leave 40 million americans homeless our jo ling kent takes a closer look >> reporter: derrick and brenda durham have made some tough choices. >> we had to choose a roof over our head or transportation >> reporter: derrick was a quality-control inspector for mercedes-benz, making $15.50 an hour, until he was furloughed in march. the couple lives in south carolina with their daughter relying on $216 a week in unemployment they've fallen $6,500 behind in rent. >> we're going to be out in the street that's what's going to end up happening. we're going to end up being out on the street. >> reporter: until now, the family has been protected by the moratorium on pandemic-related evictions, that was set to expire right after the holidays. congress extended it by another

month. bufor t ny americans, that may not be enough. nearly 5 million believe they are likely to be evicted over the next two months. tri-county family ministries provides families with food, clothing, and help with rent in south carolina one of the states with the highest eviction rates. >> in the past, when people would come to us for assistance with their rent, normally, they would be $300, 400 behind. today, we had a young lady come in single mom of three. she is $4,500 behind on rent and there aren't enough resources in our community, at this point, to really make a difference for her family. and it's a tragedy because that's happening, over and over. >> reporter: a devastating cycle in this unforgiving pandemic. >> everybody is trying to keep a roof over their head everybody is trying to keep food on their tables. >> reporter: critics say the one-month extension is a band-aid on a much bigger problem, hitting communities of colors especially hard as the pandemic rages well past

january, many families are on the brink with their backs up against a wall. >> sadly, it is a heartbreaking story shared by so many. jo, thanks more fallout this morning from that fatal police-involved shooting in ohio earlier this week, the city's mayor called for termination of adam coy, who shot 47-year-old andrew maurice hill. now, columbus's police chief is joining the growing calls for justice. on thursday, the chief also recommended coy be fired nbc's kathy park has more. >> the family of andre hill has nothing to celebrate this holiday. >> reporter: dramatic reaction following the police shooting death of 47-year-old, andre hill the city's police chief making his recommendation. >> today, i am announcing action to terminate officer adam coy. >> reporter: columbus officer, adam coy, who shot hill, had been placed on paid leave. the body-camera footage of the shooting released this week

shows the moments leading up to the deadly encounter as coy walks up to an open garage, and approaches hill, who is seen holding his cell phone while his other hand is out of view. >> i have seen everything i need to see, to reach the conclusion that officer coy must be terminated, immediately. >> we got a medic coming >> reporter: in the aftermath of the shooting, hill lays on the ground for more than five minutes, without anyone rendering aid. police say no weapon was found at the scene. >> what does justice look like for andre and his family >> justice for andre hill looks a lot like justice for george floyd. justice for andre hill looks a lot like justice for breonna taylor >> reporter: the local fraternal order of police, in a statement, said every citizen, including officers, deserves due process and that accountability is important. the case, now, getting extra attention from the state with the ohio attorney general named special prosecutor, amidst

growing calls for action kathy park, nbc news all right. some of us will be waking up to a white christmas, this morning. it's a guarantee for those in the upper midwest. blizzard-like conditions slam the minneapolis area bringing up to 8 inches of snow. and now, many are facing plunging temperatures and strong winds. let's get the latest on that from meteorologist, michelle grossman hey, michelle. good to see you. merry christmas. >> so good to see you guys i am sending christmas hugs to you and christmas kisses yes, some of us waking up to a white christmas. others, waking up to a very wet and windy christmas. we are seeing winds gusting near 70 miles per hour, in some spots. so, we are going to continue to see that storm system move off to the north and east. but soaking rains in new england. looks like, philadelphia, new york, washington, d.c. we're going to dry out later on this afternoon and then, it becomes cold. that frigid air going over the great lakes, bringing winter

weather to parts of the great lakes, ohio valley, appalachians some winter storm warnings in temperatures in the 40s and 50s. northeast, same story. today, though, much, much colder all right, guys. we're going to talk about the plummeting temperatures because we are looking at temperatures well below what we saw yesterday and some near zero degrees in some spots we'll talk about that in just a bit. still ahead. the british royals and hollywood royalty team up for some festiveness. and we will go live to paris, to e sehow christmas is being celebrated overseas. are-u? enough, crohn's. for adults with moderate to severe crohn's or ulcerative colitis, stelara® can provide relief, and is the only approved medication

to reduce inflammation on and below the surface of the intestine in uc. you, getting on that flight? back off, uc. stelara® may increase your risk of infections, some serious, and cancer. before treatment, get tested for tb. tell your doctor if you have an infection, flu-like symptoms, sores, new skin growths, have had cancer, or if you need a vaccine. rpls, a rare, potentially fatal brain condition, may be possible. some serious allergic reactions and lung inflammation can occur. lasting remission can start with stelara®. if you've been financially impacted by covid-19, janssen may be able to help. secret stops sweat 3x more ♪yo yo yo yo yo yo start your day with secret. than ordinary antiperspirants. with secret you're unstoppable. no sweat. try it and love it or get your money back. secret. ♪ all strength, no sweat

shh! i took mucinex dm for mye phlegmy cough. what about rob's dry cough? works on that too, and lasts 12 hours. 12 hours?! who studies that long? mucinex dm relieves wet and dry coughs. ♪ just one look at you. ♪ and i know it's gonna be... a lovely day. ♪ ♪ lovely day, lovely day. lovely day. ♪ ♪ lovely day. ♪ lovely day, lovely day. ♪ no matter how you celebrate this year, make this holiday extra special with a gift from pandora jewelry. the world is united, in many

ways, this morning, as countries all around the globe find ways to celebrate christmas while, of course, also fighting a pandemic this is truly a holiday season, unlike any other nbc's matt bradley is live for us in paris. merry christmas, matt. what are you seeing over there >> merry christmas i'll start here where notre dame cathedral. it's been nearly two years since the fire that burned through the whole roof of that historic building there was a concert, just last night actually but it was filmed earlier in the month by musicians who were wearing hardhats and, of course, protective masks and basically, a construction outfit for safety because the building is so dangerous and so precarious but now, moving on into the pope's christmas in italy. we had, basically, a midnight mass from pope francis it wasn't celebrated at midnight it was celebrated earlier. again, just like at notre dame,

the timings were changed but it was a very isolated mass where the pope reminded christians to pay attention to the needy and the poor, during these desperate times. now, going a little further east to bethlehem this is what started it all, 2,020 years ago. you know, back then, jesus apparently was born in a manger bu because there was no room at the inn. probably, for the first time in millennia, there was plenty of room at all of the inns. this historic city was almost empty. a very sad, somber, but really spiritual sight in bethlehem, again, the city that started it all. michelle. >> beautiful to see those celebrations, despite the pandemic matt, thank you. still to come here on "early today. how children's hospitals are going above and beyond to spread holiday cheer. plus, honori tnghe unsung heroes from the past year. you're watching "early today." narrow to those whose dogs... also fit under the bed.

no, not that one. ok, that one. meaning, you. you're the one we made mywalgreens for. with pickup in as little as 30 minutes. to make saving, shopping, and holiday chaos...easier. introducing mywalgreens. join at walgreens.com. stores open christmas day. i'm frlocker room managerns. best din the league.nt.com. i'm here to help you protect your clothes from getting damaged in the wash. that's why i use new downy defy. that's what's up! we have an assistant locker room manager? help protect your clothes with new downy defy damage. our essential mist transforms fragrance infused with natural essential oils to create a mist. to invite the scents, comfort and warmth of the season into your home. it's air care, redefined. connect to nature this holiday season. brushing only reaches 25% of your mouth. listerine® cleans virtually 100%. helping to prevent gum disease and bad breath.

never settle for 25%. always go for 100. bring out the bold™ vicks vapopatch. easy to wear with soothing vicks vapors for her, for you, for the whole family. trusted soothing vapors, from vicks

>> twas the night before christmas when, all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse. >> that was prince charles and camilla, the duchess of cornwall, reciting the classic, christmas program in support of the actors benevolent fund

2020 was the year of the unsung hero. teachers, delivery workers, grocery clerks, first responders, and other, essential workers who kept our country moving during our lowest and most dangerous moments here is nbc's harry smith. >> reporter: as many of us have had to hunker down, work from home, we've realized how fortunate we are to be employed. to have a job. yes, the stress is too much. kids remote learning. space. exhaustion stress we are lucky yes, privileged. thankful not to be crammed into an office or an elevator or public transportation. though, we now know it's pretty darn safe. what, though, of the millions of people who keep our world running? from the cops on the beat, to the bus driver down the street, life goes on when the alarm sounds at the fire house, there is no hesitation the ambulance arrives, too

of course, it does masked, we enter the grocery store, or any store for that matter, hoping it's not too crowded. fearing exposure, we scurry through, grab our items, and rush to check out. and there, behind the plexiglass, is the cashier her days are long. even with the masks and protocols, she knows, you know, it's not without risk. the more crowded the store, the higher the anxiety you rush out with your recycled backs. and still, behind the plexiglass, is the cashier hoping not to get sick when covid hit, earlier this year, and thungs shings shut doe leaned hard on deliveries. within weeks, there were new faces and the ever-growing number of vans in the neighborhood there was confusion, some missed packages, and late deliveries. pre-covid, those missteps were

cl and hats off to the restaurants, ghost kitchens, and the people who labor therein. a warm meal from the outside world to our doorstep is welcom relief to the teachers who have improvised and performed their way onto our children's video screens and into their imaginations brilliant and inspiring. here, too, also, to the teachers and teachers aides who have spun yo-yo like, with little assurance schools are properly ventilated or safe yet, still, they show up that is commitment hospitals are overrun. the emotional and physical toll, enormous all those people working to make others well are at risk, every d day. from mds to nurse's aides, pts,

emts, custodians working in a hospital during a pandemic is an act of courage and since early spring, they have spoken with one voice wear a mask, they plead. unfathomable to us is the response of millions who refuse to do so, heartbreaking. just in time, as the year ends, vaccines the technology behind them a must-google. for the volunteers who said, i'll try it, thank you neighbors, friends, relatives, close and distance, and strangers. we value more, these days. what connects us is their kindness, civility knowing that, with cooperation, we will all get through this. >> yes, we will. and let us never forget who was there for us, when we need it most our thanks to harry smith for that incredible tribute. >> yeah. can't say thanks enough to the essential workers out there. after a quick break,

michelle grossman is back with your holiday-weekend forecast. >> plus, bringing smiles to kids in the hospital this holiday san. season. the surfaces in your home in 24 hours. try microban 24. spray on hard surfaces to kill 99.9% of viruses and bacteria initially, including the virus that causes covid-19. once dry, microban forms a bacteria shield that keeps killing bacteria for 24 hours, even after multiple touches. try microban 24. this has been medifacts for microban 24. less sick days! cold coming on? zicam® is clinically proven to shorten colds! highly recommend it! zifans love zicam's unique zinc formula. it shortens colds! zicam zinc that cold! new aveeno® restorative skin therapy. with our highest concentration of prebiotic oat intensely moisturizes over time to improve skin's resilience.

aveeno® healthy. it's our nature™. unstopables in-wash scent booster to improve skin's resilience. downy unstopables sometimes the smallest gestures can be the most refreshing.

give extra, get extra. our essential mist transforms fragrance infused with natural essential oils to create a mist. to invite the scents, comfort and warmth of the season into your home. it's air care, redefined. connect to nature this holiday season. honey honey? new nyquil severe honey is maximum strength cold and flu medicine with soothing honey-licious taste. nyquil honey. the nighttime, sniffling, sneezing, coughing, aching, stuffy head, fever best sleep with a cold medicine. and welcome back to "early today. hopefully, many of us will be getting some layers today because we are looking at a christmas, cold blast. temperatures well below normal for this time of year. look at st. louis, just 28 degrees. i think orlando, that sticks out on the map 53 degrees and it's going to stick around for the weekend we are looking at 41 degrees in

raleigh. savannah, 48 degrees and tampa, 55 we'll be right back. our extended release melatonin helps you sleep longer. and longer. zzzquil pure zzzs all night. fall asleep. stay asleep. ♪ just one look at you. ♪ and i know it's gonna be... a lovely day. ♪ ♪ lovely day, lovely day. lovely day. ♪ ♪ lovely day. ♪ lovely day, lovely day. ♪ no matter how you celebrate this year, make this holiday extra special with a gift from pandora jewelry. kisave it slimeball.ting her congestion.ra special i've upgraded to mucinex. we still have 12 hours to australia. mucinex lasts 12 hours, so i'm good. now move! kim, no! mucinex lasts 3x longer for 12 hours.

for children in the hospital, this christmas, some caregivers are helping to make some special memories. rehema ellis introduces us to the front liners going the extra mile, this year. >> i'm glad i called you >> reporter: this year, santa's making virtual connections. >> what a beautiful smile! oh, my goodness. you made my heart warm >> reporter: spreading holiday cheer, from a distance keeping kids, like 8-year-old spencer dohoerty safe. he's battling lymphoma. >> we're just lucky he is alive and here to share this christmas

with us. >> reporter: cincinnati children's hospital is his home for the holiday. >> i thought it -- it would be a really depressing time and we've had a really great time. >> reporter: activities, once done in groups, are now more personal children's hospitals, across the country, are going out of their way to make this a special season for kids who, not only can't be home but, also, can't be with family because of the pandemic in orlando, the s.w.a.t. team is putting on shows in los angeles, professional athletes are making virtual visits. >> off the top of your head, you think you might want >> asking for a heart. >> reporter: in houston, a drive-through toy dropoff. >> thank you >> reporter: gifts for patients and their siblings in west chester county, new york, holiday-good-night lights. police and paramedics putting on a light show, waving to patients

in the windows and the kids are waving right back. >> we want to support them along their treatment and their medical journey here with us but also emotionally. >> 8-year-old hallie coffey had surgery at texas surgery earlier this month. >> brings a tear to my eye, just because they truly care. and that's such a huge part of recovery >> reporter: holiday joy for children, who need it the most. >> i want to wish you a merry christmas. >> reporter: so, do we rehema ellis, nbc news. >> those are precisely the unsung heroes that we talked about, earlier before his big, christmas delivery spree around the world, santa took a moment to catch some waves he traded his sleigh in for a surfboard. headed right into the ocean off cocoa beach, florida, thursday morning. for the last ten years, hundreds of santa's helpers surfed alongside him but because of the pandemic, the big man had to

ride solo, this year let's hope this is the only year that he won't have his helpers with him. >> so talented what can't he do >> thanks for waking up with us on this christmas morning. i'm phillip mena. i'm phillip mena. >> and i'm michell

- [announcer] the following program is a presentation of the interfaith broadcasting commission. - [woman] merry christmas from marble collegiate church in new york city. this christmas, we invite you to worship with us on this day of good news and great joy when we celebrate jesus's birth. since 1628, the collegiate churches have been serving and uplifting the wonderfully diverse people of new york city. although marble stands just steps from the empire state building on the corner of 29th street and 5th avenue, we have a national and global congregation.