good morning. christmas day explosion. investigators searching for answers this morning after an rv explodes in downtown nashville setting off a massive blast felt for miles. only a few minor injuries as the fbi investigates and the first responders who rushed people to safety before the blast are hailed as heroes. >> the officers saved lives today, and their heroism should be noted. >> who's behind it? is the threat over? we're live in nashville. running on empty.

expanded unemployment benefits expiring for millions of americans today, with president trump still refusing to sign the covid relief bill. what happens now? post christmas crisis. as families gather for the holidays and people ignore warnings to socially distance, health care workers are preparing for the worst. hospitals seeing a record number of patients all across the country. >> we can have a surge on top of a surge on top of a surge in january and february. we're planning for a worst-case scenario. >> we're live with the latest. those stories, plus record returns. with christmas now over, retailers are preparing for up to $70 billion in returns, a number never seen before this year. if you're among those planning to send some things back, how you can do it safely and efficiently. today, saturday, december 26th, 2020. >> announcer: from nbc news,

this is "today" with peter alexander, kristen welker and dylan dreyer. >> welcome to "today" and thank you so much for joining us on this saturday morning. peter and dylan are enjoying the holiday weekend off and we are so happy to have geoff bennett with us this morning. welcome, geoff. >> thank you. >> how was your holiday? >> it was great. lots of food, lots of facetime in our house. >> lots of facetime is a sign of the holiday. lots of gifts as well. let's get to our top story now, the investigation into that powerful christmas explosion right in the heart of nashville. the fbi is on the scene this morning trying to figure out who is responsible and why it happened. nbc's morgan chesky is in nashville with the very latest on all of this. morgan, good morning to you. >> reporter: yeah, kristen, geoff, good morning. the fbi now leading this investigation and agents have a monumental task, scouring blocks of downtown nashville after this

explosion that shattered christmas morning. and today we've learned in the minutes before that rv blew up, a woman's voice that was recorded is heard saying what is now on the front page of the paper. "evacuate now, there is a bomb and it is going to explode." but today, no suspects and no motive. a christmas day explosion rocks music city. a parked rv explodes. ripping the face of downtown businesses, littering the streets with glass breaks and debris. more than 40 buildings damaged, one collapsed. according to authorities, only a few minor injuries. the fbi now leading the investigation into what law enforcement is calling an intentional act. the motive, still unclear. at 5:30 christmas morning police were responding to reports of shots fired on 2nd avenue. when officers arrived, they found no evidence of a shooting but instead came across a

suspicious rv. then nashville police say in an eerie scene, they hear a warning broadcasting from the rv urging people to evacuate immediately. before nashville's hazardous device team could get to the scene, the rv blew up, knocking one of the officers to the ground. the blast occurred in front of an at&t data facility knocking out phone and internet service, including 911 calls, for much of the day. >> as of right now the initial evidence does show that the early morning explosion was a deliberate bomb. >> reporter: nashville musician danny spiral lives downtown and was asleep when it happened. he said the blast threw him out of bed. >> my windows completely caved into my apartment complex. the next thing we're hearing is screams and the sirens going off. i mean it just looked like a war zone. >> reporter: police say they have found what may be human tissue near the explosion, which will be examined. >> the officers saved lives today and their heroism should

be noted. >> reporter: after declaring a similar emergency and issuing a curfew through the weekend, nashville's mayor, john cooper, spoke of his city's determination. >> and a resolve to rebuild and not to be deterred and to bring whoever was responsible for this to justice. >> reporter: and fbi agents expected out here at daybreak today. that scene about four and a half blocks from where i'm standing. the fbi saying that every piece of the explosion could be part of evidence that can track down those responsible. kristen, geoff, we'll send it back to you. >> yeah, the investigation just getting under way. morgan chesky in nashville, thank you for starting us off. we do want to bring in frank g figluzzi, the assistant intelligence director at the fbi and his new book "inside the bureau's code of excellence" is out next week. frank, thank you for being here on a busy news y. let's start with these perplexing set of facts.

you have that blared out a warning. it happened on christmas day so not a lot of people around. what does this tell you about the motive? we also know that that rv was parked near the at&t building. >> yeah. as much as we're talking about what we don't know this morning, there's an awful lot that we do know. and that crime scene and that choice of timing and the building it may have been parked in front of tell us volumes perhaps about who this person is or what his or her intentions might be. so the choice of 6:30 a.m. christmas morning is a deliberate choice that tells us that we know the roads won't be crowded with pedestrians or car traffic, so the intention seems not to be aimed at killing people but rather perhaps sending a message to the office or office buildings in that area. secondly, we see a desire to

draw the police in through this call for suspicious gunfire, which, by the way, might be part of the recording. the sounds that we're hearing from witnesses that they heard of gunshots might even be a recorded message just like the warning to evacuate, but nevertheless it brings police in. so there's a decision here being made to not hurt people right away. now here's what we don't know, kristen. we don't know if that means that this is over, that his target has been achieved and that he's satisfied with what's happened, or whether this is a warning. i can play with the police, i can bring you here, i can choose at my time and place to hurt or not hurt. and that would mean there's more coming. >> frank, it was announced pretty quickly that the fbi would be leading this investigation. is that an indication that this was an act of terrorism? >> we should not draw any conclusions from this other than the fact that after the 9/11

attacks, it's now presumed that something of this size and scope and magnitude of damage will be terrorism unless it can be disproven. that's a reverse of the attitude that took place before 9/11. so don't read anything particularly into this, that there's an international or domestic group tied to this, but rather that we're likely to see federal charges. i would assume that the u.s. attorney's office there would be thinking seriously of a weapons of mass destruction charge because of the magnitude of damage done here. >> and, frank, we know that investigators are examining tissue that was found at the scene. where does the investigation go from here? you mentioned the fact that the suspect hasn't been caught yet. >> yeah. this is what the fbi does best because it's going to surge its laboratory and crime scene technicians from all over the country into this. that tissue will be found to be either human or not and they'll draw as much as they can from it, including possible dna that

could possibly be a match in a dna laboratory, so that's an incredible lead. it might even be the subject's tissue, which means he committed suicide or was destroyed in the bombing. but there's a massive amount of work to be done here. because of the at&t presence, i would start with a team going through all complaint calls, all of the letters and chronic complainers to that particular office and location of that company because that could tie us to a motive. but again, motive isn't really going to drive this investigation. it's the hard physical evidence, security cameras, cctv, eyewitnesses, et cetera, that's going to solve this case. >> the hard work will be getting under way today. frank figluzzi, thanks for the great information, appreciate it. >> sure. now to an anxious america waiting to see if president trump will sign the covid relief bill in his hands today. it comes at a crucial time with expanded unemployment benefits

for mil americans set to run out today. but the president has thrown a wrench into the bipartisan deal. nbc's garrett haake is traveling with the president. good morning. >> reporter: geoff, good morning. the real-world implications of the president's refusal to sign the bill begin today when millions of people will lose coronavirus related aid in the pandemic's deadliest month. president trump tweeting a christmas message to congress from his florida golf club, give our people the money. the president insisting on $2,000 direct payments that his administration negotiated at $600, and so far refusing to sign the $2.3 trillion spending and covid relief bill passed last week. without his signature, aid programs will start to expire today, affecting more than 12 million americans. >> but that would be a tragedy to people who are relying on eviction moratoriums, unemployment insurance, and so many other things in the bill we

need, including money for vaccine distribution. >> reporter: over the last few months we've heard from dozens of americans desperate for help from washington that hasn't come. >> i haven't had a legitimate paycheck since april. >> i can't provide for my kids like i normally would. >> they're literally fiddling while rome is burning. >> reporter: democrats say they'll vote again on the $2,000 payments monday, which congressional republicans blocked last week. overnight, senator lindsey graham, who spent the day golfing with the president, tweeting that mr. trump wants to increase the payments to $2,000. >> it's very difficult to negotiate when the people on the other side of the table don't have the position that they can articulate and that they can support. that makes it very difficult. >> garrett, what happens next then if president trump doesn't sign this bill? >> reporter: yeah, the ball is entirely in the president's court until monday.

he could sign the bill at any time until then. on monday, the house is coming back. they'll vote again to increase the payments to $2,000. they'll probably also vote on an extension of government funding. but if the president still doesn't act by the end of the day monday, the government shuts down. geoff and kristen. >> lots of anxious people watching. garrett, thanks. >> powerful to hear from all of those people. now to the coronavirus crisis, expected to get even worse after the holidays, officials warn people not to gather for christmas, but with many ignoring that advice, hospitals are now preparing for the very worst. nbc's megan fitzgerald is in los angeles tracking these developments. good morning. >> good morning to you. >> reporter: the virus the ravaging the state of california. in los angeles county they saw their deadliest day on christmas eve and by new year's eve officials are expecting to see some 1,400 patients a day and they say there's no end in

sight. this morning millions of americans are waking up in a post-christmas nightmare. >> in the period of three hours, i went to five cardiac arrests. in a period of three hours, that never happens. >> reporter: california now the epicenter of the pandemic where new infections surpassed 2 million in just six weeks. the governor now issuing an ominous warning. >> we can have a surge on top of a surge on top of a surge in january and february. we're planning for worst case scenario. >> reporter: in los angeles county where a person dies every ten minutes from the virus, hospitals are in crisis and icus are running out of space. there was no celebrating christmas for those on the front line and the patients they're fighting to save. >> to go into a patient's room with an ipad and show the family their loved one through an ipad and have them wish them a merry christmas, it's heartbreaking. >> reporter: but despite so much

sorry, many determined to save tradition, gathering ind♪ . many gathering for church services despite dire warnings from health officials. similar scenes at airports across the nation. tsa saying nearly 1.2 million americans traveled on wednesday, marking the busiest travel day since the pandemic began. >> i'm nervous, but i'm confident i'm not going to transmit anything to my family. >> reporter: amid the holiday rush, a new requirement for folks heading to the u.s. from the uk, where a more contagious strain of the virus is ravaging. you have to have a negative test within three days of flying. as we head into the new year, health officials agree this holiday surge could be the deadliest yet. and important to note that hospitals are expecting to see 1,400 hospitalizations by the end of next week, by new year's eve, and health officials here in los angeles county are now testing for the strain of the virus seen in the uk.

because it spreads more easily, officials want to know if it's here and contributing to the surge. kristen and geoff. >> meagan fitzgerald in los angeles, thank you. also this morning the duke university women's basketball team has cut its season short. the blue devils announced friday that they will endi their seaso after just four games around concerns of the coronavirus and two players testing positive. they are the first power five team to drop out after starting the season. duke says all its other teams including the men's basketball squad, will continue as planned. meanwhile the only woman on federal death row might be getting a reprieve. a federal judge delayed the trump administration's scheduled execution of lisa montgomery after two of her lawyers tested positive for coronavirus. the decision could push montgomery's execution date past inauguration day. president-elect joe biden says he opposes the death penalty, although it's unclear if he would halt this execution. montgomery was convicted of

killing a pregnant woman and cutting her baby out of her womb. her legal team says she is mentally ill. disturbing story. let's take a turn and get a first check of the forecast from bill karins who's in for dylan this morning. hey, bill, happy birthday day after christmas. >> yes, the hangover day, right? the beginning of a weekend at least. we have that going for us. good morning, everyone. it is a cold and chilly morning. i had to make sure this isn't a misprint. it's 11 degrees in lexington, kentucky, this morning, one of the coldest spots on the map. but it's in florida where our temperature is this morning. temperatures are cold but it looks like the orange groves and the strawberry crops are doing just fine. 12 million people are impacted by this freeze, though. it's one of those mornings that you have to search for the jacket in the closet. it's going to be about 55, that's it for a high temperature. in orlando that is a very chilly day. at least it will be sunny. right behind it a big warmup already and that's been the theme this winter. brief cold shots and then warming right up.

look at dallas, today and tomorrow temperatures in the 60s, sunday 71 and that warm air makes it all the way to the mid-atlantic by the time we get to early next week. we're actually going to see a and we have rain move through yesterday. finally seeing a couple of showers push through san jose right now. 54 degrees in walnut creek, 56 in san francisco. and we will see a couple of those lingering showers begin to clear out by the afternoon. taking a look right now on our storm ranger. you can see those showers passing through the south way. into san jose, the gilroy area as well. by this afternoon expect to see temperatures in the mid and upper 50s, low 60s. >> coming up i'm going to talk about the next storm on the map in the west. that's the next storm that will move coast to coast. >> holiday weekend. all right, bill, thank you for that. still to come, a very royal

christmas. how the holidays with the queen are looking very different this year. plus, did you get a christmas gift that wasn't quite right for you? everything you need to know about holiday returns. but first, these messages.

we are back on a saturday morning with the weekly download, our look back at the week's biggest stories. >> among them, the investigation and outrage after an unarmed black man died at the hands of police yet again. >> shocking body camera footage showed an ohio police officer fatally shooting an unarmed black man named andre hill as he walked out of a home where he was a guest. >> you see officer adam coy approaching a garage. hill is inside walking toward the officer with a cell phone in one hand, the other out of view.

within seconds the officer shoots. >> it took five minutes before hill was given any first aid. >> that is a stunning disregard for life. and in this case, black life. >> reporter: the columbus police chief has recommended officer coy should be fired. an explosion rocks a gas and electric building in baltimore. >> we have victims on the roof. i have at least one victim down. >> reporter: the building's roof partially collapsed, trapping workers inside and leaving two window washers dangling ten stories above the ground before they were rescued. scandal at west point military academy. more than 70 cadets accused of cheating on a remotely administered calculus exam last may. >> i think anyone that doesn't recognize that this is such an important opportunity that they feel that it's okay to cheat doesn't belong at the academy. >> two cadets have since been

cleared, four have left the academy. 55 have confessed to cheating and eight denied being involved. >> to all the medical staff at tallahassee memorial i just want to say thank you for all the support you gave me. >> keyontae johnson made it home in time for the holidays after he collapsed in the middle of a game and was hospitalized for ten days. while it's not clear what caused him to fall face first on the court, his parents are breathing a sigh of relief, posting today is a great day. keyontae is being released from the hospital. we look forward to spending christmas together as a family. some of the week's wildest moments caught on camera. the scary moment a man shot a pennsylvania police officer and escaped custody. police are still searching for the suspect who was handcuffed when he shot the officer. the kilauea volcano on hawaii's big island erupted

after a series of small earthquakes, sending a plume of ash high into the sky. and a firefighter in pennsylvania broke a window in order to rescue this dog who was trapped in a burning barn. and finally, paralympian gave 2-year-old k.j. dire some words of encouragement as k.j. took steps with his prosthetic legs. he said it's kids like k.j. that are his motivation. >> k.j.'s parents better watch out because once they start walking, they take off. >> it is so incredible, he is so inspiring. >> we need more moments like that. >> we sure do. still to come on "today," what a year it has been. we'll take a year back at a very busy news year. plus from movies to musicians. how the entertainment world

adapt to the new normal this year. first, these messages.

good morning. it is saturday, december 26th as we wake up on a wet morn the day after christmas. a live look over san jose. good morning. thank you so much for joining us. vianey has a look at our microclimate forecast. it was pouring on my drive in this morning but the weather is kind of nice. it's mild out there. >> it is mild. it's so nice to see rain in san jose because, you know, san jose falls in that rain shadow so it definitely doesn't typically get a majority of the rain when we do get storms.

53 degrees right now san jose. for the rest of the day, though, we are going to see those lingering showers begin to clear out by the afternoon, so we do have our very own normal doppler radar up and scanning. you can see some of the rain that just passed through san jose right now pushing through parts of gilroy as well and into the tri-valley. aside from that by the afternoon we're going to be very comfortable in the upper 50s for san francisco, 59 degrees. half moon bay, 58. san jose topping out in the low 60s. so overall going to be comfortable, partly sunny. those lingering showers will clear out by this afternoon. and more rain on the way tomorrow night and full forecast coming up at 7:00 a.m. >> we'll see you then. thanks so much. coming up at 7:00 a.m., the fight for relief. the stimulus relief bill is sitting on the president's mar-a-lago desk in florida. he still hasn't signed it, and it's not clear if he will or to veto it.

the president continues to call for an increase in the amount each american will get. if trump does not sign the government will shutdown beginning on tuesday and not to mention all the current benefits including unemployment money will run out for roughly 14 million americans impacted by this pandemic. meantime locally small businesses across the bail area are waiting for that relief. an owner is telling us the loans on the last stimul bill back in march is now gone. he says his restaurant received about $175,000. but now he's under another shutdown order he's going to need more financial help to keep things running and workers paid. >> we are now winter the second wave of covid, and it's going to hit us even harder now because we spend all this money on tents, food. >> businesses are limited in how they can spend the relief funds. he says the restaurant spent most of its first relief loan on

payroll. the stimulus relief plus all your top stories coming up at 7:00. we hope to see you then. in the meantime we'll send you back to "today."

we are back on this saturday morning, december 26th, 2020. our final saturday show of the year, if you can believe it. that's a welcome sight, the 2021 sign showing up in new york city's times square. new year's eve is expected to look a lot different this year, of course. normally a million or so people would crowd times square, but this year no one will be allowed to watch the ball drop in person except for a handful of invited guests. hard to see that times square so empty and to imagine it empty on new year's eve. >> totally. let's begin this half hour with a check of the headlines

starting with that scary explosion in nashville on christmas day. investigators are searching for answers this morning after an rv exploded downtown setting off a massive blast felt for miles. more than 40 buildings were damaged, but fortunately only a few minor injuries were reported because police quickly cleared the area before the bomb went off. now, law enforcement officials are calling the explosion an intentional act, but there is no word yet on a suspect or a motive. and it was a record-setting christmas day for new orleans saints running back alvin kamara. he had six touchdowns in the saints victory over the minnesota vikings, tying the nfl record for touchdowns in a single game. that was set in 1929 by hall of famer ernie nevers. his six touchdowns helped the saints clinch the nfc south title for the fourth straight year. way to go. and if your christmas celebrations looked different this year, you're not alone.

covid is responsible for so many changes and britain's royal family is no exception. sarah harman has more on how the queen celebrated the holiday and how 2020 has changed the royal family for good. >> i'm very glad to have been able to join you. >> reporter: it was the year even her majesty learned to zoom. the pandemic upending years of royal tradition, forcing the queen to abandon her beloved christmas ritual. instead of attending church with her nearest and dearest at her country estate, the 94-year-old monarch spent a quiet christmas at windsor castle with her husband, prince philip. using her annual christmas speech to praise those who kept calm and carried on. >> in the united kingdom and around the world, people have risen magnificently to the challenges of the year. and i'm so proud and moved by this indom itable spirit.

>> reporter: her family personally touched by the virus. prince charles and prince william testing positive for covid this spring. headline news in a year that was chockful of royal drama. at the top of the list harry and meghan's shocked decision to step down as working members of the royal family and start a new chapter in california. back in england, prince william and kate revealing their less formal side, speaking openly about the challenges of juggling three children and home schooling during lockdown. >> yeah, home schooling is fun. >> reporter: for disgraced prince andrew, the year went from bad to worse with u.s. prosecutors seeking to speak with him about his relationship with convicted pedophile jeffrey epstein. even the on-screen royals couldn't escape a little controversy. >> so where do i fit in? >> reporter: the debut of charles and diana in season four of "the crown" prompting the

british government toall for the sers to have a disclaimer warning that it's fiction, a request netflix refused. back in reality as the pandemic rages on, the royals will likely continue swapping pomp and circumstance for masks and social distancing well into the new year. for "today," sarah harman, nbc news, london. >> i of course love the royals, but i thought the queen had a great message, strength and unity and coming together. >> and she's using zoom and facetime like the rest of us now. >> the royals, they're just like us. who would have known. let's get another check of the forecast from bill karins, who's also just like us but he knows everything about the weather. >> we could say trying to use zoom. if anyone was like my family yesterday, we had like 30 of us on a call and it was just nuts. let's track this next storm that's moving across the country. this one is not going to be like the last one. the last one had so many problems with it. this was more of your typical storm bringing snow to the higher elevations.

we would love, just love to get some wet weather in southern california but this isn't the storm for you. just a little light rain towards santa barbara. southern california is just desperate for rain. they're in their rainy season and it just hasn't rained yet, it's ridiculous. we have hopes for next week. this storm will be in the mountains and we'll get a little snow on sunday for our friends in minnesota and wisconsin. not a blockbuster but a couple of inches making things a little slick. for today's forecast, it is very cold. everyone in florida has to go in their closets and dig for any hats and gloves and jackets. temperatures only in the 50s for highs, 30s this morning. the middle of the country is warming up nicely. one of my best pick cities, san antonio, houston, dallas, temperatures in the upper 60s. tomorrow we'll warm up a little bit on the eastern seaboard. a nice quiet, but cool and we've got a couple of hundredths of an inch. additional to the rain last night we were getting some rain

finally in san jose waking up to some pet pavement. live look right now in downtown san jose, about 53 degrees. we'll see some of those lingering showers sticking around to about 10:00 a.m. expecting a dry saturday after that. a live look right now. you can see some of that rain continuing to trek east down through gilroy. temperatures will be mild in the 50s and low 60s. >> my family zoom call had one of those echo calls where you couldn't figure out why it was echoing, so everyone had to hang up one at a time. >> i think that's what families are experiencing all across the country. i spent a lot of time on zoom yesterday. bill karins, thank you so much for that. appreciate it. just ahead, did you receive a few holiday gifts you didn't want? we'll tell you the best ways and the easiest ways to get those the new myww+ is our most holistic program ever. you get more of what you need to help you lose weight! more simplicity with what's in your fridge? which suggests meals based on what you have. more motivation with on-demand workout classes.

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we are back with today's holiday consumer. on this day after christmas, millions of americans are expected to return a lot of what they bought or were gifted this holiday season, up to $70 billion worth of products. how can you safely do those returns? kimberly palmer is with nerd wallet. she's also the author of "smart mom, rich mom." kim, good morning. thanks for joining us. really appreciate it. >> thanks for having me. >> so let's dive right into this. obviously a lot of returns happening right now, a lot of holiday shopping happened online this year.

so what exactly do you recommend for online returns? >> well, we expect to see a lot of online returns this year. at nerd wallet we found that 67% of shoppers were making most of their purchases online. that's an increase over last year. we expect to see that same trend with returns. there are ways to make it easier. number one, you want to keep all of your packaging. don't throw out those boxes and bags until you're sure you don't need them because you can actually save money by reusing them. second, you want to document your return. keep careful track of the receipts, the tracking number, just in case the item gets delayed or lost in the mail. it makes it much easier to follow up with the company. and then thirdly, consider scheduling a pickup with fedex or u.p.s. it can cost a little bit more but for people who want to avoid going out, it can be worth it. >> so really good tips there. what return deadlines are helpful to keep in mind this

holiday season? >> well, the good news is that most retailers do extend their holiday return windows. many of the big retailers, for example, amazon, target and walmart give you through january to make those returns. it does depend on the store so be sure to check the policy before you go in to make your return or mail it back. it also can depend on the type of item that it is. for example, with electronics you typically have a shorter return window. you also want to check the benefits that come with your credit cards because some credit cards give you extra return protection. card issuers like american express and mastercard offer some of those benefits. if you shop at target using your target red card, you get an extra 30 days to make returns. >> always read the fine print, right? well, if you decide that you want to ship or go into the store to make those returns, i know there are some other good tips you should be keeping in mind. what are they? >> well, it's really important

to kw tnot you may have to pay for the shipping for those returns. so a lot of retailers are not offering free shipping on those returns. it's also good to know this is a unique year. we expect to see more returns than ever. typically we expect to see about 30% of online purchases getting returned. but because that number is likely so much higher this year, a lot of retailers are offering alternative options. so it's really worth calling and checking to see if they'll offer you a partial or even a full refund without mailing back the item. they might ask you to donate it or even keep it, especially if it arrived at all damaged. you also want to know that even if you made your purchases online, you can sometimes make the returns in person and save on shipping that way. amazon and kohl's, for example, have a partnership. if you make purchases on amazon, you can make the returns in person at kohl's.

>> great information that so many folks will be able to use as they think about those returns. kimberly palmer, really appreciate it. happy new year to you. >> you too, thank you. coming up next, how the en i just assumed all bladder leak pads felt the same. but nothing makes me feel like always discreet boutique. outside, it's soft like underwear. inside, it turns liquid to gel. for incredible protection, that feels like nothing but my underwear. always discreet. essential for sewing, but maybe not needles.

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♪ i was born right in theof my doorway♪ and drinking lipton every day. ♪ i don't know where i am, ♪ i don't know where i've been ♪ but i know where i wanna go we're back on a saturday morning with a look at how the entertainment industry changed this year. >> it sure has. from virtual concerts to late night hosts in their basement and award shows without

audiences. this is a year we will never forget. nbc's joe fryer has more. >> reporter: when the year began no one would have batted an eye at a sight like this, a packed indoor concert. before long, though, stadium stages were replaced by living room live streams. ♪ as the coronavirus pandemic grounded music tours, shuttered broadway shows and upended the entertainment industry. >> you're watching a very special social distancing edition of "the late show." >> reporter: late night shows adapted early. >> the second time for monologue. >> reporter: "saturday night live" reinventing itself in the age of zoom. >> and live from zoom, it's sometime between march and august. >> yeah! >> reporter: viewers were stuck at home too with plenty of time on their hands. it's why streaming surged with netflix seeing record-breaking growth. for many viewers, one show was king. the documentary series "tiger

king" captivated the country in the early days of the lockdown. >> i've been doing this 20 years and never even been bit. >> reporter: but for the big screen, a different story, as movie theaters were shut down. over the summer, cinemas in some parts of the country did reopen with limited capacity, showing films like "tenant." yet most blockbusters kept delays their releases. by year's end, warner brothers reshuffled the movie model, announcing that "wonder woman 1984" and all of its 2021 films would be released on the streaming service hbomax the same day they're released in theaters. it wasn't all bad news for theaters. drive-ins experienced a renaissance allowing for not just socially distant movies, but also concerts. ♪ here's to the girls >> reporter: creativity flourished, broadway went

virtual. so did awards shows, including the emmys, with trophies delivered to winners by presenters in hazmat tuxedos. ♪ and the pandemic could not stop taylor swift, who produced not one, but two new albums in quarantine. hollywood production did finally resume following strict covid protocols. >> taking covid tests. i know it's going to be worth it world series from "the bachelorette" to the audience-free "voice" fictional shows even reflected our new reality. >> he's got it. >> he's got the corona? >> reporter: as hollywood still found ways to entertain us in a year when we needed it most. for "today," joe fryer, nbc news. >> lots of shows, movies and music that got us through some tough times. >> that's for sure. including snl being live again, thank goodness. still to come, the smooth ves of amo

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skies there, some haze, but a mild morning overall. 53 degrees there right on your screen. good morning. thanks for starting your weekend with us. last weekend of 2020. vianey riana has a look at our microclimate forecast. >> good morning, keira, and it is pretty mild to start. 56 degreess right now in san francisco. and we still have a couple of those lingering showers. the final stretch of that christmas storm that pushed through. and we will be seeing an overall pretty nice day ahead. we're going to clear out by this afternoon. but it was nice to wake up to rain in san jose because that's one of those areas that didn't get as much rain compared to the coastal mountains. definitely a sight to see there. and live look right now at storm ranger. you can see things have significantly calmed down and

we're now going to be notice beautiful skies ahead. temperatures topping out in the upper 50s, low 60s. oakland 60 through napa and santa rosa we're talking upper 50s. so partly sunny and then by tomorrow a second storm moving in. i'll talk about that and what that's going to mean for sierra snow and for us locally coming up at 7:00 a.m. well, we are back to tracking the pandemic as we wrap up this christmas holiday. just yesterday 39,000 more californians were infected with covid-19. and it's the hospitalizations that are concerning. on christmas eve the state set a new record for the number of people in hospitals. more than 19,700 patients. this morning less than 10% of standard icu beds are open in the bay area. but take a look at our neighbors in the san joaquin valley and in southern california. hospitals there are out of icu beds. in l.a. some hospital emergency rooms are full and they're running out of oxygen tanks.

we're also tracking a covid-19 outbreak at a womens federal prison in dublin. 185 inmates out of about 900 total have been infected along with three prison staff. this is the same prison where actresses lor lei loughlin and. we're tracking the president and that relief bill he still has not signed. we'll have that plus all your top stories and vianey's full forecast coming up at 7:00. in the meantime we'll send you back to "today." it's not easy now with this pandemic. second harvest makes me really really happy. meatballs, mexican rice, chicken enchiladas, and mole. for almost twenty years. *speaking in spanish

good morning. christmas day explosion. investigators searching for answers this morning after an rv explodes in downtown nashville, setting off a massive blast felt for miles. amazingly only a few minor injuries reported, as the fbi investigates and the first responders who rushed people to safety before the blast are hailed as heroes. >> the officers saved lives today and their heroism is to be noted. >> who's behind it? is the threat over? we're live in nashville. running on empty.

expanded unemployment benefits expiring for millions of americans today, with president trump still refusing to sign the covid relief bill. what happens now? and 2020 vision. we'll look back at a year like no other, from the pandemic to politics. >> it's a rigged election. >> the moments of strife. the times of hope. >> they have won it all in 2020! >> a reminder of all we've been through and how we've pulled through it together. today, saturday, december 26th, 2020. good morning and welcome back to "today" on a saturday morning. peter is enjoying the holiday weekend off. our thanks to geoff bennett for being here. geoff, it's so great to have you here and it is just remarkable to think about everything that's happened in 2020. >> it's a year we won't forget for a number of reasons. >> that is for sure. 2021, here we come. we are ready for you. you are here of course on a very busy news day, so let's get right to today's top story and the investigation now under way

into that christmas day explosion in the heart of nashville. the feds on the scene this morning trying to figure out who is responsible and why it happened. nbc's morgan chesky is in nashville live with the very latest. morgan, good morning to you. >> reporter: yeah, kristen, geoff, good morning to you. the fbi now leading this investigation. agents frankly have a monumental task ahead of them. that will be scouring block after block filled with debris after this explosion that shattered a christmas day silence. that scene taking place just about four and a half blocks from where we're standing. police were dispatched to that area on 2nd avenue around 5:30 christmas day morning. that's when they encountered this suspicious rv that was playing a message of a woman's recorded voice saying "evacuate now, a bomb is going to explode." now, police did their best to do that, knocking on doors trying to get everyone out of the way. the bomb squad was called to the scene but before they could arrive the rv exploded, shattering 40 buildings and causing at least one collapse in

that area. we know that it was parked in front of an at&t data center. that explosion knocking out internet, cell phone service and 911 calls for the better part of the day. meanwhile three people were taken to a nearby hospital with minor injuries. we're told they are expected to be okay. today agents expected back here on the scene looking for any evidence that could lead them to find the person responsible, because at this point no suspect's named, no motive given. we'll send it back to you. >> all right, morgan chesky in nashville. thank you, morgan. a lot of anxious americans are watching the president closely today waiting to see if he'll sign the covidid relief bl totoda comes at a crucial time expanded unemployment benefits for millions of americans set to run out today. but the president says he wants americans to get more money than what's allowed for in the current bill. nbc's garrett haake is traveling with the president. garrett, good morning. >> reporter: hey, geoff, good morning. yeah, the president is more determined than ever to keep pushing for $2,000 direct

payments instead of the $600 payments that his administration negotiated. that's according to senator lindsey graham who spent the day golfing with the president yesterday. graham also said he finds the president's demands reasonable but it's far from clear how many of his senate republicans will agree. now, because the president decided not to sign the bill yesterday, some 12 million americans will begin to lose their expanded unemployment benefits today. more pandemic-related aid programs will expire over the coming days and weeks if the president continues to choose not to act on the bill that's on his desk. the house will be back in session on monday. they plan to vote again on trying to increase those direct payments from 600 to $2,000. remember, house republicans blocked the last vote on christmas eve. now, the house will probably also volt on some kind of extension of government funding. if the president chooses not to sign either that extension or the bill on his desk now by the end of the day monday, the government shuts down. geoff and kristen, back to you. >> garrett haake, thank you.

and also this morning, nba hall of famer k.j. jones has died. jones won eight consecutive championships with the boston celtics in the 1960s and led the team to two more titles as head coach. he was also an olympic gold medalist and two-time ncaa champion at the university of san francisco where he played with bill russell. jones was just one of seven players to win a college title, an nba title and an olympic gold medal, achieving basketball's triple crown. k.j. jones was 88 years old. what a legacy. >> indeed. now it's time for a little morning boost. we all know delivery workers have been working around the clock this holiday season to get us our packages. well, one delivery person is spreading a little extra cheer on his route with some epic dance moves. take a look at this. ♪ you saw him hit the splits right

there. that amazon worker was dropping off a package in providence, rhode island, when the camera caught his moves. the homeowner saw the security footage and posted it to facebook where it quickly went viral for good reason. she was able to track down the driver who was actually dancing to p. diddy in his headphones. he said he appreciates the love and energy and was happy it could put a smile on lots of people's faces. >> great moves there. so that's why those packages were delayed. >> at least on his route. >> exactly. we should all dance a little bit when we do our jobs, right, bill karins? what do you think? it could mix up your weather forecast a little bit. >> if i could just get out of this chair. yeah, the lighting was great on that too. reminded me of billie jean back in the day with michael jackson, it was fantastic. let's talk about your chilly saturday forecast. it is cold. it is cold from the southern tip of florida northward. windchill is negative 2 in kentucky. in orlando, it's 32. in miami, that's cold by your standards, you're not happy, 44.

probably one of the coldest winter days that you'll have this season. as far as the snow goes, we have a couple of heavy lake-effect snows. the worst weather is buffalo southwards. we've had a report near hamburg of 14 inches of snow. you're expecting 8 to 12 inches of snow in buffalo today. a heavy snow band will shift your way. north of syracuse up towards watertown, someone could end up with 2 to 3 feet of snow. the lakes aren't frozen yet and that's the reason why. the rest of the country after the chilly start, lots of sunshine out there but we do have mountain snow in

>> i'm trying to picture which one of you is the better dancer. maybe you can answer it for us. >> i'll go with geoff for sure. >> i'll own it. >> wow! >> bundle up and dance today. that will keep you warm. all right, bill karins, thank you. appreciate it. good to see you. well, 2020, the year in review. you won't want to miss this one. that's right aft this.er when the only thing that matters is being together, why not bring the holidays to a vrbo vacation home. somewhere with more space to get closer to the people you love. ♪ ♪ your together awaits. with vrbo

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>> a new mystery virus from china. >> a variation of the coronavirus. >> all the victims believe to have visited the same meat and seafood market in wuhan. >> first confirmed case so far in the united states. >> a surge in coronavirus cases on a quarantined ship. >> they're here to take you right now. >> yeah, they are. >> the risk to the american people remains very low. >> tapping vice president pence to head up the administration's coronavirus response. >> millions urged to work from home. airlines now cancelling flights. >> the virus now in every region of this country. >> we don't have enough tests today. >> wall street's worst day in more than a decade. a growing list of schools, events, conferences and concerts called off. >> the olympics postponed. >> chshoppers rushing to storeso buy essentials. >> the world health organization is classifying virus as a global

pandemic. >> the flu has the mortality of 0.1%. this has the mortality of ten times that. >> new york city becomes the red hot center. >> you pick the 26,000 people who are going to die because you only sent 400 ventilators. >> everybody describes the critical care units as war zones. >> the u.s. now leading in deaths. >> they are recommending people in hot spots to wear face masks. >> heart breaking images like these from americans flooding food banks. >> calling for the end to the economic lockdown. >> i'm not going to let the cure be worse than the problem. >> nearly every state in the country back to business. >> operation warp speed. >> vaccine or no vaccine, we're back. >> millions flocking to pools and beaches over memorial day weekend. >> social distancing is absolutely critical. >> today we're hitting 200,000 deaths. >> each person was so much more than a number. >> the president tests positive for the coronavirus. >> an unannounced trip to walter reed. >> i learned a lot about covid. >> thanksgiving struggled.

>> hospitals running out of beds, log jams at testing sites. >> tsa has processed more than 7 million passengers. >> nothing is stopping me. nothing. >> the fda formally authorizes emergency use of pfizer's coronavirus fax evaccine. >> this is when we've been praying for. >> health care workers lining up to receive their shots, just as the u.s. surpasses 300,000 covid deaths. >> an american is now dying every 36 seconds. >> this is the reality of what covid really looks like. >> the trial of president trump. >> so help you god. >> do not seriously contest any of the allegations against the president. >> the only one who should be embarrassed, mr. nadler, is you. >> the state of our union is stronger than ever before. >> acquitted of the charges in said articles. >> acquitted of abusing power and obstructing congress. >> nothing wrong, but this is what the end result is.

>> so help me god. >> amy coney barrett becomes the newest supreme court justice. >> i will do my job without any fear or favor. >> the democratic ticket now official, joe biden and kamala harris capping an historic convention. >> the first presidential debate of the season. >> would you shut up, man. >> proud boys, stand back and stand by. >> the far tamer more traditional debate. >> people are learning to die. >> it's china's fault. it's a rigged election. get rid of the ballots and there won't be a transfer frankly. >> joe biden has won the keystone state, pennsylvania. >> we can now project that former vice president joe biden has been elected president of the united states. >> we did it, we did it, joe! >> i pledge to be a president for seeks not to divide but unify. >> i may be the first woman in this office. i will not be the last. >> 20 votes for the honorable joseph r. biden.

>> the electoral college officially seals his victory. >> the trump campaign and republicans filed 56 legal challenges. 50 of those have been denied, dismissed or withdrawn. >> the flame of democracy will live in this nation a long time ago. we now know nothing, not even a pandemic or an abuse of power can extinguish that flame. >> father and son accused of chasing and gunning down an unarmed black man. >> the family says the 25-year-old was just out for a jog. >> this is one of the most heinous crimes i think we've seen in this generation. >> i can't breathe. >> a black man pinned to the ground, later dying after a white officer kneeled on his neck. >> thousands of protesters storming cities across the country. >> police now advancing on protesters. >> the flash bangs are continuing to go off. >> presidential photo op in

front of a fire damaged church. >> all we want to see is those who want to turn this into something that it's not. please stop. >> a 26-year-old former emt was shot to death back in march when police with a no-knock warrant entered her apartment. >> protests erupt from coast to coast. no homicide charges for the officers involved. >> nascar bans the confederate flag. >> over a dozen cities had their statues toppled to the ground. >> washington redskins revealed they'll drop their controversial nickname. >> the r word is the n word and we can no longer tolerate this kind of hate speech in our society. >> harvey weinstein found guilty of rape. >> he kept saying over and orve again i am innocent. >> he was him and i was me, but that's changed now. >> the arrest of jeffrey epstein's long-time confidant. >> maxwell enticed a line of

girls and delivered them into the trap. >> he was one of the co-conspirators. she might have been as bad as he was. >> the two largest blazes in colorado's history. >> forcing the evacuations of thousands. >> i feel like i want to cry. >> no end in sight. more than 500 fires burning out of control across california. >> the devastation is just amazing. >> there is something so fundamental that also cannot be denied, and that is climate change. >> tropical storm cristobal. >> hurricane hannah. >> hurricane laura slams into the gulf coast overnight. >> targeting the already ravaged gulf coast. >> how could this be happening again? chiefs are super bowl champions here in miami! >> we won the super bowl! >> tampa bay lightning have won the stanley cup! >> and that's it, it's over. >> lebron james and the lakers crowned nba champions. >> the dodgers have won it all in 2020!

>> bryant for the win. >> you can't do it better than this. ♪ lean on me when you're not strong ♪ ♪ you've got to know when to hold 'em ♪ >> i'm regis philbin. >> you want a piece of me? you got it! >> the host of "jeopardy," alex trebek. >> in my lifetime, i expect three, four, perhaps even more women on the high court bench.

>> when you see something that is not right, not just, not fair, you have a moral obligation to say something, to do something. >> what an unbelievable look back. it takes your breath away. you get emotional looking at all of that. it's a year, it feels a little bit more like a decade. what stands out to you, geoff, of all the stories you covered? >> aside from the pandemic and the election, i think for me personally what resonated was covering the memorial services for the late congressman elijah cummings and then justice ruth bader ginsburg and congressman john lewis. three towering figures lost in one year. >> yeah, it was just such a loss, all of them. we looked back at so many lives we lost this year. i think for me, having to moderate the debate will really stand out for me this year. there was so much at stake.

12 days before the election, so many critical issues that you just named. the pandemic really being at the top of that list and this incredible team effort here at nbc to make that happen. speaking of a team effort, we do want to thank the folks who put that beautiful piece together, coordinating producer, associate producer and editor melissa lang, just remarkable, remarkable work by all of them. wid we christmas eve... everybody spends the night at the house. i love christmas, i always did. it's loud, it's family being together. a lot of food, music, people, hugs. that's a perfect christmas. ♪ ♪ ♪

that is going to do it for us on a saturday morning. our final saturday of 2020, what a year it has been. geoff, thanks for being here. great job. >> thanks for having me. thank you. enjoy your day, stay safe and have a happy new year, everybody. >> happy new year.

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television that is educational and informational. 're watching the more you know on nbc. lauren: i'm lauren thompson, and "the champion within: going for gold" starts right now. today, we meet fencer kamali thompson, who has bigger dreams than olympic gold. kamali: so my high school coach convinced my mom that fencing would be a really great way to get a college scholarship, and that was it. lauren: then, veteran mike morales finds solace, peace, and much more on the golf course. mike: i just feel completely at ease and relaxed on a golf course. lauren: and noah lyles is one of the fastest men on earth, but there's more to him than meets the eye. noah: this is my art room. this is kind of just where all the magic of my creativity just