the richmond bridge, the same thing at the golden gate bridge. do watch out. we don't have the iconic fog. we have water on the lens. so there you go. same thing for the windshield. >> okay. soub sounds good. >> the "today" show is next. just ahead, the fight ahead on capitol hill. and when those checks could be headed your way. new twist -- federal authorities identified suspect in the bizarre christmas morning bombing in nashville saying he died in the blast.

>> he was present when the bomb went off and he perished in the bombing. >> but a motive still unclear. we'll talk to the man leading the investigation as the hero officers who saved lives. had time to try and help people clear out. >> and the people they rescued share their emotional stories for the first time. >> we had two angels show up on christmas morning on our doorstep and they happened to be police officers. viral wildfire, and warning of more crisis as more americans are traveling in the holidays. >> as we get into the next few weeks, it might actually get worse. >> and this morning new concerns over the vaccine's rollout two weeks in. why haven't more americans received their shots?

>> heading home. lo lori loughlin is released from prison this morning after the college admission scandal. >> phone fight. a woman falsely accused a black teenager of stealing her iphone. >> are you kidding me? do you feel there's only one iphone in the world? >> reporter: the confrontation caught on camera and where that woman's actual phone was during the heated dispute. all that plus snow contest. >> rodgers will go for the touchdown and does! >> aaron rodgers leading the green bay packers in a blowout win at a snowy lambeau field. >> looking for his fourth touchdown pass of the night gets it. >> as the nfl's playoff picture becomes clearer today, monday, december 28, 2020. >> announcer: from nbc news, this is "today" with savannah

guthrie and hoda kotb, from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. welcome to "today" and thank you for joining us this monday morning. savannah and hoda are taking some well deserved time off. we are glad to have kristen welker in this monday morning. how was your weekend? >> it was a lot of eating and we have so much to get to this morning. including the overnight developments on the frightening details from nashville. >> the bracing news overnight on a new round of coronavirus relief, after days of opposition to a bill his own aides negotiated, president trump seems to have relented and he has signed that package into

law. >> garrett haake has the very latest, including what it all means for your wallet. good morning to you. >> with the stroke of a pen, president donald trump reversed course, freeing up hundreds of billions in pandemic aid, ending a last-minute crisis of his own crease. >> reporter: president trump ending with a pen what he began with a video message last week. >> it really is a disgrace. >> reporter: the president signing into law a $2.3 trillion spending bill, funding the government through september and unlocking $900 billion in coronavirus-related aid. it provides hundreds of billions to small baseds and billions more for vaccine distribution. it also extends a federal eviction moratorium. it restarts two federal unemployment programs that lapsed saturday while the president was withholding his support. over the weekend the lawmakers

from across the political spectrum urged the president to stop the holdout and act. >> i understand he wants to be remembered for advocating for big checks, but the danger is he'll be remembered for chaos and misery and erratic behavior if he allows this to expire. >> reporter: the president's desire to extend the bill comes with strings attached. the white house saying that the senate will vote to more than triple direct payments to people to more than $2,000. and senate majority leader mitch mcconnell praising the president's leadership for preventing a government shutdown when our nation got have afforded one. this missouri mother of five shellie hanes said she wishes she could show congress how much

she could need that money. >> here's my basic household bills, here's how much my rent is and utilities. show me how i make this work with the $600 and the 2,000. the math isn't there but something is better than nothing. we need help now. >> reporter: the other promises that the president says he secured from congress won't probably amount to much, because their session ends saturday. kristen? >> garrett, what does this mean for when the people will get the stimulus checks in their hands? >> if you got the last stimulus check by direct deposit, you can expect this one by the first week of the new year and at that $600 level. >> thank you, garrett haake and millions of americans waiting for that relief. thank you. >> a break into the investigation into that terrifying bombing that rocked downtown nashville on christmas morning. federal authorities have now identified the bomber as a 63-year-old i.t. serviceman, who they say also died in the blast.

in a moment we'll talk to the director of the tennessee bureau of investigations but first nbc's morgan chesky has the latest on the investigation. morgan, good morning to you. >> craig, good morning to you and a sigh of relief to you in nashville, but also a long road to recovery that could take months if not longer. authorities say that anthony quinn warner likely died in the blast, but like ly acted alone and there are still a lot of unansw unanswered questionshiefly his motive. >> this morning a look at the plan of the man who caused the bombing.

>> reporter: this google street view image of an rv parked outside warner's home in a nashville suburb. before it blew up, police say the rv was blaring petula clark's hit "downtown." ♪ you can always go downtown >> reporter: just before a woman's voice warned people to evacuate. that was just moments before the blast. three people were eventually injured. >> he didn't talk to us much or anything. >> i've seen him but never talked to him. >> reporter: those who live downtown thankful to be alive. >> have a 4-year-old and 1-year-old. >> reporter: jeff rasmussen said he and his wife had just gone to bed christmas eve when he heard police yelling to evacuate. >> they seemed in shock and in awe of what was going on at that time. to get their attention, i yelled at them and told them they

needed to get to safety and run. >> reporter: the blast knocking out internet and cell service in the area. so far investigators have not released a motive or said if there was any significance to the location where that rv was parked but one thing is for sure -- >> honestly, we're grateful to be alive and safe. >> reporter: this morning, authorities are encouraging anyone who has information about warner to come forward and stressing this is an active case. meanwhile, the bombing perimeter is closed off until at least noon. craig. >> morgan, thank you. joining snous david rouse the director of the tennessee bureau of investigation which played an integral part of the investigation. director roush, good morning to you. >> good morning, craig. >> one of the chief contributions would seem to be the collection of that dna evidence and tying it to him so

quickly. you guys were able to do that in about nine hours how were you able to do it so fast >> well, the great news is was we had a known individual, where we were able to get the tissue from the crime scene itself and then we were able to gather some comparative tissue, comparative dna from his former vehicle, a vehicle that he owned and we were able to go to that vehicle, recover some items from that vehicle and collect standards from a hat and some gloves that were recovered from that seek. vehicle. >> some questions that people have this morning, director rauch, is why? why would a guy that was, it

would seem unknown to law enforcement save a minor drug offense back in the late 70s when he was much younger, why would he do something like it? i know investigators are a long way from attributing motive but based on your long time as a police chief, next year you're going to be head of the international chiefs of police, how will they go about determining motive >> well, so there's a lot of effort that goes into that so investigators from federal, state and local authorities here in nashville are working diligently, combing through the leads and information coming in. we have information coming in literally as we speak that will come through, we'll talk to a lot of people. there's a lot of interviews taking place right now through all of that we hope to get an answer. sometimes it's just not possible but we feel like we will have a little bit better understanding of who this suspect was and what

potential motive he had. we don't know for sure that we'll ever get there to the complete answer, because obviously, that individual is no longer with us, so the best way to find motive is to talk to individual. we will not be able to do that in this case. so a lot of it will be what we can gather through interviews and ultimately what the evidence will point us toward, but we're, you know, we may never find out the exact reasoning behind the activity that took place. >> no social media presence so far discovered. no known political ideology according to the neighbors and friends. one of the things that i found most striking is that this is something that was pulled off before dawn on christmas day. if you really wanted to wreak the kind of havoc that would have cost dozens if not hundreds of lives, he would have picked a busier time. is it possible that he just

wanted to destroy property that this is a message sent in property destruction was the ultimate goal? >> you know, it appears that way when you look at all the facts at this point. obviously the audio from the vehicle warning people that an explosion was imminent, you know, the opportunity to clear the area certainly gives you that, you know, insight that the possibility was that he had no intention of harming anyone but himself. but, you know, that obviously play noose our investigation and so, you know, it does appear that the intent was more destruction than death but, you know, again that's all still speculation at this point as we continue in our investigation with all our partners. >> all right, director rausch, thank you for your time this morning.

you mentioned the ability to evacuate people and get them to safety several officers, hero officers were responsible for that. we're going to hear from them coming up in just a bit, those officers who worked who worked to save lives ahead of that explosion. >> we look forward to that. in the meantime, another big headline we are tracking is the nation hit yet another grim milestone over the holiday weekend in the pandemic. over 19 million cases after many people ignored warnings against holiday travel. >> good morning. despite pleas to stay home, a estimated 10 million americans flew to be with loved ones and others drove now the nation is bracing for another holiday-driven surge and here in l.a., things are so bad that overwhelmed hospitals, some

may have to decide who gets care and who doesn't. this morning holiday travel is expected to trigger an even deadlier surge in the new year. >> as we get into the next few week, it may be worse. >> reporter: that sobering warning as the full icus doubled since october and covid-19 has killed 1 in every 1,000 americans. health officials fear that the end of 2020 is going to be the beginning of a historic new peak in the pandemic. california is now the epicenter of a new catastrophe where in los angeles county, a person has been dying of the virus every g ten minutes. huntington memorial now planning to prioritize those most likely to survive >> would you say you're just weeks away from rationing care in. >> we might be days from that.

people returning from the christmas holidays might be feeling ill. it really is the opposite of what our training is is to try to triage patients and say this one is likely to survive, this one is not >> reporter: across the county, supplies of oxygen and other desperately needed resources running low. with just three days until the end of the year, nearly 2 million nationwide have received the vaccine, health officials admitting the warped speed rollout is off to a slow start. >> the idea we'll getting to 20 million vaccinations by the end of the year is unrealistic >> a doctor in boston was forced to self-administer his own epipen after a severe reaction to the vaccine. i would like moderna and pfizer investigate this more. >> reporter: doctors still confident vaccines are the only

way out of this pandemic there's also new warnings that a highly contagious strain that's ravaging the u.k. could be found in the u.s it has been found in two people in canada, and two people in los angeles county have been testing for mutation to see if it is contributing to the latest surge. kristen. >> thank you, megan f, for that report from los angeles. >> meantime, a massive vaccine nation rollout is under way across europe and more countries there, as megan just pointed out, more cases are now reporting cases of that mutated version of the virus nbc foreign correspondent richard engel is in london at heathrow airport where passengers there headed to the united states are facing new restrictions. richard, good morning. >> good morning, craig. this is heathrow airport, and it is exceptionally quiet today. normally from this parking lot which is just off of the main

runways with so many planes taking off and landing you can barely hear yourself think, but that is not the case today. as of this morning, passengers traveling from here to the united states and you can still do that need to present a negative covid test before boarding. but other countries have gone even further, banning flights from this country altogether around the world nations are counting on a 2021 reset and don't want a enough strain of the virus to take them back to square one japan this morning took the extraordinary step of closing itself off to foreigners after detecting several cases of the u.k.'s viral variant. japanese citizens can come and go, but foreigners are banned for a month. the prime minister urged people to lay low and have a silent new year holiday. the european union which has

banned british travelers began this week the vaccine rollout among the member states days after approving the pfizer vaccine, and they, too, are starting with the elderly, but in many elderly states they were among the first to get the vaccine to show they are safe. the greek president said this christmas, science gave us the greatest gift. south africa has a new strain, too, and thought to be highly contagious and already spreading to other countries, including the united kingdom. the u.k. which began the vaccine rollout early could soon have a new weapon to fight the virus. british officials are expected this week to approve the u.k.'s oxford vaccine which does not require extreme cold making it far easier to distribute. mar s

marcia is a emergency nurse and i spoke with her after receiving the vaccine. >> it is exciting time that is like the dawn of a new era to come out of the darkness it is fantastic, it really is. >> reporter: but it is not making a difference yet. you are still losing the patients on your ward? >> yes, daily. daily. >> reporter: europe's vaccine rollout is also having snags. eight european countries reported delays in receiving the pfizer vaccine due to logistical issue at one of the plants as pfizer said that the issue has been resolved, craig and kristen, back to you. >> thank you, richard engel. >> let's get a check for the first forecast and dylan is in for al there. and we hope that you had a good holiday. >> yes, did. i hope that you did, too. and we are having a storm system arrive in time for the next

holiday. the next system is starting out in california and we have mostly heavy rain across most of the coast of california from san francisco down to los angeles. we have 20 million people, though, under winter weather alerts as this storm moves to the east and runs into some colder air, here you see it back through the rockies, higher elevations, especially over 5,000 feet is where you'll see a lot of that snow then it turns into an upper midwest snowstorm, for minneapolis, omaha and for most of the eastern half of the country as we go into wednesday and thursday, this will be a rain event we could see as much of two or more inches of rain and in the des moines area, we could see up to six inches. we'll get to your local forecast in the next 30 seconds. 24 hours. or the rock stars who figured out how to put our whole lot... ...right there in your living room. so you can shop online, in-store, or both.

because sometimes the way it is isn't good enough. the way it should be. carmax. 1 2 good monday morning. starting out a little cloudy and rainy in some spots of the bay area. the rain is expected to move out within the next couple of hours. you should see some clearing skies. san jose, a beautiful shot there. take a look at your daytime highs for this afternoon. it's going to be a mix of sun and clouds. temperatures will be in the mid and upper 50s. down through the south through the interior valley, 56 degrees. we are expecting another wet system into wednesday night. >> thank you. still ahead, actress lori loughlin is expected to be released from prison today. plus a grammy-winning musician records his son being

falsely accused of stealing a woman's iphone at a new york city hotel and a showdown caught on tape d what happened after an suzanne: i was on vacati

just ahead, what you need to know about the post-holiday return rush. >> after your local news came ag in our most desperate hour. suzanne: bringing us home-cooked meals and gifts. andrew: day after day. we wanted to show you something. kristin: oh my god! andrew: kristin is the most uncommonly kind person that we've met. suzanne: thank you so much. they release a lot of scent at first but after a while, you barely know they're working. new febreze fade defy plug works differently. it's the first plug-in with built-in technology to digitally control

how much scent is released to smell 1st day fresh for 50 days. it even tells you when it's ready to be refilled. upgrade to febreze fade defy plug. 2 a very good morning to you. 7:26. i'm laura garcia. a look at today's top stories including president trump signing the coronavirus stimulus bill. scott mcgrew has more. president trump has said he wants a $2,000 stimulus check to go to american workers. the house today is going to vote on that very thing. there's almost no chance the republic republican-led senate will allow that. president trump did sign the omnibus bill that includes a $600 payment to most americans. >> reporter: good morning, i'm thom jensen in dublin. lori loughlin is freed.

she was freed from the federal correctional institute in dublin this morning after serving a two-month prison sentence. freed this morning after being released from prison. some rain overnight. vianey arana is in for kari hall this morning. how are we looking for the rest of the day? the rain is clearing out and it's going to be a lovely afternoon with a nice mix of clouds in san jose. it's going to be really fresh and clean out there. we know when the rain moves in, once it moves out it leaves behind some great air. a beautiful start to our morning. the last of the rain pushing through and things will get quieter into the afternoon. our temperatures will be in the 50s. upper 50s down through the south bay.

our next chance of rain moving in wednesday night into thursday morning. back to you. >> sounds good. i'll be back in about half an hour. hope to see you then.

>> that ball is still going to drop, but as kristen mentioned, it is going to be closed to the public, but you can watch the celebrations right here on nbc, and that crystal is 2,688 triangles. >> yeah, and i mean, it is beautiful every year, but this year particularly --

>> this year, yes. >> -- and to see those crystals, people are ready for 2021, bring it on. >> and for this monday morning. a fire that killed a west virginia national guard member has been ruled an arson. neighbors say an explosion at their barn shook their home and wokehem up. the incident officials say is connected to another arson about three miles away. also this morning we van important recall to tell you about. nearly 200,000 ceiling fans sold at home depot are being recalled because the fan blades can come detached while spinning. if you own one, contact the

distributor of the fans, king of fans, and ask for a replacement. turning to the nfl now. it's not really a football season until the packers play during a snowstorm at lambeau field. >> the packers want to make sure the road to the super bowl comes through lambeau. and the throw into the end zone is pulled in by adams fothe touchdown. >> aaron rodgers tossed four touchdown passes sunday night, three of them to devonte adams. the packers would crush the tennessee titans 40-14. now, more on that massie christmas morning explion osat rocked downtown nashville. >> investigators now say they know the man who was responsible. he died in the blast. anthisd orning we're hearing from several heroic police officers who risked their own lives to keep nearby residents safe.

morgan chesky joins us again with that part of the story. morgan? >> yes, craig. you can only imagine the chaos not only after the explosion, but the eerie countdown before. we heard from them as they rushed to get people to safety and then save their own lives. >> i'm just grateful that we actually had time to try and help people clear out. >> reporter: nashville police officer tyler luellen was the first to arrive on the scene. and this officer heard an eerie warning before the explosion. immediately the two began knocking on doors of nearby apartments, urge people to get out. officer hosey making contact with a young family. >> i told here we needed to evacuate and she said let me get

my kids. that put my heart up in my throat. i don't have kids but i have cousins and nieces and people i love. >> reporter: after joining the effort, officer james wells decided to head back to the rv until he says that something made him turn around. >> i literally heard god tell me to turn around and check on topping who was by herself down on broadway. i just see orange and then a loud boom. >> reporter: officer amanda topping saw wells moving towards her moments before the explosion. >> i felt the explosion and i saw him stumble and i felt it, and i felt the heat and i couldn't see for a second, and i just lost it and took off in a

sprint towards him. like he said, i've never grabbed somebody so hard in my life. >> reporter: incredibly all six officers walked away unscathed and just three others were injured, all expected to fully recover. >> had they not made the efforts, we'd be talking about the tragedy of people and lives lost. >> reporter: officer hosey telling us she's still processing all of it. how are you doing? >> i'm good. it comes in waves, realization of things happening and loved ones i could have lost or they could have lost me and all that. >> reporter: the officers and their police chief ending a difficult week with an emotional embrace. one lucky bystander grateful for a christmas miracle. >> we had two angels show up christmas morning on our doorstep and happened to be wearing police uniforms. >> obviously this was a traumatic experience for these officers. as we understand it, they're trying to turn it into something positive going forward. what more can you tell us about that? >> reporter: craig, they certainly are. they already had a certain level of camaraderie being officers on

the nashville police force, but in this moment in particular when you saw them share their personal stories and the embrace afterwards it did prove what one of them told me after the story that in the heat of the moment, and the fact that they had to grab each other and dodge debris for safety, it has brought them even closer together to create a bond none of them will ever forget. craig. >> morgan chesky there in nashville. thank you so much. it is so hard to imagine to the chief's point, what would have happened had those officers not been able to knock on the door s before that blast went off. >> it's devastating and you hear the emotion in their voices and understand how urgent those moments must have been. coming up next, we'll have an inside look at lori loughlin's time behind bars as the actress prepares to be released as soon as today. but first, these messages. we are back at 7:41.

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>> reporter: good morning, kristen. the former "full house" star will start the new year as a free woman. after two months in jail and countless headlines later, lori laughlin will get to spend the holiday as a free woman. >> i'm super close with my parents. especially my mom, and so it has been definitely really hard not to talk to her. >> the former "full house" start and her husband pleaded guilty last year to a single count of conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud. after admitting to paying half a million dollars to the university of southern california for college admission for their daughters. olivia jade and isabela rose falsely being portrayed as rowing recruits.

olivia jade recently spoke about the scandal on jada pinkett smith's talk show. >> this is it what everybody does and my parents worked really hard and i don't understand. that's not how it should be and unfortunately that's how it was. >> reporter: loughlin had to pay $1150,000 fine and her husband, a $250,000 fine after both daughters withdrew from usc. >> hi, everybody. it's olivia jade. >> reporter: and both lost lucrative entertainment deals and sponsors. love was canceled from her beauty company sephora and also her affiliation with jade. >> i was so ashamed, i hid myself for three or four months. >> loughlin has been in this prison since october. the same one where felicity huffman served time. >> there is no justifying or

excusing what happened because what happened was wrong. and i think every single person in my family can be like that was messed up, that was a big mistake. >> and now that she has been released she must complete 100 hours of community service and when her husband is released he will have to complete 250 hours. back to you. >> we'll get another check of the weather. lots of folks getting ready to make those new year's eve -- >> typically you make new year's eve plans. re'shehat's happening by you. we are goi to see some really miserable weather, especially down along the gulf coast where heavy rain is likely. on the northern side of this on new year's eve, we'll see enough cold air to produce snow and back through the great lakes and we'll see higher elevation snow and some rain along the coast in the pacific northwest. then at midnight, and not too

many people in times square, and we will see mild temperatures at 50 degrees, but the heavy rain and where it is going to be clear, it is going to be very cold for the northern plains and the upper midwest and also cold in the pacific northwest. for new year's day itself we will see the heavy rain moving to the east, and the colder air movi in where we could see snow across new england and icy 2 b12 beautiful sunrise over san jose. we have cloud cover. we have the rain that passed through overnight. now making its exit and it will leave us with a full and comfortable afternoon. taking a live look at our mobile doppler radar. storm ranger getting the last of the showers through the north bay right now in san francisco as well. expect temperatures in the 50s. 57 degrees in san francisco. 56 in concord and san jose.

back to you guys. >> thank you. coming up next, a showdown caught on camera. >> that's mine. >> how a father came to his son's defense after he was falsely accused of iphone theft. that's right after this. (ding) yes, chef. chef, behind. thank you, chef. breakfast service is a wrap. is your sous chef a busser too? get your wins where you can. (ding) l'eggo with eggo special guest flo challenges the hand models to show off the ease of comparing rates with progressive's home quote explorer. international hand model jon-jon gets personal. your wayward pinky is grotesque.

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and my water broke. at only 23 weeks. andrew: we had to stay in the hospital for 10 weeks, 1000s of miles from family. our driver kristin came along in our most desperate hour. suzanne: bringing us home-cooked meals and gifts. andrew: day after day. we wanted to show you something. kristin: oh my god! andrew: kristin is the most uncommonly kind person that we've met. suzanne: thank you so much.

we are back now at 7:49 as carson joins us with a troubling incident at a hotel in new york city here. >> that is right. it all happened when the teenaged son of a prominent jazz musician was accused of stealing a woman's iphone.

>> kathy park joins us with the story. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. famed trumpeter keyon harold posted the incident on instagram. he believes his son was a victim of racial profiling. the hotel where the incident took place has now issued an apology. a startling accusation quickly going viral. >> are you kidding me? you feel like there's only one iphone made in the world? >> show me -- >> no, get a life. >> reporter: a video depicting a video with a woman claiming here iphone was stolen by a boy. the hotel's manager seen approaching the teen. >> i'm the manager of the hotel. >> i don't care. this is my son. >> reporter: harold says he and his son were the victims of racial profiling, telling the "new york times" they assumed

his son was guilty. >> i am trying to help. >> but you are not helping. >> reporter: according to harold, the missing phone was later found in a uber and later dropped off at the hotel. the incident similar to the central park confrontation back in may could have been dissuaded. >> please call the cops. please call the cops. >> this is when amy cooper was calling can 911 falsely accusing bird watcher christian of attacking her. >> there is an african-american man, i am in central park, he is according me and threatened myself and my dog. >> reporter: cooper later issued a public apology but was charged with making a false report. now harold looking to protect her son from wrongful

allegations. >> no, i'm not letting him walk away from my phone! >> reporter: the famed musician also accusing the woman of assaulting him and his son in an attempt to retrieve her phone. a complaint has been filed with harassment. >> please get my phone back! i cannot not have my phone! >> listen, gets your hands off me. >> reporter: the woman was said to have been a guest at the hotel earlier in the week. and overnight the boy's mother also posted on instagram telling others to wait for a proper i.d. on the woman. >> kathy park, appreciate it. >> coming up, the post-holiday rush for returns. what you need to know about taking things back, especially if they were purchased online. >> and on popstart, get ready for a whole new reason to fall in love with the child in the story. first a quick check of your local news.

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we all go. why not enjoy the go with charmin. c1 2 1 2 2 c1 2 b12 a very good morning to you. 7:56. i'm laura garcia. a look at what's happening now. good morning, everyone. i'm scott mcgrew. president trump said he wants a $2,000 stimulus check. the house will vote on that very thing. there's almost no chance the republic republican-led senate will allow that. over the weekend president trmp did sign the omnibus bill that includes a $600 payment to most americans. >> reporter: i'm cierra johnson. a new round of restrictions. you need to be able to provide a negative covid test within 72 hours of boarding your flight from the uk to the united states. without that proof, without that documentation, you will not be allowed to board any united states-bound flight.

in the meantime if you're just waking up, wet roadways out there. rain overnight. how are we looking for the rest of the day, vianey? we're drying out already. right now over san francisco nice beautiful skies. it's cloudy but comfortable. 51 degrees over san francisco. a great shot there. looking at our storm ranger it is getting the last of that rain trailing through the north bay right now and we can expect to see a combination of sun and clouds with temperatures in the 50s throughout the bay area. patchy fog into tonight. laura? all right, good to know. we'll be back with another local news update in half an hour. have a great day.

it's 8:00 on "today. coming up, help on the way coming up, help on the way and months of disagreement in congress and last-minute confusion, president donald trump signs the coronavirus relief bill. so how did the deal come together and when can you expect your stimulus check? we're live with the latest search for a motive. authorities identify the suspect in the christmas morning explosion in nashville >> he was present when the bomb went off and that he perished in the bombing. >> just ahead the latest details

from the investigation and emotional stories from the hero officers who saved lives. plus, holiday return rush. >> it is going to be a crazy return year for sure. >> and shipping giants prepare for a tidal wave of post-christmas refunds and exchanges. how to be sure to get what you really want and what the surge in shoppers could do for small business >> and invincible. "wonder woman" 1984" brings in big money at the box office despite the pandemic that's today on december 28th, >> today is 2020 >> in greenville, south carolina -- >> today's a special day, because t.j. is turning 10. >> i'm here with the "today"

show's biggest fan in california. >> good morning from rochester, new york. >> we live in wichita falls, texas. we want to celebrate my brother's birthday he's turning 10. >> well, happy birthday. and welcome back on this monday edition of "today. thanks so much for waking up with us this morning savannah and hoda are off this week so we're happy to have correspondent kristen welker in the house. >> i'm happy to be here. speaking of birthdays, it was savannah's birthday yesterday. we want to say a very happy birthday with savannah and shec? she said i slept in until 8. celebrated with mike, vale and charlie. look at those smiles. she was so happy to be celebrating with her little ones

>> i said how did you celebrate? she said i slept in until 8. that's sleeping in >> it sure is. >> coming up, we're going to take a closer look at travel in 2021 as that vaccine continues to be rolled out and people consider making plans. when should you start. and how are hotels adapting to keeps all safe we're going to walk you through everything that you need to know about traveling again because people are going to be looking forward to that. >> yes. >> and then in a sudden reversal president trump signed the $2 trillion coronavirus relief package overnight. freeing up a new round of relief and avoiding a government shutdown at the same time. garrett haake is in florida, traveling with the president garrett, good morning. >> hey, craig, good morning. a major reversal from the president overnight signing this bill, freeing up hundreds of billions in coronavirus aid and avoiding a government shutdown we could have stumbled into tonight at midnight. what's in the bill hundreds of billions in small

businesses, money to help schools reopen and the extension of two federal unemployment programs that had expired over the weekend while the president was holding out. now also in this bill are direct payments and this was the heart of the president's disagreement with the bill. he would like to see the direct payments of $600 more than tripled to $2,000. today the house comes back to washington they're going to take a vote on that $2,000 direct payment the senate, the president says, has agreed to vote on this as well, but it is difficult to see the senate vote on those clr 2,000 direct payment, but the good news for folks is that whatever the number is, congress ultimately settles on, folks might see that money by direct deposit in their bank accounts as early as next week. >> great news. thank you. >> federal officials are searching for answers this morning after the christmas day explosion that rocked downtown nashville. federal authorities have now

identified the bomber. morgan chesky in tennessee with the latest. morgan, good morning to you. >> yes, kristen, good morning a. sigh of relief here in nashville today, but the realization that recovery is going to take months if not longer. authorities say that 63-year-old the first piece of evidence was a tissue sample recovered at t anthony quinned aedalone and then died in the explosion. they're still trying to figure out his motive the first piece of evidence was a tissue sample recovered at the bombing site that was tested with evidence gathered elsewhere. also coming into play was a google street view picture of an rv parked outside a home just outside nashville that led authorities to that area, to warner's home where they gathered additional evidence and interviewed neighbors that said that warner for the most part kept to himself. in the meantime here in nashville, we are looking at a debris field that stretches for blocks. 40 buildings damage and one collapsed and this scene is

slowly closing in and being reopened as the investigators are honing in on that blast site to hopefully allow the residents and the business owners get back home soon. kristen. >> so many grateful that no lives were lost. >> japan is now enforcing a sweeping new travel ban in an effort to keep a new coronavirus variant from further spreading within their borders all nonresidents or nationals foreign nationals will not be allowed to enter japan from now until at least the end of january. a highly contagious variant of the virus was found in japan on christmas day. all five people who tested positive entered the country from the united kingdom where it was first reported last week >> meanwhile, a professional soccer match was interrupted over the weekend by a show-stealing dog who wanted in on the action. check this out it happened in bolivia as you can see the playful pooch came rdy to play with a cleat in his mouth and while he was

ready to take the field, the incident held up play for about three minutes. eventually a player from the home team picked up the enthusiastic pup and carried him off. >> and the refs gave him a yellow card as well. >> and a treat >> that is the news for now. hoda is not with us, but the boost lives on, ladies and gentlemen. when it comes to gift giving at christmas, sometimes it is better to keep it simple and the next video is going to prove it. take a look. >> wow >> there you go. wow! >> there you go. kid loved the waffle loved the waffle the waffle apparently all it took to make that adorable, little toddler quite happy and the best part, you got a

christmas gift and breakfast all in one. >> you can't ask for anything more, right? >> a little piece of the holiday magic. >> i love the wow. that is great. well, if you didn't get the perfect waffle and you received gifts that were not quite what you were hoping for, we have you covered. what you need to know about the holiday returns and potential returns if you want to ship them back to the store after this oh! my a1c is under 7! (announcer) and you may lose weight. adults who took ozempic® lost on average up to 12 pounds. i lost almost 12 pounds! oh! (announcer) for those also with known heart disease, ozempic® lowers the risk of major cardiovascular events such as heart attack, stroke, or death. it lowers the risk. oh! and i only have to take it once a week. oh! ♪ oh, oh, oh, ozempic®! ♪ (announcer) ozempic® is not for people with type 1 diabetes or diabetic ketoacidosis.

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we are back, 8:14 on this monday morning with today's holiday consumer and this morning the return rush that is already under way and just a few days after christmas. >> it sure is, and this way the way you get a store refund for those gifts that missed the mark may be different. >> and yes, there may be delays. our business correspondent jo ling kent has the details. good morning. 80% of >> guys, good morning. if you thought the holiday shopping season was intense, get ready for returns with more than 80% of consumers expected to take back those unwanted gifts in the month after christmas and return windows closing quickly this year, you'll need to have a plan or risk getting left out in the cold >> reporter: this morning after a record-shattering shopping holiday season, the rush to return is on. >> it is going to be a crazy year for sure.

>> reporter: and 2020 has the retailers bracing for more than ever before as the consumers swap the ability to see and test products for the first time in person for the quick convenienc to be sent back. choo ability to shop the sales. and remain socially distant. >> you'll get more sales that have been faster but you also get people that are more like live to make a return because it was the wrong item or didn't fit properly >> reporter: with shoppers flocking to stores once again, an estimated $115 billion of holiday purchases are expected to be sent back. choosing to ship could save you from the crowd walmart announcing they've teamed up with fedex to pick up gifts right from your door for free but carriers just catching their breath from the holiday surge now face the post-christmas

crush. retails on mailed returns can take over 30 days to process if your package is lost, you may be out of luck >> if that item doesn't arrive, the consumer is liable and won't receive the refund >> reporter: go in person if you're comfortable and know your window target and bed bath and beyond give you 90 days if you miss the deadline, you still have a second shot, selling secondhand resales on posh mark, offer up and mercari have been booming since the pandemic started and could be a good option if you shop small >> i really feel like 2020 has been rolling out the hits. >> reporter: heather parker owns crew la la in south carolina. r dog boutique struggled with . as a small delays leading up to christmas her business have have to deal with the surge in returns. >> reporter: is this the first season where you've really had to worry about returns >> absolutely. as a small business, it's really going to hurt our bottom line. >> reporter: guys, i have a

couple more things to keep in mind return policies vary not only from store to store but also product to product they have some the shortest return windows so you'll want to read up on those especially if you are on the fence of making those returns. some stores are offering contactless curbside returns which is a great way to be confident the store received your item without having to go inside and wait in line and all of that. if you ship your item back, it's a good idea to e-mail customer service before you mail out that package. if there are any bumps and issues along the way, you haveq. back to you fwies. >> an electronic paper trail and ut with your questions directly with the order number directly. back to you guys >> thanks. i think. >> even if you don't love it >> it's like if you have to mail it who feels like doing that. >> amazon lets up drop off your

returns at an amazon, whole foods, without it being boxed up >> you can do it without a label, too how about another check on the weather. >> well, we are going to see some pretty messy weather starting to move into the southwest where we do have some heavy rain that's going to turn into our next big storm system that's going to race across the country. we also have some snow across the eastern great lakes and just a little unsettled across new england. temperatures are on the cooler side, too. we've got 30s in the northeast we've also got just teens and even single digits across the plains very, very cold, but the warmth is sitting down south in the 80s and down through southern texas and florida, and heavy snow likely to develop especially we have a combination of sun and clouds now as the rain has moved out. 46 degrees over san jose. we have showers waking up to the

bay area, and san francisco. 51 degrees. current views over san francisco showing the cloudiness. i want to show you stormranger, because it shows more rain off the coast that might trickle in in to the midmorning. expect a nice afternoon with mid 50s. south san jose 57 degrees.s you. >> sounds like a good forecast. >> sounds like a good time -- >> a good "pop start" today. >> lots to get to today. let's jump right into it "wonder woman 1984" is doing pretty well. it's running through the numbers. it grossed $16.7 million over the weekend. something that warner brothers is calling a record for the pandemic that is also, by the way, 84% lower than the first film's opening. reactions to the sequel was mixed online

but after what looks like a successful opening warner brothers is announcing a third and final wonder woman movie in the works with gal gadot on the big screen. hopefully everybody can check that one out on the big screen next up, stars wars. fans got the cutest christmas gift this weekend. as we covered before, none other than the child, baby yoda. and after an emotional season, series director robert rodriguez posted a video showing him jamming out. ♪ ♪ >> i feel like it's a hoda boost. we all need a little more dancing baby yoda. >> i like the ears in sync with

the guitar playing >> next um, stanley tucci was mixing up different drinks with step-by-step instructions. he invited celebrity friends over who were supposed to help him to prepare the garnish. >> i have these helpers here >> your elves? >> yes, i have these elves who have been working on the garnishes for a while. guys, how's it going huh? >> garnish >> no, i told him that was supposed to be the garnish >> no, no, that's okay >> this is delicious -- >> it's so good. >> happy holidays, everybody. >> john kaczynski there, and that is also, a little "devil wears prada" reunion there by

the way. emily blount there. >> funniest elves you've ever seen >> next up, everybody was sharing some christmas photos and messages over the weekend. we wanted to highlight just a few ones after the passing of beloved alex trebek. the photo shows alex and his family we're wishing them the best holiday season, that's for sure. another post comes from dwayne johnson. aka the rock. this is showing the actor playing with his daughter tia, and the caption "daddy, come play barbie with me," which in reality means "daddy, come hold this barbie for an hour while she does whatever she wants the whole time." and there's another photo there, "christmas clean-up. >> i you'll that's what christmas morning looks like for most people.

>> it is funny how on christmas eve and morning, the urge to clean up immediately, it's like every loose piece of paper has to go -- >> it takes forever. >> and little by little, the living room is higher and higher and higher. >> and then you end up throwing out gifts. >> as we mentioned savannah, happy birthday yesterday. gang including her she shared this photo of she and mike and vale and charlie and jar jar binks. she shared this photo of them in their matching pajamas hoda and her whole gang, including her sister via zoom were all rocking matching pajamas as well. >> and al showed beautiful photos he wrote "having all our kids home for christmas is the best

gift for christmas." you have pop pop, little hall there. sheinelle sporting a santa hat in her picture >> you guys are sporting the pajamas this year. >> every year my wife picks out the pajamas. this year no exception >> dylan, do you want to walk us through? >> it's our christmas card with the matching pajamas i rope brian into that every year. >> kristen, you had to work, right? >> i worked. then i came home this was when i got home from work, my sweet husband had cooked dinner and made the table and it just was beautiful. >> the flowers and everything. >> and flowers and everything. it was a nice way to come home on christmas >> he cooked dinner and breakfast that morning for you as well, right >> yes he had a strong christmas game >> what about you guys >> we held it down you can just roll them if you want >> aw. >> that's nice >> the kids, it's the only time i've ever seen them hug each other. goldie on her first christmas. >> goldie loved her first

christmas. #blessed. #blessed. >> looks like goldie has a little tooth coming in >> yes. she has a little beer opener good morning. lori loughlin is out of prison this morning. police say she was released from the dublin women's facility where she was serving her role in the college admissions scandal. loughlin turned herself into authorities nearly three weeks early in early october in l.a. a live look at sfo. new rules about to take effect for travelers. starting today, travelers from the uk will now have to test negative for the coronavirus before coming to the u.s. that decision comes as a new more contagious strain of the virus has been found in the uk. passengers must get tested no

more than 72 hours before they leave. a look at that forecast for you today. vianey has a look at that. >> it's a nice start. any time we get rain that moves in overnight, waking up to that fresh air is something else. let's talk about the beautiful view over san jose. gray skies, still a couple clouds lingering by. stormranger up scanning. a bit of activity off the coast. aside from that things are quiet. we'll stay dry for the afternoon. temperatures will be in the mid 50s into the evening hours. >> thanks, vianey. another local news update in 30 minutes. i'll see you back here then.

♪ we're going to find the perfect tree.

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♪ ♪ we are back at 8:30 on this monday morning after the christmas holiday. our beautiful tree across the street still shining brightly before it's taken down next month. we have a few more days with it. >> folks enjoying the rink down there, too >> yeah. >> coming up here, harry smith our guy harry has a story you really got to see to believe if you've ever been concerned about shipping something valuable, wait until he shows us what showed up at the smithsonian by registered mail it's a really cool story >> looking forward to seeing harry here in a bit. plus with the new year

approaching, stephanie ruhle will be joining us with some timely advice in maintaining your health wealth in 2021. >> and motherhood in the pandemic months, get real with words of encouragement for all parents in the new year to come. >> a lot of good information coming up. we have another important check of the weather, dylan. >> we are going to see some of our coldest temperatures across the mid plains highs today in the single digits and teens, heavy snow begins to work into the rockies. especially above 5,000 feet. and we are looking for snow showers along the great lakes and up into the central and northern new england. temperatures temperatures will cool off quite a bit, even down into virginia and the carolinas. we can see up to about six to eight inches of snow across central iowa icy just to the south of that and rain extending down through texas.

speaking of the storm over california, l.a. is getting the majority of the rain. we got a bit overnight into southern california. 46 degrees in san jose. beautiful view over downtown. here is a shot of san francisco. 51 degrees. it will be a good mix of sun and clouds through the afternoon. stormranger is up and scanning as that rain makes its exit. temperatures will be in the upper 50s for the south bay and interior valleys. and that's your and that's your latest forecast >> all right, thank you. coming up next, harry smith goes to the smithsonian to check out one of the most valuable pieces of mail ever delivered you will not believe what was

we are back, 8:34 with more. one of our favorite series here, mr. smith goes to the smithsonian. it's all about the incredible back stories on the objects that are held on what's known in america's attic. >> this morning harry has the surprising story behind a piece of mail held at the smithsonian. this is a good one good morning to you. >> good morning, everybody first raise of hands, who knows there is such a thing as the smithsonian national postal museum anybody? >> one out of four >> and we think about the post office and the important things that are delivered, especially this time of year, christmas cards, lots of junk mail what possibly can be in there that would be one of those things you would say they did

what >> reporter: a piece of registered mail dated 1948, posted $2.44. insurance over $140. what was inside? what are we looking at here? >> we're looking at the wrapper that enclosed the box in which harry winston mailed the hope diamond to the institution back in 1958. >> the hope diamond. for centuries treasured by royals and heiresses and some say bow set by a curse >> neither rain nor sleet -- >> curse of the ages >> right the mail must go through publicity was putty in harry winston's hands. new york, evend then on to the post office. >> you can see one he summoned a former policemanh

smithsonian. >> so where's the hope diamond now? >> well, today you can see what was inside this package at our sister museum, the to courie the stone wrapped i that paper through the streets of new york, even the subway and then on to the post office >> you can see one right below the most mark "fragile." diamonds are the hardest substance on the universe. >> it's picked up by mailman james todd, who delivered the jewel to the postmaster general and the secretary of the smithsonian. >> so where's the hope diamond now? >> well, today you can see what was inside this package at our sister museum, the natural museum of natural history up on the mall >> we went to see it, the world's most famous rock it took us by surprise >> so that's it. that is the hope diamond and we have taken out of the public vault the hope diamond for this morning just to give you a chance to take a closer look >> i didn't really know what my reaction was going to be when i saw it >> what was your reaction? >> it is an oh, wow. >> it is it's the largest dark blue diamond ever found >> its history even more

fascinating. it became part of the french crown jewels. remember what happened to marie antoinette pierre cartier eventually snaps it up. and sold the diamond to ellen mcclean in 1911. >> would it be fair to say she was a bit eccentric? people >> she was eccentric people talked about when they went to her home that it would be passed around, and her dog might be wearing it around the evening. >> mcclean sold it to harry winston who decided to donate it to the smithsonian >> he said other countries have their crown jewels, we don't have a king and queen but we should have a crown jewel. >> the element itself super

boron. and lucky us, watch this >> so now we're going to turn off the lights, five, four, three, two, one. go and you see there's an orange glow to the hope diamond >> what is that about? >> okay. that's the boron coming back at you. for people who like curses, the idea that it glows, this red color is even more wonderful >> it makes it better. >> makes it better >> the curator jeffrey post does not believe in the curse but what of the postman, james todd, who delivered the diamond to the smithsonian? what happens to this gri guy? >> turns out he delivered it and the next year he was involved in a traffic accident and has a broken leg -- >> and >> and house burns down, that's true but then -- >> you don't like this >> there are a lot of other people that have had long associations with this diamond

that have had nothing but great success. >> look at you >> yeah, i'm looking good for aa guy who's 40 years old, right? hope diamond hasn't hurt me a bit. >> the hope diamond always draws a crowd, a must see for millions of d.c. tourists and yet across town at the postal museum, the plain brown wrapper is just as valued >> the natural history museum can have the diamond, i want the box it came in i think we got the better end of the deal >> and needless to say this was all shot prepandemic the smithsonian and great museums are still closed because of that. we can't wait until it's post-pandemic and we can do more exploring. >> harry, you have told so many amazing stories, but this might be my favorite. so what do you think

is the curse real? >> that was when was so cool, they put on the light and put on the ultra history let like next to the diamond carbon and boron are right next to each other on the periodic table. boron comes from explosions. what happens when the ultraviolet light hits those boron atoms inside, they just start dancing. that's where all that color comes from it was a pretty cool experience. >> i just love to watch you geek out there. that is the coolest thing this time of the morning. and i love the diamond, but the box i would rather have. >> i'm with you. a billion years old. >> thank you, harry. great tree, by the way >> nicely done >> i know andrea did it. >> we do what we can >> and harry will be back with the back story of another inspirational piece from the smithsonian. >> and coming up, getting your finances in tip top shape for

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welcome back. with the end of 2020 almost here, we have a few tips who help get your finances together for the end of the year. >> nbc's senior correspondent stephanie ruhle joins us here to ensure to maintaining what we are calling your wealth health in 2021. good to see you, my friend thanks for joining us on this monday morning let's start with, steph, some of the easy things that a lot of folks might overlook, might forget but could make the most significant impacts. >> all right, craig. good morning to all of you if you want to have a big impact, think about your retirement fund. i know you're all going i'd rather think about saving for a hot tub, but for most of us the best way to impact your financial future is focus on retirement savings now

if your employer offers a 401(k), a 403(b) and they're willing to match, matching is huge if you can afford it, you want to max out your contribution as much as possible if you don't, you are leaving free money on the table. for 401(k)s in 2021, you can contribute as much as 19,500 if you don't have the employer option or you are want to do more, you can set up an individual retirement account, an ira the max there is 6,000 you want to start doing that now. your financial future matters. you don't want to think about retirement when you're ready to retire >> that's for sure, steph. but, look, for a lot of folks in just a few months, well, for everyone, tax season is coming up so what can people be doing? what should they be thinking about now so there are no surprises in april >> get organized now you don't want to start thinking about it in april. so figure out all your financial documents, your bank statements, your bills, figure out what is your wealth health right now

that's how you'll know if you can afford to contribute to an 401(k) you don't want to be surprised in april look at your financial accounts, health savings accounts, pretaxed accounts you set up now and you put aside for money you nope you're going to need to spend this year, medical costs, commuting costs, child care costs and you can set that aside pretax that's real money. the last thing to look at is withholding. check out the paycheck, and is the government taking out too much or too little right now what if your situation changed this year? did you get married? did you have a child did you buy a house? go to irs.gov and look at their free withholding calculator to figure out maybe your withholding should change if your life changed. >> what do we need to know about utilizing those funds and spending money for those fund before the end of the year >> i know this is super

stressful. the end of the year coming, and these are the use it or lose it funds, and if you don't spend it, it will go away. so you need to contact the human resources department and find out the rules. maybe you can roll over as much as $550 or maybe an extension for 2 1/2 months and if not, figure out how much is left in the account, and how are you going to spend it. you don't have to spend it on the big items and i can't get into the eye doctor and get big glasses right now, but if you go to the fsa store.com, there is a huge list of things that you can spend on. carson, dylan, i know you both need to spend on diapers you can use your fsa to do that. you don't want to look into this january 2nd because that money will be gone potentially >> always useful information thank you so much.

we should mention, by the way, you can find more on those tips and find bonus tips as well on our web site, today.com. >> and coming up next, health and hope for a struggling institution, our conversation with one of the nation's leading restauranteurs on the future of his industry but first, t

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we are back with a look we are back with a look at the food and service industry's ongoing battle during this pandemic >> the restaurant after restaurant has been forced to close down and millions of workers have been laid off so what can be done to help? >> nbc's ann thompson recently talked to a leading restauranteur about the crisis and if the industry can bounce back danny meyer built an empire bringing people together around good food and drink. new york's gramercy tavern and the shake shack chain among his creation

but even this giant, the restaurant world is shaken by how the pandemic has ravaged the industry >> this is an industry that has to come back i think we are the spark plug of whatever economic recovery we have as well as whatever emotional recovery this country is going to have >> restaurants are on track to lose more than $240 billion this year >> i think that every independent restaurant across this country would have to say, look, we did our part to try to keep this country safe by shutting down over this past year but what we can't do is end up insolvent when the whole thing is done. >> reporter: are restaurants being asked to bear an unfair burden in this crisis? >> i think restaurants are not being asked to bear an unfair burden in terms of doing their

part to keep this country safe, but they are not being recognized appropriately by the federal government in terms of the economic demise that many, many, many are facing. >> can restaurants survive on takeout delivery and outdoor dining >> i don't think so. i am amazed and impressed and gratified by the entrepreneurial spirit that restauranteurs have. we have learned how to do things that were never part of our bailiwick. we will do anything to stay in business and pay rent for one more day if we possibly can, but it's no way to make a living >> even reinvention is not enough meyers union square hospitality group has cut its staff by 90% history and celebrity are no defense. san francisco's breathtaking cliff house closing at the enin of the year. blaming the virus and a contract dispute with the national park service. and new york's iconic 21 club

announcing its last call. >> this is classic new york. this is where new yorkers have come for so many years to do business, to do social, life, to do things like i did with my wife when we had our wedding reception back in the 1980s at 21 >> i feel today like we've lost a piece of our character >> you know, you walk into 21 and it smells like new york. it sounds like new york. it tastes like new york. and for that reason i just feel like 21 will come back but it will come back when new york comes back. >> but that may be months away >> danny, where's the hope here? >> the hope is people. people are always going to crave being people and they're always going to crave the joy that comes from a well-served meal in a really good restaurant >> to gather and celebrate safely once again. for "today," answer thompson, nbc news >> hmm

>> in addition to those restaurants that are part of a fabric of our respective community and our country, the sheer number of jobs that have been lost as a result. it's hard to get your head around >> the ripple effect of just one restaurant closing is devastating. >> but they'll come back they'll come back. how about a check on some birthdays? >> all right, we've got a lot to celebrate. we love this time of the show, so let's spin around the smuckers jars and see who we are wishing a happy birthday to. happy 100th birthday to ollie great. i love that name. she said she loves children, which is good to hear. she had 16 of them next is marco midence. he stays fit by lifting weights twice a day and taking walk with his best friend, sonny staying active. happy 100th birthday to fred mertz, he served his country in

world war ii we salute you for your service look at that smile. >> and this great grandma lorraine woods is celebrating 101 years. and she is kind. and let's say hello to eva grace of aqualav. and celebrating 103 today, e have a grate wyatt, loves working in her garden. that will be a nice present for her and happy 100th birthday of james soldo of nutley, new jersey, 100 years old. >> happy birthday to all of them on a monday morning. coming up on hoda and jenna, it the best of our taste of travel series >> first on the third hour, the dare divas you'll meet a sisterhood of adventure seeks are helping each other reach enough heights first, your local news and some weather.

good morning. 8:56. i'm marcus washington. lori loughlin is out of prison this morning. police say she was released from the dublin women's facility where she was serving time for her role in the college admissions scandal. loughlin turned herself into authorities nearly three weeks early in early october in l.a. the actress and her husband also

paid fines. a live look at sfo. new rules about to take effect for travelers. starting today, travelers from the uk will now have to test negative for the coronavirus before coming to the u.s. that decision comes as a new more contagious strain of the virus has been found in the uk. passengers must get tested no more than 72 hours before they leave. happening now, as the u.s. waits for more rollouts of the vaccine, between today and tomorrow sonoma county will receive 5,800 doses of moderna's vaccine. health leaders say they're in the middle of phase 1 distribution. the pfizer vaccine arrived in the county december 17th. county leaders do not expect to move into phase 2 distribution in the spring. we'll have more local news for you at midday. i'll see you here then.

my mother died when i was a kid. it inspired me to become a doctor. then covid hit. no one has ever seen anything like covid. you feel hopeless. my best friend's father died of covid-19. then my father caught it. wearing a mask, washing your hands. sacrifice those things now. you have the power to protect the ones you love. c21

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from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza, this is the third hour of "today." good morning welcome to the third hour of "today" on this monday morning, december 28th. i'm sheinelle here with dylan and al craig is off today that's al. you know what? >> you see -- >> it reflection to go right, left dylan and al >> brian says that to me, just let something go >> yeah, just let it go, al. >> that's a therapy thing. let's move along here. >> there's al, there's dylan we have a great show