this morning america is weeking up to a grim if you record, the most homicides if a single year. this is a battle against coronavirus. it's taking a turn the senate voting to refund and repeal president biden's mandate as the commander in chief's igolf ratings do want go south in the death of daunte wright, the ploefrls accused of shooting him when she thought she was pulling a taser.

scott peterson accused of killing his wife laci was given a few prison sentence. thousands of dollars were hidden in a wall if joel osteen's megachurch. we begin with the alarming rise of crime across the united states many cities are breaking the murder record in a troubling trend. gabe gutierrez has more. >> reporter: for many cities, big and small, this has been the deadliest year ever. in philadelphia, 525 homicide breaking a record for 30 years and too many agonizing moments to count what will you miss the most about him? >> oh, tamir always smiles he makes me happy. he cheers me up. >> reporter: she speaks about her 14-year-oldson samir, but as he waited for bus last week, he was killed two people got out of a car,

chased him across the street and fired about five shots he was hit 18 times. >> the people that killed him, they're monsters, they shot my son 18 times. >> reporter: one of the cities setting records, portland, tucson, toledo, st. paul andal berke. the debate is raging some blame the pandemic, in part, keeping more criminals out of jail, more gups and fewer officers, indianapolis hitting an all-time homicide high. >> we are definitely recruiting. i want to put those officers on the streets. >> reporter: philadelphia district attorney argues while homicides are up in his city other crimes rape and robbery that don't involve a gun are down >> we don't have a crisis of lawlessness. we don't have a crisis of crime. we don't have a crisis of violence. >> reporter: but former mayor michael nutter is solange those

as white privilege saying the day has not been tough enough on criminals and wants him to apologize. >> i don't get no justice. none of it none of it. >> reporter: police here have arrested two suspects in connection with her son's murder this morning, two more are still on the run philip. >> gabe, thank you president biden's covid mandate for employers is facing a fight in congress. the senate passed a resolution to appeal the requirement for businesses with at least 100 employees. two moderate democrats voting alongside every republican senators joe tester and john manchin crossed the aisle. the resolution now faces an uphill battle in the democrat-controlled house a new staten island found that nursing the home residents are much more likely to die of covid in facilities where the staff is largely unvaccinated research in the new england

journal of medicine says this finding was consistent regardless of how many residents were vaccinated. meanwhile, pfizer has shared an optimistic development in the fight against the omicron variant. nbc news' chris pollone explains. >> reporter: the head of crime maker pfizer show its covid vaccine is less effective against the omicron variant for people that had two shots without a booster. add in that third dose, project seems to jump. >> two doses are almost equivalent against the original variant. >> reporter: but that's not to say having two shots is worthless against omicron, which has been discovered in more than a third of the country skype tifts say two doses might not be enough. they would likely stop severe illness and death. >> there is tremendous volume compared to if have you only one or any. >> reporter: president biden

praised the research >> if you get the boothster, yo are in really good shape. >> reporter: delta is driving the latest surge, six states now account for the majority of increase and hospital beds filled >> the bottom line left in all of this and the message is for those who are unvaccinated, please get vaccinated and particularly for those who are fully vaccinated, get that booster shot because that makes a big difference. >> reporter: while moderna hasn't said how effective it is, fauci believes its test results will likely be similar to pfizer's chris po hope, nbc news, walk. social media giants are feeling the heat on while. they grilled intoo gram. >> i firmly believe instagram and the internet more broadly can be a positive force in young

people's lines. >> reporter: it was inis that gram's head adam mosseri knowing that they can be harmful to teenagers. >> nothing changes nothing. >> policing demands on trust the trust is gone. >> i do strongly support federal regulation, not industry regulation when it comes to use safety. >> reporter: ahead of the hearing, inis that gram announced new tools aimed at teen safety, numbering them towards different topics if they have been dwelling on something a long time,encouraging them t take breaks. start figure much, parents will be able to view how much time the teens spend on instagram and set limits he says he won't stop a kid's version. >> i believe it will be better to make a version for those under 13. >> reporter: mike says he created for a 13-year-old girl he says as soon as she followed

-- >> one minute we followed a female celebrity it changed and went dark fast. >> if we recommend something we shouldn't have, i am accountable for that >> starting next year, he says instagram will allow users to see a chronological user instead of one created by algorithms lawmakers are demanding more a legal showdown this morning over the capitol riot investigation. former trump chief of staff mark meadows is now suing nancy pelosi and the january 6th committee in homes of blocking the subpoenas him it claims the lawmakers have no legal authority to demand testimony. he had previously agreed to cooperate and has turned over thousands of pages of documents the lawsuit came hours after the committee began moving forward two a criminal contempt case of meadows. a pair of newly released

polls show 41% approve and 57 disapprove a monmouth university poll showed similar rules with 40% approving, 50% disapproving. grim outlook from voters on the direction the country is going 27% feel the nation is on the right track. a monmouth poll shows 30% top worries include covid and immigration. inflation remains consistent according to multiple polls. 34% of small business owners feel inflation is the biggest risk to their livelihoods right now. the fate of actor jesse smollett is now in the hands of a chicago jury yesterday, after five hours of closing arguments, the jury began deliberating they will continue this morning the former "empire" star accuse of staging an anti-racist attack

against himself. he could face up to three years in prison if found guilty. former minneapolis kim potter, the first witness to take the stand bass the mother drant dwaent da/* daept daunte wright ron alan is in minneapolis with the latest >> you are stopping him, why >> katie bryant, daept wright's mother, arriving at the scene during a traffic stop last april. >> i wanted to protect him because that's what mothers do. >> reporter: bryant the first witness at the trial of former officer kimberly potter charged with manslaughter. she's pleaded not guilty potter's attorney says she fired her gun mistaking it for a taser. jurors seeing new video of her accident >> this is an accident she is a human being. >> reporter: they say potter had

25 years of experience was reckless and throughouted her training, showing the two weapons highlighting the differences. >> she drew it, she aimed it she pointed it directly at daunte wright. she did those things without bothering to confirm what was in her hand. >> reporter: while prosecutors portray wright as a young father driving to a car wash, stopped because an air fresh inner, illegal in the state, they say it was a case involving a weapon and wright tried to flee when the officers tried to take him into custody. >> all he has to do is stop. he'd be with us. and he goes. she can't let him leave because he's going to kill her partner and so she does taser, taser, taser, she pulls the trigger believing that it was a taser. >> reporter: prosecutors say the cases is all about a former police officer failing to properly do her job and killing

an innocent young man. attorneys said potter will testify in her own defense frances. >> thank youers. no oops, but the free brandy movement did it again, the judge granted britney spears the power to execute documents, herself. or as her lawyers put it the power to do whatever she wants to do. it comes after the 13-year long conservatorship was terminated she has taken to social media for supporting her during her fight for freedom. let's get a check on your day ahead with michelle grossman, who is in for janessa. hi, michelle, how are we looking today? >> hi there, we are looking at a pretty winter storm. we will see severe weather along the way tomorrow let's start war snow in the double digits. we have alerts, warnings, watches into the upper mountain west into the more than plains as well. this will track to the east as we head towards friday

that will bring snow into the flakes region, upper mid-west, rain and snow and warm air we could see record breaking temperatures by saturday kicking off the weekend in the northeast and the southeast with some wewet ats anywhere from 15-to-55 twice above normal >> all right guys we'll talk about that big time warm-up in the northeast on saturday the tradeoff will be some rain we'll talk about that coming up. >> thank you, michelle we got good news for drivers ahead with some predictions on lower gasoline prices. and we'll take you inside the courtroom where convicted murder scott petersen learned his new fate that's next.

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leading the news, there is potential relief on the horizon for drivers. the u.s. energy and information projects that americans will see gas prices fall below $3 by next year averaging out at around $2.88 per gallon in 2022 in november, americans were paying 3.39 on average the government agency did say the 2022 projections could change depending on impact and demand the nhl team might be out in the desert at the end of the month. the city is threatening to lock them out over debts to the city and vepu the city says they owe $1.3 million, including $250,000 in unpaid city taxes, this comes after glendale announced it would not renew the lease agreement with the team beyond this season. late last night the coyotes said human error was the reason for those inpaid bills the team says they will pay what

they owe by this morning a new choice in the legal saga for skwot pescott petersen he was sentenced to life without parole. >> reporter: after nearly 20 years on death row, scott petersen back in court, resentenced to life without parole for the murder of his wife laci and unborn son conor he was shackled to a seat, wearing a mask, showed little emotion in court the court declining his chance to speak his mother said i've sooev seen no sorrow and no remorse from you at all i still feel the grief every day after fine years he was moved off death row over a decision overturning his death, saying a clear significant errors in jury selection n. 2004, he was found guilty of murdering 27-year-old laci, then eight months pregnant

with their son connor on christmas eve. their remains washed ashore miles from where he said he had been fishing the day of her disappearance. the legal team pushing for a retrial. chilling words to the man convicted of killing her daughter no what's what happens, no matter what trance fires in the future, there are two things that will never change laci and conor will always be dead and will you always be their murder petersen always maintained his innocence. they plan to show alleged juror misconduct in a hearing scheduled for late february. >> thank you. still to come, ou coach lincoln could get a stretch of the road named after him in oakic. it's no commitment all i want for christmas and free food. why mariah carey has the holiday hookup at mcdonald's

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this holiday season you are not getting the mariah meal, you are getting the menu. >> mariah carey is celebrating 12 days with mcdonald's. every day an item will be free with a $1 purchase on the mcdonald's app the first will be the big mac. that will be on monday one state senator is proposing a dedication to lincoln reilly who traveled west to fill the coaching vacancy at usc by renaming a 3-inch stretch of a desolate interstate highway in the panhandle after reilly. republican senator bill coleman says he would front the cost of the signage himself, should the road be renamed, the proposed lincoln ho will be in the left-bound lane. it's oklahoma, they're going to get another great football coach. it means way too much to them. >> a little sting for now. still to come, more

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just wipe, and rinse. get dishes done faster. dawn powerwash dish spray. now available in free & clear. , welcome back on this thursday. sort of the battle this season, we have that winter chill in the west developing into a storm it feels like summer in the central and southern states. it's actually hot. we're looking at temperatures in the upper 80s, from five up to 25 degrees above normal for this time of year, dallas, houston, 82 warmer on friday, looking at temperatures 24 degrees, 87 degrees tomorrow in austin, 77 in little rock that heat moves off to the east. we're looking at temperatures well above normal to kick along the week baltimore 69 degrees back to you, guys. >> okay. thank you. ten months after a death defying

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. in today's top stories, a son and father duo were arrested in the caldor fire formal charges have yet to be fired. it scorched more than 25 acres and caused thousands in the lake tahoe area to be displaced. the list of companies boycotting the olympics is growing. justin trudeau announced canada is deeply disturbed by reports of china's human rights violations that decision comes after the

u.s., united king dom and australia made similar announcements earlier this week. new zealand said it wouldn't send officials due to covid. tiger woods is getting on the fossil course very soon. he tweeted he will be playing in the ppnc championship with his son charlie. he added, i am playing as a dad and couldn't be more proud woods and his 12-year-old son charlie tied for seventh in last year's championship. the event tees off next saturday in orlando. >> that is amazing all right. a new blessing for the plummer who found hundreds of thousands stashed in a bathroom wall at joel osteen's church he got a hefty award >> my heart stopped. needless to say, i mean i have really had, i had no clue that that would come about.

>> reporter: justin carl or the plummer says when crime stoppers called, he thought he was in trouble and said he is getting $25,000 for alerting lakewood staff to money he found in its walls. >> builders stacking up, like i said, work is trying to get slow, so i'm trying to make the best of it and today that light shines through. >> reporter: the cash is a part of the original crime stoppers reward for the 2014 robbery. over time, lakewood made their portion into a charitable donation this week, crime stoppers says the man who found the money deserves it. >> for us, again, very odd i have been running crime stoppers since 2013, been with the organization since 2006. i've never seen anything like this. >> reporter: in a statement, a lakewood representative says they are quote appreciative of the plummer and hopes he pays the gift forward. >> this money will help tremendously. >> reporter: now he says he wants to thank the oc. >> instead of a blessing, had

you not have donated that money, i probably wouldn't have been here today i want to thank you for that >> our thanks to him for that report there's the money. >> just in time for th

right now at 4:30, new concerns over bullying tactics by anti-vaxxers. what they found on their door that now has authorities investigating. we are tracking rain. this is "today in the bay." here we go, thursday morning. a rainy start to our day. i'm laura garcia.