. one week before christmas and health experts are sounding the alarm about holiday cases and new deaths as we get the warnings about the johnson&johnson vaine. our gabe gutierrez has an exclusive look in the path of the week's historic tornadoes in kentucky the abortion level moved to the new level with the fda allowing abortion pills sent through the u.s. mail. police request the cell

phone alec baldwin used on the set "rust. global seas are rising by 2 feet it's friday, december 17th "early today" starts right now. >> glad you are with us. i'm fran res rivera. >> i'm phillip mena. the omicron virus has the u.s. on edge they are predicting a grim winter over 1 million new infections could be detected by christmas, which is one week away >> reporter: 38 states in washington, d.c. have seen covid cases rise over the past two weeks. hospitals in some states once again filling up, with the fast spreading omicron variant now here, it's a matter of time before it becomes the dominant strain. >> it is the most transmissible virus of covid we have to deal with thus far. >> reporter: by the end of christmas week, the cdc predicts

a massive spike of if you infections 1.3 million cases in just seven days the death toll could shoot up 71% the cdc says well over 50,000 people could die in a single week >> this is a healthcare crisis feel are going to die. there is not hyperbole >> reporter: they recommend people get pfizer or moderna over johnson&johnson that has been linked to rare but fatal blood clots in women >> i have a direct message. >> reporter: meeting with his covid response team, president biden urged the unvaccinated to get the shot. >> go get your shot today. go get boosted have you your first two shots. if you haven't, go get your first shot it's time, it's time, it's past time >> reporter: so what about families thinking of gathering for christmas? >> as long as everybody is

vaccinated, everybody is boosted. i think it's quite safe. >> reporter: the u.s. facing another winter dominated by covid. chris pollone, nbc news, washington now an exclusive look after the destruction across kentucky. a bird's eye view of the scope of damage left behind in what may be the longest tornado in u.s. history our gabe gutierrez flew over the storm zone with the national guard. >> reporter: we boarded a blackhawk helicopter, with a his tore tick look another the damage >> i look at previous response of tornadoes this is one of the most sophisticate. >> reporter: he leads the national guard >> this is utter deserve e devastation. still from the scale and this altitude, it's just terrible you can see it spans for miles, nablgds after neighborhoods. it's truly remarkable to see from the air for two hours, they are still

surveying the damage it's potentially the largest tornado in american history a. monster tornado classified as an ef4 with winds up to 190 miles an hour. the kentucky governor announcing the numbers missing dropped from more than 100. now. >> the missing appears to be down to 16 that is good news. >> reporter: on the ground almost 700 air and army national guard members are removing debris or searching for the missing. >> the dynamic is everybody knows everybody. some of our soldier who's live right here, they all know somebody who has been killed in the storm. >> reporter: it's a lot to take in >> that's just the remainder of the foundation where the candle factory was. >> and a place where recovery will be measured in years, not month himself. sadly, authorities found another tornado victim missing since the storm. a 13-year-old girl

frances. >> heart breaking, gabe, thank you. the fda is now permanently allowing pills used to end pregnancies to be obtained by mail after a telehealth consultation the new rule could help some women circumvent restrictions in texas, where patients must pick up the medication in person and cannot receive by mail. several gop states have taken steps to ban it through teleservices this comes as the supreme court is considering whether to roll back abortion rights and potentially overturn roe versus wade a search warrant has been asked for alec baldwin's phone as a part of the shooting death on the set of the movie "rust. baldwin previously denied any responsibility an attorney setells nbc news, an investigation will show he is

not responsible and he continues to cooperate with authorities. now allegations against "sex in the city" chris noth. who women says he assaulted them in 2004 and 2015 peloton pulled its viral commercial poking fun at the death in the "sex in the city" sequel noth called them categorically false. >> reporter: in the wake of a promotional blitz featuring "sex in the city" mr. big sexual assault allegations against hollywood star chris noth. two women accusing him of separate incidents in 2004 and 2015 the hollywood reporter not identifying the women by name and both approached the reporter independently after seeing the spin-off just like that, one of the woman told the hollywood reporter the actor raped her in l.a. when she

was 22 saying she went to the hospital and received stitches afterwards and told a friend and former bass what happened but didn't speak out, out of fear of losing her job another noted he assaulted her in her new york apartment. in the article, she brought up that he was married with children he said marriage is a sham mon knowing my is not real the next thing she knew, he was having sex in back of america's we were in front of a mirror i was crying when it happened. nbc news was not able to confirm the identity, noth denying the allegations, saying the accusation made against me by individual i met years or decades ago is categorically false. the encounters were conceptual it's difficult not to question the timing of the story coming out. ied the not assault these women. two-and-a-half months after that major oil spill in southern

california, a federal grand jury indicted a pipeline company on charges of criminal negligence prosecutors say amplified energy failed to respond to leak detection alarms the company says they believed they were false alarms president biden paying tribute to bravery at the highest order. two of the recipients did not survive their injuries from the battlefield. army sergeant first class owen cashe was the first affect-american to receive the highest honest since the vietnam bar. he died in 2005 after rescuing all six men hit by an iud in iraq in 2018, army sergeant shielded his team from energy fire. the only surviving soldier to receive the honor, he fought through his injuries during a taliban attack in afghanistan in

2013 we are learning more about the deadly impact of the latest rare winter storms at least five people were killed across kansas, iowa and minnesota. iowa's governor received a proclamation after five tornadoes were confirmed across the state. there is widespread damage this morning in wisconsin. they shot the first december tornado thins 1970 more than 200,000 power outages are still being reported in the mid-west all right. let's turn to today's weather with nbc meteorologist janessa webb good morning. >> good morning, happy friday, everyone we're happy this morning we have no severe weather across the country. the problem is we are still dealing with moisture that is unneeded across the mid-mississippi valley and potential for flash flooding we will watch an additional two-to-three inches. isolated areas in this area. so you can see from satellite

composite radar, the moisture is starting to pick up. it will start to be really enhanced into your mid-afternoon. you can see from arkansas all the way into mayfield, kentucky, this is going to be a problem for the next 24/36 hours sunday things really start to die down so, hopefully, no flash watches go into effect i think with this burst of rain, some can be mid-west still very mild for new orleans to deep south. then the lower 80s i know it's been a rough week. now it's time to do some holiday shopping we'll take a look at that forecast. >> the mad rush, we're right there with you thank you.

janessa is extra proud of her home state, emma broyles was officially given the title miss america 2022 the competition's 100th anniversary after last year's show due to the ongoing pandemic miss alabama was crowned first runner-up. if nfl is facing the toughest covid weekend yet after a thrilling thursday night overtime nail-biter. highlights next. the assistant for ghislaine maxwell testified she learned a lot from her and jeffrey epstein. those details next just spray, wipe and rinse. it cleans grease five times faster. dawn powerwash now available in free & clear. ♪ ♪ what a pain in the— —alice? ♪ if it's “let's wrap this up?” season,

it's walgreens season. ♪ son of a— —beth? if it's “i thought we said no gifts” season, it's walgreens season. don't settle for products that give you a sort-of white smile. try crest whitening emulsions... if it's “i thought we said no gifts” season, ...for 100% whiter teeth. its highly active peroxide droplets... ...swipe on in seconds. better. faster. 100% whiter teeth. shop crestwhitesmile.com. caught by kelsey touchdown. >> the chiefs and chargers kicked off a week 15 and nail-biter in los angeles. both teams too i'd the game up at 28. that last-minute heed sailed

overhead the game went in overtime. not for long, patrick ma holmes to chelsea the chiefs escape l.a. with a 34-28 win. the nfl is updating its playbook in response to protocols to allow basketball players to return sooner asymptomatic athletes can return as soon as 24 hours after testing positive the league is moving to pan date masks and remote for outdoor meetings effective immediately this as the los angeles rams add pro buehler von miller and eight others bringing the total to 25 players. now to the trial of ghislaine maxwell. the british socialite's defense calling the first witnesses to the stand. >> reporter: the defense presenting their case in the trial of ghislaine maxwell charged as a part of jeffrey

epstein's sex trafficking ring >> they established the opening statement she is a woman taking the fall for a man, if you this i the man is bad, so be it but she is not the one who is worthy and deserving of this punishment. >> reporter: the first witness called, kimberly espinoza, she worked for the patricia socialite 16 years she testified she never saw maxwell or epstein engaged in any inappropriate act saying she saw jane an alleged victim who testified earlier in the trial about five times in the office but other prosecution questioning espinoza says she never worked at the palm beach mansion jane says she was abused the most and says she met them at age 14 before being taught personally by maxwell how to sexually satisfy epstein espinoza says she thought there was a loving relationship.

maxwell charged with six sex-related trafficing counts pleading not guilty to all of them jane along with several of the prosecution's witnesses testified maxwell groomed them to have sex with epstein and engaged in orgies. the prosecution saying maxwell was a key part of learning teenagers into his orbit maxwell handed out a 58-page manual, distributed by staff with strict and specific rules, like never disclose mr. epstein or miss maxwell's activities or whereabouts to anyone and remember that you see nothing, hear nothing, say nothing. staffers were also ordered to keep a gun placed in a bedside table drawer legal experts believe the prosecution's visual evidence may be key >> they have been showing how close these two were, all of the inner personal dynamics. we've seen photos together of them kissing, traveling together

and through that, the government is attempting to prove these conspiracy counts. >> our thanks to tom winter for that report. spiderman swings back in the theaters, with no way home the amount is expected to haul in at the box office still golden at 100. how you can join in the celebration for betty white's centennial >> oban 24. i wonder where froot loops come from? follow me! ♪♪ just follow your nose! mmmm! part of a complete breakfast. o man, that's a whole lot of wrinkly at least my shoes look good! mmmm!

looking good start with bounce wrinkleguard, the megasheet designed to prevent wrinkles in the dryer. we do it every night. every night. i live alone, but i still do it every night. right after dinner. definitely after meatloaf. like clockwork. do it! run your dishwasher with cascade platinum and save water. did you know an energy star certified dishwasher uses less than four gallons per cycle? while a running sink uses that, every two minutes. that means even small loads can save water. so why not do it? run your dishwasher every night with cascade platinum. the surprising way to save water. these are the faces of listerine. the face of millions of germs zapped in seconds. the face of clean. the face of whoa! some are of intensity, others joy. all are of... various: ahhh... listerine. feel the whoa! frequent heartburn? not anymore. the prilosec otc two-week challenge all are of... various: ahhh... is helping people love what they love again. just one pill a day. 24 hours. zero heartburn. because life starts when heartburn stops.

take the challenge at prilosecotc dot com. ordinary tissues burn when theo blows. so dad bought puffs plus lotion, and rescued his nose. with up to 50% more lotion puffs bring soothing softness and relief. a nose in need deserves puffs indeed.

swaoe you are struggling to have everything you want while the world tries to make you choose >> one of the biggest movies of the year is here spiderman no way home swings into the theater this weekend, expecting to nap $100 million at the box office. bradley cooper in 1940s new york. well, it's time to get ready for a major milestone for

america's golden girl. national treasure betty white is turning 100 years young january 17th on that day, they are hosting celebrations in theaters across the country. the party will continue tributes, behind the scene's footage and a look back at betty's funniest moments january 17th, one month away from the big day every time betty white trends on twitter. the people lose their minds. they're afraid. >> it's huge >> don't say it. >> at this point she is going strong at 100 classic national treasures, no that's what she did. just look at her and smile >> yes exactly. still to come, janessa webb has your weekend weather forecast >> a very special delivery of toys to kids in the path of those devastating storms those devastating storms >>

theft, or in this case, water damage. now if i had to guess i'd say somewhere upstairs there's a broken pipe. geico. save even more when you bundle home and car insurance at geico.com. nyquil severe gives you powerful relief for your worst cold and flu symptoms, on sunday night and every night. nyquil severe. the nighttime, sniffling, sneezing, coughing, aching, stuffy head, best sleep with a cold, medicine. sweet pillows of softness! this is soft! holy charmin! excuse me! roll it back everybody! charmin ultra soft is so cushiony soft, you'll want more! but it's so absorbent, you can use less. enjoy the go with charmin. hi sabrina! hi jen! hi. so you're the scientist here. i just have to ask. does my aveeno® daily moisturizer really make my dry skin healthier in one day it's true jen. really?!

this nourishing prebiotic oat formula moisturizes to help prevent dry skin. one day? for real! wow! aveeno® healthy. it's our nature.™ i gotta say i'm still impressed. very impressed. new daily moisture for face. everything you love for your body now for your face. truthfully, it's frustrating to see how fast dust reappears. but dusting with a cloth is a pain. new daily moisture for face. and dealing with a bulky vacuum.. . is such a hassle. uchhh!!! so now we use our swiffer sweeper and dusters. the fluffy fibers? they pick up dust easily. grabbing it in all those hard-to-reach places. gotcha!!! and for our floors, sweeper's textured cloths lock all kinds of dirt, dust and pet hair. unlike my vacuum, it snes under and around places. look at that!! dust free and hassle free. stop cleaning and start swiffering. two loads of snot covered laundry. only one will be sanitized. wait, what? adding lysol laundry sanitizer kills 99.9% of bacteria detergent alone, can't.

cheez-it snap'd! they're on a mission to save every sandwich from a boring bag of chips. noooo! sandwiches meet your cheesy, thin, crispy cheez-it snap savior. so cheesy! so cheesy. cheez-it snap'd. level up your lunch. goodbye chippies finally getting there...is the best! but with febreze freshness in your car... ...driving there is pretty darn good too. enjoy 30 days of freshness wit febreze car. ♪ la, la, la, la, la ♪ my hygienist cleans with a round head. so does my oral-b my hygienist personalizes my cleaning. so does my oral-b oral-belivers the wow of a professional clean feel every day. . there is no denying that climate change is affecting the earth.

here's even more proof scientists say an arctic ice plunge, if that happens, the florida size glacier could slide into the ocean and raise sea levels by 2 feet the incident could happen by 2031 >> i don't like calling it the dooms day glacier. let's bring in jan necejanessa b >> try to get the shopping done this weekend tomorrow is a bad day for the northeast and east coast we do have rain headed our way, higher elevations filled with snow upper mid-west, bitter cold. if you are in l.a. to the pacific northwest, quiet conditions, ideal shopping weather. sunny, breezy for the plains, flurries for the northeast for your sunday. enjoy the weekend. >> still ahead, purdue farmer's

opioid settlement is thrown out. why a judge is rejecting the deal what a pain in the— —alice? ♪ if it's “let's wrap this up?” season, it's walgreens season. ♪ son of a— —beth? if it's “i thought we said no gifts” season, it's walgreens season. does scrubbing feel like a workout? scrub less with dawn platinum. if it's “i thought we said no gifts” season, its superior formula breaks down and removes up to 99% of tough grease and food residue faster. so you scrub less. tackle grease wherever it shows up. scrub less. save more. with dawn.

mpblgsz hi, i'm paul rudd, i'm hosting "snl". >> you host that show. you better put in that work on stage, lady. >> i will. a. >> really, you aren't supposed to wish me luck. i'm supposed to be the emotional backbone with no support. >> no, you're going to kill it >> paul! >> live from new york! paul rudd, hosts the final "snl" of 2021. rudd joins the five-timer's club tomorrow night right here on nbc. in today's top stories, the last 12 of the missionaries held

hostage in haiti are free this morning. criminal gang kidnapped 17 people including five children working with christian aide ministries more than two months ago. the group demanded 1 million for each hostage haitian police gave no release of whether any ransom was paid. a federal judge agreed purdue's losses over the opioid epidemic it would require members to give up ownership and pay out over $4 billion. the judge rejected the deal because of a provision that protected them from nation litigation u.s. attorney general merrick garland says his office is pleased with the decision n. a statement, purdue says its plan has overwhelming support and announces it intends to appeal the ruling there has been no comment from the sacklers. a man was band for failing to comply with the federal masked mandate instead of wearing a mask, which

is required by law, the man identified wore a red thong mask yeah full-on women's underwear right there. yapping away it happened at ft. lauderdale airport, he was kicked off before the flight could take off. in a statement to our affiliate, he called the mask mandate nonsense and stupid addingthe whole thing is theater he added some theatrics right there. a great costume. if you want to see it that way clever >> it's not that original. there are jokes like that before him super creepy >> on a flight yeah how about good news here, a symbol of hope and cheer after devastation, christmas coming early for some people in kentucky affected by the recent tornadoes. a group of firefighters delivered holiday cheer and toys the park county firefighters association hosts a toy drive

every year, after deadly tornadoes, they wanted to do something extra special. so you see that there, they filled up that chopper full of toys, barbie legos sets board games and so much more to put a smile on theirface smile on theirface thanks for ending your this holiday season, give $50 or more to charity, and receive $400 off stressless® mayfair recliners and office chairs. $200 off any stressless recliner and office chair,

and $200 off each stressless sofa seat. don't wait, it's time for stressless. shop stresslessfurniture.com today. right now at 4:30, bundle up. we are checking tprepblgid temperatures. the strategy local leaders are now taking alongside the fbi. a warring from santa clara's top doctor, the reason she said this is one of the most challenges times of the pandemic. this is "today in the bay." good friday morning.