that's for sure, to give you all the day's news. we will be back at 7:25 with a local news update. >> yeah, and don't forget to join us midday at 11:00 for more news. have a great morning. good morning. christmas week concerns, covid's onslaught deepening by the day and the final countdown to the holiday. >> it is raging through the world. >> new state setting a record for new cases for a third straight day. schools, shows, pro sports being closed or delayed. testing sites jam packed from toast to coast as tens of millions grapple with what to do about their holiday plans. but this morning, some good news. moderna revealing its booster, just like pfizer's significantly raises its protection against omicron. we have everything you need to know. biden agenda goes bust?

democratic senator joe manchin announces he is a no on president biden's nearly $2 trillion build back better plan all but killing that bill. straight ahead, the heated response from the white house and where the president goes from here. hanging in the balance, the fate of the four minnesota police officer who shot and killed daunte wright set to be in the hands of the jury today. this after kimberly potter broke down testifying in her own defense saying she mistook her handgun for a taser. >> i'm sorry about this. >> we are live at the courthouse. breaking her silence, tennis star peng shuai denying she's a victim of sexual assault. the stunning reversal going against her own media post raising more questions than answers. all that, plus seeing red, tiger woods winds up his remarkable weekend of golf playing alongside his son,

charlie. what the legend is saying about a comeback that exceeded even his own expectations. and tom not-so terrific. tom brady shut out for the first time in 15 years. >> escapes and throws it. intercepted. >> as the saints upset the buccaneers on a frustrating and uncharacteristic night for the superstar quarterback. today, monday, december 20th, 2021. >> announcer: from nbc news, this is "today" with savannah guthrie and hoda kotb live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. >> hey, guys, welcome to "today." it is a monday morning. so happy that you're joining us. savannah is off. craig is in. that last item in the cold open,

i kind of dug that. the saints winning. >> bad for tom, good for hoda. >> i know it wasn't a great game to watch, but boy, if you're a saints fan, it sure was great at the end. congratulations to the saints. never count tom brady out. >> but the saints have owned the buccaneers for a long time. we'll have more on that. we start this morning with christmas now just five days away, covid concerns and cases surging with holiday travel about to make things worse. >> over the past week, the u.s. is averaging more than 133,000 cases per day. that's up from around 70,000 at the start of november. >> and that spike is leading to a number of schools and colleges to cancel in-person classes and move back to remote learning. the named christmas spectacular at radio city shut down for the season, pro sports leagues being

forced to postpone games. >> and on capitol hill, three senators announcing they have tested positive. >> and we're seeing long lines all over the country like these throughout the northeast, demand skyrocketing with people looking to travel, looking for peace of mind, as well, ahead of those family gatherings. >> but we have it all covered including some hopeful news on moderna's booster as president biden gets ready to address the nation tomorrow. let's begin with nbc's kathy park. good morning. >> reporter: good morning to you. now more than ever, health officials are doubling down on the importance of getting vaccinated and boosted. here in new york, it seems like we're going back in time with covid cases climbing and covid testing lines growing. some people telling me they're waiting hours in line just to get a test. in fact, the woman right in the front of the line told me she got here two hours ago, but this morning, some promising news on

moderna's booster. this morning, moderna saying its booster increases protection against the omicron variant. the company releasing data showing that the current booster shot raises the legal of those antibodies need ed to fight omicron by 37 fold. candidates with the higher dose saw an 83% more protection. meanwhile, the company advancing ahead hoping to move the vaccine into clinical trials next year all this as health officials send dire new warnings. >> you're in the for a world of trouble, i'm afraid, in the next month or two. it is raging through the world, really. >> and with christmas just day away and millions traveling, officials telling vaccinated americans to get boosters, wear masks and avoid crowded public spaces. >> i think people just need to be prudent. clearly, when you travel, there

is always a risk of increased infection. >> new york hitting new covid records s for three e consecuti days. with the growing number of breakthrough cases. on broadway, nearly a third of shows canceling performances due to outbreaks. the rockettes christmas spectacular going dark for the rest of the season. snl scrapping much of its last show of the year with no live audience and no musical guest. >> where is everybody? >> officials now reconsidering plans for a packed times square on new year's eve. many other large scale events grinding to a halt. the nba calling off five upcoming games involving nine teams. as a growing number of players and staff enter the league's covid protocols. the nfl, nhl and ncaa announcing postponements. and a royal caribbean cruise returning to miami after 48

guests and crew members tested positive. 98% were fully vaccinated, according to the cruise line. health officials now worry a year-end spike could push some hospitals to the brink. in the beginning, we didn't have the staffing shortages that we're experiencing now. we're all getting close to a crisis situation. >> reporter: and tomorrow, president biden is expected to deliver remarks on combatting the worsening crisis. and we've already learned that three democratic lawmakers have breakthrough infections. hoda. >> kathy, thank you so much. let's bring in dr. ashish jha. looking at that piece, everything seems dire. i'm getting totally a flashback to march 2020 when everything was shutting down and not going well. but you say don't panic. this is not that. >> good morning, hoda. thanks for having me back. we are not in march 2020. we just aren't. we have fabulous vaccines. people are doing great. we have lots of tests.

test lines are getting longer, but we have plenty of testing around. we know how the virus spreads and we can protect ourselves with high quality masks. there is so much more that we have going for us at this point that there is no reason to panic. we can keep ourselves safe into the holiday season and into the new year. >> healthy and vaccinated people are getting this omicron and they seem to be doing okay. but here is my question. if you are elderly, you are vaccinated, you are boosted, should you be panicking? >> no. i mean, look, if you are elderly and you're vaccinated, you certainly absolutely should be boosted. if you have a breakthrough infection still, which will lap, right, which will happen, you will likely do just fine. i mean, there's nothing 100% in life. but we're seeing breakthrough infections even in elderly people. if they're boosted, it's turning out to be really mild.

so i think just you want to be careful. no reason to go out and get infected. but you can avoid it. and if you can avoid it, i think you're going to do fine. and even if you get it, you'll be okay if you get boosted. >> so i'm picturing a lot of people now packing their bags, they're getting on planes, trains, getting in their cars and they're going to go visit grandma. you've been in rest stops witness been at airports and you're about to go up to the front door of your grandma's house. should you do a rapid test before you go in? what should you do? what is the right protocol? >> my advice is if you're going to go visit somebody who is high risk, first of all, hopefully everybody is eligible and vaccinated. i think a rapid test makes sure you're not contagious at that moment. and then, i think, you know, seeing grandma, giving her a hug at that point is a reasonable thing to do. so that is what i would do. that's what i'm advising my family and friends. >> so if you happen to be all together during the holidays and somebody gets a break through case, what would you do in your

home? what would be the protocol? should someone isolate? >> yeah. this is a really tough question. obviously, if you're all together for the holidays and someone gets a breakthrough infection, it's tricky. that person absolutely needs to isolate because they are contagious for a while. cdc says ten days. i think it's possible to shorten that twisting down to five to seven days. and everybody else at that point technically, depends on whether their vaccine status may need to quarantine. it can be messy. i think there are ways of still getting through it, especially if there are lots of rapid tests available and people can use them. but no doubt about it, the person infected needs to isolate. >> finally, if people are on fence now and they're thinking, should i travel, should i even go in the first place, what would be your best advice to families wondering if they should get together? >> look, i think christmas is so important, this holiday season is on is important to people. we missed it last year.

i would say if you are vaccinated, if the high risk people are boosted, i think it's pretty reasonable thing to do. it's so meaningful to so many of us that you've got to be able to get back with your life and i think with vaccines, we can. >> somehow, when you're done talking, dr. jha, i exhale and feel a lot better. so i want to say thank you so much for being with us this morning. we appreciate your time. >> thank you. >> we're going to have more on covid's impact for the holidays, the skyrocketing demand for testing. all of that will be come up in our next hour. and now potentially to that fatal below to president biden's domestic agenda delivered by a fellow democrat. west virginia senator joe manchin announcing he will not build back the $2 billion build back better bill effectively killing it. the president and his party now scrambling to respond. garrett haake has the latest on all of it. >> reporter: senator manchin spent months personally negotiating with the president and has left the white house and many of his fellow democrats reeling.

now this bill which would provide climate change, he universal pre-k may well be impossible to pass. west virginia senator joe manchin dealing a devastating blow to his party's nearly $2 trillion top priority. singing the build back better bill in a sunday interview. >> i cannot vote to continue with this piece of legislation. i just can't. i've tried everything humanly possible. i can't get there. >> you're done. this is a no. >> this is a no. >> manchin joining every senate republican in opposition to the bill after he spent months negotiate, president biden, tanking the legislation in the evenly divided senate and stunning the white house which released a statement saying manchin's comments were at odds with his discussion this week

with the president. the president secretary jen psaki said we will continue to the press it to see if he was reverse it yet again to honor his prior commitment and be true to his word. last month, president biden expressing confidence he could overcome concerns about manchin's reservations on the bill's impact. >> he will vote for if this is what he has anticipated. >> the build back better bill has passed. >> the build back better bill which passed the house without any republican support encompassed nearly every democratic priority, creating a universal pre-k program, extending the child tax credit and spending hundreds of billions more for home health care, paid family leave and affordable housing. republicans and manchin say this advances progressive goals. >> all i want for christmas is a senator that has compassion for the american people and not contempt. >> so democrats up in arms.

many of them, at least. garrett, so what now? what happens next? >> craig, just this morning, the senate majority leader announced that the senate will still vote on this bill when they get back to washington in early january, vowing to put every member on the record on the senate floor and he said not just on television. craig. >> our senior capitol hill correspondent garrett haake, thank you. 7:14. we welcome sheinelle in. there's a trial that everybody has their eye on. >> this is a big one. closing arguments are being held today at the man slaughter trial of kimberly potter, the former minnesota police officer who shot and killed daunte rice, after she testified in her own defense saying she thought her gun was a taser when she pulled the trigger during a traffic stop last april. ron allen is at the courthouse in minneapolis. ron, good morning. >> good morning, sheinelle. closing arguments expected after eight days of extremely

emotional testimony, graphic and dramatic police video, many much of it seen by the public for the first time. prosecutors say potter was reckless and failed to follow years of training and experience while the defense says she made an innocent mistake. >> i am sorry about this. >> kimberly potter testifying in her own defense last week, telling the jury she and two fellow officers just wanted to place daunte wright in custody after pulling him over for an illegal air freshener and expired license plate tags and discovering he had an outstanding arrest warrant from a case involve ago weapon. >> i remember yelling taser, taser, taser, and he told me i shot him. >> potter testified she feared when wright got back into his car, an officer partially inside on the pat engineer side could have been dragged and injured. the car took off, crashing into an oncoming vehicle a block

away. >> shot him. why? because he had a warrant -- are you serious? i was here. i watched it. >> the jury saying police video showing wright's mother arriving at the scene. >> i wanted to protect him. that's what mothers do. >> wright's girlfriend, the passenger in the car, testifying about his final moments. >> just tried to hold his hand. just tried to scream his name. >> reporter: this trial happening in the same courtroom where a jury convicted former police officer derek chauvin of murdering george floyd in april. wright died just days before the covid case ended, seth off days of protests. now prosecutors trying to convince another jury that potter, despite 26 years of training and experience, failed in her duties and committed a crime, shooting and killing wright. >> you didn't plan to use deadly force that day, did you? >> no.

>> you didn't want to use deadly force, did you? >> objection, irrelevant. >> the objection is overruled. >> no, i -- no. >> because you knew that deadly force was unreasonable and unwarranted in those circumstances. >> i didn't want to hurt anybody. >> reporter: following potter's testimony, wright's family's attorneys released a statement saying any sympathy for her instead of wright's family would be misplaced. potter faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted of the most serious charge, first degree man slaughter. sheinelle. >> ron, thank you. it is 17 minutes past the hour. what do you say we turn to our friend bill karins who has a check of the weather for al. >> good morning. hope you had a wonderful weekend. last weekend, we have a severe highs, the tornados, we deserve a weather high heading into christmas. a lot of airports on the east coast are good not just today but through much of the week.

we will see minor areas in problems of the south. the big issues this week will come in the west. we're going to have a large storm in the northwest affecting the new few days. by time we get to wednesday, traveling, sacramento, san francisco, l.a. airport especially thursday, it looks like the worst weather for you and the biggest delays. by the time we get to friday, christmas eve, you notice still minor snow showers through the great lakes, but this huge storm in the west will cause big issues. we're telling you all the covid headlines. one thing to consider for christmas day, this could possibly be the warmest christmas day we've ever seen around the country. a lot of people may be able to do this outside. we're going to have 70s and 80s from texas through the southeast, even 64 in washington, d.c. something to consider. christmas barbecue. that's your national forecast. we'll get to your r local forert in the next 30 seconds.

good monday morning. i am meteorologist, kari hall. our temperatures are starting out very cold. in fact in the south county we are right now in the mid-30s. it's going to be a cloudy day only reaching into the low 50s. we are dry today and then rain returns tomorrow and our next atmospheric river brings in off and on showers through wednesday. we will have another storm system behind that and the rain continues as we will see more storm systems moving in by the end of the week, on christmas day and even into sunday. >> bill, good to see you coming up, guys, tennis star

peng shuai speaks out in the wake of her disappearance. why she says her online post about being the victim of sexual assault was a misunderstanding also ahead, more on those long lines of covid testing centers all over the country and the shortage of home testing kits as americans get ready to gather for the holidays. everything you need to know about getting one and the resultin time for christmas.s

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still ahead, an incredible story. so this woman started off with a single bobby pin and she kept trading it and trading it on tiktok and guess what she got? a home wewe're going g to meet heher a speak toto her afterer your loc nenews

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goodbye e chippies mimilk-bone didipped. a a treat so t tasty, evereryone will l want to bebe . coated in n deliciouss pepeanut butteter-flavoreded . dog lifefe's momore fun with mililk-bone dipipped. a very good morning to you. it's 7:26 right now. i am laura garcia. here's today's top story, including at-home covid testing kits now in short supply. >> i am cierra johnson, and fur like me you are getting ready to head out to visit family for the holidays, and for now at-home testing kits are hard to find. a lot of folks want to get tested before the holidays and right now there does not appear to be a solution, you just have to keep looking for those tests but doctors still advising for

you to get a booster shot or the vaccine. energy prices falling fast as speculators worry about omicron. once again, supply and demand affecting how much you will pay at the pump. demand falls, prices fall. despite what politicians claim, no president controls the gas prices, not when they go up and not when they go down. we are getting ready for more rain today. temperatures heading for the mid-50s. we will see periods of rain off and on throughout the week even into christmas day and beyond. we're looking at the potential of getting a couple inches of rain across the bay area over the next several days, along with heavy sierra snow. with the cool temperatures we could see snow on some of our bay area peaks, especially by the end of the week.

>> a little bit of a white christmas. thank you, kari. i will be back with another local news update in about half an hour. hope to see you then. have a great morning.

welcome back 7:30 boy, ain't she pretty? december 20th, 2021. that's right across the street, a stone's throw from where we are. the most famous christmas tree in the world and it's beautiful. my kids are like, why are there no decorations i'm like because it's perfect. it doesn't need any decorations. closing arguments are set to start today in the sex trafficking trial of ghislaine maxwell. the defense team wrapped up its team on friday after just two days of testimony. the 59-year-old british

socialite choosing not to take the stand in her own defense maxwell is accused of grooming four underaged girls of sex with jeffrey epstein and others, mostly during the 90s. she has pleaded not guilty to the six charges against her. some good news for drivers heading into the holidays. you'll be saving a little more at the gas pump this christmas the average price of gas dropped 6 cents in the last two weeks because of lower crude oil costs over the last month. prices are still up. industry analysts say this may end up being the most expensive christmas ever for gas >> to the nfl now, and a huge upset on sunday night football tampa bay, the defending super bowl champions taking on their distinguish rival, the new orleans saints and it was a tough night for tom brady. >> the defense has been on the field a lot. brady, pressured get down he's going to run for it again fumble

and the saints recover tom brady had to do that a whole lot. fumble late in the third quarter, he would throw an interception, as well new orleans winning it 9-0 just the third time in tom brady's career that he's been shut out the first time it's happened since 2006 that's right you just saw tom -- >> get mad >> yeah. chucking that surface tablet there. let's turn now to a new twist tied to that mysterious disappearance of a tennis star who went unseen for weeks after accusing a former chinese official of sexual assault >> she's now speaking out amid ongoing concern for her safety describing it all as a misunderstanding janice mackey frayer is in beijing. she's been following the story for weeks now.

good morning >> good morning, craig 48 days after those first explosive claims, chinese tennis star peng shuai has now purportedly denied that she ever accused anyone on sexual assault, but as has been the case with this mystery over the past several weeks, there is a lot of skepticism and deep concern. this morning, new comments raising more questions around chinese tennis star peng shuai with basketball star use ming and other athletes in a video, peng reportedly reverses her accusation telling a reporter there during an impromptu interview where it's unclear how freely she can speak, i have never said or written about anyone sexually assaulting me, adding there may have been a lot of misunderstanding about an affair that included an encounter where she said she, quote, never consented and was, quiet, crying all the time the video interview that cannot be verified is the first time

peng has spoken about the explosive scandal that triggered international outcry, including calls to boycott beijing's olympics and an outpouring of concern from across the tennis world that peng appears to reverse her assertion, only stoking skepticism that the former world number one doubles champion is facing pressure to make the scandal go away >> this is a story with the olympics around the corner that ticks a lot of boxes in terms of -- in terms of global headlines. and sensitivities. >> peng apparently told the newspaper, i've been very free all along, yet she wasn't asked about her relationship, the assault allegation or disappearing for weeks from public view. the women's tennis association holding firm to its demand for a full, fair and transparent investigation without censorship into her allegation of sexual assault, stirring fresh criticism of china and for concern for peng shuai the women's tennis association

is suspending all tournaments in mainland china and hong kong that is a lucrative business for the wta here to confront chinese authorized over peng shuai. chinese officials have yet to directly acknowledge her accusation or any of the tensions that have swirled around it, making an investigation unlikely, too. craig. >> janice mackey frayer for us in beijing, thank you. lines. covid testing centers from coast coming up next, guys, another place you're going to find really long lines covid testing centers from coast to coast just days before families gather for the hoholidays demamand is at a an all-timeme . >> what cacan you do t to get on time kerrrry sanders s is at a vever sisite in flororida with e ever you u need to knknow, right t a this coated in n deliciouss pepeanut butteter-flavoreded . dog lifefe's momore fun with mililk-bone dipipped.

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evereryone will l want to bebe . coated in n deliciouss pepeanut butteter-flavoreded . dog lifefe's momore fun with mililk-bone dipipped. we're back we're back 7:40 on this monday morning with in-depth today and the holiday travel rush. >> with christmas now just five days away, we're seeing a major spike in demand from coast to coast. if you're looking for one of those at-home kits, they've become nearly impossible to find >> kerry sanders is at a busy testing center down in florida he has more. kerry, good morning. >> well, good morning. the line here is long again. and this line, this testing site here in miami-dade county, it runs 24/7 around the clock as we just heard from dr. jha, if you get a rapid test and you test negative, for the moment, you are not contagious and you

can continue on with your plans for the holidays the last thing anybody wants to do is to be the one that shows up at a family gathering and spread coronavirus this morning, there's a new kind of holiday travel, cars bumper to bumper and long lines at covid testing centers across the country. >> this is probably one of the shorter lines we've been seeing from around the city >> from this location in florida hundreds turned away for testing to this clinic in maryland now swabbing 1,000 people a day. the surge comes just days before the holiday weekend and amid increasing spread of the more infectious omicron variant demand for at-home tests is skyrocketing, too, leading to shortages in stores and online >> with omicron and the holidays and the flu season, it's likely there are not enough tests now >> stocks so low, walgreen's has put purchase limits on the popular kits while a sluggish

supply chain is partially to blame, experts point to a slow rollout. while the fda has approved 13 at-home covid tests, other places like europe have more than three dozen kits available for use and tests are getting expensive. while the white house has said americans can soon seek reimbursement from insurance companies for at-home tests, that doesn't go into effect until january and does not apply to tests ordered now until january and does not apply to tests ordered now the biden administration says a boosted testing effort is in the works. but for those looking for peace of mind before gathering for christmas, the best place to start is online. search for appointments through your local health department, which are often free and pharmacies in your area. but act fact health experts say everyone should test three days before gathering and be open to

options, whether it's pcr or a rapid kit. any test is better than none >> kerry, that was encouraging news from dr. jha as you mentioned at the top of your piece. they say any test is better than zero test, but do those tests actually pick up the omicron variant? >> and that is important because the fda has just released some data this morning that says that there are some tests that are not doing that let's take a look at these particular tests that you probably would like to avoid, according to the fda one is called applied dna sciences another one is meridian bioside and tide laboratories because they do not detective omicron. so you should avoid those tests. fortunately, those tests were not in wide distribution >> we should put those on our website. >> i'm jotting it down >> kerry, thank you so much. let's get another check of the weather from bill karins who is in for al this morning. >> it just looked warmer, kerry is in florida and the sun is out.

florida, that's where we're going to have -- if we're going to get any really bad weather this week, it would be tuesday as we go throughout the day. a storm system is coming through the gulf today not many issues along the gulf coast. tuesday afternoon, we could get some strong symptoms coming out of florida isolated tornados are a possibility, too a lot of that rain would be moving tuesday off the east coast. as far as severe weather goes, it's a marginal risk remember when we had those tornados, that's what we call a moderate risk. this is two categories lower than that. if you're in florida, keep that in mind as we go throughout your tuesday. for today, we're bundled up this morning in areas of the northeast. that's a look at your weather today. good morning. i am meteorologist, kari hall. we have a cold start here today with 30s in spots. this is a look at our high temperatures and where we are headed for today, reaching in the mid-50s for san francisco. hayward reaching 53 degrees and 50 in antioch, and upper 40s for

antioch and concord. then we will start to see rain during the afternoon on tuesday and rain will be off and on pretty much throughout the rest of the week. it will be soggy in the forecast, even on christmas and the day after. noticed, i haven't mentioned anything about a white christmas. because i don't have any >> no one is getting snow at christmas? >> someone will. coming up next, tiger woods's very impressive return to competition his first tournament since his car crash. >> what the legend is saying about that remarkable show that he put on with the help of his son, charlie, and what it could all mean for tiger's future, right after this early audidiences give "sising 2" an a a+. [ [ gasps ] and a a 97% on rototten tomat. ♪ woo. you u can fly away witith me tonigight ♪ gunter, yoyou're a genenius! momma alwaways said "gununter, you'r're not as stupid a as your papapa."

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not one ounce of doubt tiger, tiger, tiger. >> it was amazing to see tiger woods back out there couldn't believe it. he was on the golf course. of course, he didn't just return to the golf course he darn near won the tournament he was playing his swing was great. his 12-year-old son, charlie, here is nbc's morgan chesky is morning. >> reporter: welcome back, big cat. >> hard to believe that tiger is back in orlando, the trademark swing felt part miracle. tiger woods playing in his first competition since the february accident that nearly cost him his life, partnering pros with family members >> charlie and tiger trying to make a move here >> reporter: the father/son duo sporting red on sunday the uncanny resemblance carrying on to the golf course.

>> the way charlie is playing, pretty darn impressive >> reporter: charlie playing just like dad. matching mannerisms from the classic swing to the woods confidence the pair ultimately took second place, topping their 7th place finish last year >> he's an unbelievable player and unbelievable partner >> for tiger, it was a comeback some never thought would happen. tiger's accident left his hospitalized for three weeks at times, a noticeable limp from tiger who relied on a golf cart to get around. >> i'm just happy and thankful that i'm able to do this i still have my own leg which was questionable for a while and it's functioning and i'm just really tired. >> reporter: across the weekend, woods was celebrated even the best player in women's golf, nelly korda, grateful to get a picture. an incredible return for a golf legend right alongside the next generation

>> so thankful to be able to do this again, to have this opportunity to be able to play with my son and to have these memories, you know, for us, for both of us for a lifetime, this is worth all the pain. >> reporter: a comeback that could only come from a guy named tiger. for "today," morgan chesky, orlando. >> so fun to watch john daly, his son who plays golf in arkansas, they won that tournament so tyler tiger and charlie come in second. >> wow >> it will be great to see charlie woods on tour. >> definitely will be. the question is when are we going to see more of tiger everybody looks at the masters in april, although that's a really difficult walk. so we'll see if the leg holds on there's st. andrews in july, maybe that's more likely >> by the way, watching their mannerisms charlie makes the putt and is like show me the moneyey

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a very good monday morning to you. it's 7:56 right now. i am laura garcia. here's a look at what is happening now. >> i am bob redell. the woman arrested by san josé police for interfering with their arrest of a robbery suspect said she was not part of the mob that robbed the macy's on saturday night, she said she was just a mother that was concerned the police were being too rough with the robbery suspect. when abeer hamed refused they put her under arrest and they said she resisted arrest, and officers threw her to the ground and took her into custody. it's a cold start to our monday morning. meteorologist, kari hall, monitoring the forecast for us.

>> yeah, it will be a cool day. we are headed for the upper 40s and low 50s this afternoon. tomorrow is the first day of winter and we are getting ready for another atmospheric river that will bring round after round of rain starting tomorrow afternoon. during this time we are looking at the possibility of a couple inches of rain over the course of the next several days, even christmas and beyond. we are still looking at wet weather here and temperatures in the 50s in san francisco as near as near the coast. >> that's your local news update. we will have another. hope to see you then.

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it's 8:00 on "today. coming up, on the rise covid cases climbing with christmas just five days away. news cancellations, long testing lines and dire warnings as holiday travelers prepare to hit the roads and airports everything you need to know, including this morning's promising news about moderna booster shots.s. we'r're live witith the latetest thenen, box offifice blowout >> whahat just hapappened? >> the n new spider-r-man film shatters expectations becoming the e year's higighest grossssim in jusust three dadays and earag the third highest opening weekend ever

what this could mean for the future of films, just ahead. plus, trading up >> i'm trading a single bobby pin until i get a house. >> m mike the tiktok star who swapped ininto a home,e, how sht ththere and ththe trade ththat' toto brighten n your mornining >> and l lucy, i'm h home. >> vitamins meet vegetables and minerals >> we're t talking witith nicole kidman a and javier r bardem abt the new i love lucy film how they got into character. today, monday, december 20th, g those iconic roles, today, december 20, 2021. >> from alabama. >> fremont, indiana. >> georgia >> sending love to my brother, nick, from west effort, new jersey >> we love you >> from lehigh valley, pennsylvania, bre is turning 21. >> happy birthday, bre welcome to "today.

so glad you're with us on a monday morning we have a crowd outside all fully vaccinated and in attendance savannah is enjoying some time off. craig, sheinelle and i are all here together. good to see you. we have some news about the moderna vaccine. new data shows its booster raises the levels of those antibodies needed to fight omicron by 37 fold however, the variant is surging across the country causing record numbers of new infections ahead of the holidays in new york city, the radio city rockettes canceled the rest of their christmas shows. "saturday night live" pulled its live audience this weekend and major sports leagues have been

forced to postpone some games. the major surge is complicating holiday travel plans and the reason among concerns top public health officials. tom costello joins us now from miami international airport. tom, good morning to you >> inside the terminal, it is already bustling more than 28 million people more than last year are expected to travel this holiday season, but health officials are surging people, take precautions if you travel at the start of potentially the busiest travel week of the year, health experts say if you're not vaccinated and you're traveling, you run a very high risk of severe infection, hospitalization, and even death. >> clearly, when you travel,

there is always a risk of increase infection the difference between a vaccinated and boosted person who has an infection and someone who has an infection who has never been vaccinated, a major difference with regard to the risk of severity >> the omicron variant spreading across the country, now detected in at least 45 states. the surge leading to long lines at testing sites and leaving some hospitals overwhelmed and understaffed >> we're seeing more and more individuals that are needing beds and when we don't have nurses available to take care of those patients, then i'm worried that we'll have delays in care >> reporter: the covid surge coming as airports nationwide are coping with perhaps the heaviest passenger surge of the year aaa estimates 109 million people are traveling over the christmas holiday, more than 100 million by car, more than 6 million by plane. >> a lot of folks haven't traveled during covid in quite a while. this might be the first trip that they're returning to the

skies. >> in los angeles, united airlines and the tsa have rolled out lex fast lane, a pilot program offering united flyers the ability to go through airport securities >> the fast lane service helped us manage the queues and provide extra options. >> travelers can book a three-minute window up to three days before their departure for free, ideal for passengers who maybe need some extra time >> it is nice we're able to go through this >> this week, the busiest airports will be atlanta, 8:00 a.m., denver, 5:00 p.m. on wednesday, dallas, 10:00 a.m. on wednesday and orlando, 7:00 a.m. on thursday. >> tsa is now anticipating we will get close to 2018 levels. the monday after new year's, the busiest travel day on the back side craig, by the way, aaa is saying right now it sees no sign of people canceling their reservations despite omicron can i just add i was in a clinic over the weekend, and the nurse saying they were seeing a ton of

people coming in testing positive for omicron, all of them unvaccinated. >> aaa seems to be right, look at those lines behind you, no one is canceling their plays >> it will be busy and a major setback for president biden's domestic agenda joe manchin said he would be a no vote. the west virginia democrat had been negotiating personally with the president to bring the cost down his announcement during a fox interview caught fellow

democrats off guard. the e white housuse says it t wl continue to press manchin to see if he will reverse his position. now the latest spider-man movie smashed box office records. many hoping it's a sign of better times ahead for an industry that struggled through the pandemic joe fryer joins us now with that story. good morning >> good morning. this time of year is typically big for the big screen box office but as we approach the second holiday season in this time of covid, many wondered if that would hold true. fans turned out like they haven't in years, setting all-time records for the movie studio and the entire industry >> after a rough two years wore hollywood and movie theaters, spider-man no way home made an explosive debut in theaters this weekend shattering box office records bringing in a stunning $253 million here in the u.s >> this is a spectacle

this is a celebration. >> we see this reaction. >> we make these films >> the movie industry has taken a major hit during the pandemic. many struggled to stay open while keeping people safe. some innovative movies drew offices on screening services. >> washington heights. >> some big movies earlier in the year struggled to draw people out of the house. recent releases like the star studded "did you ne" have found success both at home and in theaters >> spider-man can rescue that tradition, the weekend blockbuster. it's already the highest grossing film of the year and the third biggest movie opening in historyhas to b >> this is a big number pandemic or not, but the fact that it happened is still impressive >> neither did fans flocking to

theaters to avoid spoilers >> i don't think there was an empty seat it was full. >> as the country gears up for a uncertain 2022, many hope it's a spidey sense of good things to come >> no other covid era film has even crossed the $100 million mark in a single weekend and worldwide, the film has already brought in more than $500 million. so it seems like our friends overseas are just as eager to watch their favorite films on screen >> and the kids are out of school a lot of us are looking for something to do. >> third biggest in movie history. not pandemic history, movie history. wow. how about a monday boost >> i've got one for you.

a military son has been away for nine months. he wanted to surprise his mom on one of the biggest days of her life so specialist ronnie kurtsbee pulled every string he could he showed up at his mom's hotel room because it was her wedding day. >> look at this. >> oh! >> so here is the even more special part ronnie walked his mom down the aisle during the ceremony so he could give the blessing to the bride and groom.> wow. >> that's beautiful. >> that's good >> meanwhile, did you say for years, perhaps, to buy your house? up next, we are going to introduce you to a young woman who landed her house for the price of a single bobby pin. >> that's right.

she'll explain how she trade up-and-up and up to a new home and takes us on an exclusive tour, right after ththis ght afas meow mix t tasty layerers crcrunchy and d meaty textxtureh a mouth-h-watering g gravy coat. meowow mix tastyty layers. the onlyly one cats s ask fofor by name.e. alalign. fast t acting bioic gummies helps s soothes ococcasionl abdominanal discomfofort, gagas, and bloloating anand it worksks fast. in n as e as 7 dayays try fastst acting bibiotic gus from a align. the #1 dococtor recommmmendd probiotitic brand.

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it's free. ho ho!o! capital onone shoppingng. what's's in your w wallet? motrin works fast to stop pain where it starts. like thosese nagging h headac. ununcomfortablble period p pa. like thosese nagging h headac. and disrsruptive mususcle a. you can cocount on fasast, effectctive reliefef wiwith motrin.n. we are back at 8:14 with an incredible story of trading up >> have you heard about this one? this morning, we are taking an exclusive look at how one tiktoker traded her way from a single bobby pin to a new house. >> it seems insane can you imagine? nbc news now anchor and stay

tuned host savannah sellers has more on this one good morning >> hi. it does sound insane and emmy skipper set out to do the impossible task with two rules for herself, there could be no money involved in her trade and she couldn't trade with anyone she knows. even emmy can't believe how far she's come >> hey, it's me. i've got a trade up-dade >> demi skipper is a trader. not the stock market kind. >> with time on her hands during the pandemic and inspired by a ted talk where a man traded a red paper clip up to a house, demi thought, i could do that. >> how do you even start a process like that? >> step by step. i went to facebook groups, facebook marketplace, one person replied and said i like what you're trying to do and i will trade you a pair of earrings for that bobby pin that traded for a set of

glasses, the snowboard for an apple tv, and they're slowly and slowly getting better. >> 28 trades, a year and a half, and 5 million tiktok followers later. >> and i've done it. and look at it >> demi has her house. we took her to clarksville, tennessee, so she could give "today" an exclusive look. >> so this is it >> this is it. >> from a bobby pin. >> it's perfect. it's everything i could hope for. >> what was it like when you first got the keys >> i can't even describe the feeling. i cried. my heart was racing. >> what was the last trade that got you this >> so it was an off the grid trailer. it's almost like a food truck, it has solar panels, a tesla battery, all about finding the right person >> the right people for that specific item and with a house to spare, sierra and bill netherton, house flippers with a renovation backlog who know what they want to do with that are trailer to help they are

community. >> the hope was to take the trailer and give that away to someone in our community to give a local entrepreneur a chance to start their business >> it sounds like you both really love clarksville and you really love your neighbors >> 100%. >> that spirit of giving has been a theme throughout demi's journey within the community she has changed her. >> because of all your help, writing you a check for $1,000 >> what? >> yes >> thank you so much i have a lot of student loans and stuff that are hard to paya help >> last holiday season, demi helped raise thousands of dollars for shannon, a follower who scored trades in her driveway for months. >> i was so overwhelmed by the humanity and that there are such good people in this world. >> and now demi is planning her biggest act of kindness yet. >> so now the big question is what are you going to do with this house >> so the house is going to get fully renovated. so i'll be involved and i'll trade this house for a bobby pin. >> demi and her husband are

moving across the country to fix up the house just to give it away >> all right house. >> what did you think the here it is >> this is it. >> your house. >> what did you think the first time you stepped in here >> honestly, i was envisioning what this house would be >> so you're gut this whole thing? >> the whole thing so someone will have a brand new free house from them >> once you get that next bobby pin, you're starting over? >> starting over >> are you going to do this forever? >> forever >> i'm going to be 85 trading houses >> do you really think that? >> yes >> i love it >> demi says she will love to give the house to a single mom or a family who needs it as far as we know, demi is the second person so far to have done this, but she's inspired a lot of people on tiktok and demi hopes to be the first person to do this two times and again and again and again. >> chapter of trading back for a bobby pin, that's really cool.

>> a nice christmas. >> thank you, savannah >> absolutely. good to see you all. bill karins, what are you trading? the only bad trade was the margarita glasses for the vacuum most people would give you the vacuum for the margarita that's my only advice. let's get to the forecast for this weekend errands, kids in school, getting ready for the holidays, the last thing we need is big storms. we're not going to have any from the earn two-thirds of the country. all of our attention is going to go to the west right now, the stormy weather is in the northwest this will be another big storm we've been asking, we've been begging for wet weather and snow in the west. now we're getting it, one storm after another. here is wednesday. a lot of snow in the mountains rain for california. it moves down into los angeles on thursday, it looks like the travel trouble day for southern california by the time we get to christmas eve, we watch that snow in the

middle of the country. the middle of the nation, not bad. i mean, 64 in kansas city on christmas eve. these temperatures are insane this december. we're on pace for the warmest december ever and we may likely get the warmest christmas we've ever seen in the lower 48. good morning, i'm meteorologist kari hall. it's a cloudy start and also very chilly. right now only 43 degrees in walnut creek. and we'll reach into the upper 40s here. it's going to be a cold day, so keep that warm jacket close by. for the south bay, we're headed for the mid 50s. and it's dry today, but then we'll start to see our next storm coming in for the first day of winter, mainly during the afternoon. then we will see some off and on rain in the forecast through friday as well as christmas day. we may even see rain into sunday. >> and your white christmas forecast is coming up. i promise, i'll make somebody has been >> somebody. >> not many, but at least one or

two. as al likes to say, it is time for the best time of the morning. >> so paul rudd hosted "saturday night live" this weekend while there was going to be a big celebration, covid had other plans. there was no live audience for members of the five timers club. tom hanks and tina fey did show up >> as you know, i start today five timers club >> oh, like you started covid. >> exactly and tonight we plan to welcome paul rudd to the club and we are not going to let this stop us. >> congratulations on hosting the show 4 1/2 times >> oh, well -- wow oh it's beautiful look at the stitching. >> yeah.

lauren is getting real good. >> another five timer, steve martin, had a message for mr. rudd >> hi. it's me. famous steve martin. tonight i just wanted to congratulate tom paul rudd i'm a huge fan of tom paul rudd. he's in one of my favorite movies, forrest gump >> "ant-man. oh, look, it's martin short. you remember the five timers club, right? >> no. >> how many times have you hosted >> three >> ahhh! >> really normal christmas show for snl. they did have some prerecorded sketches ready that captured the holiday spirit you might remember christmas morning the sketch from last year and i going a robe snl has done another mom centric christmas sketch this time playing moms talking about what they really want for christmas >> so glad no, really, what would you like? >> oh, i don't know. >> just a small -- >> seriously, you can be honest. what do you really want? grandchildren. >> grandchildren

>> okay, sure, but what do you want this year >> grandchildren >> grandchildren >> what about something from homegoods? >> grandchildren >> grandchildren >> five grandchildren. >> maybe we can branch out >> a fuzzy blanket to swallow grandchildren. >> okay. >> a cake stand. >> there you go. >> with grandchildren on top >> that is good. >> next up, john oliver, the last week tonight host is used to being the one delivering punch lines and burns on his hbo show, but this weekend, he ended up meeting another comedian who made a name for himself doing a john oliver impression and there's proof now thanks to this tiktok >> good evening and welcome, welcome, welcome to john oliver. who better to do this with than -- honestly, it's not bloody bad how many times do people do this

to you is it annoying or what >> honestly, it's the first time it's happened and i do love it i hope it's a lot. >> that's matthew's friend, the comedian he approached john after being at the same comedy club this weekend. >> did good, though. and finally, it's christmas weekith number four. >> let's go, l this morning, we can reveal the most streamed christmas songs on spotify this year. let's do it starting with number four >> let's go, let's go. ♪ it's the most wonderful time of the year ♪ >> that's a good one >> great one >> that is andy williams, the 1963 classic "it's the most wonderful time of the year." next up, here is number four --

a very good morning to you. it is 8:26. i'm laura garcia. a san francisco sport bar may be closed after a covid outbreak. the connecticut yankee sport bar closed over the weekend. the sign on the front door says the staff tested positive. the owner says depending on when everyone tests negative, they may not reopen until a week from today. the golden gate restaurant association is urging restaurant owners to make sure employees get their booster shots. it is a cold start to our monday morning. is it going to last more most of the day? >> it will. reaching the high 40s to low

50s. mostly cloudy skies, spotty sprinkles. for the most part the rain doesn't arrive until this next atmospheric river arrives into the bay area for tomorrow. we're going to see several days of rain for our first day of winter, continuing through the end of the week. we could see the possibility of getting anywhere from an inch and a half to up to three inches of rain over the course of the next several days. and we're also going to see some very heavy sierra snow, and here at home, temperatures reach into the 50s. no change there. school and soggy week after today. laura? >> thank you so much. thank you for joining us. i'll have another update in half an hour. hope to see you then. have a good morning.

we are back, 8:30 on this monday morning the 20th of december, 2021 a little fully vaccinated crowd on the plaza a bit of a chilly morning. >> i know. a lot of folks are in new york everyone here is fully vaccinated thank you all for coming we really, really appreciate it.

>> merry christmas >> we have a lot to get to this in half hour, including two oscar winners for the price of one. our conversation with the stars of "being the ricardos" on what it was like channel lucille ball >> including an upgrade to the classic little black dress >> whew, it's cold out here. >> 24. it's freezing out here >> bill. >> coming up, one of our favorite tradition here at "today," that's collecting toys for children in need this morning, we've put out a few good things to use as we introduce you. we've got a special group that does a lot of good for families here in new york and they do it all year-round so we'll introduce you to that and after that, coming up on the third hour of "today," we are going on bring back our series asked and answered from

travel to parties and more our experts are standing by to take your questions about covid and about christmas. >> so important. and tomorrow on "today," the incredibly inspiring story of one woman who overcame what for most people is a fatal diagnosis. how she fought to survive for her two young children and the ground breaking treatment that increased her odds >> first, bill karins with our ground breaking forecast >> i realize i messed up this morning. >> how >> i only told two of you to wear your gloves >> what is the temperature >> 25 degrees. >> i wonder what alaska is like. that's warm. let's get into this forecast it is a chilly morning in the northeast. it will warm up. let's talk about this whole wright christmas thing it has yet to snow, denver, st. louis, boston, new york, philly, hartford, d.c., the chances of a white christmas, slim to almost none south of albany to boston

slim to almos even the lower great lakes, even chicago, detroit probably aren't going to have a white christmas. we will get you from minneapolis northward. if you really want to see snow over the holidays, you have to go to the mountains out west they're going to get nailed over the next couple of days. that's when a lot of heavy snow will fall. good morning, i'm meteorologist kari hall. if you will be traveling to or through the sierra, travel today or very early tomorrow. afternoon that once the storm hits the bay area it's going to bring heavy sierra snow. we're going to see rain off and on the next several days as the newspheric river comes in. we will see times of rain with some additional storms coming in behind that even into christmas day, as well as sunday as our temperatures will only stay in the low to mid 50s through the rest of the week. >> and i don't think it's just me every year, i get so excited wanting a white christmas and it never happens. >> i know.

you and my kids. roker does this thing where he runs around the plaza saying hello to the fans. >> oh, he does >> yes >> i don't know if i'm as fast as him, but i can try. >> look at bill go look at bill go. bill karins, bill, you're the best all right. when we come back here on a monday morning, a pair of hollywood stars playing another fan favorite nicole k kidman withth javier bm about theieir movie, " "being t ricardos." but first, this is "today" on nbc. being the being the ri ca ththe classic c hollywood. we meeeet the heroro, the all-nenew nissan f frr ca ththe classic c hollywood. hero faces seeeemingly impossssible challllenge. tensioion builds..... the plot t twist the heroro prevailss inin hollywoodod, this wouldld be the enend. bubut our herere, we are jusust getting g sta. inin hollywoodod, this wouldld be the enend. introducining the alall-new nissssan front.

♪ i see trees of green ♪ inin hollywoodod, this wouldld be the enend. ♪ red roses too ♪ ♪ i see them bloom for me and you ♪ (music) ♪ so i think to myself ♪ ♪ oh what a wonderful world ♪

when you have xfinity xfi, you have peace of mind built in at no extra cost. advanced security helps keep your family protected online. pause wifi whenever for ultimate control with the xfinity app. and family-safe browsing gives parents one less thing to worry about. security, control and peace of mind. with xfinity xfi, it's all built in at no extra cost. welcome back two of hollywood's top stars, nicole kidman and half javier bardem are talking about their roles. >> javier bardem literally pled for the role of desi i love lucy defined the tv sitcom in the 1950s with still

roles. >> javier bardem iconic scenes like vitamiti vegiman. >> vitamiti vegiman contains vitamins, meat and vegetables. >> and it was recreated in the . >> and it was recreated in new film "being the ricardos." >> we only did three takes of it and that was it. >> really? >> yeah. and i spent two months preparing it and it was like, it's gone. >> "being the ricardos" focuses on the behind the scenes drama, lucy and desi's turbulent marriage and a crisis that

threatened to end their career >> you're not telling these people that i checked the wrong box. >> there were 181 episodes of "i love lucy. did you watch all of them, some of them? >> i watched all of them in one night. your face saying, really >> ricky, this is it >> in every show, there's always a moment of brilliance >> brilliance that's daunting to live up to when news broke of nicole kidman's casting, not everyone thought she was right for the role >> there are critics who say, does she look like her can she do this? do you let that have space in your head? >> try not to, but there's times when you go, gosh, maybe i'm not the right person like this but that's where having somebody like aaron who really said at the beginning, i'm not wanting a perfect rendition or imitation of lucy. no, no, no, no, no >> kidman felt a special

connection to lucille ball >> a lot of it i can relate to and i go, oh, okay i've been in that situation. i know that. >> so what do you mean you've been in -- >> there's a scene in it where they say you're 39 and that's it it's kind of over for you. i know that feeling. i sort of had that and it was like, okay. where television suddenly opened a door for her, it opened a door for me around the same age i was like, gosh, that's kind of -- i know that feeling. really deeply. >> javier bardem plays desi arnaz, the famous band leader whose skills may have been hard to replicate >> you played the conga so hard, your hand bled at one point. is that true >> yeah, yeah, of course if you are not a conga player -- >> are you >> no, i'm not >> and you want to make the sound and then they play back and say louder, louder, louder,

and then you go crazy and then cut. it's like what's going on? >> i read that you pursued this role for years what was it about this role? >> i started to watch the episodes and i felt drawn into him, his skills, his talent, his humor, his way of taking the place, owning the place, in the moment where it was so difficult to be a foreigner in this country. >> "being the ricardos" filmed in the middle of the pandemic and rehearsed largely over zoom meetings >> for me, for example, i had to, like, tell my 9-year-olds not to come downstairs or -- do you guys have a space? >> you finder own place. >> they come in and they check, they talk over and then you go -- or i'm on the -- and then they will be off camera going, get off, like that >> zoom mishaps aside, kidman and bardem captured the deep and complicated love between lucy and desi, possibly drawn from their high profile majors to keith urban and penelope cruz. >> i think we're both fortunate

in the sense that we have partners who understand the artistic process and say, go i want you to have that. which i love >> it's a gift to belong to such a great story and such a great movie. so when it happens, it's like, whew, take it. >> good show >> good show good show. >> good show >> aren't they delightful? >> yeah. makes me want to see it. >> and it takes place with like one week of their lives. >> that's the thing. if you watch it going in knowing this is a snapshot, but you get a good idea of their relationship, how talented she was. both of them kidman, bardem, aaron sorkin, they're all nominated for golden globes >> such a holiday thing to do. >> you watched it, right >> i did it is a solid film in terms of nicole kidman, for me, best role i've ever seen her in

>> how about javier bardem >> when she jumped into that grapes scene, i was like, wow, she nailed it. >> she went all in >> straight ahead, if you're planning your holiday outfits, stick around you can add a little sparkle to something you may already have in your closet but first, this is "today" on

we're back with today's style. christmas is just five days away, new year's eve next week if you want to just jazz up your outfit, we have what you need. jasmine snow has you covered she's joining us with last minute party looks and accessories. so you can shop along, use that code on your screen. this is good because i think a lot of people are like, i might have something in my closet that i can zhuzh up and look good for new year's eve and you're saying, you can't go wrong with a little black dress. >> you can never go wrong with a black dress for the holiday season, but we have our new version of the little black

dress, embellishment this is covered in pearls by eloquii. one of my favorite things about dresses is a long sleeve to keep you warm and i really love this it's a great price at $119 >> that is a great price and the fabric feels so nice i kind of like this look it has the sparkle down below. >> yes so we are seeing see questions everywhere every store you walk into, you're going to see sequins. it's see question season, right? we loved this pencil skirt and i love to style by playing a game of offices i style it with something simple like a black turtleneck here and this is from zara, so it's very affordable. >> wait, i'm looking at the price. $69.90 for the outfit? >> it's $100

$69.90 for the skirt the whole outfit is under $100 >> and the like the length of this dress what shoes would you pair with that >> i would still do a high heel, something a little bit strappy again, very simple because we don't want to take away from the skirt and make it too busy, but it's going to elongate you if you're tall, it looks beautiful on you, as well. >> zara with man, the prices are always right there i love a one and done. you have a jumpsuit. i've got a good one here >> and this is so great because it's a metallic navy so it's something a little different than the classic black at holiday season. but the metallic threading has our sparkle. and i love that it has a tie waist. so it cinches you in, hugs you in all the right places and really flattering. >> we have a typo and i want to apologize to our viewers it says $29.99 >> that is not a typo. i promise you, it is not a typo. it's from amazon and i just cannot believe not only the

price and then it came and it looks so good and looked so good on >> 30 bucks for a new year's eve outfit and then you're set to go >> one and done. >> yeah, i love it so sometimes you could just wear a pretty black dress, but you need some sparkle and pizzaz so you've got some pretty jewelry here >> i love a statement necklace this is from free people and it's easy to three this on and add instant sparkle and glamour to any outfit, no matter what you're wearing. >> and these heels i love this bow up top on these, but tell us about the shoes. >> i love these heels. i mean, it looks like a little present on your feet i absolutely love them tons of sparkle. great price from amazon. and what is so great is that this is perfect to add with the more casual outfit or you can dress it up with your classic little black dress >> i cannot believe --

>> it will dress anything up >> i can't believe, $49 and on amazon, too. we have a few more things to get to the bag always matters >> the bag is always great i love this because it's another embellishment we're seeing everywhere, feathers feathers are fun and they've come in really big this year it's a very simple color so it's not too much and, of course, it's going to fit all of your did you have, your phone, keys, lipstick, whatever you need. it's a nice size and it's from dsw so it's a great price at $39.99 >> we have a couple of seconds the bling looks great. where do you get these and how much is it >> bling from express, a great statement earring. again, dresses things up super quick and easy throw it on, one and done. same with a headband metallic if you do nothing else, throw this on with any outfit and you're festive, you look beautiful for the holidays and little effort but a lot of wow >> and the surprise is right $12 plus thank you. we appreciate it

>> thanks for having me. >> more options. scan our qr code, head to today.com/shop prices are great, too. coming up next, we're delivering some special gifts and surprises for a remarkable group that does a lot of good throughout the year right here in new york. nb c. i'm morgrgan, and ththere's more to meme than hiv.v. more love,e, more adveventur, more commumunity.

>> as a first time mom, there's a lot of challenges. >> she joined a parental support program in her neighborhood in new york and was soon signed up for little essentials. it's a donation based charity that works to support children's needs. >> they gave us a lot ooh diapers and food >> little essentials partners with organizations across new york city. it has 41 partners and has served more than 50,000 children in need. the engine behind this emergency, little essentials founder and president sandy trombear >> the cities that we're helping, they often work two minimum wage jobs and they're struggling to make ends meet

>> she started little essentials in her living room >> so i went around with my neighborhood and newborn in the car and collected from families. >> in did decade, it expanded from apartment to warehouse. this year alone, a team of nearly 800 help families in need >> i really feel lucky and i feel supported and i feel, you know, that i'm not by myself i have a new community >> sandy is joining us now alongside our good friend today in new york anchor michael guaridulo. this year seems so much more important than years past. people got busy. there's covid. there's a lot of things going on this is the time families really need these things. >> that's true i mean, if we think about it, 22% of children in new york city

live in poverty. with the pandemic, those numbers are higher anything we can do to help out those families is huge during the holiday seasons, we want to bring joy and make sure all the little one necessary new york city are able to get a gift >> sandy -- yes, sir, i'm here, craig, because we have a big surprise to share. would he have been helping to collect toys and give back all year long. and in the giving spirit, the folks at mattel and fisher price have hundreds of toys that they want to donate to the kids at little essentials for the holiday season and here they come >> amazing, guys >> that's great. >>. fantastic. you guys have done some the great work i hope you have a lovely

holiday. >> there it is, guys >> they're going to love it. >> sandy, please on our behalf, wish everybody at little essentials a very merry christmas. >> scan that qr code >> michael, we want to give a special thank you to you the work that you've been doing, you started this thing in your living room. it has expanded to a warehouse you're doing god's work. again, michael, for you and your team at nbc new york, we're so happy you all made this possible and to the power of 2, that's new york for connecting us with lula that little girl is a dream. >> wrapped in love >> thank you, guys >> merry christmas >> thank you merry christmas. >> we have much more of our season of giving surprises

coming up next >> we're just getting started, but first, your local news this morning on the third hour of "today," we're answering a very good morning to you. it is 8:56 on your monday morning. i'm laura garcia. jurors today have their first full day of deliberations in elizabeth holmes' criminal fraud trial. on friday attorneys wrapped up closing arguments and the jury received the case. holmes could face 20 years in prison if she's convicted of criminal fraud tied to the downfall of her former company

theranos. when she took the stand she claimed she never know ittingly misled investors. deliberations could last several days. and now all the latest developments coming up in the midday newscast. with covid cases surging ahead of the christmas holiday, moderna is out with some encouraging data for its booster shots and protection against the omicron variant. head to our home p page for tht full d details.

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this morning on the third hour of "today," we're answering all of your questions about covid and christmas. and later, moving images that captured some of the most important moments of 2021. a look insnside thehe year in pictures. >> then, a picture perfect ml on make ahead monday. chef ann burale sharing her secret to short rips. that's all coming up today, monday, december 20th, 2021.