in the northbound stretch. stay with nbc bay area. we'll be here for you all the way. >> we have a live update coming up at 7:25 and more news for you. forging ahead. americans determined to forging ahead. americans determined to celebrate christmas even as covid rages, omicron now reaching all 50 states health officials saying small gatherings can be safe while cautioning against those larger settings. >> stay away from those situations that could put you at a higher risk. >> this morning, new hope in the covid fight. the fda clearing the way for the nation's first covid treatment pill complete coverage straight ahead. buckle up. one of the busiest travel days of the holiday season on tap for the nation's airports and roads.

this morning, what you'll face as you head out the door and the big question, will the weather cooperate? down to the wire after weeks of concerns about shortages and delays, the christmas shopping and shipping season enters its final countdown. straight ahead inside the race to get your packages there in time breaking overnight, a massive fire erupts at an oi refinery in texas. several people hurt. nearby homes shaken by what felt like an explosion. we'll have the very latest from the scene. those stories, plus, putin speaks out the russian president holding his year-end news conference this morning his new message to the white house amid heightened tension over russian troops building up along ukraine's border and o little town of bethlehem. >> it's so exciting and special. especially at christmastime. >> from ancient tradition to modern-day fireworks a firsthand look at how the

season is being marked where the christmas story started. today thursday, december 23, 2021 >> announcer: from nbc news, this is "today" with savannah guthrie and hoda kotb. live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. welcome to "today. thank you so much for joining us on this thursday morning i'm working from home, once again. and weekend today co-host kristen welker in studio 1a because savannah and hoda are off. merry christmas eve eve to you, my friend. >> merry christmas eve eve to you. craig, it is so good to be back with you, an as people get ready to celebrate across the country and frankly the world, covid is once again hanging over every aspect of the holiday, craig >> yes, it is. this week alone, cases of the omicron strain have exploded topping 200,000 per day for the

first time since mid-september the variant now confirmed in all 50 states and washington, d.c. >> to slow the spread, the biden administration is pushing covid vaccines and boosters and now its mandates on businesses and certain health care workers is heading to the supreme court the justices agreeing to hear challenges during a special session on january 7th >> meanwhile, a new weapon is coming in the fight against the covid virus. pfizer has gotten approval from the fda, the fda granting authorization to pfizer's antiviral pill for people 12 and older. as you can see, there's a lot to talk about this morning. tom costello has his eye on the travel rush and covid's impact bill karins will bring us the holiday forecast and we'll go one on one with dr. ashish jha but we're going to start our coverage with nbc's sam brock. sam, good morning to you >> reporter: craig, kristen,

good morning the antiviral could be available as early as this weekend when so many families are getting together health officials say you should be vaccinated and tested and the problem this morning, so many people still encountering lines that look like these, three and four hours long. people in miami-dade are running out of gas waiting, a 200% increase in demand in recent days as cases are skyrocketing >> reporter: this morning, new promise from pfizer's pill freshly approved by the fda for emergency use, it require's a doctor's prescription and could cut down on covid related hospitalizations and deaths by 90% if taken within five days of symptoms starting. >> everyone agrees, this is a very promising antiviral. >> reporter: only a quarter million treatments will be available in january but pfizer says it will pump out tens of millions throughout 2022 this as omicron has reached every state and americans are facing long testing lines and delays the president last night acknowledging the issue but asking for perspective

>> nothing has been good enough. but, look, look where we are when last christmas we were in a situation where we had significantly fewer vaccinated -- people vaccinated. >> reporter: as omicron rapidly becomes america's dominant strain, its symptoms have come into sharper focus early evidence suggest ing a cough, fatigue, and congestion are most common with loss of taste and smell uncommon a pair of studies from the uk and another from south afric show omicron is reportedly milder with up to 80% fewer hospitalizations though one nationally recognized infectious disease expert says that's not a complete picture with vaccines helping to blunt severe symptoms and south africa's population much younger than ours. >> there's nothing to indicate that it would be milder. there's a lot to indicate it would be more transmissible. >> reporter: in florida, omicron is running rampant and some are pulling the plugs on holiday plans. >> are you seeing your family

for christmas? >> as a matter of fact, we just cancelled this morning we were going to have like 12 people >> reporter: health experts advise getting testing regardingless of vaccination status and if you haven't taken the shot avoid those get-togethers. >> if there's an unvaccinated person, i would say i'm sorry, but not this time. maybe another time when this is all over >> reporter: as for that significant development overnight, the supreme court holding a special hearing on january 7th on two biden vaccine initiatives. that corporate vaccine or testing mandate alone affects some 84 million people in a rare move for the court craig, back to you >> sam, thank you. dr. ashish jha joins us now. dr. jha is the dean of the brown university school of public health good morning to you. >> good morning, craig thanks for having me back here >> yes, of course. let's start with that news out of south africa this morning how encouraged should we be by this new research that shows the omicron outbreak there fell off almost as quickly as it hit, it

would seem >> yeah, it's really encouraging. i'm obviously hoping the same thing will happen here in the united states. they have a little bit of a different immuno ill profile lots of people previously infected fingers crossed, craig, that would be terrific if the infection numbers here could drop off quickly as well after it peaks. >> let's talk about testing for a moment full disclosure, i went to two drugstores yesterday in hopes of getting luck in finding one of those at-home rapid tests, no luck you've seen the lines at testing sites all over this country. a lot of folks who want to get tested before the holiday, and traveling, they're not going to be able to have the opportunity to do that. who can travel without getting tested, dr. jha? >> it's a great question look, tests just add one more layer of safety. they're not perfect, but they safety if you're fully vaccinated and boosted, you've already made yourself a much, much lower risk

person, both for yourself and for spreading it to others personally, it would be great if we had rapid tests and i think it would be helpful. if you're unvaccinated, then you really are at a very high risk of having it and spreading it and then going untested creates a lot of risk in my mind. >> let's turn now to the fda's approval of the antivira drug, pfizer's pill that can be administered after someone gets infected with covid. what sort of effect do you think this is going to have on our fight against this virus >> i think it's a big deal the problem is, it's not going to come on fast enough in the medium to long run, this is going to be a game changer. it really is it's so effective at reducing severity of disease that i can imagine six months from now, you wake up with a fever, you get a test, you take paxlovid, you get dramatically better. not a lot of pills out there,

there's going to be a little bit of a shortage for the next couple of months it's not going to help us out in there wave, but in the future, it will be very helpful. >> here's the thing. it would seem as if when we have an antiviral drug, we've got vaccines, we've got boosters, are we almost at a point now where we have enough tools in the toolbox that there is light at the end of the tunnel and the end of the tunnel isn't very far away >> i think both of those are true we have every tool we need to put this pandemic behind us. there are two sets of issues there's the shortages on tests, not enough pills, that we're going to be able to overcome there's another problem which is just the misinformation that's caused people not to get vaccinated, not to get boosted that is going to be the bigger challenge in the long run if we could overcome that, then, yes, we have the tools, we can put this pandemic behind us. >> really quickly, big holiday plans? >> small holiday plans small gathering with family, but looking forward to it. much better than last christmas, i'll tell you that.

>> amen to that. dr. ashish jha, always a pleasure, sir. enjoy the holiday and thank you for your time this morning. with covid top of mind, millions of americans are gearing up to travel with today expected to be one of the busiest for the nation's roads and airports and we're just a few hours away from what could be the worst time to drive we have two reports, including a check of your weather you'll face starting with tom costello in arlington, virginia tom, good morning to you. how is it looking out there? >> reporter: kristen, this is it state troopers across the country are on watch today you know here in virginia, they've had a real problem with speed. 22,000 crashes last year, speed-related, more than 400 people killed and so that's a high priority here and across the country. the keyword today, on the roads, in the airports, is likely going to be patience >> reporter: thursday morning and it's go time for millions of americans heading home for the holidays

roughly 100 million going by car, nearly a third of the population this morning, aaa says major roadways around boston, chicago, detroit and san francisco should expect peak congestion this afternoon. along i-270 in maryland, the state's roadside assistance team is on the job to keep traffic flowing. >> we change tires. we try to make the roads safe and clear. >> reporter: their work critical this time of year when mdot say there's a 30% bump in the number of drivers they assist. >> for every minute that a lane is blocked by an incident, it a travel conditions. >> reporter: americans are also traveling by train and by bus. meanwhile, at gate 42 in washington, the wing walkers bringing in flight 2565 from dallas they've got just 45 minutes to turn this plane for its next flight to florida and the countdown is on. two minutes after arrival, the cabin door opens

at three minutes, the cargo door opens. a minute later, ground crews are inside the belly of the plane loading passenger bags onto the belt inside, the last passenger stepping off just as the catering and cleaning crew sweep in at 20 minutes, the next flight's passengers start to board. down below, their bags are loading. as the first officer does his inspection check >> you could literally have a screw that's come loose. >> reporter: a typical narrow body plane like this will fly about five flights a day, in all carrying more than 900 passengers. this week, mostly clear skies nationwide are making for a smooth end-of-week travel push the next test, the day after new year's >> reporter: all right if you're on the roads today, you're going to have an awful lot of company the worst time to travel, because you're going to have so many people out there, between noon and 6:00 p.m. best time today, after 7:00.

as for tomorrow, you might want to try to get out the door before 1:00. guys, back to you. >> you'll want to bring your tom costello patience with you as well. right? tom costello, thank you so much. craig? with so many people traveling today, of course, everyone wants to know what's in store when it comes to the weather. and for that, we turn to nbc news metrologist bill karins who is in for al no pressure. how is it looking? >> no pressure at all. i'll tell you, i'm right with you. i was at the pharmacies last night searching for that rapid test at like 10:00 p.m. last night. i have to get my daughter tested christmas morning and be a negative test in order for her to see her family. i know a lot of people are going through this it's crazy let's get you to your destinations first and i'll give you the forecast the weather across the country, we're quiet. rockies, east, you're fine airports, roads, everyone looks good but the west is a completely different story. it's going to be extremely difficult to get state to state or even if you're going from the mountains down to the beaches. we're going to have significant

impacts today. san francisco, sacramento, los angeles is going to get its biggest storm of the year. we're expecting a very heavy rain event, even into san diego. by the time we get to tomorrow, those significant airport problems could be in phoenix as the heavy rain moves in there, salt lake city is going to be rain but higher elevations, snow in the east, boston is the only airport, tomorrow morning, maybe a little bit of snow as we get to christmas day, all the problems are in the west everyone east of the rockies, you're fine. in the west, stay tuned. we'll have more details on this huge storm throughout the rest of the show. we know you'll keep tracking it. bill, thank you for that we have a lot more to get to, including overseas and new tensions between the u.s. and russia back in the spotlight as vladimir putin holds his annual end-of-the-year news conference this morning, and he's had a lot to say about the buildup of russian troops along the ukrainian border

"today's" senior international correspondent keir simmons joins us now with the very latest. keir, good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning to you. president putin this morning appearing to hold out hope that the tensions over ukraine can be resolved but his comments just days after he made threatening signals, the russian leader as ever, keeping the world guessing >> reporter: this morning, president putin taking questions but avoiding health risks, sitting at a distance from journalists. russia, third in the world for covid deaths the risk of war with ukraine looming over his end of year news conference today. >> translator: everyone is saying, well, war isn't the all thing and everybody is warning us against interfering and threatening with sanctions so we shall respond somehow. this is a formidable issue >> reporter: even after this month's virtual face to face between presidents biden and putin, russia's military buildup is escalating the state department says. president putin this week threatening a, quote, military

technical response, perhaps code for a cyberattack. ukraine not backing down either. this week, ukrainian television showing combat drills with u.s.-made antitank missiles. despite all this, russia's foreign minister says security talks with the u.s. and nato will begin in january and today president putin saying russia doesn't want war >> translator: we don't want that it is not our choice. by and large we are seeing positive direction at this point. >> reporter: the kremlin's proposal sent to washington a security treaty, including uncompromising demands that nato ends expansion and all military activity in eastern europe, quickly dismissed as unacceptable in washington and western capitals while this morning president putin is signaling hope that tension with the west could be defused, his tensions are hard to read. speaking to military officials

this week, he said ominously, there's no room for retreat. and a small piece of positive news this morning as well, kristen, russia and ukraine agreeing to a cease-fire deal in eastern ukraine. one ukrainian official saying that means the coming holidays should be peaceful, kristen, we certainly hope so. thank you so much for that report. we said we're going to go back to bill karins and now here we are let's check out the rest of the forecast how is it looking? >> we already talked about the negative stuff in areas of the west with the big storm coming in there's some beautiful weather for travel today, getting the last-minute errands done it is very warm for december temperatures are in the 70s from southern portions of new mexico right through texas 60s through the southeast. there's a lot of gorgeous weather conditions to get all of those checkmarks done on that to-do list we'll talk about the big, huge storm impacting the west right through christmas weekend coming up in the next half-hour

that's a look at the national forecast we'll get your local forecast next in 30 seconds that even le? and get this - he remembered my name. of course. hey, blink twice if you're in danger. whoa, guys. at state farm, we actually get to know you. it's called service. come on! like a good neighbor, state farm is there. good morning. i'm meteorologist kari hall. taking a look at storm ranger, widespread rain across the bay area. watch out for ponding on the roadways and possible street flooding. we continue to see heavier rain moving in this morning as cold air comes down, maybe enhancing the energy and giving us a chance of thunderstorms late morning and early afternoon. rain continues in the forecast

through christmas and even next week as colder air continues to move in to the bay area. >> and that's your thursday forecast back to you. >> bill, thank you. just ahead here, covid's impact on the queen's christmas plans now. the beloved royal tradition she's being forced to cancel for the second year in a row. if you're still shopping, you're not alone we've got good news on the supply chain and shipping issues that have dominated this holiday season everything you need to know to get those final gifts under the tree in time but first, this is "today"

still ahead, calling all procrastinators. vicky nguyen is going to join us with all of your last-minute holiday strategies from gifts for people you may have forgotten about, to entertaining in safe and festive ways, kristen. >> we'll have that and more, but first, your local news

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here's today's top stories. >> reporter: i'm bob redell in downtown san jose where jurors return for their third full day of deliberations in the trial of theranos founder elizabeth holmes, who faces nine counts of fraud for bilking investors out of hundreds of millions of dollars. casual court watchers speculate that with the holidays looming, the jury may want to wrap up as soon as possible. one legal expert tells us they don't think a jury would rush a

verdict given how much weight their decision holds. >> reporter: i'm cierra johnson at sfo. today is a very busy day here at the airport as folks head out for holiday travel. aaa says 109 million people, an almost 34% increase from 2020, have plans to travel more than 50 miles. the mask mandate has been extended so if you're traveling, you will be required to keep the mask on. a wet and windy start to the day. meteorologist kari hall is tracking that. >> yeah. we see a cold front moving through the bay area right now. it's giving us a dose of heavier rain for the start of the day. it is pretty widespread as we take a look at storm ranger. only a couple of spotty breaks out there as we see activity continue for the next several hours. in fact, going into the afternoon we may say a few isolated thunderstorms and some

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♪♪ ♪ we are back. 7:30 on this thursday morning, december 23, 2021. the home stretch before christmas. now just two days away and kristen welker, if we think we're busy, imagine the big guy, santa claus. >> no one is busier than santa claus right now. that's for sure. he's gearing up for i didn't say yearly ride. an if you have little ones anxious to see where that journey will take him, we have you covered. starting tomorrow at 3:00 p.m. eastern, our streaming channel

today all day will be tracking santa as he makes his way around the world. head to today.com or peacock to watch it live. a lot of little ones and big ones excited about that. >> let us switch gears now, because it is another busy morning in the news. let's get right to those 7:30 headlines. breaking overnight, a massive fire at an oil refinery outside houston. take a look at this. you can actually see the flames and plumes of smoke from what residents in baytown called an explosion that rattled homes early this morning officials at the exxonmobil refinery did not confirm an explosion, but they do say they are investigating the cause of the fire four people were taken to the hospital. all of them are in stable condition this morning now a terrifying for a pennsylvania congresswoman carjacked at gunpoint. police say a pair of armed men approached her at a park in philadelphia yesterday afternoon and demanded her keys she handed them over along with her government cell phone and i.d.

one of the thieves drove off in her suv while the other followed in another vehicle scanlon fortunately was not hurt overnight police say her car was found at a shopping center in delaware and five people inside were arrested. president biden already looking ahead to 2024. the commander in chief saying he will run for re-election so long as he's in good health biden made those comments in a new interview saying, quote, i'm a respecter of fate. when asked if he would be up for a rematch against donald trump, biden said that would only make him more likely to run for a second term. meanwhile, in one form or another, craig, covid is impacting the holiday plans of people all around the world and that includes the royal family >> that's right. for the second year in a row, they've been forced to cancel a number of gatherings and events. nbc news now ancho joe fryer has that story joe, good morning. >> good morning.

apparently not even a crown after calling off a holiday lunch with her family as a precaution, the queen will spend christmas, the first without beloved husband prince philip at windsor castle instead of her usual country estate after an unpredictable year for the royal family, another twist as their leader adjusts her christmas traditions the queen disappointed to having to miss a family christmas gathering at her beloved state where the royals take their traditional walk after church on christmas day. the monarch announced this week she will once again spend the holiday at windsor castle as the omicron variant continues to spread in the uk this was supposed to be one of the biggest royal get-togethers in years it was all smiles when prince harry and meghan joined the family in 2018 there was speculation that they would visit with their children this month they're expected to spend

christmas in california. >> this will be very sad for the queen. we know she loves being at her estate it's somewhere she feels very very comfortable. >> reporter: traditionally, it's where the royals gather every christmas. the princes have joined the queen on the estate since those visits dramatized in "the crown. in now canceled a difficult year for the queen which began with the loss of her husband, prince philip, and ended with her having to scale down public engagements because of ill health. although this year's christmas will look different, it's unlikely the queen will be eating christmas dinner alone her family have made it clear she will not be spending another christmas alone, so some of them, a smaller number presumably charles and camilla, potentially some of her other children, will go to windsor to be with the queen. >> reporter: prince andrew was

expected to join his mother at the small windsor gathering. prince william and the duchess of cambridge plan to spend christmas with their children and attending a christmas and attending a charity christmas concert with a performance by ellie goulding and exchanging a tender festive grass. >> ellie goulding also performed at william and kate's wedding ten years ago. one of the queen's children, her daughter princess ann, will not be joining the family for christmas. her husband, sir timothy lawrence, tested positive for >> joe, thank you. in fact, in just the last minute or so, we have been able to confirm that charles -- prince charles and his wife camilla will in fact be spending christmas with the queen. the queen will not be alone on christmas day. >> that will make it a little merrier for her, indeed.

good to know just ahead, if you are still waiting, will those final holiday packages be delivered on time and is there anything left on the shelves if you need to dash out for a last-minute gift? kerry sanders is on the case but first, these messages. (judge) it's delightful. (contestant 1) seriously? but it's a total train-wreck. (judge) it's obvious that you've put a lot of work into it. (buzz) she's probably happy because she found out honey nut cheerios can help lower cholesterol. (judge) does anyone want to go on a bike ride? the citi custom cash℠ card. a different kind of card that automatically adapts to you. earn 5% cash back on your top eligible spend category up to $500 spent each billing cycle. apply now. visit citi.com/customcash

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race to deliver. this morning, the very last-minute holiday shipping crunch. >> that's right. with christmas just two days away and millions of procrastinators still not done with their shopping, what do you need to know to get those gifts in on time what if you're waiting for orders to be delivered still nbc' kerry sanders joins us with more on that. a lot of procrastinators here in studio 1a. kerry, what do we do about it? >> reporter: good morning, guys. if you are among the last-minute folks in this country, you're not alone. you know here and other parts of the country, believe it or not, half are still picking up gifts if you are a procrastinator and you're just about to start your shopping and you say, well, i have an excuse for christmas morning, i'll just say, well, i couldn't get what you really wanted because of supply chain problems

now, even the white house says that excuse holds no water >> reporter: it's the final countdown to christmas and if you've been stressing about supply chain shortages and shipping delays ruining your holiday, the president says, worry no more. >> the much predicted crisis didn't occur packages are moving. gifts are being delivered. shelves are not empty. >> reporter: on wednesday, his supply chain disruptions task force reported that bottle necks have been cleared and new -- cleared at the nation's busiest ports, and new partnerships are truck ing companies are helping to address driver shortages on the road as a result he says retail inventory are close to prepandemic levels and delivery times at major shippers are faster than they were in 2019, despite record holiday demand. in fact, between 97 and 99% of holiday deliveries have been made on time

to help you avoid making santa's naughty list, we have all the last-minute shopping deadlines to ensure your gifts arrive on time ship today and fedex and ups will guarantee next-day delivery for christmas eve. the postal service by christmas day. >> i sent it priority. i didn't mess around. >> reporter: for a premium, fedex offers same-day delivery on christmas eve amazon prime members can get next-day delivery on some products today and same-day delivery on friday for orders over $25 but only in certain zip codes. walmart, best buy and target all offering next-day delivery on orders made today. place your orders on christmas eve and they'll deliver most products that same day, or you can pick them up curbside at the store. target has added 18,000 curbside spaces to make it easy. >> you can place your order all the way up to 6:00 p.m. on christmas eve and we'll have it ready for you in a couple of hours.

when you get here, put in your parking spot number and we'll be out to put it in your trunk in a couple of minutes. >> reporter: most of the big box stores and electronics stores will be open christmas eve into the evening, so if you're that procrastinator, kristen, enjoy the hyperventilating and going n nuts trying to get those last-minute gifts. >> now we want to deliver the latest on the holiday forecast, the other important piece of this holiday story bill karins, how is it looking >> not good, kristen, for areas of the west. i mean this isn't just your typical storm. this is going to be the biggest storm of the year in areas like san diego, los angeles, and phoenix. and for all of my friends in the west, the weather you're going to experience over the next ten days is going to be some of the most extreme that you've seen in years. so let's just start with today we have flash flooding that is possible in southern california. mostly from l.a. southward,

anaheim, all the way down towards san diego. the worst of it is going to be as we go through this evening. that's when the heavy rain will move in. you don't see a future cast like this very often with that heavy rain from l.a. to san diego. that's at 8:00 p.m. this evening. we're concerned about where we had the fires. we could get debris flows in those burn scar areas. then we ge a little break in southern california on friday, and the next storm that comes next week comes to the pacific northwest how bad are we saying? the rainfall in l.a. could be 2 inches phoenix could get an inch to an inch and a half of rain and the snow is going to be epic we could see totals up to 9 feet that's 100 inches of snow in a piece of the sierra in california we need it we got to fill the reservoirs. we just we're seeing all of that rain still coming down as colder air comes in. we'll continue to see more widespread rain and even the possibility of thunderstorms

over the next several hours as that cold front moves in. we are looking at wet continued weather in the forecast for the christmas holiday and the day after going into next week. it's also going to be very cold with scattered showers. we'll be watching out for heavy rain in the forecast. >> if you >> craig, if you want that white christmas forecast, you got to stay tuned i'm still working on it. >> oh, okay. you're saying there's a chance all right, bill, thank you, sir. coming up, despite fewer tourists this holiday season, the streets of the ancient city of bethlehem are alive with the true spirit of christmas and we're going to take you there live right after this. (santa) ho ho! (doughboy) [giggle]

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crunchy and meaty textures with a mouth-watering gravy coating. meow mix tasty layers. the only one cats ask for by name. (santa) ho ho! (doughboy) [giggle] (santa) ho ho! (vo) home is where we make full bellied, belly laughs. (doughboy) [giggle] (santa) ho ho! (vo) pillsbury. (doughboy) [giggle] welcome back in a typical year, tourists flock to the ancient city of bethlehem during the christmas season, craig. >> yeah, they do but for the second year in a row, israel's borders are closed to tourists leaving the city's holy sites relatively quiet. but the christmas spirit is still shining bright nbc's raf sanchez has made his way to bethlehem for us. good morning

>> reporter: good morning. that's right, people here in bethlehem are unbelievably proud of their city. they call it the capital of christmas and they love welcoming visitors from overseas that isn't happening this year because of omicron and so they are finding new ways to celebrate. >> reporter: in the little town of bethlehem, the countdown to christmas is on. prayers and songs of praise going up from the city where the christmas story began. >> it's so exciting, it's so special. especially at christmastime. and we were one of the very few tourists fortunate enough to be able to come to israel and to come to bethlehem. >> reporter: that's because israel closed its borders to foreigners last month, trying to keep out the omicron variant but it also kept out pilgrims and tourists heading to the west bank, taking a major toll on the economy and leaving holy sites like bethlehem's church of the

nativity quiet this year this is the grotto where jesus is believed to have been born. on a normal day, there would be a line snaking through the church, but today, it's completely empty even without many visitors from overseas, the streets of this ancient city are still alive with the spirit of christmas amal bandeck is one of bethlehem' top palestinian tour guides and she agreed to show us around a city ready to celebrate. >> christmas is the most beautiful time in the year this is the time of gathering all the families this is the time to see everybody happy. everybody waiting for the christmas. >> reporter: and away from the clamber, quiet moments of christmas reflection father eses, the father priest of the parish. >> this is not christmas christmas is to think of others. christmas is to love each other.

christmas is to have this centerpiece of love. >> reporter: last year, the coronavirus kept this family apart. this year, three generations are gathering under the tree, thankful for what they have. it may be a different christmas this year, but the people of bethlehem are determined to make it a happy one those israeli travel restrictions are going to be in place until at least next week so the christmas tourism period kind of a washout again this year but the message from people in bethlehem is, come see us next christmas, come see us even before then. and we are looking forward to seeing you craig, kristen >> thank you so much for taking us to bethlehem and also congratulations on your "today" show debut fantastic story. hope to be seeing lots more of you, sir. >> congratulations and welcome good stuff. >> thank you so much. >> the uplifting story we needed today. still ahead, britney spears

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(doughboy) [giggle] (santa) ho ho! (vo) pillsbury. (doughboy) [giggle] here's what's happening. >>reporter: i'm cierra johnson at sfo. today is expected to be a very busy day here at the airport as folks head out for that holiday travel. according to aaa, 109 million people have plans to travel more than 50 miles. the mask mandate has been extended. if you're traveling on public transit, you will be required to keep that mask on. meteorologist kari hall has been tracking the wet and windy weather. >> yeah. we're seeing it on storm ranger

right now. it's basically covering the whole bay area with a light to moderate rain. we've seen heavier downpours at times and we're watching out for a chance at spottier thunderstorms. it will be cooler over the next few days as the rain will be off and on, still not seeing the activity letting up even through the middle of next week. we'll continue to add to the rainfall totals, still expected to reach an inch and a half at the south bay or 3 inches in our coastal areas. we'll have another local news update in 30 minutes. we learn about covid-19,

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xxxxxxx then, holiday road. >> merry christmas. happy holidays to you. >> millions of americans heading out today, peak traffic congestion expected this afternoon. airlines working to keep up with record demand. what you need to know before you go.

and then making a list. from gifts for your guests to entertaining made easy. vicky nguyen is here with what to know if you're a little late to checking things twice. and christmastime is here. we're giving you all the best tips for a fun and festive holiday weekend, including what to watch, what to cook, and a very special performance to kick it all off, today, thursday, december 23, 2021. ♪♪ >> celebrating 40 years of marriage. we love you! >> from twin cities, minnesota, spending time together, happy holidays. >> we're the caseys from massachusetts. and we're celebrating decklyn's 19th birthday.

happy holidays. and welcome back to "today". happy holidays, happy birthday. we're so glad you're spending our thursday morning with us. i'm working from home. kristen welker there in studio 1a as savannah and hoda are off. how are we doing, kristen? >> we're doing great. it's great to be with you and so great to see our plaza fans fired up and festive. it's hard to believe that christmas eve is tomorrow. craig, i know you guys are going to be celebrating in a big way. >> we are indeed. we have a special show planned for christmas eve including a fascinating look at the holiday festivities that date back hundreds of years at britain's country houses, including one that's been in princess diana's family for five centuries. so we'll that for you tomorrow on "today," but right now, let's get to your news at 8:00. there's no escaping the omicron variant with the fast-moving covid strain now spreading to all 50 states. even though the first treatment pill has won emergency approval, health officials stress vaccines

still offer the best protection. nbc's sam brock gets us started. sam, good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning. getting people vaccinated and boosted certainly still priority number one. but this antiviral pill just approved by the fda from pfizer could be a game changer, reducing hospitalizations, craig, by nearly 90% when taken within five days of the onset of symptoms. could be available on a limited basis as early as this weekend when so many families are getting together. but, craig, here's the problem. health officials right now want you vaccinated and tested. and testing lines across the country look something like this, what we're seeing in miami-dade. when i got here, it's sunny now. it was dark at 5:00, 6:00 this morning, there were cars spilling out into the streets, police officers directing traffic. people are running out of gas waiting, craig. the demand for testing in miami is up 200% in recent days. 40 to 50,000 people are getting tested every day. the test positivity rate was 10%.

as of a couple of days ago. i'm told now by the site manager, it was closer to 30% yesterday. omicron right now is exploding across the country. we have exceeded 200,000 new infections every single day. if there's a silver lining to all of this, it's new numbers right now out of south africa which show the cases there after that rise dipping about 20%. i spoke with infectious disease experts who told me we could see the same kind of trajectory here in the united states if we follow the same preventive measures they're taking there which includes not getting together in large groups and, of course, here we are right now, two days away from the christmas holiday, people traveling and flying to see loved ones. please, be careful. craig, back to you. >> sam brock for us there in florida. sam, thank you. >> sam talked about traveling. we do want to have more now on the holiday rush during this latest covid surge. air travelers know they could face crowded lines and long lines and a huge number of americans are driving to their destinations. nbc's tom costello joins us with the

big picture. good morning to you. >> reporter: kristen, good morning. yeah, the state troopers across the country, aaa, all saying this is the day, right? we know that about 100 million people are traveling by car 50 miles or more over this entire stretch of the holidays. think about that. that's almost a third of the population will be on the road at some point, traveling 50 miles or more. today, the busiest day, leading up to christmas. some sobering statistics, though. as you know, unfortunately this ises time of year when sometimes people have had too much to drink, they get in their cars. nearly 300 dui-related deaths in 2018, so the message from state troopers is, they're watching and, please, don't drink and drive. here in virginia, they're also very concerned about a huge increase in speed-related crashes and deaths. 22,000 crashes last year, more than 400 people killed, that's a ten-year high. they're very much watching speed on highways in virginia and for that matter, across the country.

that's the national highway traffic picture, and by the way, you may want to not hit the road between noon and 6:00 p.m. when both -- most people are going to be on the roads. let's talk about the airport situation. tsa reporting more than 2 million people flying each day this week and pushing 2 1/2 million. as you know, the mask mandate remains in effect. airplanes and also in airports. we do have luftons announcing they are cancelling six flights into the united states over the next few days because of their crew members in germany who are sick. so those flights going to washington, new york and boston, on luftanza, that means the return, of course, may also be cancelled. this is a situation where covid already starting to play out in airplanes and on carriers as airlines are trying to make sure that they are safe and their people are safe. kristen and craig, back to you. >> tom costello, thank you, appreciate it. president biden has extended the nearly two-year freeze on federal student loan repayments

for an extra three months. the pause had been set to expire at the end of january. but the president citing the ongoing impact of the pandemic says payments will not resume until may 1st. that decision affects more than 40 million borrowers. however, the pause does not apply to privately held student loans. the mystery of what was hidden beneath the statue of confederate general robert e. lee in richmond, virginia, is growing deep er this morning. the 130-year-old statue was taken down in september. as you may remember. yesterday, experts carefully opened a time capsule from 1887 found inside the pedestal. it held three moldy books, documents and a few other items. but many historians thought it would contain rare civil war memorabilia. some believe there may be a second capsule or that it had been removed or stolen long ago. fascinated by this mystery, craig. >> yeah. news is covered. that means we're ready for the e

morning boost. here we go. line a third grade teacher kathleen f fitzpatrick pu it all on the line this week at her school playground in washington, d.c. she promised the whole class hot chocolate if she could sink a full-court shot, and she did this [ cheers and applause >> and the kids go wild. ms. fitz, a baller, who knew probably getting some marshmallows by the way, that was no lucky shot, before she was misfit, their teacher played hoops for th rutgers university scarlet knights. the fix was in.

>> i think her students were more excited than she was. that was so great. all right, craig, thanks up next, still shopping and getting ready for guests well, don't go anywhere, vicky nguyen is with us to save the day sharing the best last-minute strategies to make sure your holiday is a success that's right after this. ♪ just got a little bit more fun. (son) one, two, three... (vo) these layers just keep going! (son) four... pillsbury grands! flaky layers biscuits. ♪“i got you babe” by etta james♪ ♪ get groceries, gifts, & more fast and easy. so last minute guests are the only thing you'll be waiting on. ♪ joy. fully. ♪

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♪♪ we are back on this christmas eve eve we are back on this christmas eve eve with today's holiday handbook if you're still making your to-do list and checking it twice, have no fear. >> nbc's vicky nguyen has been busy rounding up some of the best last-minute holiday gift and entertaining ideas you're going to save us, thank you. >> we got plenty of time >> let's talk about the procrastinators like myself who have waited until the last minute and you know if you try and order something today, it's probably not going to get here in time. what do we do? >> all right say it with me, it's the "b" word, craig. word, craig. buy online, pick up in store if you don't want to pay an arm and leg for shipping, you can shop online, enter the zip code and look for the nearest store

to you kerry talked about it, a lot of stores are offering curbside pickup right now so you don't even have to get out of your car. you get there, call the stor and they bring it right out to your trunk the protip here, you want to make sure you don't go to the store until you get that confirmation email or text that says your item is actually ready for pickup don't forget to bring your i.d a lot of places aren't going to give you that item until they make sure they verify who you are. >> what if you can't get out of the house for just a variety of reasons, family schedule, work schedule, kids won't let you leave, what do you do then >> craig, if you can't even bring yourself to leave the house, which i get that feeling 100%, there are services like shipt and doordash which will sends shoppers to certain stores and pick up those items and bring them to you same day you can take that a step further with a service calle task rabbit. you're hiring someone, paying them an hourly fee, send them to

pick it up in store. they'll bring it to you, and they can go to whatever store and get wherever you need. finally, there's this service with uber called uber connect. it's available i about 6,000 cities nationwide right now. let's say, craig, i've got the package here for you it's wrapped up, and i just can't bring myself to drive it over i call an uber, the driver picks it up and brings it to you as long as it's under 30 pounds and doesn't contain anything illegal, we're set. >> wow, i didn't know about that last one for me, let's say it's christmas eve, you wrapped your gifts and you realize, oh, no, this happens every year, you realize, oh, n we forgot a gift for cousin bob. what do you do what's a creative solution there? >> okay, look, if it's christmas eve, if it's christmas day, you know that gift is just a digital click away subscriptions is one that is -- instant, right who doesn't want free spotify or netflix or another subscription service for a year

the other thing that's really popular is the gift that keeps on giving, it's those crates or boxes that arrive every month. if you go to cratejoy.com, you will get a lot of inspiration, whether that gift recipient, cousin bob loves gardening or pretzels, or maybe kids want an art kit. there are so many subscription boxes. you can do a three month, six month, even a year that's a gift that comes every single month of course you've got experiences. i think it's a great time to support your local businesses with gift cards to the restaurants or the shops or the museums in your area or where cousin bob lives don't forget about gift cards. those can be sent to an inbox. you don't have to do the physical gift card these days. my protip, you want to make sure the recipient knows it's coming so it doesn't accidentally go to their spam or junk box and they miss it. if you are receiving a gift card, not a bad idea to call and say, hey, did you mean to send me this, so you know it's not a scam that you're clicking on a lot of those are going around this time of year as well. >> you've answered all of my questions. kristen, what do you have?

>> that's a really important tip about making sure it's not spam, vicky. let me stick on cousin bob, if he could let's say he stops by, of course he's fully vaccinated and boosted, and wants to stay for dinner but you haven't had time to go grocery shopping what do you do in that instance, vicky? >> if it's my cousin bob, we're probably going to order chinese food or pizza. if you want to whip up a homemade meal, there are a lot of grocery services same day now. you have fresh direct, amazon fresh, whole foods the great thing about the pandemic, it really accelerated these delivery services from our local grocery stores, kroger aldi, publix, safeway, wegmans, they all offer grocery delivery. if cousin bob is a big eater, you got costco sometimes they can do it within two hours. this is the time of year we should be thankful for the folks who are working on christmas eve, on christmas day in some cases to make these deliveries happen for us.

if you can, tip generously and also make sure you pay attention to those delivery fees because sometimes if you hit the minimum, which is around 35 or $50, you don't have to pay the delivery fee but day papay attention to that. >> always so thankful for the folks who are working on christmas. let's talk about larger gatherings we should note that dr. fauci has said, look, you shouldn't gather with groups larger than 30 to 50 people. even if they're fully vaccinated and boosted, but let's say you have 10, 15 people over, how do you make sure that meal is covid safe and still good to eat? >> yeah, kristen, superimportant question i think people have to remember, being vaccinated and boosted, that's the best tool in our arsenal. is it 100% no, but it really protects us from severe illness. the second thing to remember is, surface transmission is not a big deal covid is not typically something that we're going to spread through touching things. it's more about spending time talking to each other, coughing or sneezing. breathing that same air because it's in the air.

that's how this virus is transmitted. however, hand hygiene is important because we're in the middle of cold and flu season. strep throat is going around the community where i live it's not a bad idea to remind your guests to wash their hands before they eat. if you want to take it a step further, let's say you have two or three families gathering. instead of putting out one big bowl to share the vegetables, maybe keep a bowl for each household. remind everyone, especially the kids, not to share drinks or utensils keeping it with individual juice boxes, cans or bottles is a little bit better, a little bit safer, brings the risk down and keep that hand sanitizer out on the table. it's a nice reminder, everyone, wash your hands before we eat. if you can't do that, here's some hand sanitizer. hand hygiene is going to help us get through this winter without additional germs kristen and craig? >> vicky nguyen, great tips as always merry christmas, by the way. we won't see you again before, so merry merry >> merry christmas. >> merry christmas, and i'll see

you next year. >> that's right. that's right let's check in with bill karins for another look at the weather. bill, how are we looking >> let's do these dinners and everything outside i'm not going to give you the christmas forecast this is pretty much a memorial day weekend forecast that's how unusually crazy warm this is going to be. besides the whole climate crisis angle of this, the covid angle is let's open the windows, get outside. meeting with those families. i mean look at the warmth today we have 50s once again in iowa 70s in texas it's going to be near record highs for day after day as we go into christmas eve, we're going to see 70s as far north as amarillo look at wichita falls, texas, 84 degrees. you're almost turning the air conditioner on at that point a line fro denver, kansas city, st. louis, all the way over towards nashville, charlotte, richmond, d.c. southward, you can christmas barbecue outside without question

very comfortably you're not going to get wet. temperatures are going to be in the 60s, 70s and in some cases in texas, you're going to be in the 80s. i know that austin is going to be possibly 84 degrees on christmas day. yes, it won't feel like christmas, but you can be outdoors that's always fun. and you can do that barbecue too for christmas. good morning. i'm meteorologist kari hall. we'll have nothing like that. impact is cold and rainy here and the rain continues. as we take a live look at storm ranger right now, some of the heavier rain is pushing towards the peninsula and the south bay, we will also have a chance for isolated thunderstorms as well for the forecast. a very soggy commute for you as we take a live look outside. we'll continue to see rain off and on in the forecast and cooler temperatures that will expand into next week. my weather producer and i just finished the christmas eve and christmas day snow forecast. that's coming up soon. >> i love a good tease

thank you, bill. time for as mr. roker would say, the best time o the morning, mr. daley is standing by for "pop start." again the labor shortage continues at the daley house >> i enjoy bill shouting out his producer don it must be nice to have help in the morning. good for you guys. i've got nothing to work with. we're going to jump right into it first up on part, this gentleman, e sheeran ending 2021 on a high note ed sheeran's song "shape of you" has hit 3 billion streams. the track from the grammy winner's third album, an to celebrate the big news, ed took to instagram to reflect on the achievement. >> this song, it wasn't meant to make the album i tend to write songs for other peopler other people be the album was done

when i finished the song, my record label was saying you have put both songs out at once, andd you were very much right >> you hear that from a lot of artists, somebody else's idea. >> congratulations to ed next up, right here, britney spears, could this be the year for new music from the pop icon. in a video, she belted out a quick performance. here it is >> i want you to know just want i need ♪ >> with the high note in the bathroom showing off the chops, still got it that's been deleted, by the way. at least the caption teasing fans writing, new song in the works really looking forward to see

how that comes out in 2022 next up, michael keaton, the acto set to return as the caped crusader in d.c.'s upcoming flash movie. and the awards podcast, keyton opened up about why now is the time to get back into the bat suit >> i was curious inside myself saying, wow, i wonder what that would be like, or i wonder if i could -- if i had to do that again. there was a fair amount of me saying, i don't know, it depends on when. i'm not just going to say, yeah, i want to do it. if i do it, it has to be good. it was a fair amount of convincing, but it wasn't like you had to talk me into it exactly. >> i think that might have been the entire podcast in that clip right there. go guys, it gets better, it was just announced that keaton has signed onto play bruce wayne in the bat girl

movie. bat fans everywhere counting down until they get to hear michael keaton say i'm batman. one more story that you might have seen, "wheel of fortune," fans are calling for action after a contestant on tuesday's show lost in the final round due to a technicality. here it is >> the right -- word >> you know, this wone is tough because you said all the right words, including the word word, but it has to be more or less continuous, and we can't give you the prize, and it was the audi >> that's not fair she didn't get the beep beep she did it all within the time frame and people are upset online it was crazy listen, not all is lost for her, the fine folks at audi took notice of the viral wheel moment and decided to step in and make things right the auto maker tracking the

contestant down on twitter, saying you're a winner in our eyes let's give you a prize time to give her the q-3 it is a christmas miracle. the internet working to do some good today, guys merry christmas, everybody >> i get the outrage over the technicality, she should have won that she knew it. >> i agree good morning, it's 8:26. i'm marcus washington. costa county leaders are getting a huge response from the at-home free covid testing kit they're offering this week. it can't come at a better time when people are hoping to get tested before seeing loved ones before the holidays. kilts will be available this morning. some of county health department testing sites. still a look at the forecast four. wet and windy, this morning.

kari, we just saw some of that rain coming out there? >> yes, and it's still pouring. and we're adding up on the rainfall totals. the storm total so far for many of us reaching over an inch, inch and a half. it's still raining, continuing to see numbers going up. especially for the cold front coming into today. even a chance of isolated thunderstorms especially in the next few hours. we could see more breaks tomorrow but then scattered showers and more widespread rain in the forecast on saturday. as well as into next week with colder temperatures, marcus. >> thanks, kari. also, another local news update coming up in 30 minutes. i'll see you after "today."

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♪♪ ♪ i know that name for 400, please. >> this geneo long time nbc personality, christina >> who is carson daly? >> yes >> back at 8:30 with the latest sign that carson daly has made it, who is carson daly >> way to go

>> i'll tell you what, my phone lit up last night when that happened and it reminded me of my father, god rest his soul i have been on tv for 25 years, i don't think he ever saw anything l.a. times" crossword puzzle, you would have thought i won an oscar. i appreciate that. that's a real treat. >> it was great to hear your name shouted out >> smiling down. >> for sure. >> with the genoe mr. daly, we have a busy half hou ahead on this christmas eve eve. it's filled with all sorts of goodies to get you in the holiday spirit. >> once you wrap up your wrapping, the next few days are ideal for struggling up on the couch to watch tv or a movie so coming up, dave carter will highlight th best shows and films of the season and what's new and noteworthy in 2022. >> and the legendary chef is here with us she's going to share recipes for two simple but very impressive sheet pan dishes i see pork chops

they are going to be perfect for christmas dinner. >> looking good. making us hungry here. they've wowed us with their work on the front lines and their appearances on "america's got talent," and this morning the north well health nurs choir will dazzle us again with a special performance just for us. coming up on the third hour, sheinelle is going to introduce us to tyra banks' biggest supporter, her mom >> that's cool looking forward to that. i was just looking up genial, it means cheerful and friendly. that's good. willie guist is looking back on his most memorable moments from the year, an bonus episodes will be streaming, including conversations with dwayne "the rock" johnson and kate hudson. it's really easy search for sunday sit-down wherever you get your podcasts, and start listening.

>> machine gun kelly was a good one, that's for sure thanks for that, carson. and now bill cairns is back with final check of the weather a mixed bag you're watching. >> it's crazy across the country. let's get into this and show you who has a chance of a white christmas and who doesn't. going into christmas eve, tomorrow morning, a little dose of light snow. you may wake up to a winter wonderland picture hartford providence, boston, maybe a half inch to an inch. i don't know if it will last to christmas. you could wake up to that. and then the west is just anywhere in the mountains, a ton of snow. let's get to christmas day kind o a rainy mess moving through the ohio valley, also northern new england a little bit of wintery mix, maybe snow in the dakotas and minnesota. guaranteed white christmas any higher elevations in the mountains of california, the sierra, going through colorado and anywhere in the rockies. here's the snow depth forecast for christmas day. these are your chances for a white christmas and the definition is, at least 1 inch on the ground.

you have to be north of the mass pike, albany, boston, north ridge, for a white christmas north of green bay sorry chicago, cleveland denver, no chance for you. in the mountains to your west, definitely look at all the heavy snow in areas to the west. safe travels to everyone, especially all of our friends in the western half of country. that's where the significant winter weather will be taking place right through your christmas holiday. that's a look at your na

>> i want to wish all of you guys a wonderful christmas holidays too craig, if you find that rapid test at a pharmacy, give me a call >> i will, i will. thank you, bill. merry merry to you as well up next, if you've got time off in the days ahead, dave off in the days ahead, dave carter knows how to fill it. ♪♪♪ my name is austin james. as a musician living with diabetes, fingersticks can be a real challenge. that's why i use the freestyle libre 2 system. with a painless, one-second scan i know my glucose numbers without fingersticks. now i'm managing my diabetes better and i've lowered my a1c from 8.2 to 6.7. take the mystery out of managing your diabetes and lower your a1c.

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we're back with more of today's holiday handbook and we want to turn our attention now to your entertainment. >> that's right. christmas week always big for movies and tv shows. so, what are the standouts that you don't want to miss dave carger, the host of turner classic movies, he joins us with the picks for top picks for the holidays, and early 2022 as well dave, let's dig right in

this first one is from our parent company, universal. full disclosure. i watched it with my kids and nephews. they loved it. we're talking about "sing 2." >> it's a really fun, high-energy, animated sequel tons of great music. you get to hear reese witherspoon sing ariana grande, you get to hear scarlett johansson do a bunch of you tube songs as you know from watching the movie, it's the acting debut of bono as a lion rock star there's a new u-2 song at the end. it's a lot of fun. great for the family obviously >> bono steals the show. i would contend. if you're looking for a good drama, another one, full disclosure, i've watched, "being th ricardos," nicole kidman, probably the best role in which i've seen her. >> right i thin there were so many people when it was announced that she was going to be playing lucille ball who had issue with this casting,

and didn't think she had it in it anyone who sees this movie where she plays lucille ball, she just nailed it. and i think she's a sure thing for another oscar nomination >> tell me about "don't look up". it's gotten a lot of buzz, dave. >> "being the ricardos" is on amazon streaming "don't look up" which i'm about to talk about is on netflix streaming starting tomorrow. a really interesting movie with the best cast of the year. it's about two scientists who discover that there's a comet approaching the earth. it's going to decimate the planet in six months their job is to convince the news media and the president played by meryl streep that this is an imminent danger, but no one seems to believe them. it's an allegory by the filmmaker for climate change and covid and many things that are going on in the world these days it's a movie that makes you laugh but also makes you think >> all right really quickly what if you're looking for a mini binge

not a full binge like a mini binge. >> i'm a huge fan of the great british baking show and i binge every season of that show when it comes out they have a quick holiday edition that's two episodes each with returning favorites from past seasons it's a quick way to do a mini binge. and every episode is self-contained makes you very hungry, and gives you ideas of what you might be able to bake with your family over the holidays. >> it's a great family show. kristen, over to you. >> dave, let's look forward to 2022, a fan favorite "ozark. i have to tell you, i check every week to see if it's coming out. it's finally coming out next month. no spoilers, but what can you tell us about it >> well, the end of season three -- by the way, "ozark" official show at the beginning of the lockdown. in march 2020. >> it certainly was. >> just when we need it the most, it's coming back with the first half of the super sized fours and final season

it will be the first half of the season dropping on netflix on the 21st of january and as people know who have watched the show, season three ended with a shocker. it's going to be wendy trying to pick up the pieces of their life wendy and marty, jason bateman, and laura linney, trying to move forward with this situation that they have found themselves in. >> my calendar is circled for that how about "the gilded age" what makes this so good. >> i can't wait for this show. >> i'm a big "downton abbey" fan. it's created for that show with the follow up. it's a beautiful show with class struggles, and costumes in the uk, this one is in new york city in the 1880s you get all of the great family dynamics and look at this cast audra mcdonald, so many wonderful people plus julian fellows dialogue this is one i can't wait for that's on hbo january 24th, one episode at a time.

>> all-star cast, that's for sureistmas classics. wh let's talk about the folks who just want to be watching good old fashioned christmas classics, what should they do? >> well, on turner classic movies where i'm a host, we are doing our classic christmas marathon it's all week long it's been running for over half the time right now and from now until christmas day, 24 hours a day, no commercials, as usual, on tcm we're showing a bunch of great classic films like "meet me in st. louis. and "the shop around the corner" and my favorite christmas movie, "the man who came to dinner," is playing tonight. i highly recommend it. >> dave, we see what you did there, we love a good self-plug here on the "today" show when we come back, we're cooking for christmas and we're going to do it with the one and only lidia bastianich she'going to put her specis al

♪♪ ♪ we are back with today food and a very special guest lidia bastianich, the queen of italian cuisine. the mother of italian cooking. her latest cookbook is called "a pot, a pan and a bowl. and oh, by the way, lidia also has a new pbs special, jo overcoming the odd she meets people who have overcome obstacles and helps others do the same among them, a woman raised in foster care who now fosters children herself good morning to you. we'll get to the food in just a moment but the show, the concept for it, i find it quite intriguing tell me a little bit more about it >> oh, it's -- the concept is, you know, me -- thank you to america from me. lidia celebrates america i'm an immigrant and i was given a great chance

joefr overcame odds of being in a refugee camp it's my way of going around america and thanking and finding out how great america is, how many great people are out there, and how we should all really get our strength up and go ahead in these dire times you know this is my 12th public television airs it for me. i coproduce for wbgh, and i just have a great time. it's my way of saying thank you. >> lidia, this first dish that we're going to make, i understand this was actually one of the dishes you made with one of the folks from your new show. what are we making [ inaudible okay clearly we're having a bit of a technical issue there with lidia. we're going to try to get her back in just a moment here

those recipes, by the way, today.com/food that special that we were talking about, lidia celebrates america is on pbs.org. or the pbs app again, we'll try to get lidia back just ahead, though, a remarkable group of front line heroes now group of front line heroes now using their voices to spreadrn 9 the more questions and worries we have. calhope can help with free covid-19 emotional support. call 833-317-4673 or live chat at calhope.org today. i'm morgan, and there's more to me than hiv. more love, more adventure, calhope more community.ree covid-19 emotional support. but with my hiv treatment, there's not more medicines in my pill. i talked to my doctor and switched to fewer medicines with dovato. dovato is for some adults who are starting hiv-1 treatment or replacing their current hiv-1 regimen. with just 2 medicines in 1 pill, dovato is as effective as a 3-drug regimen... to help you reach and stay undetectable.

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ask your doctor about dovato-i did. ♪♪ ling anxious about the future, you're not alone. calhope offers free covid-19 emotional support. call 833-317-4673 or live chat at calhope.org today. we're back and we've reconnected with lidia bastianich lidia, pick it up where you left off there. >> okay, to toast the bread, and, of course, the roasted vegetables i have squash, butternut squash and brussel sprouts. and room temperature you put them in. then we put kale # you know kale is the new sort of powerful green. everybody loves their kale and in it, some toasted walnuts. just nice and toasted walnuts.

some reconstituted cherries. dried cherries, put them in warm water. salt you can see that this is sort of a full salad, very nutritious and very wintery oil. a little bit of vinegar. i put cider vinegar here, but you can put balsamic vinegar and wine vinegar and you toss it. this could be lunch too. you can substitute the vegetables if you would like, instead of the brussel sprouts or whatever. but here we are, this delicious, simple salad you have the picture right there. you showed it to them. tell me, craig >> i want to make sure we get to the pork chop and the broccoli too. the sheet pan dinner we got 90 seconds. >> all right

the sheet pan dinner the sheet tray, both of them are trays in the oven. oven is your friend. pork chops, season them, you put a little bit of oil, vinegar, you put broccoli on the tray, you pu the beans and the whole thing right in the oven. at about 375, 45 minutes later, turn it now and then, and you have a meal. you bring the tray right to the table. you can make it before, you can make two trays so the oven is your friend during the holidays and when you're cooking with family and lots of people are coming over >> i love it the oven is your friend. lidia, thank you congratulations on that new show lidia bastianich, again, for the recipes, folks, it's today.com/food and the pbs app, for her specia "lidia celebrates america. >> thank you, craig. the citi music series on today is presented to you by

citi >> from food to music, we have a great holiday performance for you. and kristen, it's from a remarkable group in many ways, the northwell health nurse chorus. >> i'm excited for this. you might remember we profiled them a few months back they were brought together by their jobs and love of singing forming a choir that led to an audition on "america's got talent." where they received the coveted golden buzzer and made it all the way to the final round, craig. >> and they continue to inspire, performing at icon i spots like carnegie hall and the white house. and this morning, they're treating us to a special performance of "we need a little christmas". >> good morning, "today" show. merry christmas and happy holidays ♪ haul out the holly ♪ ♪ put up the tree before my

spirit falls again ♪ ♪ fill up the stockings i might be rushing things but deck the halls again ♪ ♪ we need a little christmas right this very minute ♪ ♪ candles in the window ♪ ♪ carols at the spine ♪ we need a little christmas right this very minute ♪ it hasn't snowed a single flurry, but santa dear we're in a hurr ♪ climb down the chimney ♪ ♪ lights up the fruitcake ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ tinsel on that ever green bough for i've grown a little leaner♪ grown a little colder, grown a little tighter grown a little lo lo longer ♪

♪ and i need a little angel on my shoulder we need a little christmas now ♪ ♪ ♪ haul out the holly ♪ haven't i taught you well to live each living day ♪♪ ♪ fill up the stockings but it' one we have the giving day now ♪ ♪ for we need a little christma right this very minute ♪ ♪ candles in the window ♪ carols at the spinet, we need a little christmas ♪ ♪ right this very minute it hasn't snowed a single flurry but santa dear we're in a hurry ♪ ♪ so climb down the chimney it' been a long time since ♪ ♪ neighborly lights up the frui came ♪ ♪ with tinsel on that bough ♪ ♪ for we need a little music ♪ ♪ ♪ we need a little laughter ♪

♪ we need a little singing ♪ hanging through the raptor ♪ we need a little christmas now ♪ ♪ we need a little christmas now ♪ ♪ we need a little christmas now ♪ >> happy holidays! >> happy holidays. so beautiful and just perfect on this christmas eve eve we want to give a big thanks to and merry christmas to the northwell north nurse choir, craig. >> kristen, thank you for pitching i while savannah and hoda are off. our third and fourth hour straight ahead and an early merry christmas to one and all. after your local news and weather.

♪♪ good morning. it's 8:56. i'm marcus washington. jurors today return to deliberations in the elizabeth holmes fraud trial. they're trying to decide on the 11 counts against home on the company she founded theranos.

if they can't reach a decision today, they can't decide whether to come back the week after christmas or the first week of the new year. if holmes is convicted she spends 20 years in prison. happening now, a midday newscast. and whatever happen, the president we'll break in live with coverage. and prepandemic levels, travelers reaching their holiday destination. if you need to know if you plan to drive visit nbc.com. tension builds... the plot twist the hero prevails in hollywood, this would be the end. but our here, we are just getting started. introducing the all-new nissan frontier.

♪ i see trees of green ♪ but our here, we are just getting started. ♪ red roses too ♪ ♪ i see them bloom for me and you ♪ (music) ♪ so i think to myself ♪ ♪ oh what a wonderful world ♪ santa is bringing rain to the bay area for christmas. kari hall is tracking a wet forecast. and much to be grateful for. we're taking a look at some of

the stories that made us bay area proud. yeah, that's more like it. 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.

xx xxxxxx this morning on the "3rd hour of today," tyra banks' mom on raising a supermodel. plus, he's hitting all the right notes. how the tuba changed this guy's life. and we're mailing it in on board a floating post office the rd hour of today" starts right now. >> announcer: from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza, this is the "3rd hour of today." >> good morning, everybody welcome to the "3rd hour of today," december 23rd, thursday. >> christmas eve eve almost there. >> that'