>> all right. sounds good. that's what is happening "today in the bay." we will be back at 7:25 with a live local news update for you. >> don't forget, can you join us for our midday news at 11:00 this morning. the "today" show is next. have a fantastic day and weekend. good morning, rough start. a major snowstorm impacting 60 million people up and down the east coast many schools and businesses closed the morning commute a mess for drivers. and in its wake a weekend blast of frigid temperatures, al has everything we need to know here tstay what the biden administration's former pandemic advisory team is saying about covid in a series of new op-eds out today and the criticism the white house needs to change its response the cdc coming under fire for mixed and confusing messages as schools and work places

struggle to keep functioning with covid cases rapidly spiking. we'll go one on one with the cdc's director, dr. rochelle walensky marking the day a candlelight vigil overnight at the u.s. capitol on the same steps stormed by rioters one year earlier president biden in a rare rebuke of president trump. >> his bruised ego matters more to him than our democracy or our constitution he can't accept he lost. and the former white house press secretary revealing trump's behavior as the chaos unfolded. >> he was in the dining room gleefully watching on his tv look at all the people fighting for me. >> what it all means for the investigation moving forward all that plus u.s. passenger ships now carrying covid on board but with millions eager to set sail, the industry not slowing down we'll take you inside the efforts to keep everyone safe.

what's the wordle? a daily word game taking the internet by storm. how the tiny colorful squares are taking america by storm. "today" friday january 7th, 2022. >> announcer: from nbc news, this is "today" with savannah guthrie and hoda kotb, live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza good morning, everybody. welcome to "today" thank you for joining us on a friday morning craig you are living out our lead story this morning. you're in for hoda, you were on your way in but got under the around on the highway because of all the snow. >> i should have listened to al roker yesterday. >> always. >> he told me to stay in the city

he told me this was a storm that could over perform i did not listen and i am snowed in this morning. >> don't worry because al won't ever mention that again. it's over. here's what tens of millions of us are facing this morning we have a live look at the conditions in windsor, connecticut not far from you, craig. >> not far at all. the fast moving nor'easter intensified and hit overnight, hitting a slew of cities just ahead of or during the morning commute. >> it's left up to 8 inches of snow already in some areas we have it covered in al's forecast and how to stay safe in your commute this morning. let's start with stephanie gosk this morning good morning. >> reporter: good morning. if you live up the east coast this week, it's been a tough week

you had the people trapped on i-95 in virginia, an ice storm just a couple of days ago here in new york. and then this today. while it's not the biggest snowstorm in history, it is falling at the worst possible time across the northeast this morning millions are waking up and digging out. but driving to work in these conditions might not be the best idea new jersey under a state of emergency, asking anyone who can work from home to do so. >> please, be safe and smart. >> very scary. dangerous. got to take your time. making d traffic, making driving nearly impossible. >> reporter: with much of new england under a winter storm warning the national weather

service cautioning travel will be hazardous massachusetts is expecting up to 2 inches of snow an hour coast to coast nearly 80 million under winter weather alerts. in new york, icy conditions caused treacherous conditions. new york's governor said the state has been preparing its emergency response for days. >> we're experienced, but you can never predict exactly what mother nature will do, so we're getting crews out in advance. >> reporter: in kentucky dozens of vehicles spun out of control and low visibility backed up traffic, making driving nearly impossible. >> please don't travel if you don't have to. >> reporter: in tennessee up to 6 inches falling on the nashville strip. in jackson, tennessee, multiple accidents brought i-40 to a stand still. including this jackknifed tractor trailer. in virginia the governor announcing a state of emergency ahead of the storm, looking to avoid a repeat of the i-95 pileup this time the state is pre-treating the roads and putting snowplows on stand by. >> we want to be prepared. and again, just make sure that everybody stays safe that's our number one priority >> reporter: here in new york city, there are 2,000 plows out and 330,000 tons of salt they're doing it under staffed, 22% of the staff at the sanitation department have called in sick with covid. and around the region, you have schools either delaying or canceling as this snow piles up. a lot of kids getting exactly what they don't need right now, another remote day >> stephanie, thank you very much. let's bring in our guy in the know

mr. roker here with all the snowy and frigid details on the forecast al >> this is a -- kind of a lighter snow although looking at my crew over here, it does look like it's packable because i think they're getting some snowballs together. anyway, we can see winter weather alerts into saturday morning for 49 million people from the great lakes where there's some lake effect snow warnings you can see this storm system is developing, it's becoming a bomb cyclone. that's what's happening now. look at these totals so far. nashville picking up over 6 inches of snow snow shoe, west virginia, very appropriate, 13 inches of snow here in the northeast, up in massachusetts, 6 inches of snow. it's done yet, lake effect by buffalo. but along the northeast and new england coast we could be looking upwards of 8 inches of snow and what comes behind this is going to be brutally cold

temperatures a vigorous cold front moving through and that's going to usher in arctic air with dangerous wind chills today into tomorrow, guys we're talking wind chills tomorrow morning 7 in buffalo, 11 in new york city. 7 in cincinnati. detroit it'll feel like 4. and during the day, temperatures into the low to mid 20s with wind chills in the low 20s so all in all -- no snowballs thankfully that's your latest weather we'll have more a little bit later, guys. to the nation's staggering surge in covid cases, more than 3.5 million this week alone taking a toll on hospitals, schools and businesses this happening as the biden administration's response to the crisis and the guidance around the infections and access to testing remain a major source of frustration. we'll talk about it all with dr. rochelle walensky, the director of the cdc in a moment. first our report from nbc's sam brock. sam, good morning. >> reporter: savannah, good morning. just for some context, it took six months for the united states to record its first 4 million cases of covid

it's taken 7 days to add the most recent 4 million. an astronomical level of infection, including in florida where this company is churning out close to 70,000 tests alone in miami-dade county as the tests are coming back positive for friends and family, essential health care workers forcing difficult decisions and closures this morning the covid onslaught continues with nearly every state reporting more infections. taking us to case count numbers not seen during the pandemic hospitalizations have also jumped though nowhere near as dramatically and deaths have dropped a little bit with around 1,300 americans still dying from the virus every day. >> most of the patients admitted to the hospital are unvaccinated >> reporter: the monster covid wave, carrying a rip tide tearing into the hospitals' front lines.

in kansas, about 45 minutes outside of topeka, gary hospital will close the icu due to staffing shortages what's to the people in your community who need intensive care services? where do they go >> we have to do everything we can to be prepared to transfer those folks we get stabilized to an icu unit across the state. >> reporter: the post holiday surge having an impact on kids pediatric hospitalizations are at an all-time high mostly involving unvaccinated children. with a croup-like cough. in miami-dade, processing close to 70,000 covid tests a day. what are they doing there? >> these are the machines that extract the rna.

>> reporter: which has helped provide americans wanting to know if they're sick wanting to return back to work. >> some organizations were taking two weeks to get a result you can't put your life on hold for on two weeks it has to be within 24, 48 hours. >> reporter: this as confusion mounts regarding the cdc's stance to testing, not recommending a test to end isolation after five days. >> i'm not sure if we need to test again how it works. >> reporter: the american medical association rebuking the cdc this week saying the guidelines are confusing and counter productive and risk spreading the virus even further. six former biden advisers published a series of articles making the case for a new approach of trying to live with the virus, not eliminate it. they recommend testing, mitigation, vaccines and trying to rebuild trust in public health care institutions savannah back to you now you reported this earlier this week, the seven day average number of cases up 98%, hospitalizations up 63%, deaths up too, not as much. do you expect those numbers to

go further up? when is this new wave going to taper off? >> yeah, you know, we are still seeing those numbers rising and as you note, the number of cases are rising faster than the number of hospitalizations and deaths, although we're now starting to see the number of hospitalizations rise as well. the way it is peaked in other countries, in south africa, it has come down as rapidly as well but i don't believe we've seen the peak yet here in the united states i will say that our hospitals right now are full of people who are unvaccinated and that you are 17 times more likely to be in the hospital and 20 times more likely to die if you're unvaccinated compared to if you're boosted. so there's a lot we can do right now in this moment getting vaccinated, boosted, we have 99% of our counties in high

transmission, wear your mask in public and indoor settings. >> a number of high profile members of the biden administration former covid advisory board have coordinated a series of op-eds out today, saying covid is here to say, among other things they said the administration needs to change the approach they said it feels like we are always fighting yesterday's crisis and not thinking what needs to be done today to prepare for what's next. do you agree covid-19 is here to stay and the administration needs to change its approach >> you know, we are definitely looking at a time ahead of us where covid will be an endemic virus. we are in the middle of a surge right now so we have to do everything we can to address that surge we continue at cdc to update our guidance in the context of evolving science, evolving epidemiology and what is practical and feasible >> what about schools? you have teacher shortages, pediatric cases on the rise, and in some cities, teachers not

wanting to do in-person class because of covid fears bottom line, can schools be open right now, and should they be? >> yeah. really important question. we just yesterday released updated guidance for our k to 12 schools. i want to remind people we had a delta surge in the fall and we were able to successfully keep our schools safely open. our children in schools, safely open and we did that even before we had vaccine for our children so right now, among the things that are really important to do to keep our schools safely open is to get our children, 5 to 11, vaccinated to get our teens, 12 to 17, vaccinated and then to use all of those prevention strategies that we have talked about. we know masks in schools decrease risks by three and a half fold. we know if we have test to stay

strategies we can decrease the amount of quarantine of our children who are exposed very safely we have this week decreased the duration of time required for isolation so our teachers can safely get back to school. >> let's talk about that as you know, the cdc has been under fire for these isolation guidelines, how long someone needs to stay home once they've been infected. first the guidance was ten days but then shortened it to five days saying a test wasn't necessary. now you're saying if you can find a test, go ahead and have a test with all due respect and understanding to the changing nature of this virus, why is the guidance so confusing? i have to say the american medical association said the new recommendations on quarantine and isolation from the cdc are not only confusing but are risking further spread of the virus. how do you respond >> thank you for the opportunity

to clarify for many months, years, we had isolation and quarantine guidance that said ten days and we're now standing on the shoulders of years of science that demonstrated if you are infected, you are most contagious in the one to two days prior to your symptoms and two to three days after your symptoms so we know that the vast majority of your contagiousness by day five is really behind you. so in this moment, where we're evaluating the science and looking at the epidemiology of the disease, we said five days of isolation and then are you feeling better, is your cough gone if your symptoms are gone, we say come out of that -- you're okay to come out of the isolation but you do need to wear a mask all of the time. i have deep respect for ama, but -- and i've read their statement i will say we have gotten a lot of support from our partners in our public health spheres, clinical spheres and in our laboratory spheres as well we have heard people who are interested in doing a test, they have access to a test, they want to know how to interpret it.

when we updated our recommendations just this week, we provided guidance for how you interpret that test if you so choose to do -- take that extra step at the end of your isolation. >> and finally, all of this mixed messages, new messages has led to a meme on social media tweeting like cdc recommends eating straight off the floor at waffle house it's, in fact, okay to eat tide pods get bangs. it's amusing, people letting off steam, of course, but is there a larger credibility problem your agency right now and how significant is that in the midst of a pandemic? >> we at the cdc are 12,000 people who are working 24/7 following the science with the ever evolving nature in the midst of a fast-moving pandemic. we are doing so, putting our head down to keep america safe we will continue to update

we will continue to improve how we communicate to the american public, this is fast-moving science. >> dr. rochelle walensky thank you. should i get bangs >> i'm sorry >> i'm just kidding. >> you know, i think you look great how you are. >> all right doctor, thank you for your time. appreciate it. >> thank you you do look great just as you are. >> just as you are >> you know what in a pandemic we can all use a little levity from time to time. >> absolutely. >> lots more to get to on this friday morning as we welcome in sheinelle. good morning. >> good morning to you there is a lot of reaction this morning to the events in many washington d.c. marking one year since the attack on the u.s. capitol capped with a candlelight vigil overnight. president biden using his address to the nation to lay blame on his predecessor peter alexander joins us now good morning. >> reporter: good morning. it was a day of somber

remembrances serving as a stark reminder of just how fragile our democracy is president biden detailing the danger of disinformation and political violence he says is increasingly taking root in donald trump's political party more than a year removed from the violent insurrection at the capitol, president biden warns the threat to america from within is deepening. >> i will defend this nation i will allow no one to place a dagger at the throat of democracy. >> reporter: the president delivering a damning indictment of his predecessor donald trump without mentioning his name. >> he's not just a former president, he's a defeated former president. >> reporter: blaming mr. trump for pushing the lie the election was stolen those claims now embraced by a majority of republicans. "the washington post" reporting at least 163 republicans, who promoted those lies, are running for statewide offices that would

give them authority over how future elections are run and at least five candidates up for house seats this november were at the capitol on january 6th. the partisan divide underscored by this stark image during the yesterday's moment of silence. just liz cheney and dick cheney, telling savannah trump remains a threat and focus of the investigation. >> have you heard of conduct from witnesses or otherwise that suggest there is a potential criminal case against the president? >> certainly we will be looking at that, there will be questions in front of the committee such as whether or not through his action or inaction, president trump attempted to obstruct an official proceeding of congress. >> reporter: former president trump blasting president biden's speech as political theatre insisting democrats want to own january 6th so they can stoke fears and divide america but mr. trump's former press secretary said she's more than a dozen trump officials set to discuss next week ways to stop him.

recounting his behavior inside the west wing during the attack. >> he was in the dining room gleefully watching on his tv as he often did, look at all the people fighting for me, hitting rewind, watching it again. >> reporter: and this morning we're also learning more about where vice president harris was on the day of the attack a white house official tells nbc news, just two weeks before being sworn and office, harris was inside the democratic national committee headquarters before a pipe bomb was placed in front of that building, harris was evacuated minutes later. thank you. speaking of white, we have the snow outside it's beautiful, but messy. >> but it will be gone quickly and cold air coming in we'll get to your local forecast in the next 30 seconds

good morning. it's 7:21. temperatures are starting out pretty mild overall. a live look in san francisco. a beautiful view there, pink skies and about 50 degrees right now. we are expecting to see limited visibility in santa rosa, and down two miles in tracy and forecasted highs today in the 50s. the showers will clear out by the afternoon. and that's your latest weather. guys >> all right, thank you.

coming up the transgender college swimmer shattering records. why she's getting a new show of support this morning and a message to her critics also ahead, is the cruise industry sailing into yet another covid crisis with cases climbing and trips being cancelled, a new warning from health officials. and what companies are doing to help passengers sail safely. but first, this is "today" on nbc.

still ahead from the classmate of a prince to future queen, kate middleton's rise and influence on the family and pop culture as she turns 40 this weekend. we'll take you live to kensington palace, but first your local news. plaque psoriasis, the burning, itching. th the pain. emerge tremfyant®. with tremfya®, adults with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis... ...can uncover clearer skin and improve symptoms at 16 weeks. serious allergic reactions may occur.

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we want to get a look at our forecast. looks nice for a walk outside. >> it will be. it's mild right now, about 50 degrees in san josé. you can see the cloud cover and we are expecting a chance of showers. let me take you through the timeline between 8:00 and 9:00. if you live north of the golden gate bridge, you will likely see rain moving in between now and then, and san francisco getting rain around 8:00, and then in the south rain becoming a little scattered at times through about 1:00 this afternoon, and then the rain clears out and we will get a mix of sun and clouds in time for the weekend. we are expected to be dry for the most part. forecasted highs will be in the upper 50s. for san josé, 58 degrees. san francisco, 56. san mateo, 57. fremont, 57. dublin, 57. a nice weekend ahead.

kris? >> thank you. we will have more local news coming up for you in just half an hour. see you then. wanna help kids get their homework done? well, an internet connection's a good start. but kids also need computers. and sometimes the hardest thing about homework is finding a place to do it. so why not hook community centers up with wifi? for kids like us, and all the amazing things we're gonna learn. through projectup, comcast is committing $1 billion

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it's one of the most unforgettable entrances in "today" show history. katy soaring over the plaza as peter pan back in 1999. >> that's why we call halloween the "today" show prompt. you never know what you're going to get. >> by the way, it's katy's birthday today. happy birthday to her. she's part of "today" show history.

>> she's iconic. >> she is. we begin with the violent unrest in kazakhstan. there were days of deadly protests in the nation that started over a spike in gas prices. the president blamed the unrest on terrorists and militants and warned demonstrators would be destroyed. dozens of protesters and police officers have been killed since the protests began last sunday. we have sad news. sidney portier died. he was the first black man to win an academy award for best actor for "lilies of the field" back in 1964. he appeared in mosh 50 hollywood films including ground breaking roles and guess who's coming to dinner and "in the heat of the night." portier grew up in the bahamas but moved to the united states when he was a teenager.

no early word on the cause of his death. but sidney portier was 94 years old. >> now to some heart stopping video involving a state trooper on an icy highway in wyoming. take a look at this. you can see the officer walking towards his car when he darts to the back, left, look at this, an out of control suv goes flying past him on the side of the highway. the trooper and driver escaped injury this serves as a good reminder to slow down and drive carefully in inclimate weather >> now to an issue that is source of a divide in the sports world. the trans gender community is coming under scrutiny. >> among the most visible, a member of the winning swim team at the university of pennsylvania get ago tension and pushback for performance in the pool ann thompson joins us with more on this story. >> reporter: this weekend penn

student susan thomas will compete. she's already broken records this year but is facing criticism from parents and students still she and her school say she is swimming with full support. this morning, u penn swimmer leigh thomas with a sea of support as she prepares for this weekend's meet the transgender athlete backed by penn athletics. saying thomas has met or exceeded all protocols for a transgender female student athlete to compete for a women's team reaffirming the commitment for an inclusive environment for all student athletes and condemning discrimination in any form. >> i'm just thrilled to be able to continue to swim. >> reporter: controversy is brewing as thomas smashes records.

some in the sport questioning whether she has an unfair advantage. following ncaa guidelines, after a year of hormone replacement therapy, thomas was granted the chance to swim on the women's team after two and a half years of such therapy, last month she recorded the fastest times in college swimming in the 200 and 500 yard freestyle and won the 1650 freestyle, beating her nearest competitor by 38 seconds. beating her nearest competitor by 38 the editor and chief of swimming world magazine writing an op-ed last month saying thomas' competition in championships could create, quote, an unfair swimming university of pennsylvania leadership said it's heard criticism from students and parents. several of whom reportedly sent a letter to the ncaa demanding changes to the rules the ncaa did not respond to nbc news request for comment

thomas, seen with her teammates in these dailymail.com images said her journey started in 2018, that's when thomas realized she was transgender a year later coming out to the entire team and beginning to transition taking testosterone suppressions and estrogen >> i've experienced a lot of muscle loss and strength loss. >> reporter: from school teams to the olympics. transgender athletes are facing increased scrutiny in sports. >> there's just not that much data available on how gender hormones change athletic performance. >> reporter: thomas painted a different picture for the podcast. >> i feel supported, treated like any other member of the women's team >> ann, amid the controversy there at u penn, there's been growing pushback from state

lawmakers as well in pennsylvania, right? >> not just in pennsylvania but across the country, craig. nine states all controlled by republican lawmakers have enacted legislation to ban or limit athletic participation by transgender students south dakota did so by executive order and all of those laws were passed in the past year. craig? >> ann thompson for us this morning. thank you. coming up next, the hard hit cruise industry struggling again. >> with cases reported on nearly every ship, should they be sailing and why are people still booking vacations? kerry sanders has more after this , with her citi custom ℠ card, rashida earns cash back that automatically adjusts to where her spending is trending. just ask overly confident diy rashida... wait, was this the right wall? ...or last-minute gift shopping rashida... i'm putting a bow on it! wow... ...even sneaking away for a vacay rashida. shhh! i've earned this, okay? earn 5% cash back in your top eligible spend category, up to $500 spent each billing cycle.

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ships still sail kerry sanders joins us from the port of miami this morning hi, kerry, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, guys. the cruise ship industry says high vaccination rates plus strict protocols are in place to protect not only passengers but crew members on ships like the one that just arrived here this morning in port miami. but the omicron and that variant spreading quickly, there is concern that the cruise ship industry may once again be sailing into the headwinds of another covid crisis as a small ar-matta of cruise ships sets sail from miami, from fort lauderdale and other ports, the cruise ships trying to stay the course despite stormy seas brought on by covid. norwegian canceling seven ships, the pearl returning to port after one day at sea. >> they told us crew members go brought on by covid. sick with covid and they were

turning around and coming back. >> reporter: in recent weeks a number of ports from mexico to the caribbean turning away ships with covid outbreak on board the cdc cautioning against cruise travel writing the chance of getting covid-19 on cruise ships is very high even if you are fully vaccinated and have received a booster dose. >> when you look at the cdc recommendations it would seemingly discourage anybody from taking a cruise what do you tell people getting on cruises >> the cdc's travel advisory does not prohibit cruising cruise ships are operating, people are free to take cruises. and i would tell people to take a hard look at all the protocols in place >> reporter: cruise lines suspended operations from u.s. ports in march 2020 and did not resume until june 2021 because of the pandemic. the industry, estimates it lost more than $30 billion. >> ahoy, sailors. >> reporter: billy hersch is not changing his plan. he returned from a trip, his

11th since cruising restarted and planning to sail again on saturday. >> all cruise lines operating right now require at least 95% of all persons on board are vaccinated all crew must be vaccinated. >> reporter: he says he expects to be masking more on his next trip and avoiding some of the ship's more crowded areas. but he said he and his wife say being on board feels no more risky than going out at home >> cruising right now is still, by the numbers, a very safe option safer than a lot of places on land because of the precautions, between vaccination and testing and other precautions that the lines are taking. >> reporter: because coronavirus has now been reported on every

ship in u.s. waters, that's 92 cruise ships plus those that don't have passengers bringing the total to 110, the cdc has launched an investigation, which means that they're gathering more data that then may impact the protocols for this industry going forward. guys >> kerry, thank you very much. let us go back to mr. roker for another check on the weather and this messy winter storm. >> that's right. we have a mess out west as well. as we look and show you what we have happening for today we are looking at the west coast, another atmospheric river coming in from the pacific rain amounts 1 to 2 more inches and snow up to 2 feet in parts of the cascades. now this weekend, starting tomorrow, we've got the risk for severe weather from texas to louisiana as the low pressure system starts to develop along the front. wintery mix into the great lakes for sunday more rain and storms for the southeast. significant icing possible for interior sections of the northeast, as we get on into sunday rainfall amounts anywhere fr

storm in the pacific northwest. we will get a quick-moving system. this cold front is going to bring us a chance of showers today. we're starting out in the 50s. we are pretty much cloudy right now, but we have already gotten reports of drizzle. if you live in the north bay, you will be the first to see the rain. here's a closer look at satellite radar right now. this is what you are seeing when it comes to the quick-moving system. we will see quick showers move through into the afternoon. >> and that's your latest weather. mr. melvin >> all right, buddy. thank you, sir up next, it's the newest pandemic craze an online daily word game that has become wildly popular, savannah. >> the story behind the wordle craze and why so many people are obsessed right after this ♪ oh, oh, oh, ozempic®! ♪

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(man 2 vo) i am living longer with imbruvica. (vo) ask your doctor if it's right for you. learn how we could help you save on imbruvica. we are back, 7:48 taking a look at a hot new trend you may have noticed. >> if you spend any time online, you've probably seen people raving about a game called wordle. >> it's the latest pandemic time killer, gaining more and more followers every day. but what is it exactly and how to you play? gadi schwartz has the answer. >> reporter: nothing spells romance like a good word game. now there's a new game called wordle made for his partner, which is a modern day love story of sorts and the next thing they knew hundreds of thousands of people were joining in all across social media cryptica

colored cubes and everyone seems to be bragging about their scores playing a game named wordle designed by a software engineer, josh, for his partner because she loves the crossword in "the new york times." and over a quarter of a million people were trying to solve the wordle of the day. >> is it part of your routine now? >> yes >> reporter: the lay out is simple, just a website, its explosive growth spread mostly by wordle of mouth. >> feels like everyone is playing it. >> reporter: the five-letter word guessing might feel familiar >> plane, p-l-a-i-n. >> but in this game, no opening hints as you try to solve a five letter word in six guesses or less stood, tells us we have a couple

letters right. the green means the o is in the right place. how about toads. now we have two letters in the right place and we know there's an a somewhere how about t-o-d-a-y, but in real life it is a lot tougher ask the queen of scrabble, my genius wife. >> how about this -- no! what if i don't get it >> then i am the wordle champion of the house. >> could there be another a in this word, though? >> reporter: spoiler alert, the answer is yes. sometimes a letter is used twice. >> is that your final answer >> yes >> reporter: but did you google it >> yeah. googled a lot of words that were no words. >> tomorrow no googling. >> reporter: one of the biggest things that keep people coming back, it only lets you play once a day which leaves you jonesing

for more >> are you the wordle king of the house or is she? >> i am right now. >> for today >> yes i understand al plays. they say it takes three minutes, it takes way longer than that. >> good clean fun. the new album dropping, and adele has something new. first your local news. otezla is not a cream. it's a pill that treats plaque psoriasis differently. with otezla, 75% clearer skin is achievable. don't use if you're allergic to otezla. it may cause severe diarrhea, nausea, or vomiting. otezla is associated with an increased risk of depression. tell your doctor if you have a history of depression or suicidal thoughts or if these feelings develop. some people taking otezla reported weight loss. your doctor should monitor your weight and may stop treatment. upper respiratory tract infection and headache may occur.

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and ensure complete with 30 grams of protein. ♪ ♪ good morning to you. it's 7:56. i am kris sanchez and here's what is happening now. i am cierra johnson in san francisco. in oakland parents are preparing for what the district is calling a sickout, where a number of teachers call off of work. we did obtain an e-mail for the parents there in the ocu district. it's unclear how many teachers will call off and what school districts could -- what schools rather could be potentially impacted. let's get a look at our forecast. we know there's no rain coming for our weekend. >> yeah, the weekend will dry out, but we could see a chance or two for some showers in the

first half of our morning. in san francisco, it's definitely cloudy. don't worry, those peeks of sunshine will make their way in as it clears out in the afternoon. we have a quick-moving system you can see in the pacific northwest, and that will bring us a chance of showers. let's look at the hour-by-hour forecast. it's going to be scattered and not expecting a heavy widespread chance of rain, and it could reach the south bay by the early afternoon. so by about 2:00 for friday, clearing out in the evening leaving behind cloud cover. a quick check of your inland forecast for the weekend, saturday and sunday, temperatures remaining in the 50s and expect to wake up to early-morning fog, and late-night fog expected into late night saturday leaving temperatures into the 60s, and we will have a chance of showers on monday. temperatures in the upper 50s in

san francisco on monday, and if you are traveling to lake tahoe, it's windy up there, kris. >> thank you. another update in half an hour, and our midday news coming up at 11:00. - hi mommy! - hi honey! oh i missed you! you just want to video call the kids. ok. ♪ hush little baby...♪ ♪...don't say a word...♪ but if slow upload speeds turn your goodnight call into an accidental horror movie... can you hear me? shut it down. just remember. you're not a bad mom. you just need better internet.

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it's 8:00 on "today," coming up, snow day >> please be safe and be smart >> snowstorms slamming the east coast. 60 million americans under winter weather watches, cars spinning off highway in kentucky, upstate new york shattering daily records vicky nguyen is on the roads with how you stay safe and al has the forecast. plus dry run. >> our start today goal is dry today january. >> inside the growing trend of going alcohol free for the new year as al and craig give it a try. a look at the health benefits

and tasty tips and middleton's milestone. how duchess kate is celebrating her 40th birthday, her influence on the royal family and pop culture. today, friday, january 7, 2022. >> hello "today" show. >> welcome to steeler nation. >> celebrating five years of marriage together from concord, north carolina >> hello from chicago. we're lilli and chelsea. and this is oreo today is our 13th birthday >> we're officially teenagers. >> have a great day! good morning, everybody. welcome back to today, it's friday morning, so glad you

started your day with us, hoda is resting from home, craig is working from home. sheinelle is here we're holding it down with mr. roker. >> sheinelle you have something exciting for us on monday as we count down to the winter weather. >> i do. looking forward to it. >> i was talking to savannah about this the u.s. figure skating championships are this weekend with coverage on nbc, usa network and peacock. the stars to watch, names like nathan chen and alyssa lu, we will be in nashville as well because after that event the team heading to the winter games will be revealed it's a big weekend we'll have full coverage and speak with the skaters going for gold monday right here on "today." >> all the names that are going to become household names. yep. heavy snow along the east coast are giving millions of americans, including our craig, another reason to work or study from home this morning the storm moved after blanketing parts of the buffalo area with a record foot and a half of snow overnight. driving treacherous from

kentucky to tennessee. the governors of new jersey declared a state of emergency. al, the question is to you, how much longer is this going to last >> the good news is this is a fast moving storm. we have winter storm warnings along the great lakes, lake effect snow a problem. 49 million people under effects of this. the problem has been -- we talked about this yesterday we thought this was going to be an over performer, normally the snow ratio is 10 inches of snow to 1 inch of moisture. this storm has produced 20 to 30 to 1 ratios. burrville in rhode island, 10 inches of snow. central park, 5. laguardia picking up almost 9 inches of snow this pulls away rather rapidly but we are going to be looking at another 8 inches of snow along the new england coast as the low moves away the next

thing is the cold front that brings in arctic air and cold wind chills today into tomorrow. in fact, tomorrow morning, look at these wind chills feels like 4 in boston, 8 in pittsburgh, cincinnati you'll feel like 4. day time highs in the low to mid 20s with wind chills 10 to 15 degrees colder craig? >> al, thank you as we saw in virginia this week, getting stranded in a storm while driving can be an absolute nightmare. so what should you do to help keep you and your family safe? nbc senior consumer investigative correspondent vicky nguyen is on the road this morning to share valuable advice you've been out driving since early this morning, how are the roads, first of all? >> reporter: hey, craig, good to see you. treacherous. it was smart to stay home. you can see the snow fall has lightened up enter visibility has increased. what a different an hour makes

this car we're in actually slid down a driveway. it was parked, slid down, thanks to bob and vick, the crew, they were able to guide it to a flat part in the road, everybody is fine, yeah, but it's been dicey out here, craig. >> what should you do if you have to drive in conditions like that how do you do it safely? >> reporter: absolutely. we know not everyone gets the luxury of staying home if you can stagger your commute, see if you can go in just a little bit later the other thing is you want to consider driving deliberately, slow and steadily, so you can give your car a chance to grip roads. and budget twice the time you normally would give yourself a lot of stopping distance, don't follow closely behind anyone. those are things that can help you make it to your destination safely

>> what about that black ice, hard to see, really scary when you feel it? >> reporter: yeah, craig the first thing to do if you hit black ice is to stay calm. don't panic. do not slam on your brakes if you are drifting to the left, you want to steer your car to the left same thing if you're drifting to the right. steer your car to the right. you have to think like a race car driver, actually, and keep your eyes where you want to go, that will help you steer your car back onto the road another word about dry ice, when it comes to walking on it, just make sure that you think like a penguin, you want your hands out by your sides to steady yourself, not in your pockets, not holding onto a phone, and then shuffle your feet take small steps that helps you stay upright that's really important. >> vicky nguyen out there on the roads. be safe, thank you health care facilities

across the country are being overwhelmed by the post-holiday surge in new covid cases three and a half million this week alone hospitalizations are up with more unvaccinated children needing urgent care. deaths have levelled off, but covid is still claiming 1,300 lives in the u.s. each day the demand for testing remains high with people anxious to know if it's safe to travel or return to work or school. this morning the director of the cdc defended her agency against critics who say it's shifting its guidelines and the isolation, it's confusing. >> we at the cdc are 12,000 people who are working 24/7 following the science, with an ever-evolving nature in the midst of a really fast-moving pandemic we will continue to update we will continue to improve how we communicate to the american public this is fast-moving science. >> dr. rochelle walensky said it's important to keep schools open with testing and other safeguards especially now that vaccines are available to children. seven minutes after the hour let's get to the morning boost a grandma bought a few lottery tickets after the jackpot was

up. well, she said she'd split the winnings if she won. she decided to come back with balloons and an envelope >> you won >> i won >> see you tomorrow. >> are you serious >> yeah. >> what? >> hey >> hey >> a woman of her word marion said she wouldn't have bought the ticket if walter hadn't encouraged her. she was happy to split that. she told her granddaughter, who was the person who shot the video, that walter is the nicest person in the world. and if he tells you to buy a lottery ticket, you should buy it ahead of her milestone birthday how duchess kate middleton has evolved and expanded her role in the royal family

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welcome back. this will be a big weekend for the royal family with one of its welcome back this will be a big weekend for the royal family with one of its members marking a milestone. kate middleton, the duchess of cambridge is turning 40 on sunday >> kelly joins us with more from kensington palace and a look at kate's impact over the years good morning. >> reporter: good morning to you both duchess of cambridge is planning on spending kind of a quiet 40th birthday here at her home in kensington palace. very low-key we've seen a lot more of her over the past 12 months and she's even managed to surprise us ♪ >> reporter: kate the duchess of cambridge as we've never seen her, performing at a concert last month supremely confident as she takes on a much wider role on the

world stage. who knew that this young girl would one day be destined to be the queen of england william and kate's story goes back 20 years. she apparently caught the prince's eye modeling this output the when they were both students and started dating soon after. there were a few ups and downs in the courtship but then, a fairy tale wedding at west minister abby in 2011. now more than 10 years later a loving wife and mother to three of the queen's great grand kids, raising a future king, prince george. >> i think family is everything to kate. you know, clearly we see her as a dutiful and loving wife and a royal who's really stepping up to her role as the future princess of whales >> reporter: as her family grew she remained close to prince harry, supporting both brothers as they opened up about mental health. >> i put it down to childhood

experiences. >> reporter: with meghan and harry stepping back, william and kate have stepped up. >> they're more profile than ever and we're seeing them entrusted with much more responsibility by the queen. >> reporter: the duchess accompanied first lady jill biden on a school visit. and spoke with our own andrea mitchell about the hopes of seeing harry and meghan's new baby. baby. >> your royal highness do you >> your royal highness do you have any wishes for your new niece? >> i wish her all the very best. i can't wait to meet her. >> reporter: for these modern royals, it's a less formal world stage. at cop26, kate made vegetarian burgers with the scouts and lent a hand with bike repair. and joined mourners on a vigil for a young woman murdered by a

police officer. >> that was one of those minutes when people saw past the hrh title and duchess kate and saw kate as the person she is, and people like that >> reporter: now turning 40, and radiating confidence, in shim erring gold at a recent movie premier. at ease in the public eye, knowing that she will one day be queen. and kensington palace is reportedly planning to send out a new picture on sunday to mark her birthday and prince william also turns 40 this year. and there's a lot of talk about a big trip for the couple off to the united states. >> that'll be cool all right. kelly. >> we have a plaza for them to stop in. >> we know how to celebrate a birthday around here let's dive deeper and duchess kate's impact. kate seems to be taking her 40s

on like a queen. do you know how she feels about this big milestone >> reporter: well, i think if we can judge how she feels by how she behaves and by how she looks, i think she looks supremely confident as kelly was saying in her piece. if you observe her since she first came into the public eye all those years ago, since her wedding ten years ago and now she's a very different being she's much more confident, her speeches are much better but she's also more spontaneous. for instance, her relationship, her public relationship with william, much more public displays of affection between them, many more smiles she holds her head up high, she doesn't high behind her hair anymore. i think we see a woman who's come into her own, understands the role she has to fulfill and is doing it to the best of her ability. just briefly, her popularity has

soared i was just checking the latest data on my way here. she is now the third most popular member of the royal family after the queen and her husband, william. >> i was going to ask you about that how the public views her not just there but around the world and her impact on how people view the royal family? >> reporter: i think, of course, the thing that we most often see are the big photographs again in kelly's piece you saw the beautiful dress she was wearing so portrayed as something of a style icon but in the uk it's not really her clothes that matter, although people do like the fact she's frugal she recycles her clothes so she's not doing the big, i am a princess but i think her popularity has soared as she got her teeth stuck into the role and the way she wants to do her role so, for instance, really pushing this agenda of early years really caring about the youngest children in society. i think that is also made people think she's quite a serious person, who doesn't just want to

live in palaces and wear pretty frocks >> daisy, as she goes into her 40s, future queen. how do you see her changing or helping to modernize what being a queen would be >> reporter: i think we've already seen this change as she's taken on more roles, been out in the public eye. as i was saying, something of an informality, she's now got her own style. she's much more of a hugger. much more likely to get down and dirty. as kelly again was saying, helping out. we know that she loves her photography and she ran and locked down a photography competition and she takes her own photographs.

she wants to be more connected, i think. she doesn't want to be aloof it is interesting, people are responding very, very well to her. as she turns 40 people think this is now a grown up her youngest child is going to school this year so she will have a bit more time to helping out the nation to doing the jobs she wants to do and i think we might well see that foreign trip perhaps to the united states, and if they do go, i think they'll probably take all three children. >> okay. >> that would be a spectacle won't it. >> we also provide baby sitting services daisy, thank you happy birthday, kate >> thank you let's get the weather. >> let's show you what we have going on we start and look ahead for today. snow in the northeast. big wind chills advisory through the plains, above average highs down through the southwest and another storm coming into the

. ♪♪ >> that's your latest weather. all right, best time of the morning. we're wondering be with who's working graphics on pop start? >> i got here -- lean in and say hi i have etta. there she is the great thing about etta is she is works for things called robucs which works like crypto. roblox is the game, robucs is the currency rooney mara landed her role as audrey hepburn we know she is set to produce

the project doing so with apple studios. audiences remember hepburn for her iconic roles and more importantly all the work she's done in the humanitarian efforts for unicef and fashion stuff. humanitari we're excited to check that out. next up, the weeknd, overnight the chart-topping artist released his fifth studio album, and with it put on a special performance for amazon music which was live streamed on twitch the weeknd spun his latest tracks from inside a booth, with the voice of actor jim carey helping him narrate. here's a sneak peek at the new song, "how do i make you love me?" ♪ i say, how do i make you love me ♪ ♪ how do i make you fall for

me ♪ ♪ how do i make you want to be ♪ ♪ how do i make your love ♪ >> like it. >> it's a hit. >> can't wait to hear that album. that sounds great. i agree. that's out today. finally, adele, if you don't -- the singer's devotion, her fans love her. they went crazy for the new album "30," crushing it after six years of taking a hiatus her newest project is the fastest selling album of 2021. she's set to drop another music video this time for the track "oh my god". here's a teaser. ♪ >> that's all you get. >> that's it that's not our edit, by the way.

good that's all she put out adele knows how to deliver a good cliff-hanger. the video will be out january 12th that's your pop start today. have a good weekend. see you next week. >> i'm kris sanchez. sunny balwani's legal team is set to face a judge today he is a former theranos president who is facing similar charges to elizabeth holmes. balwani is accused of defrauding investors, doctors and patients and on monday holmes was convicted on four counts in her own criminal fraud trial. she faces up to 20 years in prison with a sentencing hearing still to come. jury selection in balwani's trial is expected to get under way next month. we want to get a look at our

forecast. vianey says it's going to be lovely. >> yeah, it's going to be nice, but first we have to get through a couple of showers. we do have a quick moving system that's going to wring some rain even down to the south bay. already getting reports of drizzle and light rain coming down in the north bay and in san francisco right now. so as we head into towards the afternoon once this system clears out and moves out we will get a mix of sun and clouds, and temperatures will remain mild in the 50s through the weekend, expect to see patchy morning fog early saturday morning. thank you so much. we have more local news coming up for you in just a half hour. hope you're enjoying the "today" show.

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and my blood pressure. don't get me wrong, i still worry. just a little less. covered california. this way to health insurance. enrollment ends january 31st at coveredca.com 8:30 now, a snowy friday morning here on the east coast we need the squeegee for our camera lens. >> it's not working. >> that tree still looks pretty. >> yeah it does. >> what we can see of it. we have a packed half hour ahead on this friday morning, including a glimpse into the

future of the space race and travel with a man who's actually been there sir richard branson is joining us live this morning along with the ceo of virgin orbit. it's a big day for that company. >> can't wait to hear about that also craig and i taking part in dry january that's right we are going to talk about the health benefits with dr. azar and jeffrey zakarian, they're going to help us with recipes for a few tasty recipes. >> we are rooting for you. we're so proud of you. you do you >> coming up on the third hour, mike rowe is live. his hit show is back. a lot to look forward to on "today," it's our 70th anniversary on the show, and denzel washington joins us to talk about his career and the latest adaptation on the big screen how about a check of the

weather. >> to snow or not to snow, we will see let's show you what we have for your weekend brisk and cold on saturday in the northeast, storms through the gulf, snow returning to the rockies and then sunday, sunday, looking at strong storms through and we are certainly starting out cloudy, also mild in the bay area, but you may have spotted some shower activity as well on our radar. that's because we've seen a quick-moving system, already seeing reports of some drizzle and light rain for san francisco as well as the north bay. expect to see this sort of continue through the afternoon for the south bay moving in a little later. by this evening, though, the rain will clear out and all that will be left behind is sun and clouds into the weekend. expect the temperatures to remain into the 50s.

the latest weather and now it's time for the best night of the week the last time we can say it, for the regular season, sunday night football night in america! the chargers come charging in to allegiance stadium in las vegas, clear, mild, 54, taking on the raiders, sunday night football night in america o excited about the drama that's ready to unfold as the regular season comes to an end why not share it, that's right, use the hashtag nfl season finale and let the world see your spirit, which may or may not be a good idea. >> i liked how you stretched it out, you didn't know you were going to have the extra words but you kept going. >> i did that's right >> a little something extra in your paycheck. >> thank you very much mr. melvin. mr. roker, no one better coming up next, something new launching in the great space

race and we're talking all about it with sir richard branson himself and the head of virgin orbit as well >> i want to go up with him! >> this is "today" on nbc. >> he said, yes. >> so i can say this from space!

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welcome back 2021 was a big year for our next guest. virgin group founder sir richard branson who shot into space last summer now he's taking a different claim in space with another company, virgin orbit, which just listed on the nasdaq. sir richard joins us this morning along with virgin orbit ceo dan hart, who's ringing today's opening bell good morning to both of you. >> good morning. >> good morning. >> richard, let me start with you, i saw your tweet yesterday. i know you've got covid. i understand you're recovering how are you doing this morning >> i'm great we're very lucky i've had about 30 family and friends who have had it, all of us were in countries where you

could get vaccinated and also get the booster. and i would say for all of us, it's really no worse than the common cold. a little tickle in the throat. so we're -- we're all -- we've all bounced back and so, just thanks to the wonders of science, anyway we're very grateful. >> and one space company apparently wasn't enough virgin orbit, for folks who are not familiar with the company, tell us more about it. >> well, we like to create things which are completely unique, an air launch system to be able to put rockets into space from anywhere in the world, any time in any orbit has never existed. so we created virgin orbit using one of our 747s from virgin atlantic we converted the wing, built this giant rocket. we're now starting to put satellites into space around the world. and obviously those satellites are making a big difference to people back here on earth. >> dan, let's bring you in here,

because it looks cool, it sounds cool but in terms of real world benefits for folks back down here on earth, let's talk about that a little bit. what are the real world benefits. >> number one, satellites are changing the way we live steadily we just don't recognize it walking down the street using your smart phone and look at where you are, you're talking to three or four satellites at that time when you use the internet, find out about where your package is, the weather, climate change, you name it, it's building and building what's happening now in space is more and more ideas and innovation are popping up, they all need a ride to space so using a 747, and clipping a rocket like the one behind me

here in times square under the wing so we can fly from anywhere, at any time, to any orbit is a more environmentally friendly way to do it, an economically beneficial way to do it. we can have countries have the ability to fly to space from their own soil without having to build cape canaveral there they can fly from an airport. >> richard we saw you head into space in july, since then no launches from virgin galactic. what's the latest? in when are we seeing you guys go back up >> later this year i had the most extraordinary day of my life and we've proven the technology of virgin galactic

we're now getting virgin the -- the two or three space ships ready for -- fit for purpose for putting people up there in the mother ship, and later this year we'll start taking a large list of people who signed up before i went up and since i went up. >> speaking of that, sir richard branson, i have a good friend who i think would make a great candidate for your next mission into outer space perhaps you've heard of him. he's america's weather man his name is albert roker he's literally been everywhere on earth the only adventure he hasn't had is one into space. what say you to that, richard branson? is it time >> well, it depends whether you'd like him to come back or not. if he wants to sit on a virgin orbit rocket, we could launch him off from under a 747, that would be interesting if you want him to comeback

we'll put him on a virgin galactic spaceship one day. >> either way i'm happy to go. >> all right roker, you heard it there from sir richard himself. >> i'm ready >> all right sir richard branson, congratulations on the new venture thank you. dan hart, thank you as well. gentlemen, best of luck. up next on "start today," dry january. before he heads into space, mr. roker and i are going to explore the benefits, along with millions of others, and also get recipes for tasty alcohol free alternatives but first, this is "today" on nbc. alternatives. but

more of our "start today" series. >> for many the new year comes with a renewed focus on achieving a healthier lifestyle.

this year it includes myself and al. >> that's right. we decided to join forces here's a look at our goal. >> our start today goal is dry january. >> i didn't drink that much. and then came the pandemic >> i found myself having maybe one or two glasses more bourbon than usual. >> make a cocktail around 6:00, maybe refresh it, have a glass of rose, two during dinner. >> i packed on a few pounds. >> everything is getting out of hand. >> it's easier when you have a partner. >> i'm here for you, brother partner, strength. let's do this. >> cheers to dry january it's tea. >> there you have it dry january no alcohol for the entire month and surprise this is a growing effort that's growing in popularity. more and more folks hopping on

the no booze band wagon. >> what are the benefits to going dry? dr. natalie azar is with us this morning. let's start there. what happens to the body once you decide to give up the booze? >> i'm so proud of you guys for doing this pretty much everything good can happen to you if you give up alcohol, even for a short period of time. some of the benefits that are well known is that it can improve your heart health, lower blood pressure, your triglycerides, improve insulin resistance, contributes to weight loss. think of the empty calories. when you start doing mixers and things like that, you're adding a lot of sugar and that stuff. it can improve your immune function we're consumed with covid and the pandemic, it can certainly boost that and also it can decrease what we call certain cancer causing growth factors and lifestyle benefits

you'll sleep better, skin will look better and associated with improved mood, less depression, anxiety. like i said, everything good for you. >> people look at this and say it's such a big effort how do you shrink it down and have some of those tips that make it a little more manageable >> right so, you know, there's lots of different ways you can approach doing this but i think that you can sort of think of it as the three s's you want to shake up your routine. a lot of us come home from work, walk into the house and the first trigger is i'm relaxed, i'm going to pour myself a glass of wine. try doing something else, start an exercise program, go for a walk instead the second is support. you guys demonstrated this so beautifully. it's so much easier, like exercising, having a buddy it's important to have a support system let your friends, family know you're doing it so they can be part of it or support you.

finally, find a substitute for an alcoholic drink whether it's a seltzer or plain old water with lemon if you can find a substitute you'll find yourself on the way to success. >> dr. natalie, thank you. let's grab a drink february 1st to celebrate >> that defeats the point. >> oh, sorry >> let's talk more about those substitute drinks that natalie beverage market is going to be >> that's right. joining us with a z, is jeffrey zakarian, co-host of "the kitchen," came up with original mocktail recipes for us. that's cool. >> i think the february 1st

celebration is something to say to get through 30 days and maybe 31 good morning, everybody. the spiritless spirit business is on fire it's incredible. this is a whiskey alternative, a bourbon alternative. craig you like bourbon, i'm making a drink for you. >> thank you. >> it feels and smells like bourbon, what they make this out of is interesting, ginger, pepper corn, care mel spices so it's very mimic by the way, one serving of this has ten calories one serving of bourbon about 90 calories so way down on calories. i'm going to make you a drink. this is a bourbon sour ice and egg white, a little of this substitute, some lemon juice, a little honey simple syrup. shake, shake, shake, that's all it is. the egg white gives a nice frothiness to it when you smell it, craig, you're going to think, i'm drinking bourbon.

a little lemon peel. and we are done. and that is something if you have that at 5:00 like you said, al, it's 5:00 you had a cocktail, or 6:00, you'd be satisfied. >> my go to is the apple spritz. what do you got for me. >> apple is one of the drinks that has root and bitterness, so you're looking for bittersweet i've replaced the bittersweet with sweet orange tea, steeped tea, a little orange juice that's fresh some orange bitters which you can get. all the stuff is available in any liquor store top it off with water and ice. i like serving this in a festive glass. this is a big, beautiful, red wine glass and this orange spritz for you, al, is so delicious. >> i can't wait to try it. >> you'll have it not just at cocktail time but all the time. >> what about you, jeffrey,

what's your go to mocktail >> i have to tell you, i'm a big manhattan fan. and i love everything cold i like my liquors cold i've taken a rum substitute. look at it, it looks just like rum. that looks like bourbon or rum, right. we've taken that down, stirred it with some lavender, ginger, and top it with a cherry this is the rolls royce of cherries i like something straight up at about 5:00, maybe 5:01, very cold cheers there it is. this is my rum swazzle cheers. >> you have swazzle to spare, jeffrey. thank you so much. we appreciate it. >> thank you, guys >> happy new year. you can find the recipes and more on our website, today.com/food. >> we're back in a moment. this is "today" on nbc

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we're back, 8:52, i still can't believe y'all are doing dry january. quitters proud of you. >> should we get the mocktails out and celebrate? >> first up, let's wish a happy 100th birthday to olivia nelson, a proud army veteran from flushing, new york, a staff sergeant during the world war ii we salute you for your service, ma'am. john takamoto fromtakamoto framingham, mass says his secret to longevity is his dog. and happy birthday to margie gallaher and joan strauss also 100. and pietro cacchiano, the secret to his longevity, pasta. and happy birthday to twins in st. petersburg, florida. they love to spend time with their family and friends, including their 100-year-old son-in-law

>> what's on the menu for dinner >> i love it up next in the third hour our style file, the hottest trends for women and men, pete. they love to spend time with their family and friends, including their 100-year- including the rise of gorpcor, we'll explain. >> later an expert shares how to live the life you love at any age. craig, subject to discussion for the next hour. you should have listened to al he told you to spend the night in a hotel, and you got stuck on the highway. >> i'll never hear the end of it. back after your local news stay safe out there.

good morning to you, it's 8:56. i'm kris sanchez. some parents and students in oakland are concerned that teachers may not show up for class this morning. some oakland teachers may take part in a sickout to try to draw attention to covid risks until

the classroom. they warned that a teacher sickout could significantly disrupt instruction. the district calls this an illegal move and argues that kids could end up in situations that are far led covid safe if teachers don't show up. we also asked the teachers union for their take, they released a statement reading in part this is not an official action by the union but we are urging district and state leaders to listen to the urgent demand for better masks and for testing. the cdc is also clarifying statements on covid testing after coming under fire following revised guidance in the wake of the omicron variant. coming up in our midday news at 11:00 we will so he what the agency's direct err is saying now. if you are having a hard time finding a testing site we can help go to nbcbayarea.com/covidtesting, you can find a list of places you can get tested around the bay area. an all women card club is paving the way, you can catch that on kelley. can you see my wall of smiles? when i first started using genesys technology

i was kind of embarrased at all the love and attention i got from my customers. people are so moved by how much i understand about them. they start including me in their lives. that's helen and her friends. i arranged a wellness retreat for them. look at those ladies. such wisdom. mmm. but it's really genesys that helps me understand people and what they truly need. i'm just glad i can help.

this morning on the third hour of "today," snow day! a messy morning from tennessee to new england. we're tracking this winter storm and showing you how to stay safe, if you have to head out on the roads. later he's back to work, mike rowe live talking about why he's taking on new dirty jobs. from puffer coats to pearls, the hottest trends for the new year in our style file, today, friday, january 7, 2022. live from studio 1a in