arctic blast, subzero temperatures are causing warnings for millions. new promises of an omicron-specific vaccine emerge with new covid cases hitting a one-day record of 1.3 million on monday along with a seven-day average record new details of the autopsy of comedian bob sag et found said on sunday in a hotel room did your 2020 tax returns will be delay by the irs

the incredible medical marvel giving hope to those in need, the first human-pig transplant go dogs, capturing the national championship, "early today" starts right now. good morning, it's good to be back together. i'm phillip mena >> good to be with you i'm frances rivera chicago teachers return to school after their union has a new plan after five days, students will return to in-person classes tomorrow a proposal on when an individual may return to le mote learning was also improved. it includes the number of staff absence and students in quarantine or isolation as well as the level of community spread this as covid cases across the nation continue climbing to alarming new highs the u.s. reported over 1.3 million cases yesterday breaking

the record our miguel almaguer has more. >> reporter: the new vaccine that specifically targets omicron may be just months away. but as new covid cases explode, our nation is likely weeks from reaching omicron's devastating peak with nearly every state a hot spot, the u.s. is closing in on 700,000 new cases a day, nearly triple last year's surge pfizer's new vaccine would target omicron and other variants already circulating >> this vaccine will be ready in march. i don't know if we will need it. i don't know how it will be used, bu ready. >> reporter: in recent weeks, infections have exploded off the charts, some 35.5 million cases just this month. while most infections are mild and don't require hospitalization, in areas first hard hit by omicron, there is now a dramatic spike in covid-related fatalities

>> this is the more stressed i have been in weeks with cases more in a week than in a month, let alone in a day. >> reporter: six weeks ago, omicron is decimating the work force and quickly spreading among children cases tripling with half a million kids infected the first week of january. it comes amid a shortage of hospital staff. >> we have hundreds of doctors and nurses that have covid many hospitals are overwhelmed. >> reporter: the cdc sets the stage for a fourth shot, demand for testing remains high, lines snakeing for miles through some residential neighborhoods. los angeles county just shattered a pandemic record. 45,000 new cases in a single day. many of the sick are vaccinated, even boosted >> you get vaccinated, you get

boosted so that you don't end up in the hospital. you don't end up on a ventilator and you don't die from covid. >> reporter: hoping to expand testing, the white house says americans with private healthcare insurance won't need to pay for those over the counter at-home test kits, consumers instead will have their healthcare plan cover the costs up front or be reimbursed. that policy goes into effect january 15th back to you. >> mick em, thank you. now to breaking news concerning military threats from north korea. the isolated regime appears to have launched its second missile test in less than a week according to officials in south korea and japan. nbc news' jan miss mackey frayer joins us what the they know about these missiles >> reporter: they say ballistic missiles traveled 400 miles at an altitude of about 42 miles.

they say it appears to be a more advanced weapon than the hypersonic missile north korea claims it fired last week. now, all of these tests are violations of multiple u.n. security council resolutions the latest test happened as the usmc was meeting in new york to discuss this pattern and what countries call a threat to international security now, experts say the variety of tests that we've seen suggests that north korea is showing more sophistication in the sorts of weapons delivery s satellites. they say they have the capability to detect and destroy these missiles from north korea. one thing to add here, it's unclear whether this latest missile test is behind an faa

ground stop order that affected airports along the west coast of the u.s., burbank, san francisco, oakland, for ten minutes, pilots were told to not fly around because of quote a national security threat this is around the same time as the missile launch but the faa has yet to get back to us the on that. philip >> all right janice, thank you. none of the standoff at ukraine's border american and russian diplomats engaged in eight hours of talks to infuse the buildup at the border. it's the first of several high stakes things happening this week joining us with details is chapman bell what do both sides hope to get out of this? >> i think all sides hope to feel like they've won this standoff though, both sides are coming to it with very hard demands. the u.s., of course,ments the 100,000 russian troops on the border with ukraine to leave, to stop this military buildup

ukrainian troops have been digging in along the border, preparing for the worst, if there is an invasion, though, there is still hope of some sort of diplomatic resolution from this of course, russia's main point is for ukraine not to join nato. but nato insists russia does not decide who joins the organization it's nato who decides who joins this organization. russia also wanting to see a rollback of nato troops and warships and planes in the region, things they see as a threat, but russia's deputy foreign minister insists the country has no plans to de however, in an interview with nbc news' lester holt, president biden's security adviser jake sullivan had this to say about that >> reporter: we believe the russians have positioned tens of thousands of troops and advanced military equipment on the boarder with ukraine and that they have done so with at least

the capability if not the intention to invade. we believe the threat of invasion is ream we are determined through a combination of at the ter rents in diplomacy to avert that circumstance and convince the russians the right course to go down the course of diplomacy rather than a course of conflict. >> reporter: so the u.s., nato and russia will continue talking this week, maybe even further to see if they can come up with some sort of resolution for this frances. >>come common ground, thank you. america is mourning the death of bab saget the actor died of unknown causes he was 65-years-old, we sa more on -- have more on his incredible life and career. >> reporter: with his role on open house, he won more than an

award. america's tv dad is fencing all kind of fatherly wisdom. >> reporter: you girls are the greatest. >> reporter: now it's his tv daughters offering praise, bob was the most passionate plan, one of the best human being i've known. from his on-screen brother-in-law, i will never, ever, have another leak him. >> just thinking about him now makes me happy. >> reporter: sagset was found dead sunday inside an orlando hotel room his family could not get ahold of him hotel security found on the bed with no pulse. authorities say they found no foul play or drug use evidence they will do an autopsy and determine how the 65-year-old died he was on a stand-up comedy tour, posting, i guess i'm finding my new voice and loving every moment of it

saget rose to star dom in the '80s and '90s on full house along with a gig on america's funniest moments on tv, his image was squeaky clean. >> there with is a horse in my living room. >> reporter: quite the contrast to his profanity laced happenedup routine. >> i always had comedy, my standup i was more unleashed. >> reporter: recently he reprised his part on fuller house and had three daughters. the grieving family now asking fans to remember the love and laughter bob saget brought to the world. well, the second time in five years georgia and alabama battle it out for a college title.

bulldogs fans are giving a hat trick. georgia only lost one game last month. they ainvestigated the loss and won 33-18. >> it was not looking good at halftime for the bulldogs. now it's the first in 41 years college football's national title heads to athens georgia. >> this week it's gotten off to a very cold start for much of the country. wind chills in the upper mid-west were as cold as 45 degrees below zero now it's settling in across the east coast boston closed schools today because of extreme cold. the high could drop to as low as 35 below zero. >> checking all that frigid weather is meteorologist janessa webb

good morning >> hi, good morning. yes, the cold is definitely settling in. it will be a one-day event by tomorrow, things start to change we'll notice a warm-up we have wind chill advisories and warnings that are currently in place across the northeast into the upper mid-west. the great lakes. we're going to continue to watch that this is the warmer air that we're about to see across the central u.s. you can see daytime highs, southern plains in the upper 60s. 46 degrees for st. louis, but if you are across the pacific northwest, you are not in on the mix of this we do have warmer air surging in, that is going to allow for big time river eventef seattle into oregon. that warmer air starts to spread into the northeast by tomorrow but we're still talking about da a dip in the jet

stream is allowing the colder air to move in chicago 31 we'll take a look at some more of that frigid air for the east coast coming up, guys. >> you can hear all about that how we will bundle up. thank you. researchers in the uk are discovering intact from pre historic times this 32-foot long sea dragon fossil unearthed in the uk the fossil is of a pre historic animal believed to have lived 180 million years ago during the jurassic period. >> wow, that is fascinating. a quick break and hope for thousands with new details of a new heart transplant procedure involving a g'pis heart. pack your patience, the

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. specifically the president is expected to call for changes to the senate filibuster rule. voting activists say they need to enact laws, democrats need 60 votes to pass legislation. the chamber is currently split 50-50. there has been a huge break through in medicine a. man has undergone the first successful transplant of a pig heart into a body the fda gave authorization new year's eve for david bennett who had been ineligible for a conventional heart transplant. he was approved and is said to be doing well. consumer alert for salad lovers,

deal fresh vegetables issued a recall of pack and salads due to wisteria concerns. a best buy and used by date december 22nd and january 9th. check out deal's consumer response center, that can be reached by a phone number on your screen. when we return, why the irs says this tax season could be especially taxing for all of us. >> get them whe ilthey're hot. snoop dawg gets his buns in gear for his own hot dog brand. >> state farm has options like drive safe and save, so you get a rate that fits your budget. - really?! - yeah! you're comin' home with me! for surprisingly great rates that fit any budget... like a good neighbor, state farm is there. call or click to get a quote today. from the very first touch,

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>> in today's foodie quick hits, arby's is bringing the heat with the new sandwich the diablo dare it's so spicy, it comes with a milk shake to cool down your taste buds snoop doggs, he says he

plans to use the name for sell hot dogs and other sausage say hello to megabytes it comes in two flavors. to the potential irshell as they warn delays for the 2020 tax returns. karen, good morning. >> frances, good morning to you both we are hearing that there is no need to hold your breath with speedy tax returns this year because the irs does end the tax season with a backlog. so it may take longer than usual for those tax returns or any other service. along with previous budget cuts. the irs says file it by the 24th of this month electronically rather than a paper version. make sure it's accurate.

they will have a lotation theme. they prepare for interest rate hikes and a march liftoff instead of june. that left some investors wary around technology' a much higher bond yields. we will speak with fed chair powell and getting set for a hot inflation report tomorrow. >> all right thank you so much, karen up next, janessa's got your frigid forecast next payday is pennies. a boss's revenge backfires like the splash they create the way they exaggerate the surprises they initiate. otezla. it's a choice you can make. otezla is not an injection or a cream it's a pill that treats differently. for psoriasis, 75% clearer skin is achievable, with reduced redness, thickness, and scaliness of plaques. for psoriatic arthritis, otezla is proven to reduce joint swelling, tenderness, and pain.

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try wetjet with a money-back guarantee. . new on nbcnews.com this morning, a new lawsuit alleges some of the nation's top universities legally conspired to conflate prices for students receiving financial aid. the suit brought about by five former students from vanderbilt, northwestern and duke names these 16 schools, including six ivy league universities. 175,000 until aid recipients were overcharged as a result of the collusion. if you have stories, this next one will top them

one georgia owner was sued for dropping 500,000 pennies and that note. the employee called the labor department to report he was still any owed $915. the shop other than paid up with 91,500 oil-covered pennies that note with not so nice words in it. >> it didn't sigh thank you? >> some choice four-letter words probably in there. it took several hours to clean them you a all off they sued the owner claiming he retaliated you post this and the name, oh boy and the backlash, i can just imagine. >> he might get some pennies of his own. up next, here is the deposition of you have to see it to believe it a. plane crash lands on to tracks moments before a plane comes barreling through. police leaping into action to rescue the pilot in the nick of

time. >> reporter: in the history of high stakes rescues, this train versus plane chain of events is a heart pounder. the odds might be too incredible to believe if it wasn't captured by several vantage points a. pilot stuck in a cockpit, while in the distance, a terrible sound. lapd's police body cam footage showing the true heroism four seconds before impact. >> go, go, go. >> reporter: the plane was obliterated. >> all of a sudden, the whistles, no, this can't be happening. i looked down at the tracks. i see this train with three house judiciary white lights coming right at us. >> reporter: the pilot is recovering in the hospital the police officers that saved him say it's and understatement when you consider how close they were >> we got planes landing over

here, this is where it happened? >> this is where it happened not only was it right by the police station, i think he cheated death twice in ten minutes and he should buy a lottery ticket. >> reporter: all of it coming together in thos

right now at 4:30, slowing the surge. one bay area county now pleading for help as we see a rise in covid cases. the new restrictions just announced that will no doubt force major readjustments. and some bay area hospitals are being forced to pivot to keep up with the growing surge in patients. the changes that may leave some people scrambling to readjust their schedules. this is "today in the bay." of course we broadcast to your television, but