hi, everybody, i'm iron gilchrist. >> i'm vicky nguyen in for kate snow. "nbc news daily" starts right now. today, friday, december 23rd, 2022. bomb cyclone, a massive winter storm wreaking havoc across more than half a dozen states. the dangerously low temperatures expected and the impact it's having on holiday travel. the full report, the january 6th committee blaming the insurrection solely on donald trump. how the former president is now responding. at the brink. cases of flu, covid, and rsv

crushing hospitals nationwide. the warning from doctors about potential super spreader events. and holiday hustle. millions of americans making a mad dash to the malls ahead of christmas. what you need to know if you're still trying to find that perfect gift. we want to begin with a bitter winter storm system that's pushing its way east. blizzard conditions, plummeting temperatures, and even massive coastal flooding all creating dangerous conditions. >> 60% of the country is under some form of weather warning or advisory. here's a look at snow in ohio. santa's face down there. the great lakes region feeling the full force at this hour. in nearby buffalo, new york, people there experiencing one of the city's potentially worst blizzards on record. and it's all happening on one of the busiest travel days of the year. airports, absolutely packed now as people scramble to make their flights. if you are one of those people, take a look at the board here. these eight cities are the most likely to see delays or cancellations tonight because of the dangerous weather. >> i feel for our friends in new

york city. leading us off this hour, nbc meteorologist bill karins has the forecast. marissa is on the roads, and catie is at reagan national airport. we are approaching the final hours to get to your destination before christmas eve. how are things looking? >> reporter: here at reagan, things are resuming some sense of normal. there was a ground stop earlier today, but that has been lifted. planes are taking off and landing. lot of delays and cancellations, but we did just learn that the buffalo airport is going to be closed until 9:00 p.m. we had been seeing ground stops at various airports across the country throughout the day. major cities like denver, seattle, memphis, portland, even washington for a time as i said, so this weather is having a direct impact on flights' abilities to take off and land, and you have thousands of customers, passengers, who are trying to get where they're going for the holidays and are finding themselves in bind. most of the passengers we spoke

to today, they were not surprised to be greeted with this news when they got to the airport. they knew what the weather looked like. they knew this was a strong possibility they were going to wait, so they have been sort of patient and waiting it out. it's amazing how spirits around the holidays are a bit higher. i fly all the time, and people are not usually this patient when it comes to delays. but that holiday spirit must be getting people through. and the fact that there is another day, another buffer before actual christmas, so they're still hopeful that even if they have to wait, they are going to make it in time to see their families. >> that's the right attitude to have for sure. let's head to the roads now. marissa, you're along the midatlantic coast on the highway there. what conditions are you finding on the roads? >> reporter: so, we're along i-95 for those of you who have spent time on the east coast, you know this is a main artery a main thoroughfare that people use as they're trying to head out for the holidays. it's looking really good. we have it made here, compared to other parts of the country,

when you're literally seeing what looks like the heavens opening up on the skies of 95 as we're clearly not the only drivers here. traffic, not so bad. actually, pretty good. but other parts of the country, not so lucky. we've been talking about conditions in places like the midwest. i mean, ohio just getting pummelled. parts of the midwest, we're talking indiana, missouri, we know that there have been deadly conditions over there as people were taking to the roads there. there's a massive pile-up in ohio that looks horrible. and then further north, we know that lake effect snow hitting places like buffalo pretty hard. and then lastly, i'll end on this. the power outages. that wind. things may look good here, but it is deceiving. that wind is very strong. so, take caution. charge your electronics just in case. back to you. >> all right, marissa catie, thank you. let's bring in meteorologist bill karins. it was 52 degrees when i left home at 8:00 a.m. i'm guessing it's a lot hour now. >> new york city is belowow freezing. we're worried about the flash freeze as we head through the

evening. the wind gusts have been horrendous. we have had 70 to 80-mile-per-hour wind gusts in the buffalo area, and buffalo has been reporting mostly zero visibility for almost two straight hours. even in the worst blizzards, usually you don't see that. this is the area of greatest concern. new york city throughway is closed from rochester to buffalo all the way down to erie. rotate the cold front and the colder air through providence, boston, northern new england this evening. windchills right now, d.c. is down to 10. but look at pittsburgh. negative 31. it's improving a little bit in areas of texas. the winds are not as strong anymore. still cold, but at least the winds have died down. as we head throughout the rest of today, still the worst airports, great lakes into the northeast. as we go into your christmas eve saturday, notice much of the country is quiet. the winds will still be gusting in the ohio valley but not as bad as today. by the time we get to saturday afternoon and evening, i think the airports will begin to have a lot of improvement. finally, guys, christmas day, a lot of cold, but not a lot of snow and ice. that could be good for everyone. >> that is good. >> meteorologist bill karins,

thank you. with just two days before christmas, americans are dealing with a rise in viral infections, and with crowded holiday gatherings starting, concerns are now growing about hospitals being overwhelmed by the tridemic, the flu, covid, and the dangerous respiratory virus targeting children, rsv. on thursday, the u.s. reported more than 200,000 covid cases and over the last two weeks, new covid cases have increased by nearly 20%. deaths are up 15% in that same time frame. we want to bring in nbc news medical contributor dr. vin gupta. let's talk about the number one thing that is related to these viruses and the concerns that you have as we head into the holidays. >> vicky, good afternoon. great to see you. biggest concern right now is that we have tools that are just not being widely adopted by the american public. we're not seeing masking widely deployed, especially in places where children's hospitals are overwhelmed. flu vaccines for all the parents

out there. flu vaccines work. there are a lot of co-benefits for your children. if you get a flu shot, it actually -- your child gets a flu shot, it helps them fight off other infections like strep throat, which is going around. we're not seeing that -- those tools adopted at scale here, which is a big problem. and of course, we're seeing supply chain limitations on things like fever reducers, tylenol, ibuprofen. >> it can be hard to tell these viruses apart, even if you're not a medical doctor. you can get testing, but what should you know about how to behave? should you act any differently if you've got one virus over another? >> no, if you're sick, you should stay at home. if you have to be out, you should mask up, because these are all respiratory viruses, vicky. you can spread them just by breathing, talking, so it's important to keep that in mind. i should just note really quickly here, testing is the best way to determine what infection you may have if you're symptomatic. we do know that flu will have high fevers. we know rsv, especially in young

kids, can cause high-pitched wheezing. difficulty breathing. a high-pitched cough. and we know covid can infect the lungs. also, extra pulmonary symptoms. it can cause brain fog. those are some different ways to tell these infections apart. >> dr. vin gupta with the valuable information we all need. thank you so much. the january 6th committee's final report is out now, and it places most of the blame for the capitol riot directly on former president donald trump. that 845-page report was released late last night. the committee says trump engaged in a multipart conspiracy to overturn the election results leading up to the capitol riot. committee chairman bennie thompson, the democrat from mississippi, writing, "donald trump lit that fire, but in the weeks beforehand, the kindling he ultimately ignited was amassed in plain sight." nbc news capitol hill correspondent ryan nobles is joining us now. ryan, i know you're done the deep dive on this. one of the eight chapters focuses on the trump team's

attempts to pressure state election officials. take us through some of the key points of the findings here. >> reporter: yeah, and what's remarkable about this report, aaron, is that they don't just make the claims. they have the physical numbers to back it up. for instance, they say that trump and his team had at least 200 different acts of outreach to state officials. that included 68 meetings, calls, or texts, 18 public remarks, 125 social media posts, and that the trump campaign contacted nearly 200 state legislators in some of these key cities or key states, i should say, that played the bulk of their efforts to overturn the election results. and adam schiff on msnbc earlier today talked about how important it was for them to compile all this evidence. >> with all of the focus on the attack that day, let's not forget about the insurrectionists wearing suits and ties. in terms of whether any of them will face prosecution, i'll leave that to the justice department. >> reporter: and that's him talking about the members of congress who they believe played

a role in trying to overturn the election results, and aaron, he's hoping the justice department looks into them as well. many of them, still sitting members of congress. >> and ryan, i know the former president has responded to the committee's report at this point. what's the essence of what he's saying? >> reporter: he thinks that the committee's work was partisan and that it wasn't really grounded in fact. he has even gone on to criticize the house speaker nancy pelosi for not having the proper security protocols in place on that day, and then he continues to go back to that big lie, which he has perpetuated basically since the election day on 2020, that he believes he actually won the election. of course, the evidence is overwhelmingly the opposite. but this is a drum that the former president continues to beat. >> ryan nobles for us on capitol hill today, thank you. and there's more breaking news from capitol hill now. the house has just passed that $1.7 trillion government funding bill. president biden says he will sign it as soon as it reaches his desk. the government is set to run out of money at midnight eastern

time. that massive bill also includes $45 billion in funding for ukraine. elon musk is hitting pause on tesla stock sales, and one university is banning the use of tiktok. >> that's interesting. i wonder how they're going to enforce that. steve kovak joins us with the cnbc money minute. let's start with tesla. its stock hit a fresh two-year low. investors don't appear to be taking too much comfort from elon musk's promise to not sell tesla shares next year. he also says he probably won't do any selling in 2024. the stock fell after musk disclosed almost $4 billion of selling last week, bringing his total since late last year to $40 billion. $15 billion of that, by the way, came after he said in april he was done selling. also a wells fargo analyst is predicting that returning disney ceo bob iger could spin off

companies to focus on marvel, "star wars," and pixar. here's that tiktok story. auburn university is blocking tiktok on its wi-fi network after alabama's government banned the chinese-owned app on government networks and devices. back to you. >> all right, steve, thanks for answer that question. have a wonderful holiday, friend. >> happy holidays. well, coming up, the growing humanitarian crisis at the southern border as wintery weather grips texas. how migrants are surviving in difficult conditions there in texas. you're watching "nbc news daily." still ahead, what we are learning about the suspected kidnapper of a missing 5-month-old who was found safe and alive. and alive. you're watching i trieied everythihing to r remove fabrbric odors,, but my c clothes stitill smel. until i fifinally founundw downy rinsnse and refrfresh! it doeoesn't t just coverer o, until i fifinally founundw downy rinsnse and refrfresh! it helps r remove themem up to 3 3 times betttter ththan detergegent alone!! findnd new downyny rinse & r reh ththan detergegent alone!! in the f fabric softftener ai.

my asthma a felt anyththing but normrmal. a a blood testst helped showow my asthmama is d driven by e eosinophils, which nucacala helps r re. a a blood testst helped showow my asthmama nucalala is a oncece-mony add-on injnjection a a blood testst helped showow my asthmama for severere eosinophphilic asthmhma. nucalala is not fofor sun breathing g problems.. alallergic reaeactions canan o. nucalala is not fofor sun breathing g problems.. get hehelp right a away for r swelling o of face, nucalala is not fofor sun breathing g problems.. mouth, tonongue, or t trouble brereathing. nucalala is not fofor sun breathing g problems.. infefections thahat can cae shinglgles have ococcurr. nucalala is not fofor sun breathing g problems.. dodon't stop s steroids unless tolold by your r doct. nucalala is not fofor sun breathing g problems.. tell youour doctor i if you e a a parasitic c infection.. may cause e headache,, injectioion site reaeaction, tell youour doctor i if you e a a parasitic c infection.. back paiain, and fatatigue. tell youour doctor i if you e a a parasitic c infection.. ask k your asthmhma specialit about a nununormal witith nuc. shshe is fearlrless heart's on thehe line shshe is fearlrless depend sililhouette shshe is fearlrless

keepeping leaks s off her mim. comfortatable in shahapeware fabricic shshe moves wiwith ease. comfortatable in shahapeware fabricic confidident on nigights like thehese. depend sililhouette. confidident on nigights like thehese. the only t thing strononger ththan us, is s you. it's something about having that piece of paper. some people think that's worth more than my skills. i've run this place for 20 years, but i still need to prove that i'm more than what you see on paper. you gotta be so good they can't ignore you. it's the way my mind works. i have a very mechanical brain. analytics and empathy. that's how i gain clients. i am more... i'm more than who i am on paper.

the biden administration wants the supreme court to let title 42 end eventually. the trump-era border restriction that allows the government to turn away migrants because of covid was set to end this week, but it remains in limbo after the supreme court ordered an indefinite stay this past monday. nbc news homeland security correspondent julia ainsley joins us with more on this. julia, what's the administration's argument here to the court to not keep title 42 in place forever? >> well, the biden administration has long wanted to say that title 42 is not up to them, it's up to the cdc. and the cdc determined in april that title 42 was no longer

necessary as a public health measure. the biden administration wants to put it on the table of the cdc because they want to say -- basically reserve that authority in the future if something like covid comes up again. so, they are saying cdc said it wasn't necessary in april, so it should be lifted now. >> so, how is the white house, then, julia, preparing for the end of title 42 when it ultimately does happen? >> well, the biden administration has asked the court to give it a two business day heads-up, so if, for example, we hear today that would be lifted, they would hope to lift it by the middle of next week so they can surge people to the border and try to expedite the asylum process. we also know they're weighing what was known commonly as a transit ban, which would make it harder for migrants to claim asylum if they've already passed through another country like mexico where they could have claimed asylum. that's all being considered now, and they also are looking at ways to try to make it easier to incentivize migrants to apply for protections from their home

countries rather than traveling all the way to the southern border, but none of that's been put in stone yet. >> julia ainsley for us today, thank you. well, aaron, the powerful winter storm is bringing dangerously low temperatures to communities along the southern border. that is where migrants who have crossed over from mexico are waiting for the supreme court to act on title 42. in el paso, many of the migrants spent another night sleeping outside in the cold. here's nbc news correspondent guad venegas. >> reporter: a cold morning below freezing temperatures here in el paso with migrants still sleeping in the streets of downtown. you can see in the area behind me, some are still under the blankets. some have used cardboard boxes or anything they can, the temperature dropping to 19 degrees. with windchill, that was even colder. we've been here for hours speaking to some of these migrants. there is a shelter in this area that was able to fit less than 200. they mainly focus on helping the

women and children. others, especially single men, had to stay out on the sidewalk. there is a bus that was brought with the heater, of course, for anyone that just couldn't stand the temperatures outside. some of the guys here told me that overnight, they were checking on each other, and eventually, some people who just couldn't handle it anymore were walked over to the bus. and there's a soup here. one of the guys told me that they gave them the soup last night. he put it aside to eat it, and when he went to get the soup, it froze. and i mean, the soup's just been sitting there, but that's how cold it is here. the same with a lot of the waters that they've been given. they're all frozen,m so now, they're really relying, and some of the volunteers and charities are coming down to bring hot chocolate and hot drinks because essentially most of the water they have is going to be frozen through the day, as many of them continue sleeping here on the sidewalks in downtown el paso.

now, the city and the county in el paso, they have opened shelters that they're offering to individuals that are asylum seekers that have the proper paperwork, and a lot of the people here tell me that they are not asylum seekers, and they did not turn themselves in to border patrol when they entered the united states. so, because they don't have that paperwork, they haven't found a place where they can get shelters. now, the catholic church here is offering alternative shelters for some of the individuals, but there just isn't enough space. back to you. >> guad venegas in texas today. new data from the census bureau shows the pace of population growth in this country has picked up. but it is still remaining near historically low levels. as of july, the u.s. population totaled 333 million. that's up about 1.2 million people. the biggest single increase -- single-year increase since 2019. the largest reason for that uptick is believed to be immigration. still ahead, what we are

learning about the suspected kidnapper of a missing 5-month-old who was found safe and alive. you're watching "nbc news daily." by the way, you can also watch us streaming for free 24/7 on nbc news now. watch us wherever you stream watch us wherever you stream live. when you're through with powering through, it's time for theraflu hot liquid medicine. powerful relief so you can restore and recover. theraflu hot beats cold. (♪♪♪) this s season, youou can sped leless and makake holiday y ds (♪♪♪) cocome true atat t.j. maxx, , marshalls s and homego. withth amazing g gifts for evereryone on yoyour , you geget more joyoy for yoyour money,, and morere cheer to o go ar. t.j. maxx,x, marshshalls, and hohomegoods. spenend less. gift more.e. alall season l long. if youou still havave symptoms o of moderatete

to severere rheumatotoid arthris or active e psoriatic c arthrs after r a tnf blococker like h a to severere rheumatotoid arthris or active e psoriatic c arthrs oror enbrel, r rinvoq is dififferent andnd may hel. stand up t to your symymps with r rinvoq. oror enbrel, r rinvoq is dififferent andnd may hel. rinvoq is s a once-daiaily l oror enbrel, r rinvoq is dififferent andnd may hel. that tacklkles pain, oror enbrel, r rinvoq is dififferent andnd may hel. stififfness, swewelling. oror enbrel, r rinvoq is dififferent andnd may hel. for someme, rinvoq s significy reduces rara and psa f fati. oror enbrel, r rinvoq is dififferent andnd may hel. it can s stop furtheher irreversibible joint d da. oror enbrel, r rinvoq is dififferent andnd may hel. and rinvnvoq can leaeave n cleaear or almosost clear inin. oror enbrel, r rinvoq is dififferent andnd may hel. ththat's s rinvoq relelief. rinvnvoq can lowower your ababy toto fight infnfections, ththat's s rinvoq relelief. inincluding tbtb. seririous infectctions and d blood clotots, some fa; cancerers, includiding lympha and skskin cancer;r; death, h heart attacack, str, and tetears in thehe stoh or intestitines occurrrred. peopople 50 and d older h at leastst one heartrt disee and tetears in thehe stoh or intestitines occurrrred. risk facactor have h higher r. don't t take if allerergic to rininvoq asas serious r reactions c can. tell youour doctor i if you e or may b become pregegnant. asas serious r reactions c can. ask yoyour rheumatatologist for r rinvoq. asas serious r reactions c can. rinvoq. asas serious r reactions c can. make it yoyour missionon. lelearn how ababbvie could hehelp you savave.

(police radio call) (sirens) (news report) (sirens) (news report) flu symptoms hit harder than the common cold. so it takekes the righghtl for ththe job... flu symptoms hit harder than the common cold. to k keep it togogether. flu symptoms hit harder than the common cold. now ththere's neww therafaflu flu relelief wiwith a max s strength fefer fightingng formula.. ththe right totool for lonog lasting flflu symptom m rel. wiwith a max s strength fefer fightingng formula.. hot t beats flu.u. hi, everyone. this is the fast forward. with just two days to go until krms, it's time to get the last-minute gifts.

according to business insiders, today will be the busiest shopping day of the year. at the macy's in san francisco union employees voted for a two-day strike. last night, more than 400 employees. 93% of them voting for a two-day strike. the macy's failed to negotiate fairly. would not offer the pay they were looking for, affordable health benefits, issues around seniority and staffing levels were not being addressed. they decided to take it to the picket line. we did reach out to macy's, too, but they did not respond. now the top story we're following. displaced bay area cryptocurrency founder is

expected to arrive at his palo alto home as early as today. sam bankman fried is out on bond and is being allowed to stay in his parents' house until the trial. the 30-year-old is accused of misusing $8 billion deposited into ftx. the collapsed cryptocurrency exchange he co-founded. he faces eight federal charges, including securities fraud and money laundering. he will have to surrender his u.s. passport and wear a gps monitor as part of his release agreement. and these are some other stories you need to know about. five counties in the bay area are on the cdc's naughty list just ahead of the holidays. the martinez refinery flaring again, the third time in under a month. but first, sunnyvale pd has announced the arrest of six people who allegedly stole more than $200,000 worth of gas. it happened at a valero gas station in sunnyvale. police say the suspects used a computer to take control of the fuel pump. and over time, they simpbed

30,000 gallons of gas using both their cars as well as trash bags to fill up gasoline. they're also accused of causing $20,000 in damage to equipment. investigators say surveillance footage helped crack this case. for the third time in the past month, the flaring incidence. they tweeted there was no risk to the surrounding community. this is video when the last flaring happened two weeks ago. the martinez refining company explained it was due to an equipment malfunction. that incident was believed to not be a health risk but now the county is investigating and even formed a task force. five bay area counties are entering cdc's high community virus tier. that includes alameda, contra cost contract, solano counties, all moved from the medium or yellow tier to the highest or worst tier designated as red.

the cdc recommends indoor masking in red areas. as for marin, napa, san mateo and sonoma, they are in the yellow tier. the final day of our holiday week, it started off cool this morning. the sun is slowly starting to peek out. here's kari hall with your forecast. >> today is a spare the air alert day. we're dealing with unhealthy air quality and it looks very smoggy out there. some of the worst of the air quality is in the north bay, the east bay, as well as the coast, and santa clara valley where the measure of particulate matter is quite high and unhealthy for sensitive groups. our temperature for today will be nice and mild. headed for the low to mid 60s for the south bay, and upper 50s for the north bay. going into the weekend, it looks really nice. we're getting ready for a lot of rain next week. we'll be tracking that and i'll show you the seven-day forecast coming up in about 30 minutes. see you soon. and take a look at san

francisco. the skyline and other tech conferences are fleeing the bay area. they usually hold a big annual conference at the city's mosconi center. according to the chronicle, they have not said why they are making the change or where the new conference will be. after losing carlos correa and aaron judge, the giants just signed former new york mets outfielder michael conforto. the two-year, $36 million deal includes an opt out after one year. he missed all of last season due to a shoulder injury. as he former all-star who has hit 132 home runs over his first seven seasons. okay. that will do it for this edition of the fast forward. i'll be back in 30 minutes with more news. (music throughout)

get the royal treatment. join the millions playing royal match today. download now. shshe is fearlrless heart's on thehe line shshe is fearlrless depend sililhouette shshe is fearlrless keepeping leaks s off her mim. comfortatable in shahapeware fabricic shshe moves wiwith ease. comfortatable in shahapeware fabricic confidident on nigights like thehese. depend sililhouette. confidident on nigights like thehese. the only t thing strononger ththan us, is s you. my asthma a felt anyththing but normrmal. ♪ ♪♪ it w was time fofor a nunorml with nucalala. nunucala is a a once-monthty add-onon treatatment for severe e eosinophililic asta that c can mean less oral l steroids.. not t for suddenen breathining problemsms. allergicic reactionsns can oc. get hehelp right a away for r swelling o of faface, mouth,h, tongue, or t trouble brereathing. get hehelp right a away for r swelling o of ininfections t that can cacae shiningles have e occurr. don'n't stop steteroids ununless told d by your dodoc. ininfections t that can cacae shiningles have e occurr. tell y your doctoror if u ininfections t that can cacae shiningles have e occurr. have a p parasitic infection. may cacause headacache, injejection sitete react, backck pain, andnd fatig. asask your aststhma speciaiat about a nununormal with nucalala.

it only y takes a sesecond for an e everyday ititem to becomome dangerouous. tide podods child-guguard k for an e everyday ititem to becomome dangerouous. helps keepep your launundry ps for an e everyday ititem to becomome dangerouous. in a s safe placee anand your chihild safer.. toto close, twist t until it c clicks. anand your chihild safer.. tidede pods child-guguard packagaging. (♪♪♪) this hololiday, you cacan gift morore and spend d less at t.t.j. , this hololiday, you cacan gift morore marshalllls, and homomego. this hololiday, you cacan gift morore wiwith more chcheer to go o ar, morere presents s to impress, anand more joyoy for your r m. morere presents s to impress, ♪♪ t.t.j. maxx, m marshalls,, anand homegoodods. spend d less. t.t.j. maxx, m marshalls,, anand homegoodods. gift more.e. all l season lonong.

bottom of the hour now. here are some of the stories making headlines on "nbc news daily." >> three people are dead and several others are hurt after a gunman opened fire in paris. it happened at a kurdish cultural center and nearby cafe. authorities have arrested a 69-year-old man who was there at the scene. prosecutors say they're now looking into a possible racial motivation for the attack. nasa has released photos of a winter wonderland on mars. these images show frost accumulating on the surface of the red planet. how about that? the frost here is a mixture of carbon dioxide, dry ice, and water, and just like here on earth, it will disappear once the martian spring arrives.

>> quite beautiful. and a lucky lottery player could take home a huge christmas present this weekend. tonight's mega millions jackpot has reached $510 million. that's a cash option. if you take it all, $266 million. pretty nice stocking stuffer. and if friday night has one or more winning tickets, it would be the 11th largest jackpot in history. we are in the home stretch of the christmas travel crush but airports are expected to be busy until the very end. tsa says it's been planning for months to deal with millions lining up at security checkpoints, and the past several days have been all hands on deck. still, the best advice for you is to get to airports well in advance of your flight. remember that wintertime travel takes more time because we wear a lot more stuff. and be ready to exercise as much patience as you can muster. i spoke to the former federal security director for l.a.x., and he says, do as much prep as possible before you even get to the tsa line.

>> some accept mobile boarding passes, some may need a hard copy, it depends on where you're traveling to and from. it's about being flexible, getting on that tsa website and seeing what you can and can't bring. they list everything. >> now, jeffries also wanted to remind gun owners that you can not bring guns through security at all, no exceptions. so far this year, the tsa has stopped more than 6,300 firearms at airport checkpoints. let's turn to nbc news correspondent marissa parra, tracking road conditions near philadelphia. she's on the road for us. so, how do the roads compare to yesterday? >> reporter: hey, aaron, we are your mobile crew. we have been doing this all day yesterday and then all day today between d.c. and then the greater philly area in pennsylvania, so this is what i can tell you. we are clearly not the only ones on the road. i want to take you to our cameras that show different parts of the road we're seeing. this is i-95.

a main thoroughfare throughout the east coast. yesterday, it was rain, rain, rain, and then today, obviously, you can see the skies have opened up. it's a little sunnier. so, you can see that whatever the temperatures and weather have been, it hasn't stopped people from hitting the roads. we have been hitting traffic off and on depending on just how heavy the rain was coming down and maybe how icy the roads were, but so far, i think relatively speaking, looking pretty good. >> i've driven that stretch of 95 many, many times, and that's probably the best i've seen it this time of year in a long time. that's not bad. we know this storm system that we've been tracking the last several days is moving sort of up north now. what are you hearing about driving conditions along the east coast north of where you are? >> reporter: yeah, so, it really depends on where you are on the east coast, and i will say, for those who are able to remote work, i'm sure that that has something to play into what we're seeing in terms of traffic patterns, and boy, the further north you go, remote work is really going to be the way to

go, because they are just getting pummelled, especially buffalo, new york, area. here we go again. that lake effect snow really pummelling them. you have coastal advisories for rhode island, new york, new jersey. we talked about how we were seeing so much rain. a lot of precipitation in that area. something that i really want to flag here is that even though the skies are looking good here, the wind has been so severe, what we understand is there's 1.5 million without power across the country, 120,000 in north carolina. here's a fun fact for you. every state east of the rockies will experience at least 40-mile-per-hour wind gusts if not stronger. back to you. >> wow. that's going to be tough for folks who -- small people need rocks in your pockets. marissa on the road today, thank you. >> i don't know if you're talking about me, aaron. i'm not sure about that. okay. we want to turn now to the enormous relief that the family of a missing 5-month-old baby is feeling right now after he was found alive and safe in indianapolis. a couple hundred miles from

where he was kidnapped. look at that cute face. police released this photo of kason thomas today. officers found him thursday inside his mother's car, which was stolen in columbus, ohio, monday night, along with his twin brother. family members were elated when they learned kason was okay. >> my tears. i'm tired. to joy. yes. >> oh, we are so happy for this happy ending. nbc news correspondent dana griffin has been following all of this for us. dana, talk to us about how police finally located kason. >> i mean, vicky, talk about relief. yesterday, investigators in indianapolis arrested the woman who stole that car and was later they found the missing child still inside that vehicle wearing the same clothes. he was in a papa john's parking lot. now, police say officers were eating at a nearby restaurant thursday evening when a woman ran in to tell them that that baby was in the car.

investigators say the boy was in good health. he was taken to a hospital to be evaluated. now his family vowed to never stop searching. take a listen. >> this means everything. my grandsons get to open up their presents simultaneously, not one alone, wishing that the other one was there. i'm so happy. >> to feel the joy, the happiness, and just the overall graciousness in my heart from everyone else. it's going to be the best christmas ever. >> oh. so happy for her. 24-year-old jackson has already been charged with two counts of kidnapping. investigators say she is homeless. police found her on interstate 95 near downtown indianapolis. she initially stole that vehicle with both twins inside, but later dropped off one of the boys at the dayton airport. now, she is also facing a new charge in indiana for allegedly spitting on one of the sheriff's deputies after she was arrested. >> this story could have ended so differently.

with the weather we're facing, we are so happy for this holiday news. dana griffin, good to see you. thank you so much. newly filed court documents are revealing some disturbing facts about the death of a young arkansas boy. blue rollins' body was found buried under the floorboards of his home. the arrest affidavit filed tuesday shows ashley rollen, the boy's mother, told police that her son died three months ago. she claims her boyfriend drowned blue as punishment for biting him. she and her boyfriend are facing capital murder charges. she is also being charged with permitting child abuse. the new york attorney general's office says it's looking into allegations against the soon-to-be congressman accused of lying about his credentials. it comes after a bombshell "new york times" investigation questioned the legitimacy of george santos's resume. nbc news correspondent dasha burns joining us now. walk us through some of the allegations in this "new york times" article. >> yeah, aaron, this is a pretty shocking story. "the new york times" report came out on monday, and we have been

watching the fallout all week long here. and look, george santos actually made history as the first openly gay nonincumbent republican to be elected to congress, but in this "new york times" report, they questioned, basically, every part of his biography that he had been campaigning on. when it comes to where he was educated, the college that he claims to have attended, "the new york times" says they have no record of his attendance there. when it comes to where he claimed he's worked, he says he has a lot of experience on wall street, naming firms like goldman-sachs and citi group. "the new york times" says they too say they have no record of his employment there. his family firm, real estate holdings, also questions there and more and more eyebrows raised as we follow the story here, aaron. >> i mean, just incredible reporting here. how is santos responding to the allegations at this point? >> so, we did finally hear from santos directly. initially, we were hearing from

his representatives, but he put out a statement via twitter yesterday afternoon. it says, "to the people of new york's third, i have my story to tell, and it will be told next week. i want to assure everyone that i will address your questions, and that i remain committed to deliver the results i campaigned on, public safety, inflation, education and more. happy holidays to all." aaron, you better bet we're going to be looking out for any information from him next week. >> we sure will. dasha burns, we appreciate your reporting. thank you. well, do you drink water from your tap? many of us do. but would you if you received 300 boil water notices in the span of two years? many people in jackson, mississippi, certainly will not drink that water, even after city officials deemed it safe. nbc brings us a new report from jackson where she sat down with the head of the epa. >> the city of jackson has grappled with an ongoing water crisis for decades, subject to ongoing boil water advisories, brown water and low water pressure. i spoke with residents of jackson and the head of the epa

to hear what the federal government is going to intervene. >> reporter: 35-year-old danika samuel is a mom of six and lifelong resident of jackson, mississippi, a city plagued with a decades-long water crisis. water in the city is deemed safe to drink, but many residents still don't trust it. >> you should see my mama do the same things i do now for my kids. >> every morning, we come downstairs, get us a big tall bottle of water, put on their towel, wash their face and brush their teeth. >> reporter: the water crisis triggering an naacp complaint in september, alleging racist policies by governor tate reeves and the state of mississippi. claiming federal money was allocated to smaller majority-white communities instead of jackson. governor reeves previously said his administration is committed to ensuring all federal funds are made available on an objective and race-neutral basis. the environmental protection agency now investigating if mississippi violated the civil rights act. >> no city in the united states

of america should have a fragile system that leaves 190,000 citizens without clean water to drink. >> reporter: epa administrator michael regan says the federal government has not adequately invested in communities. why do you think that a city that's over 80% black is facing a decades-long water crisis? >> environmental justice is a serious issue in this country, which is why the president has made it a priority. we know black, brown, tribal communities, low-income communities have seen a lack of investment, but also are on the front lines of the impacts of these lack of investment and climate change. >> reporter: jackson was the first city regan visited following his 2021 appointment. >> i saw port-a-potties lined all along the school, and i thought that was due to construction. but that's what the students have been using for years because they have been dealing with low water pressure. >> reporter: the white house says new bipartisan legislation will invest at least $50 billion

in the nation's infrastructure, including expanding access to clean drinking water. >> it's my hope that the people of jackson now get the type of relief that they have been looking for, for decades. >> reporter: daneka samuel hopes that relief comes soon. >> i want my six kids to have a wonderful future. i want this to go somewhere so my kids won't have to worry about unclean water. >> reporter: and it is important to point out that administrator regan warned the el paso is preparing for residents in the u.s. to experience inconsistent water access this winter, particularly in areas of the country with intense storms and drought. back to you. >> thank you. and a special program note. we are taking an in-depth look at the year's extreme weather and how it's been fueled by climate change. join nbc's jacob soboroff for our planet's future combatting climate change. that's airing tonight at 10:30 eastern, streaming right on nbc news now. and up next, how to score some deep discounts if you still have holiday shopping to get done.

more "nbc news daily" right after this.

(steven) every time i come to see caremore, they go above and d beyond to o take care e . i feel a l lot better r now. i'm takiking medicatation for t i shshould have e been takining years agago. (vo) caremore h health provides a advanced prprimary e whereverer you need d it, in e hospitital, at homome, in our c clinics, oror virtual. (steven)n) so when i call them over a medicacal issue, they takake care of f it inststantaneouslsly. i'm not t afraid to o go to te doctoror anymore or put offff going to o the doc. (vo) call the n number on y your scn to learnrn more abouout medice plans inin your neigighborhoo that include caremore.

well, if you haven't bought your christmas presents yet, you are not alone. >> are they with you? are you done? >> no. >> okay, so aaron and you, according to the national retail federation, just over half of american consumers finish their shopping in the week that leads up to christmas. that might mean long lines, but

plenty of stores are making it worth the wait by offering major discounts to you procrastinators. we have emilie ikeda with us. what kind of deals are we expecting to see? >> pretty significant, and i will commiserate with you, i also am still checking things off my list right now. we've been reporting on the excess inventory that retailers have been grappling with for months, so they're trying to clear out shelves before the holiday season. with fears of a potential recession looming over them. to do that, they are offering deep discounts to lure people into the stores, especially with consumer spending trending downward, so we spoke with a retail expert to see where can we expect the biggest cuts. >> retailers are really'inger to get certain things off the shelves, especially those giftable items, those holiday gift sets. so, if you can concentrate on those things that retailers want to off load, you actually have the potential to save really big. >> so, holiday decor, toys and games, smaller consumer

electronics, those are some of the items where you see the best deals. >> if you can get them. i know people worry. we've seen all this bad weather sweeping across the whole country. should people be concerned about getting deliveries on time? >> yeah, this weather is impacting people getting to the store and also for those last-minute deliveries. we've seen really strong on-time performance in the past couple of days. unfortunately, that's changing right now. there's only so much you can do when we're seeing severe weather to this degree. ship matrix estimates up to 15% of packages in the next couple of days, so we're talking millions of packages will experience delays and that will create a backlog all the way through even next week, potentially. >> okay, em, give us your best tips for last-minute gift ideas. >> i would say, think digital. e-gift cards, subscriptions, that experiential thing, whether it be streaming services for books, for classes, there are a lot of options, video games, so you can get creative. >> i do like that. i gave coffee subscriptions and beauty boxes, and those are cool because it's the gift that keeps on giving.

>> yes, i've done a fishing box before for my husband. >> y'all are creative. i send people the cash app link so they can figure out, this is how you're going to get your link. >> cashapp link. that's a first. >> generous. >> we need you to stick around for this next story, will you do that? >> looking forward to it. we've all heard or done some of the storm coverage you've seen on tv. have you ever thought to yourself, that reporter should not be out in that? well, there's one reporter who agrees. >> spare a thought for mark woodley from our nbc affiliate in waterloo, iowa. his day job, he is a sports anchor, but here's the thing. we all know, we came from small markets, we've worked in local, short staffing during the holidays, we got to improvise. >> and improvise, he did. watch this. >> mark, how you feeling out there? >> again, the same way i felt about eight minutes ago when you asked me that same question. i normally do sports. everything is canceled here for the next couple of days, so what better time to ask the sports guy to come in about five hours

earlier than he would normally wake up, go stand out in the wind and the snow and the cold and tell other people not to do the same. i didn't even realize that there was a 3:30 also in the morning until today. it's absolutely fantastic, ryan. you know, i'm used to these evening shows that are only 30 minutes long and generally on those shows, i'm inside, so this is a really long show, tune in for the next couple hours to watch me progressively get crankier and crankier. >> yes. >> i mean, he tells it like it was, right? you shared this on your instagram. >> yes. >> i mean, i've never heard such truth being told. >> we can all empathize. >> it is the live shot we all wish we could have done. covering bad weather. >> especially the early morning hours. have you ever done the morning show? >> it's painful out there. >> we've been there, done that, but i don't think i would have ever had the guts to speak my mind in that way, but he did it in such a way that it was endearing. i hope he's still employed.

we think? yeah? >> no, he is. >> he is. >> bravo to you. nice job. >> he needs snow goggles. >> have you seen shaq today? >> have you seen shaq today? shaq is out in the real cold. when you're through with powering through, it's time for theraflu hot liquid medicine. powerful relief so you can restore and recover. theraflu hot beats cold.

annonouncer: typype 2 didiabetes? discovover the powower of 3 i the ozozempic® t tri-zone. in my ozemempic® triri-zone,i lowered mymy a1c, cv r risk, and lolost some weweight. anannouncer: o ozempic® provideses powerfrful a1c reduction. in s studies, ththe majoritytf pepeople reachched an a1cc under 7 anand mainintained it.t. ozozempic® l lowers the e risf major cacardiovasculular evens such as ststroke, heart attatack, or d death in adadults also with k known heartrt disease. and you u may lose w weight. adultsts lost up t to 14 poun. ozemempic® isnsn't for r peo with typype 1 diabetetes. don'n't share e needles oro pens, , oror reuse neeeedle. dodon't takeke ozempic® if yu or your fafamily ever r had medudullary thyryroid cancncer, or havave multiplele endocrinene neoplaa syndromeme type 2, or if allelergic to itit. ststop ozempicic® and get medical l help rightht away if f you get aa lump o or swellingng in your r neck, sevevere stomh pain, , or an allelergic react. seriouous side effffects may include e pancreatititis. gallblbladder proboblems may occur.r. tell y your providider about visionon problems s or change. takiking ozempicic® with aa sulfononylurea or r insulin my increaease low blood sugagar risk. side effffects like e nausea, vomitingng, and diararrhea my

lead to o dehydratioion, whwhich may worsrsen kidney y problems.. join the millionons alreadyy takingng ozempic®. ask yourur health cacare prprovider abobout the ozozempic® t tri-zone. announcecer: you mamay pay y as little e as $25 for a a 3-month prescripiption. shshe is fearlrless heart's on thehe line shshe is fearlrless depend sililhouette shshe is fearlrless keepeping leaks s off her mim. comfortatable in shahapeware fabricic shshe moves wiwith ease. comfortatable in shahapeware fabricic confidident on nigights like thehese. depend sililhouette. confidident on nigights like thehese. the only t thing strononger ththan us, is s you. flu symptoms hit harder than the common cold. so it takekes the righghtl for ththe job... flu symptoms hit harder than the common cold. to k keep it togogether. flu symptoms hit harder than the common cold. now ththere's neww therafaflu flu relelief wiwith a max s strength fefer fightingng formula.. ththe right totool for lonog lasting flflu symptom m rel. wiwith a max s strength fefer fightingng formula.. hot t beats flu.u. this is "the fast forward." i'm janelle wang. many are expected to hit the skies for this holiday weekend and the winter weather is not

going to make it easy. more than 4,000 flights around the nation have been canceled today. a live look -- take a look at sfo. airports, oakland, san jose, they've had around 50 flights canceled each so far. flight aware says about 200 have been taken off the schedule already in anticipation of tomorrow. and meteorologist kari hall is here with a look at your weather if you're staying local. >> we have nice weather headed our way for the holiday weekend. a mix of sun and clouds and there will be a hazy sky as our temperatures head for the upper 60s. on christmas day, 67 degrees and partly cloudy. the clouds start to move in on monday and rain won't be far behind. by monday evening we'll start to see a storm approaching, off-and-on showers in the forecast throughout much of next week and those temperatures reach into the upper 50s. we'll also have a nice and sunny weekend in san francisco as we head for 60 degrees, and then

next week we do -- we are expecting a lot of high winds as well as heavy rain, and we'll have more updates on that. thank you, kari. the deadly earthquake, the usgs show how it shook the area. you can see the ripple reaching down to the bay area. the worst of the damage is in the rio del aire ya. this morning, all power has been restored. utility crews are doing final gas safety checks and repairing damaged pipelines. also, water has been restored with customers still being advised to boil it before drinking it. at least 60 homes have been deemed unsafe. coming up,, what yoyour cconsumer teteam did foror you.

no day off for our consumer team. chris is here with a few cases to bring you more money home for the holidays. >> we're wrapping up 2022,

sandra in oakland paid 200 bucks for a handbag that looked pretty great. yet she still needed help from telemundo 48. the purse broke on its second use, the strap loose. the store took the bag back for some mending but that seems never-ending. after three months of patiently waiting for naught, telemundo responded with sandra's next thought. our elves jingles the store's bells and got them a-talking, then sandra received a full refund, 232 bucks for her stocking. betty in lafayette had a financial lump of coal as her credit might have taken a toll. a dispute with her department store card was proving quite hard. the store cashed betty's check for more than five grand to pay off her account, yet for months and months she was still on the hook for the full amount. she dealt with the store and her

bank, got nowhere, then asked us to pull rank. our workshop got the account clear and that's $6,000 of timely christmas cheer. tell us when you're facing a grinch or a scrooge. no case is too small, no battle too huge. scan this qr code to tell us about the rift. perhaps we can help and deliver you a gift. >> wow. how do you top that? great job, chris. with three days still left in the regular season, 49er playoff tickets are on sale. they went on sale yesterday, the lowest price $200, as high as 5,000 bucks. niners clinched the nfc west against seattle last week, and that means they're guaranteed at least one home playoff game. tomorrow they face the commanders. (dog barking) we l love our pepets. but we donon't alwayss love theheir hair. which is w why we madede boune pet hair a and lint guguard wiwith three t times the p petr fightingng ingredienents. just o one sheet h helps remoe pet t hair from m your clotht! looking good starts in the dryer with bounce pet.

my asthma a felt anyththing but normrmal. a a blood testst helped showow my asthmama is d driven by e eosinophils, which nucacala helps r re. a a blood testst helped showow my asthmama nucalala is a oncece-mony add-on injnjection a a blood testst helped showow my asthmama for severere eosinophphilic asthmhma. nucalala is not fofor sun breathing g problems.. alallergic reaeactions canan o. nucalala is not fofor sun breathing g problems.. get hehelp right a away for r swelling o of face, nucalala is not fofor sun breathing g problems.. mouth, tonongue, or t trouble brereathing. nucalala is not fofor sun breathing g problems.. infefections thahat can cae shinglgles have ococcurr. nucalala is not fofor sun breathing g problems.. dodon't stop s steroids unless tolold by your r doct. nucalala is not fofor sun breathing g problems.. tell youour doctor i if you e a a parasitic c infection.. may cause e headache,, injectioion site reaeaction, tell youour doctor i if you e a a parasitic c infection.. back paiain, and fatatigue. tell youour doctor i if you e a a parasitic c infection.. ask k your asthmhma specialit about a nununormal witith nuc.

shshe is fearlrless heart's on thehe line shshe is fearlrless depend sililhouette shshe is fearlrless keepeping leaks s off her mim. comfortatable in shahapeware fabricic shshe moves wiwith ease. comfortatable in shahapeware fabricic confidident on nigights like thehese. depend sililhouette. confidident on nigights like thehese. the only t thing strononger ththan us, is s you.

oh, get excited today on "access daily." look who is here, guys. the queens of christmas. we're having claus-ma-politans. >> bottoms up, everybody. >> right? ♪♪ hi. welcome to "access daily" from universal studios, hollywood. mario is out today. it's thursday. everybody, get excited. a new trailer just dropped for the "yellowstone" prequel, starring harrison ford and helen mirren. looks s pretty gooood. >> you w would be mimiss dutton.