continues to grip much of the east after a weekend that saw dozens of weather-related deaths, thousands of canceled flights, and a goonch warning people to stay off the roads. keep the faith that's a message as part of his christmas address as the pope marks the holy day with a call to peace. holiday gatherings by the millions over the past few days, the concern as health officials are

dealing with an increase in illness. the king's speech after the passing of his mother. and the exclusive access to notre dame as the global landmark is rebuilt following a devastating fire a few years ago. "early today" starts right now good morning i'm brie jackson. >> and i'm phillip mena. we hope you had a good christmas and hanukkah as kwanzaa begins today. at least 46 people have died across 12 states since the storm began not just from exposure but traffic accidents blamed on the icy road conditions. the area around buffalo and upstate new york was hit especially hard this weekend with at least 16 deaths reported so far in erie county. the governor in new york state has deployed 400 national guard

members to help with what she calls the most devastating storm to ever hit the region. >> this is a war with mother nature, and she has been hitting us with everything she has. >> buffalo police are performing welfare checks to reduce future fatalities, but the death toll is expected to rise. the entire east coast is still 10 to 25 degrees below the december average, and the weather is not letting up quite yet. millions of people in the northwest are bracing for more ice, rain and snow today and the stream weather has also wrecked havoc on americans' holiday plans this weekend passengers were stranded across the country as 300 flights were canceled on sunday and more today according to the online tracker flightaware. this christmas offers another way for ukraine to separate from russia both countries usually observe

the holiday on january 7th but in a historic move they all allowed them to carry on on january 5th. >> reporter: christmas in ukraine is an act of defiance, soldiers at morning mass, ukraine's president urging everyone to keep the faith we'll celebrate the holiday as always we'll smile and keep the christmas message. in his address, pope francis calling on the world to see our ukrainian brothers and sisters russians pummeled kherson leaving tens dead and dozens injured, but from the front lines to the home front, christmas carries on, even for those whose homes are gone

russian bombs leveled this family's home. last year you were making christmas dinner. >> yes now they live in a prefab, modular next year. their christmas tree smaller than they're used to their son david let me help decorate it with him this man told me he was distraught when his home was destroyed. it was tough for us to accept what happened, much less to explain it to david. he's deployed as a military cook he's busy cooking dinner for his comrades, fried fish, meat, and salad. are youin a good mood, he asks they are, even though they're not at home. a good spirit even though the conflict continues matt bradley jackson,

mississippi, did not hav not ha drinking water again officials are still trying to repair it asuickly as possible jackson's been dealing with an ongoing water crisis for decades. back in august, 150,000 residents lost water in the wake of the pearl river floods. this was the third christmas since the start of the pandemic, and covid cases athospital zs across the nation are on the rise once more. >> reporter: this christmas families are looking to exchange presents, not illness. >> they're indoors, close together, a lot of hugging going on people are getting sick and getting infections from each other. >> reporter: over the last two weeks, covid-related hospitalizations are up 7% and deaths up 15%. this chief medical doctor is keeping an eye on covid hospitalizations at miami

health >> it's now starting to end back down. >> reporter: at the hospitals that make up the texas medical center in houston, those numbers are also rising. covid hospitalizations more than doubling between mid-november and mid-december while at mount sinai in new york they're also up. >> cna is seeingan influx of cases. does that create a fertile ground for another variant to develop and affect us in the u.s. >> when the next strains coming, we're going to see if we can develop monoclonal antibodies. >> reporter:e you're flying with passengers who are sick, so mask up keep sanitizers handy if you can find them. >> i'm buying pain reducer, fever reducer for my nieces because my sister can't find

any. >> reporter: as the figures may slowly be creeping down, the holidays still present a massive test. now to great britain where king charles marked christmas without his mother >> reporter: it was a christmas filled with firsts as the royal family led by king charles arrived atfor church prince william and his family arrived. this is the first krimm for the family and the kingdom without queen elizabeth. absent, prince harry and meghan markle, the couple sparking controversy with their recent netflix documentary. >> doesn't it make more sense to hear our story from us >> reporter: all eyes were on kingng charles and his address ththe nation. >> i cannot thank you enough for the love and sympathy you have

shown our whole family. >> reporter: a speech recorded at st. george's chapel close to where his late mother was laid to rest. >> christmas is a particularly tough time for all of us who have lost loved one. be it for those around the world facing conflict, famine, or natural disaster or for those at home finding ways to pay their bills and keep their families fed and warm. >> reporter: but the king offering optimism for better days ahead. >> we can find hope for the future let us, therefore, celebrate it together and cherish it always. >> reporter: meghan fitzgerald, nbc news, london. let's talk about the weather now after a brutally cold christmas for manufay of us. nbc's angie lassman is here.

have we seen the last of it? >> the short answer is we've seen the last of it, but unfortunately we have a couple more days for us to wrap this up florida and parts of georgia and alabama are dealing with freeze alerts watches and warnings are in effect millions impacted by this. you see 21 in atlanta. up into chicago, 16 degrees. as we look toward cleveland, 10 degrees. even into tomorrow, we don't see much of an improvement, but the good news is there's good news that comes by thursday and friday whe will be just 6 degrees in sioux falls. green bay ending up at 17 and

chicago at 23. the warmer air, i'm sure, can't come fast enough for a lot of folks. out west they're seeing warmer temperatures it will eventually spread to the east good news when it comes to that. >> thank you, angie. a donation from rapper meek mill is helping to reunite families in philadelphia the philly native has paid bail for 20 incarcerated women. he says no one should spend the holidays behind bars just because they can't afford bail his nonprofit reform alliance says five women were released on christmas eve and 15 more will go home this week and each woman will also get a gift card to help buy groceries and gifts. coming up, an exclusive look inside the notre dame restoration. and a menu with a a sse.meag how a a former whihite house chs tackliling climatete change. bye, bye cough. later chchest congesestio. hello 12 h hours of relief.

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former white house chef sam kass says food and ag riculture are on the front lines he sat down with katy peck to talk about how what's in your fridge is affecting things. >> he's vocal about appetite for change, specifically climate change. >> we have no time to really kind of debate we have to start really making progress that's measurable year over year. >> reporter: while working for the administration he tapped soil and literally created the first vegetable garden at the white house since eleanor roosevelt. >> we've produced over 200 pounds of food >> reporter: he dug in on policy, drawing focus on the agriculture industry and its impact on the environment. >> agriculture is the number two drive over greenhouse gas emissions globally but it's

definitely on track to become number one in the decades. >> reporter: now alex wagner is sounding the alarm. >> when you look at the models and what it looks like in the future, we will not be growing cove where we're growing it now. it's going to become increasingly expense toiv have a little piece of chocolate at the end of the day. >> reporter: he said it will involve changing people's mind on culture and change starting with food waste. >> that's also really part of this in terms of using what we have and making it last and making it stretch rather than kind of carelessly throwing it away. >> absolutely. the united states, it's estimated we waste about 40% of the food we produce, which sin sane it's crazy on every level fr. a natural resource standpoint, it's an ecological disaster.

>> reporter: kass says while other industries get a big focus when it comes to climate, food production process needs to be top of mind as well for decision-makers. >> how do you reach these policy makers >> i think what we have failed to do for those of us who have been working on these issues for some time is to connect issues around the climate change to the environment to people's lives in a much more emotionally-based context. >> reporter: he says time is running out, but according to kass, there is hope. >> you start to take large amounts of carbon in the air and putting it in the soil. >> our thanks to katy for that report. the work continues in paris to restore notre dame to its former glory we have an exclusive look xtxtn history onon t the i is. an nhl rececord and ththe player

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at the line, feedss it doesn't want to shoot it there it is. there it is. alex ovechkin has overtaken mr. hockey. >> history over the holiday weekend for alex ovechkin. the washington capitals star scored two goals on friday passing gordie howe for second in nhl history he now skates with 802 goals, 92 behind wayne gretzky for the most all-time. in 2019 paris, france, watched in horror as notre dame went up. they hope the-to-be open by the time the city hosts the 2024

olympics we got a look inside. >> reporter: the streets of paris alive with the traditional sights and sounds of christmas the one thing still missing, the doors of notre dame still closed to the public. >> we are waiting for her. >> reporter: 3 1/2 years on from the day a helpful world watched the cathedral consumed by flames nbc news granted rare access inside to see the progress of the restoration. >> there's still a risk for lady in the church, which is why we're wearing these suits. >> reporter: after years of delicate repairs, now the restoration of the interior is finally underway, the vast space still a jungle of scaffolding, more than 1,200 tons rising 15 stories high and 300 workers weaving through. but away from the vast construction, flashes of quiet beauty are starting to return. in this row of painted chapels,

saints and angels painstakingly returned to their former brilliance by teams of crafts people. >> it's so striking to see all this artwork in all its glory. it gives you a sense what this place will be like when it's fully restored >> reporter: here a completed wing that offer as glimpse of the future, what the rest of the cathedral will look like when it's finned. all the world watched as notre dame's spire fell, but soon the city will start to see it rise again in 223 these wooden frames will help with putting the spire back up based on the original design built in 1895. everything has been cut down to the exact millimeter the ex-general in charge saying the church will be open for worship by the end of 2024.

>> midnight mass in christmas 2024 will probably be one of the most moving and great christmas of all the history's capital. >> reporter: until then, the faithful keeping the holiday spirit alive outside and waiting for the doors of the cathedral to reopen to a world that means so much. we've gomo o ot ren ththe weatheher. > and the biggestst chrisists moments frfrom the nbaba and the nfl. there. there. look at hohow much it holds,s, and d it still s stays thi! i've l looked at m myself in thehe mirror and d it still s stays thi! and i can'n't see it a at all! and d it still s stays thi! ththat's the p protectionn we desererve! [ cougughing/sneezezing ] [ door knonocking ] and d it still s stays thi! dudede, you comiming? bebecause the e only ththing drippiping should be e your stylele! plopop plop fizzzz fizz, with a alka-seltzezer plus cold & f flu relief.f.

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brady throws a shot. can he get there yes, touchdown. >> the buccaneers found themselves down ten late against the cardinals, but tom brady still had a few gifts left to give tampa forced your time where br brady threw a perfect six for six setting up cedric for the game-winner right down the chimney. the bucs rinne it on christmas night, 19-16 tampa holds onto the fourth seed with that win. the eagles are still flying high atop the conference even after

their second loss on the season. they lost to the cowboys meanwhile the packers hold onto an outside chance after green bay put up 16 unanswered points in miami to take the lead late their defense came up big in the cutch picking up tua the dolphins are clinging onto the final wild-card spot in the afc. and when the titans lost on saturday, the jacksonville jaguars hold onto a seed and the playoff game. denver rallied in the fourth quarter and were able to force overtime against phoenix in that extra period aaron gordon eclipsed the suns with a pair of rim-rocking dunking. the offense pushed them with the come-from-behind win tatum scored 41 on the bucks as

the nba's best team ran away with the win 1rk, 139-118. the marv ring unveiled this statue of dirk nowitzki with his fadeaway jump shot. she had more wins than tiger woods and jack nicklaus, and now the golf world is remembering kathy whitworth. she was the first woman in golf to earn a million dollars in her career her accomplishments landed her in the world golf hall of fame in 1982. in a statement the commissioner of the l pga says that whitworth was one of the most incredible women in golf calling her champion in the truest sense of the word she was 83 years old.

the kyiv community decided to meet and sing in the ulkds ground station as air raid alarms were going off. for phillip mena, i'm brie jackson. have a great day we'll see you tomorrow we'll see you tomorrow ♪ ♪♪ my name isis austin jaj. as a mususician livg withth diabetes, fingerersticks canane a real c challeng. ththat's why i i e the freestyle librbre 2 system. with a p painle, one-e-second scan, i know m my glucose e nums withthout fingererstic. with a p painle, one-e-second scan, now, i'm'm managingy diabetes b bett, with a p painle, one-e-second scan, and i'i've lowered my a1c1c from 8.2 t to 6. and i'i've lowered my a1c1c tatake the mysystery t of m managing yoyour diabes and lower r your a1. now w you know. try y it for free at frereestylelibrbrs

right now at 4:30, a state of emergency. a brutal winter storm is hitting multiple areas across the country and it's turning deadly. ahead, a look at conditions and new help that will be arriving today. delayed and in some cases canceled. that winter weather across parts of the u.s. is still snarling travel plans nationwide. the impact this morning including right here in bay area airports. also racial slurs caught on camera. an incident at an in and out burger is going viral and sparking a police investigation. we'll speak with the woman who took the video. the reason she says these