hi, everybody. i'm aaron gilchrist. >> and i'm jacob soboroff in for kate snow. "nbc news daily" starts right now. >> today, thursday, december 29th, 2022. severe turbulence. southwest airlines cancels thousands more flights yet again. planes are grounded, luggage is lost, and passengers are fed up. >> we survived four days in orlando with zero baggage. i mean we didn't have medicines

or toiletries, changes of clothes. >> what you are entitled to if you were impacted. digging out. we're tracking conditions at buffalo. serious but stable. the vatican closely monitoring the health of the pope. the world of soccer mourns the death of pele. we'll look back on who many consider the greatest to play the game. we begin with southwest airline passengers dealing with their sixth straight day of widespread cancellations. thousands more flights were scuttled again today after last week's winter storm that threw their scheduling system into chaos. >> 2300 southwest flights were cancelled again today, but that is fewer than the 2500 cancellations that we saw yesterday. here's the silver lining.

right now only 39 southwest flights are scheduled to be cancelled for friday. >> fingers crossed. a lot of customers who had their holidays ruined, now wanting their money back. some had to rent cars or stay in hotels. southwest is promising it will make customers whole. let's bring in nbc news correspondent niella charles now. the winter storm started this mess. we know it's here on the east coast and some of the midwest but the chaos really spread all over the country. talk to us about the situation where you are now versus yesterday. >> reporter: well, it looks pretty similar than what it did yesterday here at l.a.x. usually this is one of the most busy travel times of the year at one of the most busy airports. here it's eerily empty because so many southwest flights have been cancelled here in the southwest terminal. behind me you can see baggage. those are bags that southwest has sent to the final destination.

meanwhile the people themselves have not made it. we've actually heard of a case in sacramento where law enforcement is saying that they're looking for suspects accused of stealing baggage at the sacramento airport, so it just shows you adding insult to injury how some people are already taking advantage of what has already been a horrible situation, like you guys mentioned. people have been going without their necessities for days because of this and scrambling to just go on with their plans. >> niala, there are probably countless passengers asking the question when are they going to get their money back, how are they going to get their money back for all of these surprise expenses. what do we know about the answers to those questions? >> reporter: southwest now has a form on their website that's up and they say there people can request a refund if their flight was cancelled. they also say they will also acknowledge the reasonable requests that can be made for refunds for other expenses that people have incurred because of this, like hotels, food, and also extra transportation costs.

however, that's being evaluated on a case-by-case basis and southwest has not yet said when that money will get back to customers. some people we spoke to said they spent an extra thousands of dollars dealing with this, so people are anticipating this and hoping it will get back to them soon. jacob, aaron. >> terminal 1 att l los angeles internatioional airprport, thano much. people are leaving for the first time in days after a deadly and historic blizzard in buffalo. they're doing wellness checks on residents there. it's's been n nearly a week sin blblizzard covovered upststate york in fouour feett of snow. nationwide 78 people have died from the storm. 31 of those deaths were in buffalo. marissa parra is tracking the recovery. >> reporter: yeah, buffalo is still very much in the process of thawing out. in terms of what it looks like it depends on where you are. but the roads back open. the travel ban reduced to a

travel advisory. the airport is back open, the railway system back open. and in terms of what happens next, well, there's a lot of people still in the process of digging themselves out. we know a lot of the main roads look very good but i want to show you something that really illustrates what lake-effect snowstorms can do. look at this, this light pole covered in ice. if you pan over here, this is an example of what these negative 20 degree windchill temperatures coupled with 70-mile-an-hour wind gusts. this is a concession stabbed and you almost wouldn't be able to tell because it is covered in ice. now, ice that is melting in warmer temperatures, but even so, you can see this is a complete sheet where people would normally be coming up to get something to eat. even the ground that we're walking on, we have to walk on it very carefully because this too is like a skating rink, another sheet of ice. we don't even know how deep it is. either way, very slippery. there are parts that are very slippery as the snow is continuing to melt. one of the concerns was about

flooding. so just as a precaution, the new york governor hochul announced she was devoting state aid and resources towards fighting any potential flooding conditions. this includes 800,000 sandbags, generators for families that are still recovering from the winter storm. the crystal ball won't be the only thing dropping in the new year. gas prices are expected to keep fall to. the annual average is $3.16. that's 10 cents lower than this time last year. kerry sanders gets us primed for 2023. >> reporter: when it comes to the price of fuel, there's some good news and bad news. first the good news. this is all coming from gas buddy. it's estimated with the price of gas down, as we see right now, next year collectively as a nation we will spend less to the

tune of $50 billion less than we did in 2022. that's the good news. the bad news is sometime around mid next year it's predicted a gallon of gas will climb back up to around $4 a gallon. some positive news at the pump. estimates for 2023 predict gas prices will be cheaper overall next year. >> i think i'd be happy. >> if the price is down. >> right. >> reporter: and on average gas should cost nearly 50 cents less per gallon in 2023. >> the price of gas next year is expected to be down, not up. you say? >> it's a welcome thing. >> reporter: welcome for drivers here and across the country, after consistently high fuel prices dominated in 2022. a spike that set off recession alarm bells, worsened inflation and crushed consumer confidence. >> it's horrific. it's absolutely horrific. what are you going to do? what are you going to do? >> reporter: between now and may

of 2023, prices are expected to remain low. but gas buddy expects to see slight increases again during the warmer months due to summer travel. with prices potentially reaching the $4 per gallon mark again in may, june, july and august. >> gas prices are very seasonal. as the weather starts to warm up starting in march, that's when we see americans getting outside more of the demand for gas loan starts toaccelerate. >> reporter: americans should see more money left over in their wallets after fill up their tanks. >> the average household will spend about $277 less in gasoline in 2023 than 2022. >> reporter: the constant strain on americans' budgets hopefully easing in the new year. how much does gasoline dominate our lives? google tells us the number one search on people's cell phones in the last year was gas prices near me. so clearly dominating our lives.

guys. >> kerry sanders, thank you. now to the vatican renewing its call for pope emeritus benedict. he is lucid but his condition is serious of the it's a slightly more optimistic tone compared to yesterday when pope francis said his predecessor was very ill. molly hunter has been following this all day for us in rome. molly, you've been at the vatican, you've been in rome all day long. what's the vatican saying right now? >> reporter: yeah, jacob, not that much. as you just said, yesterday was the real headline, when we heard from pope francis. when he took this moment at the end of his address, an incredibly public, serious moment to say the pope emeritus is very sick, we should all pray for him. he took to his twitter account to again to invite the world faithful to join him in prayer.

then today we got a very short statement from the holy see press office and it says that he was able to rest well last night. he is absolutely lucid and alert today although his condition remains serious, his condition is stable. so stable sounds a lot better than very sick, but really hard to tell what exactly his condition is. now, he has been in declining health for the last several years. this is not out of the blue. we knew he was struggling but do not know his exact condition, jacob. >> as always, there are pilgrims, there are visitors, tourists in st. peter's square but this is a unique circumstance and i know you've been talking to some of them about the retired pope's health concerns. >> reporter: it is always packed here and especially over the christmas period and new year period. it's a big time and moment for tourists. we did take the opportunity to ask people. i was really curious if they were interested, if it was

meaningful, if it was important to them to get updates on the retired pope's health status. >> yes. >> he was really important figure for us, and it means a lot for italians and i think for all the world. >> he was significant in his spiritual guidance, and i am very sad that he is ill. i hope he gets better. >> reporter: jacob and aaron, the big question that everyone out there had and that we have as well are what are the exact details, if and when the retired pope passes, what will his funeral look like. we expect that he will be buried eventually in st. peter's basilica which is just behind me. we expect the current pope will reside over a funeral but a lot of those details are being kept under wraps. now to weekly jobless

claims. they are ticking up and new year's celebrations bite include a little less champagne. >> reporter: new claims for jobless benefits increased by 9,000. the still tight jobs market may be loosening as bit as the federal reserve's rate hikes slow the economy down. that's what they were intended for. even some well-off consumers will be drinking prosecco as opposed to champagne. the economy have prompted people across all income ♪ ♪ i am pususs in bootsts. what's a a "puss in n boots?" -serioususly? kitty sosoft paws. -kitty s soft paws.. is he dederanged? i've been n called dogog, bad , ststupid dog, , rat face.. hey you u there, getet out. yeyep.

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welcome back to "nbc news daily." one of the biggest cities in america is looking more and more like a ghost town. at least when it comes to office space. right now more than a quarter of commercial real estate in san francisco is vacant and that is a new record, up almost 5% compared to the same time last year. cnbc got an exclusive early look at the data behind this trend and cnbc reporter yasmin is here. it is nod hard when you drive around san francisco, to see this is a situation there. when we see the significant in the vacancy rate, how do you quantify it or what does it look like to you. >> i live and work down here, i see it every day. it is very significant. this is a 12th straight quarter,

jacob, that office vacancy in san francisco has shot up. it is now at a record 27.2% compare to last year's 19%. and four years ago it was 4%. that is a quarter of this city's office space sitting completely empty. the reason san francisco has been hit harder than most other major cities is because of the reliance to the tech industry. tech was the first to embrace this work from home culture and in turn their need for office space has dropped. >> so according to a recent analysis from red fin, san francisco ranks as the top metro area home buyers are leaving right now. what is the new data on commercial real estate tell us about san francisco's economic future? we already know what is happening in the home buying market there. >> well i asked mayor london breed's office about them and the language is they want to rework and reinvent the

footprint of san francisco so that it is let dependent on tech as being the economic driver of course there is no quick fix forethat. the city is facing a $728 million budget gap over the next two fiscal years and the mayor said that is because of the tech cutbacks. and my own observation is that it was much quieter than it was a couple of years ago and compared to other major cities and it is worth noting that economists that i spoke to all believe that the number of empty offices will not be changing for another year or two. >> thank you so much. well the countdown is on to the new year of course and it is kicking off as it does every year with the rose parade in california. a lot of time, and a lot of energy poured into every float there. also a lot of cash, too. that is tougher this year than usual as designers and decorators are dealing with inflation. >> it is a new year's tradition more than a hundred years old.

a parade of show-stopping floats in pasadena, california, covered completely in all natural material. but if you think it is hard enough to create that's floral masterpieces inch by inch, designers faced an entirely new obstacle this year. inflation. case is the head director for the smaller supplier in the parade and she said it is increased in 20%. products like steal and foam and even moss covering this gigantic 210 foot bear making its debut. >> what cost me before was now $56 a box and it is like, okay, i wasn't expecting that much. >> reporter: sierra madre operates with a $40,000 budget compared with other bigger floats which cost around $275,000. and in the past they've hosted

bingo fundraisers and made gift baskets but the bigger builders have been effected. take entertainment services for example. it is decorating ten floats this year. >> everything is expensive. we have to use flowers and materials that still look fresh from the time we start decorating. they have to look fresh on parade day. >> reporter: but volunteers work to deliver what kay calls the wow factor. it is that big bear in motion zooming down the parade route on what will soon be a vespa. >> his action is like that. well that is a wow. so we would like him to be the good wow. so when the price of moss went up, you kind of work trying to work everything else around it. we want to see the smiles. >> so if you're wondering, they're going to cover the bear with cinnamon so it will look more like a bear. >> i never thought about the price of moss before, but this is a very important price of

moss conversation to be happening. in all of my years, in l.a., i have never been to the rose parade. it is spectacular on tv. >> coming up, new york prosecuts investigaor timy a1c s stayed herere, it n needed to b be here. ray's a1c is d down withth rybelsuss®. i'm down witith rybelsusus®. mymy a1c is dodown with ryrybe. in a clininical study,y, once-d-daily rybelelsus® sisignificantltly lowered d c betterer than a leleading branded pipill. inin the same e study, peoeoe tataking rybelelsus® lost morore weight.. ryrybelsus® i isn't fofor peo with t type 1 diababetes. don't t take rybelelsus® if you or r your familily ever h had medullalary thyroioid cancer,, or have mumultiple endndocrie neoplaa a syndrome t type 2, oror if allergrgic to it.. stop rybybelsus® a and get medical hehelp right a away if youou get a lumump or swelling i in your nececk, sevevere stomachch pain, or an allelergic reactction. seriouous side effffects may include e pancreatititis. gallblbladder proboblems may o . tell your r provider a about vivision problblems or chahan. takingng rybelsuss® with aa sulfonylylurea or ininsulin increaeases low blblood sugar r.

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year. bob redell is in dublin with how people are preparing. >> the national weather service is so concerned about the rain in the forecast for this weekend, they've issued a flood watch in effect for late tomorrow. we're talking about late tomorrow into saturday evening. if you live in a low-lying area prone to flooding, you may want to pick up sandbags from your local public works. this is morning from the alameda creek in fremont at the end of niles canyon. there is a good flow there now. if there is enough rain this weekend, the national weather service said this creek and go other waterways could see a rapid rise in their flows and possibly hit flood stage. that's something to be aware of. in years past, we've seen alameda crereek expand.. you wantt to be carareful on th roads. case in point,t, last t night, drdriver lostt controlol of t t car, rolleled over a and crash. tellll fire depapartment saiaid driviver was t trapped and actu

had to bebe extricacated whihic some timeme. thatat person was taken to the hospital. what the batattalion chief describebes as significant injuries. here in dublin, bay area news. a lot of you woke up to wet driveways and it is expect to continue through the rest of the day. >> we have that overnight rain move in across the bay area and we'll see the periods of light to moderate rainfall. at least through the overnight hours into friday. a great shot of san francisco there. we get a little break between now and 3:00. we see the rain become widespread once again with heavier pockets at times. especially through parts of the north bay. expect this to continue with scattered chances through monday morning commute as well. we do have a heavy rain storm moving in late friday into saturday. that will bring the possibility for localized flooding and could increase. please make sure to stay safe

out there and we'll keep you informed. >> whether you're staying home or traveling this holiday weekend, our nbc bay area app is a great source to have. all have to do is type in your city and we'll send weather alerts straight to your phone. as always, the app is free to download. stories to know about this afternoon, pg&e is starting to pay the victims of the 2093 fire. these were mandated by the court after they were found that the equipment caused the fire. plus, the southwest flight mare could be over as soon as tomorrow and the 2022 election cycle may not be over just yet. an election mayor could flip the oakland school board race to the third place finisher. the registrar of voters has notified mike hutchison that he may have actually won the election. the office confirmed an error in ranked choice voting throughout 235 ballots. they were thrown out and no one was selected as the first choice candidate.

and that means hutchison is ahead of the challengers. the registrar said it is working to recertify the election. travel is still a in it player for many with southwest cancelling a number of flights over recent days. today southwest has canceled nearly 2,400 flights nationwide. now southwest officials said they could be returning to normal as soon as tomorrow. southwest has been operating on a reduced schedule, running only a third of their flights since monday. they said this is done to reposition crew members. they are encouraging people to go to the twoebt get reimbursed. pg&e has made its first payments to the victims of the kincaid fire. more than 100 homes were destroyed and many others damaged. these payments are court mandated. the cause was traced to the equipment. as part of the settlement, pg&e was ordered to pay more than $20

million in five payments to local charities. some are having 21 this recent downpour of rain. take a welcome. this man behind an suv on a surfboard. by the way, those roadways will like living see more flooding in the coming days. stay safe out there, everyone. that does it for this edition of "the fast forward." i'll be back in 30 minutes with more news.

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bottom of the hour now, here are some stories making headlines on "nbc news daily." >> the biden administration has approved a 180 million arms sale to taiwan amid tensions between the island and mainland china after nancy pelosi's visit to taiwan. they say the government has yet to respond to the sale. investigators are working to learn what started a townhouse fire in georgia. it left almost a dozen families homeless yesterday. and in college park outside of atlanta. the department said the flames were difficult to put out because of low water pressure in that area. now people in that townhouse

community say they have not had water since christmas eve because of frozen pipes. and from animal shelters in california, they say they are over flowing with abandoned pets. shelts in the bay area are asking pet owners not that band on animals and instead take them into a local shelter and encouraging owners to seek assistance from pet food banks and spay and neuter clinics. the majority of the pets abandon ready dogs. we're following breaking news. the soccer world has just lost a legend. moments ago nbc confirming that brazilian soccer icon pele has died. he had been battling cancer for more than a year. sam brock looked back at his life. >> it is called the beautiful game. name bestowed by the greatest player pele. he made the impossible look

possible. he dominated the schoolyard where he picked up the nickname pele. in 1950 he watched his father cry after brazil's world cup loss to uruguay. >> don't you worry. i'm going to win a world cup for you. >> pele made good on that promise. at just 17 he burst on the world stage becoming the youngest player to score a goal in a fifa world cup match. brazil went on to claim the cup, the first ever and later two month with pele as their star. making him the only player to win three world cup titles in the sport's history. the major european football club tries recruiting a him but pele also nicknamed the king by commentators stayed with the team. he paid the world's most highly paid athlete, recognized everywhere. few americans at the time knew

any professional soccer places, thrilled when he sign with the new york cosmos in 1975 before finally calling it quits. >> i very feel very sorry because i love soccer. and it is like a part of any life i love. >> reporter: off the field pele grew in one of the most well-known celebrities on the planet. a pitch man. a frequent white house guest. his life story on the big screen. and a role in escape to victory with sylvester stallone and michael cane. >> i do this and this and this and this and go. >> t the artist t andy w warhol quipped everyone will be world famous for 15 minutes but after meeting pele, he revised his statement. pele will have 15 centuries of

fame. >> i love the people. >> reporter: in his larter years, he served as a u.n. ambassador and a champion of the poor and the environment. but always remained beloved as simply pele, the greatest soccer player ever. sam brock, nbc news. you feel like the world trail blazer gets thrown around a lot. in this case it does apply. >> it is a legend. hard not to think about him watching the world cup. a beautiful game and a beautiful man. >> yep. >> let's move on to washington. before he even sets foot on capitol hill, george santos is the subject of a legal investigation. santos has been under scrutiny after fort worth rick ating details on everything from his resume to his religion. he apologized for embellishing his credentials calling it a mistake. dash auburns is following all of the turns and twists in this

case. and there are many of them. and we should know that santos has not been charged with any crime at this point. what do we know so far about the possible legal ramifications here? >> to the point about crimes and you're right there have been twists and turns every day since "the new york times" investigation revealed some of these alleged fabrications. but that is going to be the heart of the investigation. from the nassau county district attorney. they're looking into whether or not there were crimes committed. santos admitted that he lies about his college education and he lied about his wall street experience and job history, and he even claimed to be of jewish heritage which also turned out to be false. but there are still lingering questions about his finances. especially the money that he lent to his campaign. so i imagine that is particularly where the district attorney and this investigation will be looking into, were there crimes committed beyond him just lying and embellishing as he

said in that interview, his resume. and right now he will be sworn in to congress next week, jacob. >> we're talking about less than a week, dasha. about five days from now. >> yeah. >> we've seen a lot of republicans tap dancing around the issue of mr. santos and whether or not they believe he should take a seat. what does it mean for republicans as they prepare to take control of the house? certainly doesn't seem like it means a whole heck of a lot at this point? >> the tap dancing is largely because the republicans go into this next session with a very slim majority in the house, particularly for kevin mccarthy. he needs every single vote he could get for that leadership position and santos is one of them and that is why you've seen him mum on that issue. but there are some republicans that have condemned santos and including the gop leader in

nassau county saying that is unacceptable but there are some republicans concerned about this as well, jacob. >> for now he might be congressman santos in five days from now. >> that is right. >> thank you so much. there is a new health warning as we deal with a covid surge this winter. new research has confirmed a link between covid and a debilitating heart condition. kristen dahlgren is following that story and joins us now. what do we need to know? >> hey there, so, dizziness and light headedness, rapid heart rate, probably some symptoms that people who are dealing with long covid find very, very familiar. but now this new research said that those might be because of pot. it is a condition that doctors may not even be looking for. nearly 20 million people in the u.s. suffering from long covid, struggling to find answers. hannah davis is one of them. before getting sick in march of

2020, the 34-year-old was energetic and healthy, but long covid completely disrupted her life. >> i can no longer do 80% to 90% of the activities that i used to love to do. >> her most debilitating systems due to a opinion known as pots. >> when i'm upright, my heart rate is much, much higher. it could get up to 150, 160, 170. >> pots is thought to disrupt the body's nervous system and a network of nerves that handles unconscious tasks. >> so things like blood pressure and heart rate and breathing and digestion, these are functions that we shouldn't have to think about. >> now a new study is finding that covid is linked to a five times greater risk of pots. and it could be the cause of many long covid systems. a doctor, a pots expert at stanford university, said the condition could be crippling. >> symptoms that are worse when you stand. light headedness, shortness of

breath, just being physically unable to do most basic activities. >> reporter: his pots clinic now packed with patients in the wake of covid. >> unfortunately, our wait list is currently between six and 12 months. >> reporter: getting diagnosed with pots is tricky. some patients need to undergo specialized testing and many doctors are not familiar with the disorder. hannah considers herself one of the lucky ones. getting a pots diagnosis three months after her covid infection. >> this whole experience has been strange and surprising and i never imagined that i would be as public about some of this stuff as i have ended up being. >> reporter: now the study also did find a link between pots and the covid vaccine. but researchers say that the risk is much, much greater for people who actually get covid versus those who get the vaccine. back to you guys.

>> kristen dahlgren, thank you. at this hour in virginia, the search it-s underway for a father who disappeared days before christmas. his family is begging for answers after a disturbing discovery was found in his abandoned car. here is nbc's valerie castro. >> reporter: a family's desperate search for a young father in virginia. and they say blood found inside of his car has been fearing the worst. >> my son would never do anything or hurt anyone. >> reporter: his mother said the 20-year-old vanished just days before christmas. >> there was no christmas for us. there was no celebration. we were grieving for my son. we were in the streets looking for my son. and in the rain. in the cold. >> reporter: jose guerrero dad to his daughter avery left his home in woodbridge around 8:00 p.m. >> he didn't mention where he was going or what he was going to do. he mentioned he was going to

come back inside in ten minutes. >> reporter: his girlfriend and mom expected him to return after a few minutes for a planned date. but as hours passed, she began to worry. and reported him missing to prince william county police. >> they weren't taking us serious. they thought this was just a missing person and since he is 20 years old, they thought he must have ran away, some other excuse. no. that is not the issue here. this is serious. >> reporter: the family finding his car two days later abandoned less than a mile and a half from their home. >> they told us there was a big amount of blood in the backseat of the car. >> reporter: the family found a trail of blood drops leading to nearby woods. >> police are not releasing in details but are now calling guerrero a missing and dangered adult and say he vanished under suspicious circumstances. this photo of him taken this month in front of the rockefeller tree, now a distant

memory. >> i shouldn't be here looking for him. we should be at home. >> reporter: the family continuing to scour the area around where his car was found hoping to find an answer. >> and we're going to continue to search until we find him. or anything that will lead us to him. >> reporter: valerie castro, nbc news. coming up, a r reality c ch on vr. on vr. why the big bets on - life is uncertain.

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we are running out of time to nail down those new year's resolutions. but whether it is running a marathon or learning a new language, a big goal is a setup for failure. >> and that is why i have no new year's resolutions. so in today's mental health check, we want to explore attainable goals that will make a difference for you and maybe for me too. joining us now is kelly kitly. a licensed clinical social worker and author of "myself" and a lot of us are aiming high when we make these resolutions. so the jacob and aarons out there, how do we set goals without biting off too much. >> goodness. so great to see you guys. i love this time of year because it is a time of optimism and hope and for a lot of people it feels like a clean slate. so the best thing to do is, yes,

dream big. i want people to, but write it down and break it up into small tangible tools. get specific about what you want to do. if you want to start a business, that is an overall goal. what are things that you could do on a daily or weekly basis that helps you and motivates you to help you feel like you're making some changes. also, really try to stay positive and switch your way of thinking. oftentimes people feel guilty if they fall off the wagon and often times i tell my clients, pour over it the next day or make a small shift in the next hour. the way we talk to ourselves and look at things really makes a difference in terms of how we -- >> you mentioned fall off the wagon. we know what happens. you start down the road and then you just slide off a little bit. what do you recommend to sort of help us stay the course really and hold ourselves accountable? >> being able to achieve goals

within a community for somebody who could hold you accountable, whether it is a spouse or a friend or a sibling, we do so much better when we are in partnership with an else who could cheer us on. >> great advice there. we appreciate it. happy new year to you. >> happy new year. you remember the metaverse? >> oh, yeah. >> still out there. >> it was supposed to be the next big thing in the evolution of the internet reinventing to online gaming to how we practice medicine. not taking off. >> not so much. >> steve patterson is in los angeles now with more. hey, steve. >> reporter: hey, guys, what is happening. the metaverse promises to change our lives. from as you said, the way we online game to practicing medicine. but it isis goioing throughgh s growowing painsns but expertsts this could all be the calalm before t the stormrm. take a a look. the animated future of the

metaverse is taking a while to vender. in 2021 virtual reality was the hot new space in tech. and vr headsets were nearly impossible to find. this year a slowdown. people could interact with a computer generated environment and other users and a developmental priority for big name tech giants like google and apple with meta and ceo mark zuckerberg in particular going all in. >> at meta, we're focused on building the fundamental technology that will help bring the metaverse to life. >> reporter: since the company changes its name from facebook to meta in late 2021, it has spent more than $27 billion on metaverse development. but meta commitment aside, skeptics remain as evidenced by meta's slumping share price. to experience the metaverse, you need a vr headset which could cast from 200 to well over

$1,000 and over a breaking 2021 where the headsets more than doubled, as of this year the sales declined 2%. analysts say that although headset sales are down it is most likelyy a temporaryry lag.. paparticularlyly since apple is expected t to releasese i its f atattempt at a an a.r.v.r. head in 2023. >> it is not accurate to say there is waning interest in the metaverse. they may be waiting for the next iteration to come out. >> it is the physical existence without physical limitations. >> reporter: jeremy has a podcast and saying thattal though metaverse is in its infancy, it is lear to stay. >> as far as the community aspect of it. >> the metaverse term is going to fade to the back.

and it is really just the next computing platform. >> and one of the reasons for the slump, is that experts say there no killer app, no piece of software that makes the -hi, dr. rick. it's julie. -[ gasps ] that's me. just leaving you a voicemail. my number is 618-437-7425. okay. can anyone tell me what julie did wrong there? you u got to repepeat the nun. okay. can anyone tell me what julie did wrong there? i i mean, no o one's ever r a get itit the firstst time. okay. can anyone tell me what julie did wrong there? -n-nope. -didn't t leave her r last . no, the ---- ththe phone tetells you whwho . she dididn't mentition a good e toto call her r back. no, the ---- ththe phone tetells you whwho . how am i supposed to know when to call her back? no. she just shouldn't have left a voicemail. 9 out of 1 10 times, a tetext will dodo. progressssive can't t saveu from becomoming your p pare, 9 out of 1 10 times, a tetext will dodo. bubut we can s save you momy when youou bundle 9 out of 1 10 times, a tetext will dodo. home andnd auto withth u. (music throughout) 9 out of 1 10 times, a tetext will dodo.

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(police radio call) (sirens) (news report) (sirens) (news report) nicorette knows quitting smoking is freaking hard. you get advice like... just stop. go for a run. go for ten runs. run a marathon. instead, start small with nicorette, which will lead to something big. i i tried evererything to remove e fabric ododors, but t my clotheses still smeme. i i tried evererything to remove e fabric ododors, until l i finally y found new downy y rinse and d refresh! i i tried evererything to remove e fabric ododors, itit doesn't just c cover odo, it helelps remove e them up t to 3 times s better it helelps remove e them than detetergent alolone! find new d downy rinsese & refrh in t the fabric c softener a a. find new d downy rinsese & refrh this is the fast forward on nbc news daily. good news could be on the horizon for travelers, southwest is announcing its flights will

return to normal by tomorrow, but of course there are still thousands of bags that need to be reunited with their owners . >> reporter: long lines at the airport and a sea of baggage and people navigating everything in between. the scenes the past couple of days nationwide at airports but here, the crew managing a not so chaotic scene at the baggage claim area, they're grouped, tagged and even alphabetized to make it easier for you're a passenger claiming your bag here, of course don't forget your baggage claim stub to make this process smoother. southwest cancelled more than 2500 flights these cancellations sending a ripple effect across the country. here passengers feeling the frustration and confusion as the week continues. the baggage claim as well as the

line upstairs a lot less chaotic than we've seen at other airports in bay area and other airports nationwide. we'll be keeping you posted at nbcbayarea.com. thanks for that update, ginger. it could be a wet new year. here's your extended forecast. expect periods of on and off again rain and that heavier rain starts to pick up the afternoon and knot bay as well, a flood watch will go into effect starting on friday into saturday morning, we'll be watching out for that stronger system that's expected to bring high rain rates and the possibility of fires. we do get a break from the rain early saturday morning before we see another round of systems move their way through the bay area all the way down through southern california as well. on saturday, expect to see the windy conditions kick up.

eventually a break from that into sunday. more rain into monday. the snow keeps falling up north. the ski resort in tahoe is reporting 26 inches of snow. with concerns over this weekend's storm the national weather service has put an avalanche warning in place, starts today and runs into the new year. early estimates of accumulations 100 inches up in

welcome back. oakland police are investigating the homicide of a toddler whose body was found miles away for the city. on friday police say they got a tip from san pablo police about the death of a 2-year-old. investigators learned that the homicide took place in oakland but the victim's body was discovered in rural nappa county, the circumstances of the toddler's death is still under

investigation. all right, drivers you may soon see cheaper gas in 2023, gasbuddy predictionaries americans will spend $50 billion less on gas next year compared to 2022, the average price of gas in california is $4.38 per gallon. here in bay area, cheaper in some spots like $3.75 a gallon in north bay. don't forget to tune into today in the bay, we track the best gas prices and where you can find them every morning on today in the bay. that does it for this edition of the fast forward. i'll see you once again at 4:30 with more news.

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today on access daily, we're here to make a little music with ziggy marley. >> that's not me. sorry about the dress. access daily starts next. welcome to access daily from universal studios. i'm mario lopez and it is tuesday. get excited because the yellowstone prequel starring harrison ford, first time on tv by the way, and helen mirren is finally out. check it out. >> violence has always haunted the family. the e scottish h highlands..