very good morning to you. i'm richard lui. the cdc announced all flyers from the uk to the u.s. they must get a negative test before they get on the plane. it takes effect on monday. the uk is dealing with new variants of the coronavirus and experts believe spread faster. dozens of other countries already suspended all travel from the uk. larger question on many american's minds this morning, is relief coming.

more than 120,000 americans are waking up in the hospital. battling the coronavirus. in addition to that, millions more worrying about the coming days and what that will look like as crucial economic relief runs out. 14 million are on the brink of losing unemployment benefits. others can lose their homes. small business owners do not know if they'll make it to the new year. yesterday afternoon, the covid relief spending bill was flown to west palm beach physically where president trump is spending his christmas but it's unclear this morning whether he'll sign it or not. joining us this morning, nbc's josh lederman with the president in florida and jake sherman who covers capitol hill. he's the co-author of the widely read political playbook and sam stein. what we heard from the cdc, josh, why now with uk travelers?

>> well, the trump administration has been closely watching this situation in the uk with this new variant strain of coronavirus which the cdc now says research shows could be as much as 70% transmissible than the variant we have gotten used to. they're trying to find out what the right compromise to strike was. many other yets have fully banned all travel from the uk. the trump administration did not want to go that far. back in march the president did put a ban on many air travelers who are foreign nationals coming -- asking if they had been in the uk in the last 14 days so what they settled on was the decision to require people to get this negative coronavirus test within three days of traveling to the united states. it was called for from a number of different corners including andrew cuomo who has many

flights that come in to new york as passengers make a stopover there before they go on to other places. dr. fauci and others had suggested that this would be the right measure at this point in time. so this order we do expect the president will sign it tomorrow. going in to effect on monday and then after that we'll have to see that -- how that drops some of the air travel we are seeing. that order back in march had reduced the air travel about 90% from the uk. >> more on the travel restriction later on in the show. josh, while we've got you right now what is the latest on the covid bus? what will the president do on monday or before monday with what's before him? >> there's only one person who knows the answer to that question and that's president donald trump. his top aides are not sure what he'll do with this. there where was a bona fide veto threat that he issued over the covid relief package, whether he might be willing to accept a

compromise. or whether he will simply sign that bill once it makes its way to him. we know the bill finished the enrollment process yesterday and it was in the process of being physically flown here to mar-a-lago where the president is currently vacationing. but the president threw this grenade in the process and then skipped town. with the last we heard from the president on this it was several days ago when he issued that twitter video shortly before coming to florida. >> sam, remind us here as we look at this monday night is that hour. and what will happen if we do not come up with the deal here and we head towards the shutdown? >> well, there's tons of economic damage that can ensue. of course people are waiting for assistance, unemployment insurance. the uncertainty of the government funding too.

all that's up in the air. of course people would get $600 but he wants $2,000. so there was a high bit of drama insert by president at the 11th hour. if he does follow through and vetoes it what does congress do next? will the house actually pass a stand-alone bill that ups the checks from $600 to $2,000? and if so, what would the senate do? the senate leaders have said there's no appetite for -- at least 60 members to pass something like that. so we could be at some sort of stalemate. the other thing that trump is objecting to are a host of provisions in the spending bill that fund largely overseas ventures but also cultural institutions in the united states like the kennedy center. are those red lines in the sand

too? there are so many questions, it's because the president inserted himself when he had not been part of the negotiations at all. that i think lawmakers are waiting for any signal whatsoever from trump before they can proceed. so yeah, you know, there are very few answers at this juncture but a lot of uncertainty and that trickles down to the average american who does need the money and the help and the assistance from the federal government just to get by through the holiday season. >> jake, you're on the hill yesterday, in addition to that you're certainly watching what the president may be thinking as we were just hearing from sam. how much drama is related to this versus he just actually vetoing it. where are we in that continuum? >> i don't know. i'm not sure that he knows. this is the -- this is a complete disaster, richard. there's no other way to say it besides that. the president as everyone noted was not involved here. there is no way, basically, to avoid a shutdown besides the president signing this bill,

period, the end. the senate is not in on monday. the house isn't in on monday. they're going to pass the $2,000 check scheme, where it will go to the senate and die. there's no compromise to be had, besides the one cut with congressional leaders so we're in a crisis moment perhaps the first time since the debt creating crises from a long time ago. people are counting on the elected officials to do their job and the only person who is not is the president of the united states who is wandering into this process like a lost child. we need to some clarity given here. and without that clarity, we're going to plunge this nation further into this crisis. >> yeah, jake brought us back in history, i remember that overnight coverage myself,

sitting in this very room. i want to read this. "the washington post" has been unindated with calls, who are stunned that president trump and congress cannot agree on another emergency aid package. several broke down crying in phone interviews. take that context that jake just gave us and how historical this might be if it happens here. ten out of ten would you say? >> listen, it could not be worse, honestly, richard. we have a congress a president at a stalemate and americans are going hungry. they have no jobs. many of them are sick or dying. they are desperate for the elected officials to step up and do what they were elected to do which is to protect this country. they are not doing this. this is not a time for games in washington. this is a time for action. we are at an extraordinary moment that requires assistance. the other thing that we haven't

talked about, the day after christmas, ie, tomorrow, the provisions in the past several months, eviction protection. a lot of other protections for people who are suffering under the weight of this economic crisis and the covid disaster are going to be eliminated. the congress passed a bill that they thought would help mitigate those effects and that tomorrow's deadline would not be a major factor. with president trump now threatening to veto it all of that is up in the air. as everybody has been saying, it's the government funding. it's help for people who are desperate and struggling right now. i have to wonder, richard, as well what president trump thinks this is going to do the races in georgia. we have two republican senators in runoffs it is essential to mitch mcconnell to keep those two, kelly loeffler and david perdue in the seats and they have voted in the whole package which is $600 direct payments and other assistance. what are they going to do now? are they going to stick with the

president or with the republican leadership in the senate, what are they going to tell georgians who desperately need this money. >> jake, georgia? >> listen, it's a big problem. loeffler and perdue were campaigning on this bill. they thought this was a political boon for them. and i don't know what they say now. i have not seen any comment either way. i know that the campaigns were freaking out a bit. listen, i'm not -- i think we tend to overstate the impact of some of the things in the races but listen, if you're republican and you were campaigning or existing under the idea that you were working with a president who is a business-like figure who could get deals done, this is not -- this undermines all of that to the extent that it was even an idea. >> sam, 15 seconds. >> i mean, i'm with jake. we can tend to overstate the things. i will say this. it's not the close of the race

that they wanted and if the government does shut down, that was when trump's popularity was at the worst. i don't know what the residual effects would be on perdue or loeffler, but it's not the dynamics you want. >> thank you so much with the president there in florida. thank you for your time. as the president debates signing this bill, relief cannot come fast enough for so many americans who are struggling this christmas. sam brock is in key brisbane, florida. >> reporter: we are staring at a national crisis and that's food insecurity. when you talk to the organizers the biggest difference from when the pandemic started, it's no longer episodic, but it is chronic. i'm in miami and in south florida, feeds south florida is helping 1.5 million families. that's double what it was since back in the spring and this is happening not only in one slice

of one state, but it's going on all over the country. on christmas week, there's a crush of cars in san antonio waiting for groceries. >> i was like thank goodness, i have food until i get paid on the 3rd. >> reporter: it's a scene reminiscent of the spring though the need has only strengthened since. >> they were so excited to get the food they get so emotional. >> reporter: the lone star state is not alone in demand or tears. feeding south florida helps 200,000 families a week put food on the table including debby and her three kids. >> it's not a position you ever want to be. it's hard to ask people for help. i really don't want it, but i have no choice. at this point. >> reporter: coast to coast, a crisis deepens. feeding america estimates food insecurity at 50 million people. that's the equivalent of the populations of texas and florida

combined. but grass roots help is pouring in. in cities like los angeles, community fridges are popping up where volunteers gather extra food from restaurants, bakeries and neighbors. >> it's amazing, if you stop by, you drop off some food you come back two hours later it's empty again. >> reporter: the fridges are kept in homes, small businesses, some are even on the street. with those unable to contribute food, bring other items. >> maybe you have a lot of blankets, you have access to something and you can bring things. >> reporter: in florida, jolene most does that -- pick up food for her five kids and then drop off blankets. >> everybody has to help everyone, so -- >> that's the only way to get through this. >> yes. >> reporter: warmth in a painful pandemic. and about an hour and a half from where i'm standing right now, out in palm beach county, president trump as you were just talking about, richard, has

returned to florida after scuttling a relief package that contained hundreds of millions of dollars for food assistance. all of that money right now is up in the air and here in south florida they had 16 1/2 million pounds of food a month going out to the families and that's set to be slashed to 8 1/2 million, a 50% drop as we see the lines expand even longer. all of this remaining ambiguous with government action up in the air. richard, back to you. >> not only on these holidays. sam, thank you. sam brock in florida. congress has sent a covid relief bill to the president but it's unclear if he'll sign that. i'll ask congressman dan kildee what the democrat's plan is if he does not do it. and a person is dying every ten minutes from covid-19. ery ten minutes from covid-19. so you want to make the best burger ever? then make it!

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well, if you're just joining us, back to the breaking news overnight. the u.s. will require all air passengers arriving from the united kingdom to test negative for covid-19 before their departure to the united states. now, that new rule comes after the uk recently identified two new variants of the coronavirus that are more contagious. at the same time, the covid crisis intensifying in hard-hit california. los angeles county reporting a

record 148 covid related deaths yesterday. and more than 13,600 new infections added to the count. the county is now outlining measures to ration er care at hospitals. let's go now live to nbc's megan fitzgerald in los angeles. megan, the numbers look very, very bad. how does it look on the ground? >> reporter: richard, this situation is worse than the county has ever seen before, but what's even more concerning you see a dire situation that county officials now is going to get worse. as you mentioned, they are seeing just the explosive numbers. just think about this. a seven-day average of new daily infections at 13,000 or more. that's what they saw last week. then as you mentioned we're seeing records for deaths. it was 145 on wednesday. yesterday, 148 people died. the hospital systems just overrun. we have -- you know, we have

been talking and reporting about how southern california's completely out of icu beds. you have the nurses and the doctors scrambling to try to create space where they're not typically caring for the icu patients so that they can care for people that just continue to come. the projections is by next week, by new year's eve, they expect to see 1,400 people going to the hospital every day. they cannot care for all of the people coming in so you'll hear the doctors and nurses talking about the quality of care they are able to provide for the patients continues to subside. you are seeing hospital systems, you know, pleading with people, don't come to the hospitals unless it's absolutely an emergency situation for you. take a listen to the toll that this is taking on these frontline workers. >> you rotate fairly but those who are coming in just to help

and, you know, rearranging things with their families to do it on different ways to be here. but to have to go into the patient's room with the ipad and show the family their loved one through an ipad and have them wish them a merry christmas, it's heart breaking. >> reporter: so certainly an enormous toll that this is taking on the frontline workers who continue to plead with people while christmas is here, trying to tell the last minute folks who have not gathered to just stay home. richard? >> nbc's megan fitzgerald, thank you. joining us now is dr. kavita patel, a former white house director in the obama administration and dr. hazeltine. dr. patel, how stretched right now is the health care infrastructure? as we know from the previous

peak it was many of the health care workers in places that were not as hard hit, midwest, south, helping those on the coasts. now, everywhere is being hit. >> yeah, richard, good morning. great to be with you on this day. but not about this news. you're absolutely right that -- especially in july. for example, the last peak the los angeles area was in the july time frame, and they're at four times that they were there and the people were trying to help those people on the coast. at this point, all coasts are being stretched thing. not necessarily zero, but close enough where they cannot spare personnel unless -- and let's be clear, it's personnel that are the shortages as that nurse eloquently stated and people are coming in on holidays. so this is desperate measures.

there's something called crisis standards of care that get enacted that kind of force the hospitals to make hard decision about rationing care. kind of what you heard about whether the people can be treated. we do not let -- the system is broken as it is. but we do not want to let it break further and richard, that's what i fear could be happening, not just in l.a. county, but places like tennessee. unfortunately in many parts of the country. >> yeah. we're all watching that so carefully. dr. hazeltine, i want to move to the breaking news overnight and that is the cdc and their move for the uk and saying you must test negative before you get on the plane, before you let to the united states. what do you make of the cdc's latest move? a good one? efficacious? >> well, it's clear that there are new strains of the virus that are more transmissible. in africa, in europe now, especially in the uk. but i believe we will find that a good part of what's happening

right now in california are new home grown strains. but before we get too unhappy about what's happening and we certainly are in a desperate situation, i'd like to give a little bit of perhaps christmas cheer. next year is going to come in like a lion, but if it doesn't go out like a lamb it will go out like a ram. we have vaccines on the way for many companies and they will be more available. we have new drugs that are on their way and will help ease the burden not only of the virus, but the consequences of the virus. we will have very rapid home tests that people can take and they'll be new tests that are very cheap and easily done within a few minutes to get the answer in workplaces and schools and for families. and best of all, we'll have a president who takes this seriously. who uses the full power of our federal government. not to deny this pandemic, not

to go golfing. but rather, to help the states do what they can. so i believe despite our desperate and dark times at this day on christmas 2020, we can look forward to a much better christmas 2021. >> we are with you, dr. hazeltine certainly in your statement there. dr. patel as we look at what he just mentioned and that's a new home grown strain or variants in addition to the ones we were talking about today, the two coming from the uk, we can't help but at home be thinking of the therapeutics of the vaccines, of the treatments that we have got out there. will they still address these potentially new home grown variants that dr. hazeltine was bringing up and please discuss that and plus those coming from the uk? >> it's a great question, richard. currently, what the vaccines do especially the two ones that

have been authorized by the fda they help to provoke the immune system. the immune system and the spike protein under investigation in the uk and africa have, so yes, the vaccines should provide kind of what we'd call monoclonal receptor coverage for this set of mutations and then some. people think about this when developing vaccines and we expect the virus to mutate. of course, there are tests being conducted not just on that variant under investigation, richard, but also understand the performance of the current vaccines and their technologies against some of the variants and their mutations. so i think the challenge for the american -- for the federal government is going to be really rolling out these vaccines in 2021 and making sure the americans can get them as soon as possible. >> quickly on that, dr. hazeltine, respond to dr. patel.

about 1.1 million vaccines have been given. not at the rate that we'll need to hit the 20 million before the end of the year. quickly your thought on that. >> we will get to where we need to be. we have a very powerful pharmaceutical industry. very powerful government and ultimately we'll get there. it will be a little slower than we want, but we will get there. and these vaccines if they don't stop the variants, we can make new vaccines very quickly now that will stop these variants. so i'm very confident that we are going to be in a better place this time next year. >> great conversation. thank you, have a great christmas. millions of americans waking up on this holiday to a massive winter storm. what began as blizzard conditions in the midwest have now moved to the northeast in the form of heavy rain and severe thunderstorms. we got delaware, we've got new york city. and much of eastern new england already experiencing strong, damaging winds, downing trees

and also resulting in power outages. the national weather service has issued a coastal flood advisory for much of the region with one to three inches of rain expected to fall this morning. this week, congress extended the national moratorium on evictions, but for millions of americans that will not be enough. >> we're going to be out on the street that's what's going to end up happening. we're going to end up out on the street. >> after the break, democratic congressman dan kildee joins me a day after the republicans blocked the bid to increase the size of the stimulus checks. are americans on the brink of losing the benefits they need to survive this pandemic? we'll see. he benefits they needo survive this pandemic? we'll see. i got uh sausage -

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welcome back. while the coronavirus relief package is held up in washington, millions of americans are worried about keeping a roof over their heads. and they're running out of time. nbc's jo ling kent shows us what they're up against. >> reporter: derrick and brenda durham have made some tough choices. >> we had to choose a roof over our head or transportation. >> reporter: derick was a quality control inspector for mercedes making $15.50 an hour until he was furloughed. >> i'm between a rock and hard place. >> reporter: they rely on $216 a week in unemployment. they have fallen $6,500 behind

in rent. >> we're going out the on the street. we're going to end up being out on the street. >> reporter: until now the family has been protect by the moratorium on pandemic related evictions that was set to expire right after the holidays. congress extended it by another month, but for many americans that may not be enough. nearly 5 million believe they are likely to be evicted over the next two months. tri-county family ministers provides families with food, clothing and help with rent in south carolina, one of the states with the highest eviction rates. >> in the past when people would come to us for assistance with rent they would be $300 or $400 behind. today we had a young lady come in, a single mom of three, she is $4,500 behind on rent and there aren't enough resources in our community at this point to really make a difference for her family. it's a tragedy because that's happening over and over. >> reporter: a devastating cycle in this unforgiving pandemic.

>> everybody is trying to keep a roof over their head. everybody is trying to keep food on their table. >> reporter: critic says the one-month extension is a band-aid on a much bigger problem, hitting communities of colors especially hard as the pandemic rages well past january. many families are on the brink with their backs up against the wall. >> all right, jo, thank you. jo ling kent with that. now let's bring in dan kildee, he's also the chief deputy whip. you know, representative, i was just looking at the detroit free press, and in a recent investigation they're saying as many as 139,700 households in michigan at risk of losing their homes. and that's a lot. that's just the state of michigan itself. yet, we don't have it appears an agreement with the white house. how are you addressing this at home in michigan right now when you have these households going,

representative, get something done? >> well, you know, this story is correct. people are hurting. i talk to people every day that are at risk of losing everything they have worked for. if they're tenants they risk eviction, if they're homeowners they risk foreclosure. we negotiated in good faith support for these families. a moratorium on evictions. rent support, which is included in the coronavirus package that the house and the senate just passed. we negotiated in good faith democrats and republicans and the trump administration. secretary mnuchin at the table, every single day, came to a resolution that would help the people included in this story that you just ran and those hundreds of thousands of people in michigan. it would help them and the president has decided not to help them. i mean, we're all quoting doctors during this period. i'll quote one of my favorite

doctors, dr. seuss, you're a mean one, mr. trump. >> well, we can go on and on with dr. seuss but we won't do that, right, representative, because at this -- at least in this conversation. let's stick with the up or down. you have that vote on monday. what -- how will you vote on that $2,000 up or down? >> i will support it. you know, we passed the h.e.r.o.e.s. act twice which had much bigger individual payments and we support that. it was the trump administration that would not allow the larger payments. so ironically, president trump says he's going to veto a bill that doesn't include a provision that his administration insisted be left out. >> yeah. his republican senate that would not support so let's just say mitch mcconnell comes back and says nancy pelosi, can't do $2,000, but i'll do another number in between to satisfy the white house. what would that number be you think here, representative? >> well, we have been at the number 12 hundred dollar and we

would support -- i'm speaking only for myself, i would support $1,200 but the point is this. we demonstrated we can get the vote for the $600 payment and the president says he wants $2,000 payment and we have supported the number in between. this should be the art of the possible. mitch mcconnell, president trump, secretary mnuchin need to get into the room and first negotiate with one another what they actually believe and then they can come to us and we can get a deal done. but as you know, it's very difficult to negotiate when the people on the other side of the table don't have a position that they can articulate and that they can support. that makes it very difficult. >> so how real is the president's -- what do you call, drama or pushback or criticism of the current bill? you have seen many times before where this white house has done something like this.

how real is this real? >> really difficult to say. >> yeah. >> i mean, this has been an erratic presidency. the most erratic period that we have seen have been in the last few weeks. he seems to have really lost it. so it's very difficult to know what this president will do. my hope is that he has a moment of calm, in a moment where he kind of checks himself and realizes that his inaction is hurting the american people. i don't know. hope springs eternal. maybe some time between, you know, eighth and ninth hole when he's playing golf today he'll have an epiphany and realize his inaction has real-life consequences for people who need their government to act. >> i hate to be logical here, but if you're to follow that for a moment and you look at the defense bill, the ndaa, are there enough votes here to get it overwritten and if it were to be overwritten does that give

more pressure for the white house than to see both the house and the senate here are working together, and that the president should sign what he has in front of him as of last night? >> it's a good point because the defense bill is sort of the first bill that he vetoed. we don't know if he'll veto the coronavirus package and the spending bill but there should be enough votes to override the defense bill. it's a little concerning that leader mccarthy who supported the bill when it came to the floor is unwilling to challenge even this erratic president and he has committed to not vote to override. so there's some question as to whether the republicans will all come together, but my suspicion is in talking to some of them, enough democrats and enough republicans will vote to override the defense bill and that should send the veto of the defense bill -- that should send a pretty strong message to the president that we have, you know, the sort of governing

center in the house and in the senate. they're willing to come together to override him and override his erratic behavior. >> so i guess that's the thematic out of the white house and the congress, i said what i meant and meant what i said, and whether that will come to pass, dr. seuss. right, dan kildee, thank you. from the teachers who struggle to keep their classes engaged to the delivery workers who make sure you get your packages on time the heroes. the latest round of pardons and speculation that he and possibly his family could be next. d be next

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sprinting past every leak in our softest, smoothest fabric. she's confident, protected, her strength respected. depend. the only thing stronger than us, is you. as president trump's term comes to an end, he's showing less interest in governing and more interest in pardoning

several of his allies. wednesday, it was paul manafort, long-time associate roger stone and charles kushner, his son-in-law's father. then the day before he pardoned george pop adon't aloss and van der zwaan. and three former congressmen, chris collins and steve stockman. who is next? joining us is the special counsel during the watergate investigation and also an msnbc contributor. great to see you, jill. after the first round on tuesday, you warned -- you said watch for the worst. what do you think may be coming next? >> first of all, good morning and merry christmas. and i expect much worse. first of all, president trump has given new meaning to family and friends and i expect many

more family members and friends because that seems to be the biggest group of people. he pardons those who he has a personal relationship with. he pardons those he can use to undo the mueller investigation and let's put it frankly, if this had happened during watergate i would have been distraught. it means it was useless to have appointed a special prosecutor. we cannot allow the president to up do the results of the investigation. he's pardoning the corrupt congressmen. remember the first pardon was sheriff joe arpaio who had violated the law. >> jill, what are the consequences here? as you have said, this is an abuse of power. how might he be investigated, what can congress do? >> unfortunately, on pardons, the only thing that congress can

do is try to pass some legislation that makes illegal some of the things he's doing. under the constitution he has unlimited power to pardon without any reason. the white house press office is trying to put out statements saying well, he was treated unfairly or he's rehabilitated himself. those comments, mostly go to minor drug offenders who were wrongly treated under our old rules. but pardoning a few decent people, when i say decent, a few people who might fall won the normal norms of pardons does not justify pardoning people and particularly people like flynn who was pardoned prospectively for anything he might ever do in his life. i'm looking forward to trying to do a self-pardon or resigning

with the 25th amendment to allow pence to become president for a day when pence could then pardon him. which would avoid some of the constitutional issues of a self-pardon. and it's just wrong, we need to get control of that. >> all right. jill, thank you very much. jill winebanks. coming up the unsung heroes of 2020. ebanks coming up the unsung heroes of 2020. so you want to make the best burger ever? then make it! that means selling everything. and eating nothing but cheese till you find the perfect slice...

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among many things, 2020 is a year of the unsung hero.

nbc news harry smith shines a light on the first responders and the essential workers who have kept our country moving during this year's lowest and most difficult moments. >> reporter: as many of us have had to hunker down, work from home, we've realized how fortunate we are to be employed, to have a job. yes, the stress is too much, kids, remote learning, space, exhaustion, stress. we are lucky, yes, privileged, thankful not to be crammed into an office or an elevator or public transportation, though we now know it's pretty darn safe. what, though, of the millions of people who keep our worlds running, from the cops on the beat to the bus driver down the street, life goes on. when the alarm sounds at the firehouse, there is no hesitation. the ambulance arrives, too. of course it does.

masked, we enter the grocery store or any store for that matter hoping it's not too crowded, fearing exposure, we scurry through, grab our items and rush to check out, and there behind the plexiglass is the cashier. her days are long, even with the masks and protocols, she knows, you know, it's not without risk. the more crowded the store, the higher the anxiety. you rush out with your recycled bags and still behind the plexiglass is the cashier hoping not to get sick. when covid hit earlier this year and things shut down, we leaned hard on deliveries. within weeks there were new faces behind the wheel and the ever growing number of vans in the neighborhood. there was confusion, some missed packages, and late deliveries. pre-covid those missteps were calamitous. nowadays, we know what have it is it will get here eventually maybe. and hats off to the restaurants,

ghost kitchens, and the people who labor therein. a warm meal from the outside world to our doorstep is welcomed relief. remote learning for many students is not learning, here then to the teachers who have improvised and performed their way onto our children's video screens and into their imaginations. brilliant and inspiring. hereto also to the in classroom teachers and teachers aides who have spun yo yo like through shutdowns and reopening with a little reassurance that the schools are properly ventilated or they are, in fact, safe. still they show up. that is commitment. hospitals are overrun, the emotional and physical toll enormous. all those people working to make others well are at risk every day from mds to nurses aides to p.a.'s np, rn's and emts. from administrators to

custodians, working in a hospital during a pandemic is an act of courage, and since early spring, they have spoken with one voice. wear a mask they plead, unfathomable to us is the response of millions who refuse to do so. heartbreaking. just in time as the year ends, vaccines, the technology behind them a must google. cheers for the volunteers who said i'll try it. thank you. neighbors, friends, relatives close and distant, and strangers we value more these days. what connects us is their kindness, civility, knowing that with cooperation we will all get through this. >> indeed, thank you, harry smith and bravo, to all the unsung heroes of 2020. that wraps it up for me this hour, i'm richard lui. a merry christmas to you and all

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help the world believe in holiday magic.thing and this year was harder than ever. and yet, somehow, you all found a way to pull it off.

it's not about the toys or the ornaments but about coming together. santa, santa, you're on mute! just wanted to say thanks. thanks for believing. merry christmas, and thank you for spending part of your christmas morning with us.

i'm cori coffin at our msnbc headquarters in new york. the promise of vaccines making their way across the country for health care workers and elderly americans is still a small comfort as the pandemic continues to surge. another 185,000 new positive u.s. cases in just the last 24 hours. the two major pressure points are on hospitals with icus hitting their limits as doctors and nurses push themselves to extraordinary levels to provide care and on millions of americans struggling to make ends meet. that last point putting a spotlight on president trump who's still refusing to sign that covid relief package tied to massive annual spending bills sitting on his desk in florida. we begin with nbc's megan fitzgerald in los angeles and dr. dara cass, emergency physician, and a yahoo medical contributor. we appreciate you being in on this christmas morning. megan, let's begin with