viernt. more than 53 machineries have been injected with the coronavirus. millions of students are ready to go back to school next week and the average number of students with the coronavirus spiked 52%. the white house covid response team laid out what administration is do doing to give hospitals support and standing by the cdc isolation guidelines. they're now standing on the should jers of two years of science. we'll have the latest in just moments. also this hour a development from the january 6th investigation. the biden administration putting a hold on some trump administration material that the house committee requested. plus saying goodbye to a senate titan. how the political world is

remembers harry reid who died yesterday at the age of 82. we'll start with the latest on the omicron variant. we have steve patterson at lax, toni hilton will join us and steve, we'll start with you. let's talk about air travel. minutes ago at the covid response team meeting, the risk is low enough to continue with new year's plans as long as everyone you're spending time with is vaccinated and boosted, but dozens of flights have been canceled today. >> you can tonight with your plans if you can get there. the misery intest is there and rising.

now there is 1300 flights canceled. we're getting bad weather especially in a place like seattle where there is so many forced delays. the other problem is, of course, omicron with staffing levels at certain airlines and carriers being so thin. it has been tough to get a handle on what is happening. here alone in california, you see a line forming, this is where nay are testing for covid. it is a pretty good solution here as well as offering vaccinations at the airport as well. i spoke to one gentleman, he said he had been waiting for an hour and will likely miss his flight because he had to wait so long just to get tested. the craziest story happened in

the air. one woman tested positive on board a flight to iceland had to quarantine in a tiny airplane bathroom for four hours. here is what she told us about what happened. listen to this. >> it was a crazy experience. i started having a sore throat. i took my rapid test. i took it into the bathroom, and there was two lines and there was like 150 people on the flight. and my biggest fear was giving it to them. >> the airlines say they're working around the clock to do everything they can. they're all saying they having to thin out flights to prepare for the incoming wave. all of this a major mess into the new year.

>> are you relieved to see testing options like the one at l.a. where steve is? do you have concerns about it. the more we test, the more people have knowledge about what their status is. what risk they have. >> we heard from the white house covid response team, reading through it, they found that 1% of omicron patients were admitted to the icu room. there is 89% of patients in previous waves, and in terms of

stay they stay on average more than eight days. as we go through the numbers what do you read into it? >> that is the early scene that we have seen in south africa. and it helps us see that experience for the united states. there is high risk individuals not vaccinated and they're clustered in certain parts of the country, and that may be enough to push them to the edge. that means it seems to be less severe and it is continuing to hold. there is a deadline now for parents to return their test

kits so the kids can return to school. >> what we're seeing while hospitals are ticking up while we have a surge of cases, their increasing in at a faster rate. the kids are ending up there at a faster rate and that is being lead in states like new jersey, florida, and hawaii. pcr tests, you can come here and get a they sent out more than 50,000 at home test kits that they asked parents to return tomorrow. you're hearing local leaders and

you're near harvard's campus, that is one of several spots where they're pushing for booster shots. what are you hearing there? >> what i'm hearing is there is a mix of frustration and they are right before the christmas holiday, and they're having to isolate and miss time with family, and right after they finish up exams, and people had a sense that harvard might have to take action like this. they are coming through their entire winter or january term that is about three weeks. the dining halls will be grab and go food only. and as you mentioned, booster

shots, from everyone. that is faculty and shots aleek. so i got to speak to a graduate student here at harvard that caught covid before christmas and plans to take a jan term course online in a couple days. take a listen. >> harvard we have to be vaccinated. and as i saw, the caught the coronavirus in a trip with some of my friends, and i think once we started knowing people around us that were getting it and we thought we're still in this. >> now she is going to be sharing internet, fighting for bandwith with family members for the next several weeks as she tries to complete this course. for many students this is a flash back to earlier parts of

the pandemic, the lonely feelings of quarantine, they are feeling like the early part of the pandemic that that hoped would not apply to them as they wanted some student life to go back to normal. >> a place that so many of us didn't want to go back to. let me ask you, how worried are you that we could see more cases, and some students are back in school and even if they're taking classes virtually or maybe in their dorms and hanging around each other again. >> it is inevitable that we'll see cases increase. what we have to do is give colleges a tool kit. they have a very low tolerance. and i think they have to start

to realize that covid is not going anywhere. there will be cases on campus 30 years from now. and the chance of any of that happening is low, so they have to-and-a-half gate and have some tolerance. because this is something that will become inevitable and part of life. and you'll see colleges taking a different route than the rest of society which is not very sustainable. they have to think hard about it because they are not going to get to covid zero. many universities have now gone from that initial goal. >> thank you all. >> coming up, the biden administration striking a deal to withhold some records from

the trump white house. why they made that decision next. and a devastated family wants answers after a 14-year-old girl was shot and killed while shopping with her mom. what we know about that investigation ahead.

some people have joint pain, plus have high blood pressure. they may not be able to take just anything for pain.

that's why doctors recommend tylenol®. it won't raise blood pressure the way that advil® aleve® or motrin® sometimes can. for trusted relief, trust tylenol®. when you have xfinity xfi, you have peace of mind that advil® aleve® built in at no extra cost. advanced security helps keep your family protected online. pause wifi whenever for ultimate control with the xfinity app. and family-safe browsing gives parents one less thing to worry about. security, control and peace of mind. with xfinity xfi, it's all built in at no extra cost.

>> we have some breaking news for you. nbc just confirmed that president bide listen speak with president vladimir putin tomorrow. mic, what do you know about the call? >> you will remember that the white house announced that the u.s. and the russians would be meeting next month as part of what they called the strategic security dialogue. this is meant to be a follow up to the conversation they had just three weeks ago on the situation in ukraine. we asked the president last night as we was walking his new

pup commander here if he, himself, would be participating in that meeting. he said we'll see. now we know what he was probably referring to. the white house announcing that he will speak by phone, himself, to president putin himself, and i want to read from the statement that they will discussion a range of topics including the upcoming diplomatic arrangements that we were referring to in jan. the white house is saying the administration continues to engage and they are consulting on a coordinated approach in response to the build up on the border with ukraine. it is important to note that this is just three weeks after the virtual meeting. they made it clear that there would be severe economic sanctions placed on russia if they were to invade ukraine. putin had his own demands, of course, saying he wanted a commitment that nato would never admit ukraine as a member.

since then we heard more demands from putin including that he wants weaponry to ukraine, for instance, and the question is how do you find common ground here in these demands. they are looking to see if there is a potential common ground here to avoid a further escalation on russia's part. and there has been a lot of questions about what putin is willing to do here. there is some evidence that he walked back just a bit. there is some 10,000 of russia's forces on the border with ukraine. >> mike, breaking news today that will be news tomorrow when

that call happens. that's the kind of news we like in a holiday week, thank you so much. >> thanks, alison. the house committee investigating the january 6th attack reaching an agreement with the white house to defer some document requests. the biden administration raised questions about some of the material that the committee requested that didn't involve the events of january 6th. joining me now is joyce vance, an nbc news legal analyst, i'm thrilled to see you today. he amounted not to invoke presidential privilege for some of this, what is your biggest take away from this new move? >> there is nothing to be concerned with here. this doesn't seem to be a walk back of the president's commitment to letting the american public through this house committee have full access to documents about january 6th.

as you say, what is happening here is simply the white house taking a look at some very broad requests written by the committee saying let's withhold a couple categories of documents. some based on the date they were written not relevant to january 6th. some came out of the intelligence community and law enforcement. we will defer turning those over to you, but you can talk to the intelligence community and law enforcement and get information directly from them. and some were prepared in relationship to meetings by the nfc, and they are well within the documents that you expect to be turned over. she is caught up in these broad requests that the house wrote. so the bottom line here is that the committee is on track to get everything it needs from the white house. >> always the trump

administration was in office, it's the biden team that is deferring some of the requests. a deputy county saying that the agreement reflecting important privileges like the need for confidentiality, is this the right move? >> we don't know about a the specifics, we want there so be a prod executive privilege. it guarantee that's a president is not surrounded by sycophants or people careful when they give advice thinking it might be disclosed down the road. we want robust conversation and decision making where all different views can be aeroed. and so that's what we see being protecting here with the nfc documents where the president is getting important advice about national security matters at the same time the white house seems to be committed to turning over

factual conversations related to the january 6th investigation. >> thank you for being with us on a holiday week, good to see you. >> good to see you. >> harry reid, titan of the u.s. senate has died after a four-year battle with pa degree -- pancreatic cancer. he helped president obama get obama care through the senate, and andrea mitchell has more on reid's life and impact. >> he was a kingmaker in washington. a one-time amateur boxer that brought that fighting spirit to boxer. his road to washington starting in search light, nevada where he was born into poverty in a home with no indoor plumbing. >> i didn't make it because of

my good lucks or because i'm a genius, i made it because i worked hard. >> the flag flying at half-staff for the nevada democrat. he was closely tied to president obama and was the first to suggest the young senator from illinois should run for office. >> he is tough, i think he will be one of the best leaders that the senate has ever had. i could not have accomplished what i accomplished without him by my side. >> he made a letter public overnight saying you were a great leader in the senate and early on you were more generous to me than i had any right to expect. i would not have been president had it not been for your encouragement and support. >> reed working through with obama to push through the affordable care act known as obama care. >> barack obama would never have

passed the health care bill that bears his name, obama care, without harry reid. it should be called reed care as much as obama care. >> he also honored his friend saying it wasn't about power for power sake, it was about the power to do right for the people. mitch mcconnell who has a contentious relationship with him, said i never doubted that he was doing what he deeply thought was right for in evidence. he retired from the senate in 2016 after an accident left him blind in one eye. he was dierged in pan degree yachtic cancer. now they're remembering the titan of the senate, a softspoken fighter never afraid to mix it up in the political adegree in a. >> that was andrea mitchell.

just last month the airport in las vegas was renamed after reid, an honor for the senator that fought so hard for his state and his people. he is survived by his wife of 62 years, five children, and 19 grandchildren. five chilendr, a9 grandchildren. hi susan! honey? yeah? i respect that. but that cough looks pretty bad... try this robitussin honey. the real honey you love... plus the powerful cough relief you need. mind if i root through your trash? now get powerful relief with robitussin elderberry.

a family in mourning after she was accidentally shot and killed by a stray police bullet. it happened when officers were responding to an assault with a deadly weapon and a possible active shooting. emily, what more can you tell us and do we have a sense of whether or not there will be legal action here? >> it is still early, but her parents have lawyered up and they say they will not stop pushing for clarity until they know what went wrong. we got some insight this week when there was spotty camera video released. you can hear there was conflicting information about

what kind of weapon the suspect had been carrying. her family speaking out through tears yesterday and they stopped short of exactly what justice looks like for their daughter, but they insisted that police should have done something differently. listen here. >> he wants justice as any father would want. she wants justice as any mother would want. what would you want if your baby was killed in this manner? we're going to address how things could have been done differently to keep here from being collateral damage. >> there is calling for caution to keep from jumping to conclusions too quickly. the police chief promising a thorough investigation that could take up to a year.

there is multiple agencies weighing in on this. >> thank you. right now in new york jurors are weighing sex trafficking charges against ghislaine maxwell. she says that the jump doesn't reach a verdict tomorrow she might ask them to deliberate through the weekend. coming up millions of kids going back to their classrooms next week as the omicron variant rages, but is there enough supplies and people to keep up. p : just stop. go for a run. go for 10 runs! run a marathon. instead, start small.

with nicorette. which can lead to something big. start stopping with nicorette.

when it comes to autism, finding the right words can be tough. finding understanding doesn't have to be. we can create a kinder, more inclusive world for the millions of people on the autism spectrum. go to autismspeaks.org.

>> now that there is a massive surge in covid cases, they are testing a test to stay strategy. between the financial costs and the staffing shortages it's not clear how effective this plan will be. heidi, you're outside of a public school there in washington dc. do administrators feel prepared to welcome kids back? >> the news conference here appears that there will be some additional measures. it's not going to go as as far as as what new york city is going to do. and not as far as the test to stay program which requires every student to be tested with a rapid antigen test two times a

week. what i'm hearing consistently is there is just not the number of tests to do this, not the manpower to do this. we talked with the head of a principal organization that has been talking to principals across the country. take a listen. >> we need to have our health care and preventive care experts step up, because that is a very intensive level of staffing and intervention, and you know when schools are having a hard time filling vacancies or finding substitutes, their focus should be on the teaching and learning where we need to rely on others to help us with the other contact tracing and all of the other health care related

interventions. >> just before the holidays there was a survey of the 100 largest urban school districts. what they found was out of all 100 only 13 were planning to do a test to stay strategy. and here is the result of that, here in dc, for instance, with this news conference just wrapping up, i will tell you what she says, she is opening the door to virtual learning again, as we think about our situational and virtual transitions, we will try to let families know as soon as possible. as they try to spring them back, will it go off without a hitch, and will they have employees, teachers, support staff, calling in sick and making it impossible to administer in person school? >> alallison?

>> yeah, joining me now, dr. stan spinner, the pooed yacht tricks and urgent care. showing hospitalizations are increasing twice as fast, but it's not clear if the kids have been vaccinated. what are you seeing as this variant spreads? >> we are certainly seeing a large increase in the positivity rate of kids here in the community and we have seen our number of kids hospitalized here nearly quad quadruple. and they may be vaccinated or partially vaccinated, and even in our adolescents, and so many

of them are just not protected right now. >> many states have contributed to the rise in pediatric hospitalizations. in a couple days we know family and friends will get together again to celebrate the new year, what should they be doing to keep kids safe? >> you know since they can't just immediately vaccinate them and get them the protection they need, they need to be very thoughtful about who they and their kids were around. they should limit the people they get together with. you don't know who is vaccinated, who is not vaccinated, who may be contagious, keep your kids masked. that is really for all of us. parents are role models. try to keep them out of harm's way. and try to keep them home to

minimize exposure to groups of people. i think that is just so critical. >> can you tell us more about what you're seeing in your hospital in texas? i just think the volume of kids getting sick, getting positive rates in the symptom, we were nearly 45% yesterday. it is everywhere in the community. big concerns for kids that will continue to spread this, certainly when they go back to school next week, and hospitalization rates are ending up in intensive care.

>> how are their illnesses different. >> i think i'm hearing more of the typical upper respiratory symptoms, runny nose, cough, sore throat, fevers, abdominal pain. it is probably a little more of the typical cold symptoms. >> this horrible the cdc director addressed guidance for kids going back to the classroom in the new year. we just released this past month two scientific reports on a test to stay in school. once children are exposed, if you can test them, when you test them every other day on twice a week, you can keep them in school safely. >>. >> what are your biggest concerns about test to stay?

is it a good plan and what are you worrying about as they go back to school in texas next week? >> i think what i'm worrying about is so many of our school districts don't have mask mandates, and kids are not wearing masks. the concern about testing every other day, that might be helpful, but you're still going to miss cases. and will there be enough tests available in that is certainly a concern as well. i think it is a perfect storm. people getting back for the new years celebration, getting past christmas, i think we'll see a potential for a larger number of positive cases in the next few weeks. >> thank you for being with us. >> my pleasure, thank you. >> hurricanes, floods,

wildfires, freezing cold. al roker is looking back at the extreme weather that we have seen. and he will preview what we have seen, next. preview what we have seen, next nicorette knows, quitting smoking is freaking hard. you get advice like: try hypnosis... or... quit cold turkey. kidding me?! instead, start small. with nicorette. which can lead to something big. start stopping with nicorette

(ringing) - hey kaleb, what's up? how you doing? - hey, i'm good, guess what, i just had my 13th surgery. - really? i just had my 17th surgery. - well, you beat me. - well, i am a little bit older than you. - yeah it's true. how are you doing? - i'm doing good. i'm encouraged by seeing how people are coming together to help each other during times like these. - kind of like how shriners hospitals for children is there for us. imagine if i couldn't get my surgery. who knows what would have happened. - same for me. i know my shriners hospitals family will continue to take care kids like us who need them most all because of caring people like you.

- like me? - no, the people watching us right now at home. - oh, those people. hi people. - kaleb and i know not everyone can help right now, but for those of you who can, we hope you'll this special number on your screen right now. - you'll be making sure our amazing doctors and nurses can keep helping kids like us, who need them now and in the days to come. - your gift will make a huge difference for kids like us. - ooh, ooh, show them them the thank you gift. - okay, okay, hold on a second. with your gift of $19 a month we'll send you this adorable, love to the rescue blanket as a thank you and a reminder of the kids you're helping with your monthly support. - so what are you waiting for? you can use your phone and call, or go to loveshriners.org to give and join with thousands of other generous people who change lives with their gifts every day.

- i think that's about it buddy, good job. - my pleasure captain. please call now. if operators are busy with all the other caring people, please wait patiently, or you can go to loveshriners.org to give right away. - [alec] big or small, your gift helps us all. - [both] thank you. (giggling) 2021 was a year of extreme

and catastrophic weather events. scientist say climate change is adding to the climates and it also brought historic funding for climate projects throughout the nation. >> 2021, another blistering year of climate and weather extremes. almost no state escaping unscathed. this year seamed to pick where 2020 left off. four years after withdrawing from the paris climate agreement, joe biden bringing the u.s. back into the fold. >> we cannot delay or do the bare minimum to address climate change. >> world leaders pledging to do their part to stop the earth from warming past 1.5 degrees

celsius. scientists say more than two degrees would be catastrophic. texas endured a cataclizmic event. residents were left freezing without water and in the dark for days. >> we didn't have water for ten days. the first few days we were collecting snow and melting snow. >> with the climate changing faster, what unfolded in texas may no longer be a once in a lifetime event. this tragedy exposing fragile parts of our country. in the northwest it was sporadic patterns that lead to the highest temperatures ever recorded in the region. temperatures in portland, sooe

-- and seattle dieing of soaring temperatures. >> the electricity went off and it is getting warmer and warmer. >> 2021 will go down in history as the hottest summer on record for the united states. fires in the west burning for months, the bootleg fire the biggest this year burning more than 14,000 acres. >> i didn't know where i was, whose house is whose. >> we're just grateful to be alive. >> the 2021 hurricane season while not as prolific as the record shattering 2020 was still active. four storms were category three or higher. category four hurricane ida

lashing louisiana, still recovering from last year's four landfalls. >> we're looking at imminent landfall of this storm. the deadly hurricane flattening entire communities leaving people ida then slashed a path of destruction into the northeast, dumping up to 10 inches of rain in some parts of the region. several areas seeing one night all-time record high totals for the month of september. new york city taking a direct hit from the tropical storm, with subways turning into walls of water and floods pushing cars down streets. the storm once again turning deadly, when basement apartments were submerged, trapping residents. while the east got too much water, the bone dry west, in its second decade of extreme drought, finally hit a tipping point. lake mead dropping to its lowest level on record.

triggering over how much states could use. hitting arizona agriculture the hardest. >> the pie is shrinking and there's going to be less water for everyone in the 21st century. >> to help address the country's mounting issues, the bipart infrastructure bill was signed into law in november. included our historic levels of funding for climate resistance and weatherization. clean energy investments and capping orphaned oil and gas wells. >> despite the cynics, democrats and republicans can come together and deliver results. >> this should be where the story ends, and once did, until a wild and rare weekend of extreme weather struck in december. tornadoes tearing through kentucky and neighboring states, killing scores and leveling multiple towns. entire communities left in ruins. >> mayfield will be okay. it's just going to be a long time. >> just five days later, an historic storm leaving a trail

of destruction stretching from the west coast to the great lakes. minnesota recording its first ever tornado in the month of december. as 2021 comes to a close, a country weary from a prolonged pandemic, braces for what is certain to be another year of extremes. al roker, nbc news. back with us now, nbc news capitol hill correspondent and my hero of reporting this week, ali vitali. happy to see you. let's talk about the build back better bill. it has a rough road with democratic snore joe manchin. where do the specific climate provisions stand? >> well, look, in al as package he highlighted there was already over $100 billion put towards clean energy provisions in the traditional infrastructure bill that was passed just a few weeks

ago. but the build back better act, one of the key tenets in the beginning negotiations was making sure there were provisions in there that combatted climate change and helped to reduce carbon emissions. we know that manchin has been an opponent of some of the things that were previously in this bill. specifically looking at the clean electricity -- the clean lkt performance program, which was then taken out because of manchin's objections. when he said he couldn't back this latest proposal, he again seemed to revive those oppositions to the climate provisions that are in here. the still existing green energy tax credits that are still in this bill. it's not the only objection he has, although it is one of the newest ones he's revived in recent days as democrats scramble to get back to the negotiating table to figure out how to piece it back together. manchin has also said, if you're looking at the house bill, what is likely to get stripped out in the senate, he doesn't back paid

leave. in the house version of this bill, they have four weeks in there. manchin has said to me and other reporters repeatedly, he doesn't want to go through -- doesn't want to do paid leaf through this reconciliation process. instead, he wants to do that through some bipartisan measure. again, there is the climate provision piece of this that's a tough sell for manchin, clearly, but that's definitely not the only thing as they try to figure out what build back better looks like in the new year. >> if build back better doesn't pass, where would you say that leaves us on climate action in this term of governing in which democrats control the white house, the house, and have a thin majority in the senate? >> thin majorities everywhere, which is what makes this so difficult and what's made this process difficult the entire time. there is an appetite within the democratic caucus, both the house and the senate, to prioritize climate. we've seen it from the white house as well. president biden on the world stage has repeatedly tried to reassert american leadership on this issue. so, democrats here in washington would like to be able to back

him up on that. but again, we have seen appetite turn into inaction time and time again on democratic policy priorities. it's hard to see where this goes next if not in build back better. >> all right. ali, great to see you, thank you. >> you, too. a record-winning coach, a beloved broadcaster and a pop culture icon. how fans are remembering john madden, next. remembering john madden, next there is no place like wayfair. i never thought i'd buy a pink velvet sofa, but when i saw it, i was like 'ah'. and then i sat on it, and i was like 'ooh'. ooh! stylish and napable. okay now. i can relate to this one. i'm a working mom with three boys. [ yelling ] wayfair is my therapy. amen, kim! yup! i'm hiding from my kids, as we speak.

throughout history i've observed markets shaped by the intentional and unforeseeable. for investors who can navigate this landscape, leveraging gold, a strategic and sustainable asset... the path is gilded with the potential for rich returns.

(gong rings) - this is joe. (combative yelling) he used to have bad breath. now, he uses a capful of therabreath fresh breath oral rinse to keep his breath smelling great, all day long. (combative yelling) therabreath, it's a better mouthwash. at walmart, target and other fine stores. when you have xfinity, you have entertainment built in. therabreath, it's which is kind of nice. ah, what is happening. binge-watching is in the bag, when you find all your apps, all in one place. find live sports faster just by using your voice... sports on now. touchdown irish! [cheering] that was awesome. and, the hits won't quit, with peacock premium included at no additional cost. all that entertainment built in. xfinity. a way better way to watch.

nicorette knows, quitting smoking is freaking hard. you get advice like: just stop. go for a run. go for 10 runs! run a marathon. instead, start small. with nicorette. which can lead to something big. start stopping with nicorette. i just heard something amazing! one medication is approved to treat and prevent migraines. don't take if allergic to nurtec. the most common side effects were nausea, stomach pain, and indigestion. ask your doctor about nurtec today!

this afternoon we're remembering football legend john madden, who died on tuesday, at the age of 85. after a knee injury in rookie training camp he turned to coaching, a head coach at just 32 years old. he led the raiders to a super bowl win and left oakland with the youngest coach to win 100 games. after the sidelines he dominated the broadcast booth, connecting with fans across every major tv network. he was inducted into the pro football hall of fame in 2006 before retiring three years later. >> i ride on the shoulders of hundreds of friends, coaches, players, colleagues, family. and i just say this, i thank you all very much. and this has been the sweetest ride of them all. >> john madden, a major loss for football fans everywhere. that does it for me this hour. i'll be back tomorrow at 11:00

a.m. eastern. looking forward to seeing you then. in the meantime, you can catch me on nbc news now, our streaming network, weekdays at 3:00 p.m. eastern. my colleague joe picks up the coverage right now. welcome to msnbc reports. it's 1:00 p.m. here in new york, 10:00 a.m. out west. this hour, covid clarifications. the white house covid task force aims to clear up confusion about testing, transmissibility and quarantines for those who test positive for the virus. plus, breaking news. nbc news has just learned president biden will speak with vladimir putin tomorrow as tensions continue to mount over russia's aggressive actions for ukraine. and remembering harry reid. a look back at the life and legacy of the former senate majority leader. but we begin with the pandemic. the seven-day average of new