♪ ♪ i am puss in boots. what's a "puss in boots?" -seriously? kitty soft paws. -kitty soft paws. is he deranged? i've been called dog, bad dog, stupid dog, rat face. hey you there, get out. yep. hands in crew. go team friendship. -team friendship? i'll workshop it, ok? puss in boots. only in theaters. rated pg. and good to be back with you for another hour on msnbc, as we come on the air, new reaction to the final report, out from the january 6th committee, former

president trump responding to the panel's findings, specifically where they say he is to blame for the deadly riot. also this hour, if you're trying to travel for the holidays, pack your patience, as they say. we're tracking a massive winter storm blankets much of the midwest, and the east coast. bitter cold temperatures bringing snow and ice to millions of americans. thousands of flights canceled. and at least a million people are without power. plus, a growing humanitarian crisis at the border with mexico. migrants being turned away from shelters as temperatures plunge in texas. a report from el paso coming up. we start this hour with the latest revelations from the january 6th select committee's final report. joining me now are nbc news congressional correspondent judy tsirkin, danny cevallos, criminal defense attorney and msnbc legal analyst and mel

harvin, former chief of homeland security, and intelligence for the district of columbia. thank you all for joining us. julie, i want to start with you. it was a lot. there were a lot of papers to go through. chances are we're not going to read all of it. so what were the biggest take-aways from the release of the report? >> last night, we were automatically poring over them and it is not necessarily new in the report but more than 800 pages of the committee chronologically in some points laying out the case they presented to the american people when they recommended charges to the department of justice against former president donald trump, and in this report, they outline over eight chapters, consistent with the public hearings that we saw, all the way from the in sechgts big lie they're calling it, inception of the big lie they're calling it to the fake electors plot and january 6th and what happened on that day when the rioters attacked the capitol and everything in between, and what they found is the narrative that

they built, and what they concluded from this narrative, is that one man and one man only is ultimately responsible for that date, because january 6th, according to the committee, wouldn't have happened without former president trump. and it is why they decided on monday to charge him with contempt. a criminal referral to the department of justice. also john eastman, his former lawyer for the campaign, who helped orchestration this plot and a pressure campaign on the former vice president as well. and they outlined some recommendations to congress, in that report, and so that is perhaps some of the newer findings in that piece. >> danny, i want to turn to you because the january 6th report is not an indictment within itself. but they have now referred criminal charges against former president donald trump to the department of justice. so as a defense attorney, what jumped out to you? >> so much. we've known so much of these allegations, because we heard about them over the summer, during the committee hearings,

and then the committee even released an executive summary, which gave us a very, i mean you could hardly call it a summary, with 100-plus pages, and now, they've released the final report. there are a number of damning things in there, and what poses the greatest criminal threat to trump is really a matter of opinion. it is a subjective analysis. if you're asking me, it would be the intent to subvert the d.o.j. the diego like ascendance to the throne of jeffery clark, and all of the scheme thrag went on involving apparently jeffery clark and other folks, and how so many in the d.o.j. nearly walked out. and at the core, the effort to use the d.o.j. to assist trump in his campaign. all of those seemed pretty damning to me. but then someone else might directly point to what happened in georgia, and i guess one of the revelations from the report would be the fact that we all really focused on an infamous phone call to brad raffensperger, when it seems

there may have been many brad raffenspergers, the secretary of state of georgia, who we all heard on a phone call, donald trump pressuring him, to get 11,000-plus votes. that, it appears, may have been just one of many instances of pressure on state officials. and not even in the state of georgia. so there's just so much to choose from. i think that was the biggest challenge for the january 6th committee. so much data. so much evidence. how did this summarize in a way that would interest the american public, who admittedly, we all have relatively short attention spans. >> we do. and do you think they set it up for the d.o.j.? >> it's hard to say, because d.o.j., i think the better question is, should they have even made the referral, and that's really a political question. you might argue that they shouldn't have made the referral, because now that they've made it, it could be a no win situation. either d.o.j. accepts it, and then any subsequent prosecution appears political, or d.o.j. rejects it and declines to

prosecutor, and then maybe that casts doubt on all of the work of the january 6th committee. but there may be a third political mission, and that may be to, in donald trump, and maybe the january 6th committee hopes that donald trump is the front-runner for the republican party because they're less afraid of him than other potential candidates. that is high level chess that the january 6th committee would be playing. all in all, in terms of d.o.j., d.o.j. will conduct its own investigation, they are better at getting evidence than the january 6th committee. they can issue subpoenas, corroborate witnesses, they are very effective and they may accept the evidence but they don't feel pushed by the january 6th committee one iota. >> and the january 6th committee had a time line. we have the report, it found that there were missed warning signs by intelligence and law enforcement officials, but the

committee didn't reach really any definitive answers or recommendations for what they can do to improve. what do you make of that? >> well, this report is really a tael of two reports. if you're looking for a clear definitive evidence that donald trump and his associates had a huge part in january 6th, this is a slam dunk, this is a michael jordan type of a slam dunk, but if you're a homeland security professional, and you're looking for an after-action report, how can we improve, what exactly happened, it is a bit anemic. in fact, i would go even further, the committee almost left the intelligence community and the security forces off the hook. in particular, in just the opening remarks, which i'd like to read if i can. you know, whatever weaknesses existed in the policies and procedures or institutions, they were not to blame for what happened on that day. and so there are two parts to this. it's the planning and the effort

that went moo, it but the fact of the matter is that these people should never have been able to penetrate the u.s. capitol. and the report comes out with very week recommendations. if you look at all of the chapters, the first five chapters aren't even about january 6th. it is all about donald trump. and the recommendations, of all of the recommendations there are really two that stand out from a homeland security standpoint. and they're particularly anemic in my opinion. >> when you say that the recommendations were weak, but their reasoning, as to why they didn't focus on law enforcement and intelligence was really because they felt this could never really happen, i mean a president wouldn't do that, so now that it has happened, do you think there has been enough of an awakening to the intelligence and law enforcement communities so that when it comes to securing the capitol in the future, that they do have the ability to prevent something like this again from happening?

>> well, i want to push back at that, respectfully to the committee, the statement they made that, before, prior to january 6th, that this was unimaginable, no one could conceive of this, and that is patently false. me and my team, what we call red team, we did a full analysis of the threats that were coming, the threat environment, the threat vectors, a week before january 6th. this has widely been published. and we came up with a scenario that had not only the rioters storming the u.s. capitol but also improvised explosive devices being maced near the capitol to draw law enforcement. this information was widely shared. some of them were at the red team tabletop. so to say that it's unimaginable, i think it smacks in the face of what we do in law enforcement and homeland security, which is we imagine the unimaginable. that's what got us to 9/11, not a failure of imagination. the next part is, the fact that, when i said they let them off the hook, the report says that

relevant oversight committees and watchdogs should continue to find efficiencies and improvements in the recommendations. who is that? that's not even a soft handoff. so where should we look from a homeland security and intelligence standpoint for the next body to come out with definitive action in terms of what happened on january 6th. and it's just not there. and that's what i mean by aniemic. >> thank you very much donell, and danny and julie, and happy holidays to all of you. after a rollercoaster of a day on wall street, thursday, we are keeping a close eye on the stock exchange. right now, it shows the dow up around 140 points, with less than an hour to go before the markets close for the week. as investors continue to worry about a recession sometime next year. joining me now is cnbc senior analyst and commentator ron insana, it has been a bumpy week to say the least, for stocks and i know you're

laughing, but some people may not find it funny. what can we expect? >> well, i think, you know, at this juncture, we still have a federal reserve that is bent on raising interest rates to quell inflation, even though every measure of inflation has been coming down now for several months. the fed is intent on raising rates, as we understand it, at least three more times going into 2023. it is very hard to envision an environment where stocks go up meaningfully while the fed is still raising rates. we just typically don't see that throughout history. so i would expect more rocky volatile activity going into early next year. and i think most people, if they're not exposed to stocks, could probably wait a while to get there or if they are, they can put whatever additional cash they have into safe places like short-term treasury bills and just wait out this environment. >> and there are growing fears, about a recession. do you think that we need to hit a recession in order to even things out and sort of slow inflation? >> no, not at all. and i think if you look at the last five months, inflation has

been falling consistently. when you annualize some of the inflation rates, 2%, 3% rate, so the fed is achieving its objective. i happen to think personally that a recession would be unnecessary. the fed's concern about wage inflation won't be cooled by interest rates. we have literally short people. 5 million more jobs than unemployed americans in this country so that doesn't get solved without comprehensive immigration reform or some way to add to the labor force. so i don't think the recession is necessary. i think it is coming in 2023. all of the indications that we see would point to a recession sometime within the first three to six months of next year. >> i respect you, but i hope you're wrong. >> me, too. me, too. >> a quick holiday question, would you rather be on wall street or main street in 2023? >> i would probably prefer to be somewhere other than either of

those two places. i think it is still going to be a rocky road on wall street and i think it will be a little more bumpy next year than this, on main street, so i think i would find a safe place to hide out and maybe hon lieu, where it will stay -- honolulu, where it will stay warm for the entire year and you can stay past the three or four months of this year in warm weather and probably the best place to hide out. >> that sounds amazing. good time to cash in the credit card points for a flight. >> that's true. >> ron, thank you. happy holidays to you. >> you too. thanks. coming up, we'll go back to capitol hill. where congress just made a last-minute deal to keep the lights on and avoid a government shutdown. we'll tell you what you might have missed in the spending bill. plus, we'll take you to the border, where the humanitarian crisis is worsening. amid plummeting temperatures, and a lack of shelter space. but first, we've got the latest forecast on that winter storm that's threatening to put holiday travel at a standstill. what you need to know next. yout at chewy, you can save on all the gifts you need

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we are back with the latest on that historic winter storm battering the central and eastern u.s. right now more than 1.5 million homes and businesses are without power. as temperatures continue to plummet. and more than 200 million americans, that's about 60% of the population, are under some kind of weather warning. at least four people have died from the storm so far. and authorities say the mix of snow, wind, and record low temperatures are also creating chaos for holiday travelers, grounding planes, and closing highways on one of the busiest travel days of the year. joining us now is nbc's shaquille brewster in benton harbor, michigan, maggie vespa at o'hare international airport in chicago, and we have meteorologist bill karins. shaq, i will start with you, so you can get inside after this report. but you are in southwestern

michigan, where i think you just told our control room it feels like 18 below zero. am i right? that's exactly right. and the reason that is, is because this wind that is whipping around, i want you to look behind me, you can see it a little bit, but there is a building there, there are times in which you cannot see the building at all, that gives you a sign of what happens and why officials are telling people to stay off the road at this point. visibility fades away extremely quickly, even if it is not snowing very heavily. the wind just whips the snow around, and that's what causes what you're seeing on the highways right now. michigan state police saying about ten miles up from us, there was about a nine tractor-trailer pileup there, and they're pleading people to stay off the road until at least 4:00 p.m., they said they have too many cars, too many accidents, that they need to clean up at this point. but again, the threat is not just the snow. we're expecting snow here well into tomorrow. well into the weekend. and that's going to continue, but what we're going to continue

to see, as we get later in this afternoon, are these wind gusts that i'm sure you saw the camera shaking a little bit just now, that continue to pick up the snow and blow it around, and that is really where you get the big threat, as people are trying to travel for the holidays, but again, you have police officials saying now is not the time, wait it out, until at least, at least tomorrow. >> i'm not sure why you would want to venture outside voluntarily and glad you have the ski goggles because that winds can sting. stay warm, friend. maggie, we are seeing ground stops at airports from seattle to new york, and in places like buffalo, and milwaukee, the airports are shut down all together. and boy, buffalo is getting hammered this year. what is the situation in chicago? >> yes, well, here in chicago, nobody is feeling pain like shaq is right now but people here are definitely feeling some kind of pain or stress, as these cancellations and these delays rank up. i want to show you the latest numbers out of flight aware, they're staggering, and close to

4500, close to 4600 flights canceled. more than 6200 delays, domestically, and just today, those numbers are insane. now, a lot of that is because the airlines are pre-emptively canceling flights, and have been, for the last couple of days, knowing the storm was going to roll through. but as you said, we're seeing ground stops at airports across the country, from seattle to phoenix, from memphis, to milwaukee, wisconsin, and seattle in particular, a once in a decade ice storm, causing alaska airlines to ground close to 300 flights. also southwest airlines grounding close to 900 flights and delaying close to 1,300. a huge portion of the inventory. the airlines and the airports are taking this really seriously, and also, asking people, if their flights are canceled, and they know, this is a gut machine wrenching time to have -- gut-wrenching time for the travel hiccup to happen and they should not in case of a canceled flight show up to the airport because the staff here are so overwhelmed with all of the rearranging flights, with helping everyone who is delayed

and worried about making a connection and helping them with their issue, they say they don't have the bandwidth to help people re-book flights face to face and they say it will go much faster and much better results if you go through the apps and the airline website and tied to the flight, as soon as possible. and we know, again, a lot of people down to the zero hour with their holiday plans, wanting to get on the road or on a plane as soon as possible, and obviously the options are dwindling. so tough times here for sure. >> maggie, thanks for that advice and hopefully we won't see too much of a domino effect for this weekend and next week. let's head over to bill karins. and he can give us the details on how the storm is moving, wish it would move away. that doesn't look good. >> everybody wants to have it done with and move on with their lives. areas in new england are watching the front and the winds are not as strong in boston. look at maine coast. 52. everyone has been in the 30 to

40, at times 50 mile-an-hour range and we have so many people without power, from texas through the great lakes, and the buffalo area, the worse with the blizzard conditions, 64 mile per hour wind gusts, about two straight hours reporting zero visibility. i mean usually, it goes down to about a quarter, or an eighth of a mile, and then zero. and that's when you're in an extreme blizzard condition. you can see this band of bride white over the top of buffalo. that's what they're sitting in. we still have areas of snow, through syracuse, and new york state thruway by the way shut down from rochester to buffalo and down along the lakeshore for obvious reasons, because of the blizzard conditions. if you're traveling from state college, southward, philadelphia, southward, most of the roads dried out. and i'm still concerned with areas like new york city and new york city by the way is on or below freezing, about flash freeze, as we go throughout the night. warm earlier, as you head home or walking around tonight, sidewalks, driveways, a lot of slip and falls unfortunately. and wind chills, we've dropped the advisories and oklahoma city

to dallas, and houston to san antonio, but the winds are still pretty cold and pretty gusty and strong at atlanta, charlotte, dc, in the teens right now, and new york, dipping, and burlington, vermont, still one of the warmest spots on the map, and that won't last long either. later on tonight, their temperatures come crashing down. how bad will it be? as far as snow goes, and lake michigan and cleveland to buffalo, that is where we could see the addition of two to three feet. so where do we go from here. it's cold right now. we all know that. and what are we going to look at tomorrow morning. that will be the coldest for you. in central florida. even orlando could get down to 30 degrees. tallahassee, 21. raleigh, 10. atlanta, 10. and then a little bit warmer during the day, christmas eve and christmas morning, and then start recovering. still cold. especially through most of the great lakes. right through christmas day into the beginning of next week. one good piece of news, it does look like much of the country will be above normal, for the new years weekend, with warmer testimonies, no big storms, and so you get through christmas, survive it and have fun for new years. >> that sounds good to me.

and i think skiers will have a few great weeks ahead of them with the temperatures in denver going up and with all of the fresh snow. >> powder and sunshine, right? >> of course. >> just not the wind. >> yes. all right, thanks, bill. next, we'll go back to capitol hill, where congress just averted a government shutdown, with just hours to spare. we've got the latest. plus, what you might have missed in the spending bill. that's coming up after the break. that's coming up after the break. ♪ what will you do? ♪ what will you change? ♪ will you make something better? ♪ will you create something entirely new? ♪ our dell technologies advisors provide you with the tools and expertise you need to do incredible things. because we believe there's an innovator in all of us. (vo) 'tis the season to switch to verizon.

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they customize your car insurance, so you only pay for what you need. contestants ready? go! only pay for what you need. jingle: liberty. liberty. liberty. liberty. an impending government shutdown has been narrowly averted. the house just approved the historic funding bill that is now headed for the president's desk, president biden's desk, massive, 1.7 billion spending, $850 billion for defense, and 770 billion for domestic spending, and it also includes nearly 45 billion in emergency military aid to ukraine. and an update of the electoral counteract, to prevent another january 6th. let's discuss this with nbc's ryan nobles on capitol hill.

and lauren egan, white house reporter for "politico." and brian, i will start with you. how did this vote all come together? and i know the winter storm sort of pushed everybody to act quickly, plus the holiday, obviously, that was part of this collaboration to get it done. >> yes, there is no doubt about that. this was not an easy process for members of congress at all. and any time you're voting on $1.7 trillion spending package, and then you add into the fact that when you have a piece of legislation that has been running up against the end of a congress, you have members just trying to latch on other priorities at the last minute. that's what you saw with the electoral counteract and some other provisions within this bill. it is going to run into some road blocks, and you know, we saw republican members in the senate attempt to try and push through an extension of title 42 in the 11th hour and that required chuck schumer to negotiate a way out of that. but ultimately, they got it done, they got it over the finish line, and they got it to

a point where most of the members of congress could leave before the storm came in. we were talking yesterday how the storm was on one hand, chuck schumer's best friend and worst enemy, because it encouraged the senate to kind of wrap things up, but if it went too long, then everyone would get stuck here and perhaps delay everything. and that wasn't the case. that allowed the house to vote on it today. we should point out that the house is still using proxy voting which means that more than 200 members were not physically present. so that alleviated some of the stress in that regard. and proxy voting is probably going to go away in the new year. so all of those things combined allowed them to avert a government shutdown. this place will be quiet over the holidays. and it is not something we're going to have to worry about. >> title 42 is the big sticking point. >> lauren, i want to turn to you and break down some of the other major items in the bill. 40 billion in disaster aid. legislation to ban tiktok on government phones. a 30% boost in child care spending. and changes to 401 k retirement

accounts. that would allow americans to actually wait until age 75 instead of 72 to start taking out money. now, what is the white house saying about the bill? i'm assuming that the president is standing by before midnight to sign it? >> we actually heard from the president just about an hour ago. he released a written statement, and i'll read you a little bit of what he said. he said the bill is further proof that republicans and democrats can come together to deliver for the american people, who continue to say, i am looking forward to continued bipartisan progress in the year ahead. the white house is really touting this as a big bipartisan way, and they say capping off what has been a productive two years in washington, under the president's leadership. and it is sort of implying, look, congress is about to change when we come back in january. republicans are going to control the house. and they're trying to point back to the accomplishments that president biden and democrats have had over the past two years.

and really hammer home the point that when democrats are in power, look at everything we can get done with you. now, obviously, not everything at the white house and democrats wanted got into this bill, that is just part of legislating, and you have to make compromises, but they did point in that statement to president biden's, the ukraine aid, as well as more money to fund cops, more money for the violence against women act, expanded health care for veterans, things like that. so they are looking at this as a massive legislative win right before the end of the year. >> it was a massive win for them, but let's go over some of the items that were left out. as you mentioned, concessions had to be made. and that included pandemic aid. extension of the enhanced child tax credit. cannabis banking legislation. and additional legislation to fix sentencing disparities between crack and powder cocaine. how disappointed is the white house that these items didn't make it into the bill? and are they going to work in the future to address some of

them? >> yes, i think the expanded child tax credit has to hit particularly hard, considering that was a pandemic era legislation that president biden really championed, and democrats were hoping to see that extended. look, they're not focusing on the negatives right now. they're really trying to focus on the positives. but i imagine that these are going to be achievements that will come up in the next congress, as democrats try to find areas that they can work on with republicans over the next few years. >> okay, lauren egan, thank you so much. and coming up, millions of people are getting together for the holidays. we're going to talk about how you can protect yourself from covid, flu, and rsv. but first, the latest on the humanitarian crisis at the border, as officials were worried about the huge number of migrants crossing into the u.s., and what is happening on the ground, we'll have that when we come back. meco back. verizon. it's your last chance to get our best deal of the year. (scrooge) 'tis?

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we have some news coming in right now, from the white house. with officials confirming president biden just signed a one-week extension of the federal budget, and this means that the government will stay open through december 30th. that larger bill that we've been talking about, the omnibus, is still making its way from capitol hill to the president's desk. now, once the president signs that bill into law, it will fund the government through september of next year. but again, he just signed a one-week extension. and the biden administration is appealing to the supreme court. making their case to strike down title 42. the trump era immigration law that allowed u.s. officials to turn migrants away at the border because of covid. the humanitarian crisis at the border is worse as migrants in texas are sleeping on the street through the ark stick storm and the u.s., as the u.s. prepares

for an in flux of border crossings this week. nbc's guad venegas has the latest for us from texas. >> reporter: a cold morning below freezing temperatures here in el paso, with migrants still sleeping in the streets of downtown, and you can see in the area behind me, some are still under the blankets, some have used cardboard boxes or anything they can to block the wind, and get through this night, with the temperature overnight, dropping to 19 degrees, and with the wind chill, that was even colder. we've been here for hours, speaking to some of the migrants, and now there is a shelter in this area that was able to fit less than 200, and they mainly focused on helping the women and children, and others, especially single men, had to stay out on the sidewalk, and there is a bus that was brought, with a heater of course, for anyone that just couldn't stand the temperatures outside. and some of the guys here told me that overnight, they were checking on each other, and eventually come people who just couldn't handle it anymore

walked over to the bus, and there is a soup here, one of the guys told me that they gave them the soup last night and put it aside to eat it and when he went to get the soup, it froze. and the soup just has been sitting there. that's how cold it is here. the same with a lot of the water that has been given, they're all working here as volunteers. and most of the water is going to be frozing here, as many continue sleeping here on the sidewalk in downtown el paso. and now the city, and the county in el paso, they have open shelters that they're offering to individuals that are asylum seekers that have the proper paperwork. and a lot of the people here tell me that they are not asylum seekers and they did not turn themselves in to border patrol when they entered the united states, so because they don't

have that paperwork, they haven't found a place where they can get shelters. and now, the catholic church here is offering alternative shelters for some of the individuals, but there just isn't enough space. back to you. >> guad venegas, thank you for that report. millions of americans preparing to gather with friends and family for the christmas holiday this weekend. they're facing another impediment. aside from the storm. covid, the flu, and rsv, are all seeing spikes in cases. in recent weeks and there is growing concern that those gathering could spread viruses. cases of covid are up some 40% across the country. and just since thanksgiving some of the what should you know about the triple-demic as we head into the last week of the year? now, dr. annie, from the ucla fielding school of public health, thank you so much for being with us, because this is an incredibly important topic, and i know people would wish this would all go away. but we've seen as these cases

rise, fewer and fewer people wearing masks outside. and inside, but some local leaders are urging people to re-mask. what are some of the best practices of staying safe with others this holiday season? >> thanks for having me, and of course, this is an important topic, as we see people traveling, or trying to travel during this very difficult season. with storms weather and people being very close together some of the what can you do? you can mask if you're indoors and particularly with people in crowds and people that are not familiar to you. the best thing to do to avoid to get any of these respiratory viruses, it makes a difference. and you can wash your hands, and we've talked less about hand washing when it comes to covid, but for rsv, it can be very helpful, for other viruses, and certainly, it's additive, we take this kind of additive approach to staying safe. you can, you know, if you're

going to get together with people, text if you -- test if you can. you can order tests from the government for free, take advantage of that and go online and do that, and before you gather, and the closer to gathering, to better. ventilate if you can. keep those rooms as wide open as you can. that may not be possible for people who are in cold weather, where we have so many people in coating weather, so spread out -- cold weather, so spread out the best you can do. get vaccinated if you haven't been. flu and covid, they're great vaccines available. rsv, there are not. and see your doctor, if you get sick. or call them to be able to help determine what it is you have. >> so i know that wearing the mask is a great way to prevent getting any one of these three viruses, or any cold for that matter, but obviously people have mask fatigue, and we're all tired of thinking about this. do you really think that people are going to take that advice this holiday season and mask indoors? >> well, i think that some

people will, some people won't, and it doesn't have to be an all or nothing scenario. listen, if you're going to be in really crowded areas, it is a great idea to put a mask on and around vulnerable people, you should really consider what you're going to be doing, what you're not going to be doing, and who you will be around and who you might expose, and tailor your prevention methods to that. it's going to be very important to be able to reduce the spread of viruses. we know this has a snow ball effect, we can end up impacting the hospital system and we can send people, make people very sick that are vulnerable, and so do the best you can, do it as often as you can, and use as many of these tools as you can at this time. >> use discretion and some common sense. and you know, i think one of the most confusing things this year is that these three viruses look very similar, you have covid, the flu, and rsv. how do you determine between the

symptoms and then what's the next step? i know you mentioned testing. but a lot of people are putting this off, well, i'll suffer through it. i mean what is your advice for differentiating between the symptoms? >> well, all three of these viruses, and also the common cold, have a lot of similarities. a lot of overlap. so we can say with some of the general guidelines, it can be that you have wheezing with rsv, you may have a very sudden onset with influenza and you might lose taste and smell with covid but so much overlap between them, if you're unwell, you can be tested with a home test for covid and get tested at an urgent care center for rsv and for influenza, influenza much more easily, and if you do end up with covid, or with flu, we have antivirals, we have

paxlovid for covid, and tamiflu for the flu, and i think the key is, don't assume you have something. go and get medical advice. and try and narrow it down by testing. >> one of the easiest tasks, i have three kids and they never like a strep test but those cases are going up. what are the fears about this surge and when do you think that strep throat will peak? >> well, strep throat has usually, usually has a peak sometime between december and april, and so we are really just starting to see the beginning of this. you know, we are seeing some of these invasive cases, which are worrisome, we've seen a warning from the cdc, from the world health organization, these invasive strep cases are rare, but we're seeing more than we normally do. so people should keep an eye out for that as well.

but also important to remember, you know, we can also avoid any of these respiratory path gens and a lot of these path gens in general by masking and hand washing and ventilation, and they work for all of these viruses really well some of the it is not just that you're preventing getting covid, you're very likely preventing getting some of these other things, and preserving the holidays to enjoy and spread cheer instead of illness. >> let's all stay healthy the next few days as we celebrate the holidays. thank you so much. and still ahead, we told you about a lot of bad news throughout the year. but there was some good news, and that fell under the radar and it shouldn't be under the radar, so our teams got a closer look at what you might miss. that's next. look at what you might miss. that's next. the eat fresh® refresh just won't stop! now, subway® is refreshing their catering with easy-order platters and lunchboxes perfect for any party. pool parties... tailgates... holiday parties... even retirement parties. man, i love parties. subway keeps refreshing and refreshing with powerful, easy-to-use tools

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for the gifts that keep on giving. because while they don't understand why you'd ever leave the house like this... they'll happily hold down the fort while you're gone. great prices. happy pets. chewy. it is no secret, there has been a lot of upsetting news in 2022, from the war in ukraine to mass shootings here at home. even a triple-demic that could threaten the holidays. but a lot of positive news happened.

we have a look back at the good stuff you might have missed. so much to celebrate. ♪ ♪ like when the whole school surprised this student in michigan, singing his favorite song, the national anthem. [ cheers and applause ] ♪ ♪ >> reporter: in houston, tears of joy from two brothers surprised with a newly remodeled house. their community rebuilding after the boys lost both parents. when you walked in the house a month ago, what did you think, joanne? >> i didn't think. just the people who do all this stuff -- >> there are heroes among us. when your kid has differences, you just want them to be

accepted. >> the man who travelled from england. >> we bonded right away. it's hard to describe to meet the person that is responsible for you still being here. >> reporter: the first responders who put on this parade for a little boy with leukemia. >> that moment of happiness was like pure joy for us. >> the police department, who took the girl to kindergarten, a tribute to her late father who was on the force. >> they honored educators. >> she is my favorite teacher ever. i love you. >> reporter: capturing the emotional moment when she spotted a teacher she hadn't seen in more than 30 years. >> one of the things we're going

to focus on today is gratitude. >> reporter: in new mexico, this teacher inspiring her class to express gratitude to those who helped them. >> i'm thankful for all you do. with all my love to your granddaughter. we love you. >> reporter: resulting in hug after hug after emotional hug. >> i got in! >> reporter: we were there for when the hard work paid off. >> reporter: following in her father's footsteps, becoming an army officer. >> when i raised my hand to salute, i lost all military bearing and i just pulled her to me. i just wanted to hold her. >> reporter: women in the military, making sacrifices for their family. this military mom travelled from overseas to surprise her son.

>> when a world war ii veteran got a trip to see his beloved buffalo bills. >> i can't believe all this is for me. >> reporter: the minnesota scout who got a monument to veterans built in his town. >> on new york's long island, these teens left their own high school graduation to help fight a fire. >> i'm definitely leaving without any hesitation. i'm out of here. ♪ ♪ >> reporter: and the young ukrainian flyer that came to new york, bringing grand central terminal to a standstill. ♪ ♪ with hope for the year ahead. ♪ ♪

♪ ♪ [ applause ] >> it can be difficult, but we have to remind ourselves that there is so much good in the world, and there is no better way to end the show going into the christmas holiday. our thanks to jose and kate for that report. that wraps up two busy hours here on nbc. "the beat" starts after this quick break. ick break. (vo) 'tis the season to switch to verizon.

it's your last chance to get our best deal of the year. (scrooge) 'tis? (cecily) 'tis! (vo) this holiday season verizon gives you the new iphone 14 pro that's in stock now. plus apple watch se, ipad and beats fit pro. all on us. don't miss out. verizon.

amazing. jerry, you've got to see this. seen it. trust me, after 15 walks it gets a little old. [golf ball bounces off rover] [ding] ugh.

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