ann thompson is in new york's time square where a smaller than usual crowd watched the ball drop. good morning, happy new year to you. >> happy new year to you too. all is quiet here in times square. yes, celebrations were muted but here and across the globe people happily looked forward. from the cross roads of the world and around it, revelers welcomed the new year. >> with this crazy new year we have, i think it's good to bring in a new year. >> there were plenty of fireworks, the usual hats and glasses, kisses and wishes. >> so excited. been my dream since i was 8 years old. >> but the crowds, in some places there were none at all. in others they were sparse. new york's time square limited to 15,000 people. proof of vaccination and masks required. >> crazy. but crazy fun. >> reporter: london and paris canceling their new year's eve events over covid concerns. but las vegas lit up the night, as did sydney. los angeles' celebration moving mostly online as covid-19 cases continue to rise. atlanta scrapping them altogether. omicron infections spell trouble for the brand new year,

anne thompson, nbc news >>> up next for us tonight, the off-the-court tennis drama. a second star now denied entry down under. >>> there is new drama in australia where the world's top tennis player has been joined in quarantine by another star after their visas were canceled over their vaccination status here's miguel almaguer >> reporter: tonight the world's number one tennis player novak djokovic has a new partner as the embattled superstar sits center court in the middle of controversy. czech officials now confirm renata voracova was also detained by the always train y'all border force for failing to comply with the country's strict vaccination requirements and is being housed in the same detention center, this hotel as djokovic as protesters demand djokovic's release so he can play in the australian open, authorities say renata voracova plans to get home while djokovic will go to court monday in hopes of getting on the court next week. >> mr. djokovic is not being held captive in australia. he is free to leave at any time that he chooses to do so. >> reporter: a

with more, here's anne thompson. >> reporter: at strip malls, urban store fronts, even trailers. the center for covid control set up more than 300 testing sites in least 29 states tonight all of them are just down and the company is under investigation by the federal agency that oversees medicare and medicaid >> we're here doing free covid testing monday through friday from 8:00 a.m. until 7:00 no insurance needed. >> reporter: there are growing questions about the pop-up site business practices spurred by business complaints like kelly fisher. >> it was the pop-up tent in the parking lot of a mini mart >> reporter: she got a test before going on a trip with college friends in september. >> i wanted the results in 24 to 48 hours and i got them a week later so by the time i received them, they were useless. >> reporter: now fisher wonders why they needed her insurance information and a photo of her driver's license the center for covid control is an illinois-based company. its ceo is 29-year-old aleya siyaj, whose previous businesses include an axe throwing lounge and a doughnut s

i'm anne thompson in grand central station. now back to you. >> a lot to keep up with, anne thank you. >>> the holiday break is over for teachers, school staff and children who are set to restart classes today. while most will return to in-person learning, many are going back virtually children nationwide prepare for back to school amid an omicron surge. >> i'm nervous to send them back monday >> reporter: macleveland, neward others goingh the time testing instead of going remote. delaying classes until wednesday in d.c and in massachusetts, the national guard handing out tests to families ahead of their return but parts worry, with the testing backlog, the results will not come in time. in chicago, video of a testing drop box overflowing, now sparking concern and while the biden administration has vowed to help, increasing the supply of at-home tests, it won't come in time for many. even colleges and universities delaying their return, with at least 70 schools going remote as the semester starts. >> i still believe very firmly

critical staffing shortage no word on when a reopening date will actually happen here's nbc's anne thompson >> reporter: new year, new rush for at-home covid tests. >> how are you happy new year. >> reporter: cars lined up in connecticut for one per household. others waited in long lines over the holiday weekend to be tested as the omicron variant surges. while omicron's infection may be less severe, because it spreads so fast and infects so many, it's already straining a health care system struggling to treat the unvaccinated. >> even if you have a less of a percentage of severity, when you have multi-multi-multi-people getting infected, the net amount is you're still going to get a lot of people that are going to be needing hospitalization, and that's the reason why we're concerned about stressing and straining the hospital system. >> reporter: as for the much criticized and shortened five-day isolation period for people who test positive, fauci says there could soon be a new requirement. >> there has been some concern about why we don't ask people at this five-day period to get tested th

challenges that consumers say left them without the results needed to protect themselves anne thompson, nbc news >>> there is trouble tonight at peloton the company has stopped production of its bikes and treadmills for now after a pandemic boom. peloton said it misjudged demand for its exercise equipment. our jake ward has more. >> reporter: tonight peloton's stock plunging to a 52-week low after reports that the company will stop making its bike and treadmill products according to an internal document obtained by cnbc, the company misjudged how many people would buy its products and it's sitting on more inventory than it needs. at the same time, americans are returning to gyms and seeing similar products into the market. >> in a confidential presentation, the company said demand for its equipment has taken a significant drop due to price sensitivity and increasing competition. >> reporter: this following a report citing sec filings that company executives and insiders sold some of nearly half a billion in stock in a pre-scheduled selling program before the share price fell 80% from l

i want oh get to ann thompson who is following this for us. ann, again, we just heard from officials a few minutes ago. what else did we find out about this fire? >> well, this a a building that has two apartments, craig. there is a lower unit and an upper unit. and fire officials said that the fire they found heavy fire this morning in the kitchen area of the upper unit. and that is on the second floor of this building. and that fire was near a stairwell, and that fire went up and down that stairwell. that's how it spread so quickly. they said they had no problem getting to people. the problem was the fire just moved so fast and was so strong. there were four smoke detecters in this building. none of them worked. there were also 26 people in the building. and as fire officials said, that's a lot of people to be in a duplex. eight people in the lower unit. 18 people in the upper unit. as you said, seven children are among the 13 people who are dead. another child was taken to the hospital along with another adult. fire officials said -- say tha

with me now is nbc news correspondent, anne thompson. anne, good morning.do we know about what happened in philadelphia this morning? >> good morning, jose. the philadelphia fire department says that this fire happened just after 6:30 a.m. and when they got there, they found the second story of this three-story row house engulfed in flames and it took them some 50 minutes to put out the fire. as you reported, our affiliate in philadelphia says its sources say that 13 people were killed in this fire. two people are in critically condition. now, this fire happened in the fairmount neighborhood of philadelphia. that's close to the philadelphia art museum. we don't know what the cause is. you can see there that there are fire trucks on the scene on north 23rd street, on the street where this fire took place. but it appears that this fire happened in a three-story row house, started on the second floor, at least that was the heart of this fire. and at this hour, we are waiting official confirmation that 13 people died and two were critically injured. jose? >> wh

nbc news correspondent anne thompson is live in times square, and ali aruzi is live in london. anne, good morning, happy new year. much smaller crowd in times square than usual. did everything go smoothly? >> it did, lindsey, and happy new year to you too, it was a festive fight in times square but certainly quieter than usual. as you mentioned only 15,000 people were allowed to come to times square, the cross roads of the world, to party, and to do that they had to show proof of vaccination and wear a mask, but that didn't stop those who wanted to celebrate. >> it looks like a huge party on tv. so we had to join. >> i'm so excited. it's been my dream since i was 8 years old. it's like a dream come true. >> we're definitely going to get tested. got our vaccines. we're keeping our mask on, doing what we can. >> reporter: now, of course, the threat of covid was ever present over this celebration. the omicron variant driving case records or case levels to new records here, both in new york city and new york state, and this morning, on the first day of the new year, new york city fa

one of the largest police departments in the country and forcing some schools to go remote again anne thompson has all that >> reporter: with the start of 2022, the nation hopes to turn the page on covid. but in many places today, it is more of the same this drive-up testing site in raleigh, north carolina, busy on a holiday. >> just to be safe i'll probably stay isolated until i get a negative result. >> reporter: a soggy wait in new york city for tests that could take up to seven days for results. as kids, travelers, and workers seek answers to, do i have covid? >> we have seen shortages in the travel industry. we have seen shortages in the health care industry caused by omicron. can we anticipate this to ripple across the economy? >> i think so. because this variant, omicron, is causing so many cases simultaneously, it has the ability to make it so that we can't actually staff the things we need to do. >> reporter: in new york city, 21% of the police force is out sick now with the cdc reporting high community transmission in every state - >> i want to go back to school. >> reporter: return

. >> ann thompson visits the campus of notre dame where the legendary jerome bettis where the bus hasurned 30 years after leaving school early. but first, your local news if you're always asking, "where next?" capital one has a new class of travel card for you. venture x. earn 10x miles on hotels and 5x miles on flights booked through capital one travel. venture x. what's in your wallet? ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪ whatever the morning brings, sip your sunshine! with 100% vitamin c, tropicana. such tree-mendous views. i'm at a moss for words. whatever the morning brings, sip your sunshine! when a cough tries to steal dad's punchlines, he takes robitussin naturals powered by 100% drug-free ingredients. are you gonna leaf me hanging? soothe your cough naturally. what if smartphones were more than just smart? the all new google pixel 6 truly sees you. not a blurry face. and for things you don't want to see, it removes them instantly with magic eraser. on our most advanced and inclusive smartphone camera yet. live translate speaks your language and hers. it's the phone that understands we're all different. g

>> ann thompson for us this morning.>>> coming up next, the hard hit cruise industry struggling again. >> with cases reported on nearly every ship, should they be sailing and why are people still booking vacations? kerry sanders has more after this , with her citi custom ℠ card, rashida earns cash back that automatically adjusts to where her spending is trending. just ask overly confident diy rashida... wait, was this the right wall? ...or last-minute gift shopping rashida... i'm putting a bow on it! wow... ...even sneaking away for a vacay rashida. shhh! i've earned this, okay? earn 5% cash back in your top eligible spend category, up to $500 spent each billing cycle. with the citi custom℠ card. we hit the bike trails every weekend shinges doesn't care. i grow all my own vegetables shingles doesn't care. we've still got the best moves you've ever seen good for you, but shingles doesn't care. because 1 in 3 people will get shingles, you need protection. but, no matter how healthy you feel, your immune system declines as

msnbc's anne thompson in times square with a look at how the world welcomed 2022 and happy new year. >> happy new year to you too and all is quiet here in times square after people gathered to ring in the new year 2022. yes, it was a quieter celebration than normal, but here and across the globe, people happily looked forward. plenty. >> i was 8 years old. >> the crowds in some places, there were none at all. in others, they were sparse. cancelling over covid concerns and las vegas moving mostly online as covid-19 cases continue to rise. atlanta scrapping them all together. omicron infections spell trouble for this brand-new year. nearly 600,000 covid cases nationwide in just 24 hours. a new record for the second day in a row. testing centers are overwhelmed. >> it's getting super annoying. >> reporter: those trying to get back home facing daunting travel theys. >> i just want to get them. >> reporter: on friday alone, more than 3,000 flights cancelled and more than 11,000 delayed. jessie writes, family was supposed to be on one of those planes, forced to change airports after a last

celebrities and adoring fans have been honoring him as a true trailblazer on and off the screen anne thompsonwore dignity as elegantly as he wore a tuxedo. sidney poitier over the weekend, his star blanketed with flowers, remembered this morning by the living stars whose trails he blazed denzel washington, michael b. jordan, viola davis, morgan freeman tweeting my inspiration, my guiding light, my friend. oprah winfrey dedicated her network's programming sunday to the man she called wisdom teacher. >> you will call me sir. >> reporter: his career marked by a simmering rage at racism. on screen -- >> they call me mr. tibbs. >> reporter: and off -- >> i am artist, man, american, contemporary, contemporary, i am an awful lot of things, so i wish you would pay me the respect due >> reporter: fighting for civil rights with harry belafonte, who called him my brother and partner in trying to make this world a little better. the son of tomato farmers who could barely read when he arrived in new york became a kennedy center honoree, and received the presidential medal of freedom president obama praise

nbc news correspondent anne thompson has more tonight. >> reporter: the pop up testing operations centerd control a familiar sight in 29 states tonight facing a pile up of legal troubles. colorado now joining illinois and oregon in investigating the business. >> they are misleading people, endangering people, and undermining our response to the pandemic. >> reporter: minnesota is suing the center and its lab. doctors clinical laboratory. accusing them of giving test results with inaccurate and false information. >> the problem is fraud, misinformation, no information. >> sheila berry was so suspicious of the philadelphia site she went to she took pictures. did you administer the test yourself? >> yes. >> then once you did the test, did they write your name down on the test tube? >> no. >> reporter: in a scathing report federal inspectors found a laundry list of problems with the illinois based operation including tests read too late and tests with no patient names. still the center's lab billed the federal government for more than $122 million and in november the center ceo bought this $

nbc's anne thompson has the story. >> reporter: the bus is back in school. didn't think about that. >> 27 years after he earned that nickname, he is here to finish his business degree, more than twice the age of his fellow student. what is it like to be back in school at age 49? >>s so strange because i am so behind the times. i'm a dinosaur. i don't know where eng anything is. i'm struggling with the technology. >> they take notes on an ipad. he use aspen and gaetz lost in new buildings. but some things are familiar like the frigid january weather. jerome, where are your gloves? >> i left my gloves -- >> reporter: four courses from graduation, bettis is just another senior. sort of. >> everyone kind of know who's the bus, is especially notre dame. >> reporter: bettis left his junior year for the nfl, a 1993 first round draft pick. he became a power-running eye conwith the pittsburgh steelers. a six-time pro buehler, walter peyton man of the year, super bowl champion, but not a college graduate. why is it so important for you to get that degree? >> one, that

msnbc's anne thompson in times square with a look at how the world welcomed 2022 and happy new year.

natalie azar and anne thompson joins us with more on her announcement good morning. >> for most of herer the two handed back hand, and tied our ponytails with ribbons on the tennis courts we followed her incredible athletic career, the ups and downs of her life, and now chris evert is showing us again this time how to get ahead of the deadly opponent, cancer, with early detection. evert the pressure player, 18 time grand slams singles champion, chris evert on tv to cover the australian open last night. >> it was a debacle. >> after news she has early stage ovarian cancer cut across social media this weekend with the ferocity of one of her ground strokes. >> ovarian cancer is insidious, and it's a very sneaky cancer. >> evert tweeted the news and asked for chris mckendry to help tell it. >> why did chris want to share her story? >> she wants to help people. she very much understands her platform. >> evert says doctors caught it early. it is stage 1c. >> i actually had my chemo last monday you know, it's rough for three or four days. >> she says she expects positive results from her chem

joining me leigh ann caldwell and the issue of that defense was something in the letter that essentially benny thompson, nuthing to do with sean hannity the public figure, everything to do with sean hannity the guy who was texting mark meadows behind the scenes and on the record. correct? >> that's absolutely right. the letter also said no executive privilege conversations that could be applied to these conversations between the former president and sean hannity. but what we learned from this latest request, note it's not a subpoena yet. a request for sean hannity to cooperate and come talk to the committee is that sean hannity had concerns as early as december 31st in a text to mark meadows, the former chief of staff, saying he was concerned about what the former president was doing and leading up to january 6th. and on january 5th he said he was he was concerned in a text message about the next 48 hours. the committee, obviously, thinks that sean hannity will have pertinent information considering he not only spoke to the former white house chief of staff and also most likely to the former president,

ann, thank you for now. i want to turn now to the january 6th investigative committee, saying members expect to ask former vice president mike pence to voluntarily appear before the panel. committee chair bennie thompsonouncing the formal invitation could come before the end of this month as the investigation moves into a new phase, taking a closer look at donald trump's inner circle and new public requests for voluntary testimony. nbc's julie tsirkin is on capitol hill for us following the story. julie, it's good to see you. the former vice president's testimony, obviously incredibly crucial here. are we expecting him to turn down this request? how likely is it, a subpoena from the committee could happen? >> reporter: well, yasmin, i'll tell you, just on thursday, the one-year anniversary of the january 6th attack on the capitol, i asked senator -- excuse me, chairman bennie thompson whether he has been in touch with the vice president's team or not. the committee plans to decide this month whether they will extend an invitation to the former vice president. now, we don't know whether that will come in the form of subpoena. they're hoping it will be voluntarily. remember, his role is central to the i

committee chair benny thompson saying members of congress did, in fact, interact with some of the rioters but it's unclear how big of a deal it was. let's bring in leigh ann hill, also jake sherman. the investigation is going public what can they expect? >> reporter: the two vice chairs of the committee fanned the sunday shows over the weekend. we're starting to get a better picture of what they're interested in and where this investigation to go. we know based on those interviews that the vice chairs and the committee is extremely interested in the 187 minutes, that's three hours and seven minutes that the former president did nothing while the violence was under way here at the capitol. now, is that going to be -- lead to a criminal referral to the department of justice? the two vice chairs wouldn't say just yet, but they did say, especially representative liz cheney, said that it was absolutely a dereliction of duty. let's listen to what she said. >> there's absolutely no question that it was a dereliction of duty and i think one of the things the committee needs to look at as we're looking at a legislative purpose is whether we need enhanced penalties

ann hagler. support for “american insurrection” is provided by the wnet group's “exploring hate” initiative, with prinicipal support by the following: and additional major funding from: with additional support from: >> a.c. thompson1. washington's streets are quiet, tense. soldiers stand watch around the perimeter of the u.s. capitol. inside, the halls are deserted. new members of congress should be settling into their offices. but instead, furniture is stacked in doorways. it's hard to believe that just yesterday, these halls were flooded with pro-trump rioters and that today, four people are dead. this is how the trump presidency ends. it's shocking. yet there had also been warning signs. i wonder, what form will these violent energies take now? to find an answer, i feel like i have to go back to the beginning. ♪ ♪ if the trump presidency ended with an insurrection at the capitol, for me, it began here, in charlottesville, virginia, waiting on a darkened campus for the torches to arrive. >> (chanting): you will not replace us! you will not replace us! >> thompson: i'd been reporting on the rise in hate crimes and america's resurgent white supremacist movement. and that led me here. >> you will not replace us! y