agreement on their placement on the territory of a glass, specially equipped boeing, called the fedex panda express, delivered the animals to china on a nineteen-hour flight, after a health check, the bears were sent to wolong national nature reserve. diplomatic tension between beijing and washington may be complicating efforts to bring giant pandas to american zoos. negotiations to renew or extend the agreement have failed and the bear's departure from the national zoo means the only giant pandas remaining in america are at zoo atlanta, with the agreement set to expire at the end of next year. a real tragedy for lovers of bamboo bears. from jack dawson to the wolf of wall street, heroic ranges are unwritten when this cinematic perfectionist enters the frame. with thanks to the light hand of james kamerin, the actor became the star of the class after the duet skei. footprint in the titanic at just 23 years old. he left the lyrical romantic in the image of a serious dramatic hero, the initials of the guys from lei, caressed by hollywood royalties, adorn the final credits of the standard shutter isla

a specially equipped boeing, called the fedex panda express, delivered the animals to china on a nineteen-hour flight. after a health check, the bears were sent to wolong national nature reserve. diplomatic tensions between beijing and washington could complicate efforts to bring giant pandas to american zoos. negotiations to renew or extend the agreement have failed, and bear's departure from the national zoo means the only giant pandas left in america are at zoo atlanta, with the agreement set to expire at the end of next year. a real tragedy for lovers of bamboo bears. from jack dawsen to the wolf of wall street, heroic ranges are unwritten when in this film perfectionist hits the frame. with the light hand of james kamerin. the actor became a star of the class after the duet of skate winslit in titanic at just 23 years old. he left the lyrical romantic in the image of a serious dramatic hero, the initials of the guy from ley, caressed by hollywood royalties, adorn the final credits of the standard shutter island, jang the liberated great gatsby, the science-fiction beginning. he sang with

all three, loaded onto a fedex panda express plane complete with 255 pounds of food for their 19-hour flight home. >> giant pandas belong to china. giant pandas also belong to the world. >> reporter: their departure comes amidstrained u.s.-china relations. the agreement expired this year. the last four in america at the atlanta zoo are set to return next year. >> i cannot imagine the national zoo, i cannot imagine washington, d.c. without giant pandas, and i will do everything i can to bring them back. >> reporter: hoping that good-bye isn't forever. tom costel loerlo, nbc news. >>> it looks like rain coats for the south. angie lassman is here tracking that for us. good morning, angie. >> rain coats, umbrellas, all going to be needed for the southern plains. that's where we're seeing moisture working in just across the border from mexico to texas, del rio to presidio. and we're going to see that moisture become more enhanced and move across portions of the southern plains and tennessee valley by the later parts of today. it's going to be unsettled but beneficial. we really do need thi

crates made of steel and plexiglass, and later loaded into a boeing 777 cargo plane dubbed the "fedex panda expressengdu, china, which is the panda hub. the programme dates back to the nixon administration. at its peak, there were 15 pandas in the united states. today, with the return of these three, there are nowjust four left, in atlanta. this is what the director of the smithsonian national zoo said in her parting words. we have been with mei xiang and tian tian for more than two decades and celebrating the joy of all of their cubs — tai shan, bao bao, bei bei and now xiao qiji. it is a moment with some heartbreak in it, but it is also a moment ofjoy because we are celebrating the success of the world's longest—running conservation programme for a single species. in the more than 50 years that we have been working with these animals, giant pandas have been moved off the endangered species list. expensive stuff, how much it costs for a pair of pandas? half a million to discount for cobs. that's extraordinary, right? this is desperate news resume goers but what does this say about the political di

a fedex panda express plane is this morning ready for the 19-hour flight.ne, and pears. animal keeper mary lally will make the trip with them. >> the bears sleep for most of the flight. that's what we're anticipating. but pandas have to eat for 16 hours a day. >> reporter: their return part of an agreement signed back in 2000. though it does come amid heightened tension between the u.s. and china. but for the zoo's staff, which just held an emotional nine-day farewell celebration dubbed panda palooza, this is the morning they have long dreaded. >> i just -- i'm going to be a mess. i will be a puddle of tears on that day because i know these animals, i know them as individuals, they mean so much to me. >> reporter: lori thompson is the assistant curator. >> we spent so much time with the pandas, holidays and, you know, every day we're here, and so it is a little bit heart breaking to not have them here. >> reporter: as one native washingtonian said, it feels like a family member is leaving forever. so, this is a sad morning in washington. a lot of folks thou

. >> the pandas will leave on a special fedex flight called the panda express and will travel with 300s of bamboo to munch on workers say the sendoff will be emotional for both the people and the animals. >> if you did not trust us and we didn't build that relationship with him, we would not be nearly as successful as we have been. >> only four pandas will remain in the us. those are at the atlanta zoo and their agreement with china expires next year. as for us chinese relations, president biden and china's president will meet at an economic summit in san francisco next week. rhiannon andrew, maybe they can work something out. >> maybe. >> they're so cute. >> so cute. >> couldn't bear to say goodbye. >> oh, that's a good one. here's some fun facts. well, the pandas in san diego and memphis have already been returned to china. you heard her say there are four left in atlanta. that agreement is up next year. but here's an interesting fact. on average, they go number 240 times a day. >> they also sometimes do handstands when they pee. that's true. we are a unique law firm that only repres

a fedex panda express train is ready for the flight.. 80 pounds of bamboo, butternut squash, sugar cane and pears. the animal keeper will make the trip with them. >> generally the bears sleep for most of the flight. so that is what we are anticipating. but pandas do eat 16 hours a day. >> reporter: the agreement signed in 2000. but for the zoo staff, which just held an emotional nine-day farewell celebration dubbed pandapalooza, this is the morning they have long dreaded. >> i'm going to be a mess. i will be a puddle of tears on that day because i know these animals. i know them as individuals. they mean so much to me. >> laurie thompson is the assistant curator. >> we spend so much time with the pandas, holidays, and every day we're here. it is heart-breaking to not have them here. >> reporter: as one washington resident said, it feels like a family member is leaving forever. >> oh, my gosh. so a sad day here at the zoo, and also a culmination that has worked very well and they are trying to bring back the pandas. they were endangered

. >> the pandas will leave on a special fedex flight called the panda express and will travel with 300unch on workers say the sendoff will be emotional for both the people and the animals. >> if he did not trust us and we didn't build that relationship with him, we would not be nearly as successful as we have been. >> only four pandas will remain in the us. those are at the atlanta zoo and their agreement with china expires next year. as for us chinese relations, president biden and china's president will meet at an economic summit in san francisco next week. rhiannon andrew all right, katrina, thank you. >> coming up, the new sexiest man alive. >> plus, one deer's incredible >> plus, one deer's incredible leap of faith ♪ ♪ ♪ we're building a better postal service. for more on-time deliveries. and easier, affordable ways to ship. so you can deliver even more holiday joy. the united states postal service. delivering for america. that grimy film on your teeth? dr. g? it's actually the buildup of plaque bacteria which can cause cavities. most toothpastes quit working in minutes. but crest

panda diplomacy. >>> most popular residents in washington are shipped to china by fedex. dubbed the panda express perhaps the end of what has been known as panda diplomacy. david culver explains. >> reporter: for weeks visit ors in washington have stopped by to say good-bye. >> i want to see them before they leave. >> reporter: the three giant pandas are now headed to china. zoo staff call it a hiatus in the program, but chinese officials won't say for sure if the pan takesdas will be back. why does it matter? there are more pressing issues. but as we track where pandas are going, you get a better tter sef the new world order. these cuddly creatures uses for major diplomatic needs especially in places where it hopes to gain. but china says its focus is on conservation and research. >> president nixon 's visit. >> reporter: -- it kicked off in 1972. mao tse-tung gifted two pandas to the u.s. and seeing their popularity rise amongst americans, china sent more pandas to other zoos eventually loaning instead of gifting them, sometimes up to half a million per year. at its height, there were 15 in the

it's a special fedex plane named the panda express that will fly 19 hours to china with a quick stophe plane is loaded with several hundred pounds of bamboo. at the helm is the pilot. what is your favorite part? >> just the fact that i get to be part of the panda shipment. it's a true honor. we take great pride in flying these loveable bears back to their homeland. >> reporter: the zoo says maybe some day we could see pandas here in d.c. once more. >> i can't imagine washington, d.c. without giant pandas. the program has been successful. our relationships are so good with the scientists. i cannot imagine the u.s. without them. i'm looking forward to the moment when we welcome them back. >> reporter: here's hoping as the entire d.c. area marks the end after era and says good-bye to the pandas we've all known and loved for so long. >> our thanks to amy cho for that report. i mean i mean, it is a bummer i mean, it is a bummer >> she said when, not if ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ the home you've always dreamed of is a blue bag away. shop new lower prices at ikea. ♪♪ >>> breaking right now at 5:00, an overni

the three pandas riding on a fedex plane they're calling the giant panda express.perts along with 220 pounds of fresh bamboo onboard. the national zoo's panda program ending for now. the only pandas now in the u.s., at zoo atlanta. >>> when we come back here tonight, the sun had gone down. the one runner at the new york city marathon, tearing streaming down her face. let's help celebrate her, in a moment. i've struggled with generalized myasthenia gravis. but the picture started changing when i started on vyvgart. vyvgart is for adults with generalized myasthenia gravis who are anti-achr antibody positive. in a clinical trial, vyvgart significantly improved most participants' ability to do daily activities when added to their current gmg treatment. most participants taking vyvgart also had less muscle weakness. and your vyvgart treatment schedule is designed just for you. in a clinical study, the most common side effects included urinary and respiratory tract infections, and headache. vyvgart may increase the risk of infection. tell your doctor if you have a histor

the pandas are leaving on a special fedex flight called the panda express.will travel with 300 pounds of bamboo that they can munch on. they arrived at the national zoo in 2000. they were only supposed to be on loan from china for ten years. but the agreement was renewed three times in 2020. a panda baby boy was born there, but unfortunately, the efforts to renew the agreement failed again . experts say it's a sign of worsening relations between the us and china. pandas are no longer considered an endangered species. as with the giant panda population now growing. zoo workers say that's partly because of their work here. >> he doesn't flinch when they put the needle in. he also gets voluntary blood pressure readings. the cuff goes right around his arm, inflates, deflates. he's also had abdominal ultrasounds, cardiac ultrasounds, and he's also had x rays done on his chest only for pandas will remain in the us. >> those are at the atlanta zoo and their agreement with china expires next year. richie, did you ever get to see loon? loon yang yang in d.c? yeah, no

they were chipped by fedex on a plane dubbed the panda express. it's a sign of the escalating tensions and the end of what's been known as panda diplomacy. david culver has details. for weeks, visitors at the national zoo in washington, have stopped by to say good-bye. >> i want to see them before they leave. the zoo's three giant pandas headed to china. zoo staff called this a hiatus in the wildly popular panda program. but chinese officials will not say if the pandas will be back. you might wonder why this matters. there's more pressing issues between the u.s. and china p. as we look deeper, where pandas are leaving and going, you get a better sense of the new world order that china is hoping to craft. the cuddly creatures, used for china's diplomatic and political needs, in places it hopes to gain. but its focus is on conservation and research. the panda diplomacy kicked off in 1972. chairman mao gifted two pandas to the u.s. seeing the popularity rise, china sent more pandas, loaning instead of gifting them. at its height, there were 15 pandas

pandas are on their way back to china. fedex is carrying the precious cargo back to their homeland on the panda express.0, china leased two pandas to the u.s. tian tian and mei xiang. the contract has ended. while at the zoo, one of the pandas had a cub, so this morning three pandas boarded the panda express for a 19-hour flight back to china. the pandas are traveling to a preserve in the mountains in china. >> you said really it's called the panda express? >> panda express. that's actually really clever. >> i'm getting hungry. >> final word for you. >> we are starting it off here with mostly clear skies, clouds by the afternoon, spotty chance of rain on friday morning. dry this weekend and then that rain next week. >> thanks for joining we are and we are your bargain bliss market. what is bargain bliss? you know that feeling you get when you find the name brands you love, but for way, way less? that's bargain bliss. this thanksgiving, we're giving you even more reasons to celebrate. we are offering you $21 off a jennie-o frozen turkey with in-store discount. that's as low as $0.50 a pound. so why wait?

the smithsonian national zoo and panda lovers said their emotional good bye as the beloved bears left washington, d.c. headed to china aboard a fedex called the panda expresse zoo will be without pandas, which have been a fixture there since 1972 when china gifted two pandas to the national zoo as a gesture of goodwill during president nixon's administration. while the zoo is hopeful pandas can return to the u.s. soon, there's been no word from chinese officials on a renewed lease. as it stands, there are only four pandas that remain in the u.s., two adults and two cubs. at zoo atlanta. they're set to return to china some time next year. >>> hollywood actors are headed back to work. sag-aftra announced a tentative agreement with major tv and movie studios that could mark the end of a historic 118-day strike the deal comes over a month after hollywood writers ended their strike. details of the agreement weren't immediately released. actors have been calling for similar demands like better pay, bigger cut of streaming profits and safeguards against artificial intelligence in the industry. still ahead, peter baker of "the new york times" will join us with his

they will be making the 7,000-mile trip on board a fedex plane, fittingly known as the panda express.on biology institute in shangdu. >> we've been here three times. this is our third time in the last month. enjoying them. >> i want to come 100 times. >> reporter: pandas first arrived in 1972 during president nixon's visit to china that year. the first lady mentioned her fondness for the animal. two months later china sent two pandas as a gesture of friendship. 50 years on, some speculate the present day pandas are being recalled because of increasing tension between the two nations. the zoo officials say that's not true. >> there are absolutely no politics involved in this at all. we really are returning these pandas to china. it's the best thing for them right now. it's the best thing for the giant panda conservation program. >> reporter: and many of the other giant pandas in the united states and places like memphis and san diego, have already been sent back to china. so after today the last remaining place in the united states where you can see giant pandas at the zoo will be in a