kerry sanders is live for us in florida. then we have a doctor, former obama white house policy director. dr. patel, i want to start with you and the breaking news we're seeing from merck applying for emergency use authorization. this could be a real game changer when it comes to treatments. how does it change the landscape for this pandemic? >> it offers us an incredibly easy oral formulation of an antiviral. what the fda advisory committee will have to think about is having someone who has had a positive test and within five days of symptoms possibly and they can take these pills and it can literally cut the death and risk of hospitalization in half and i want to make a point that was a largely unvaccinated population. so if you have vaccinated individuals who then have one of these break through infections, this is a complete game changer and merck is ready to produce 1.1 million doses. think about a winter we don't know what we'll be face. vaccination best protection. unvaccinated individual and get an infection this can

lester >> all right kerry sanders in florida.thank you. >>> a battle raging inside netflix for weeks boiled over today. employees staging a walk-out in terms of the streamers latest dave chappelle special in which the comedian mocks transgender people steve patterson now on how the company is reacting >> reporter: tonight netflix employees walking out of the company's hollywood office after weeks of internal backlash. >> reporter: employees angered over netflix's handling of dave chappelle's new comedy special, "the closer," which features jokes centered on his relationship with the trans community. some employees calling the special transphobic. >> we didn't care what dave chappelle was doing until you come for our community. >> reporter: in internal communications with employees, netflix ceo ted sarandos argued it was popular with subscriber and would lead to no real world harm. >> he did not feel it amounts to hate speech. >> reporter: variety reporter matt donnelly broke the story and spoke to sarandos just hours before the w

nbc news' kerry sanders has more on the manhunt. >> somebody needs to start talking. >> reporter: gabbyito's parents and stepparents opening up about their desperate attempts to find answers, telling dr. phil when they stopped hearing from gabby their first calls and texts were to brian laundrie's parents who they say never replied. >> a normal parent when you text someone that they're going to call the cops because you can't find your child, they would reply. >> nothing. >> no response. no nothing. >> i do believe they know a lot more information. >> oh, yeah. >> than they're putting out there. >> reporter: in response to the petito family's claims, a lawyer for the laundrie family replied, no comment. laundrie's sister cassie also speaking out in a new interview. >> i don't know if my parents are involved. i think if they were, then they should come clean. >> reporter: the laundrie family attorney has told nbc news in the past that brian's parents do not know where he is and did not assist in his disappearance. a lawyer for the laundrie family telling nbc news brian left utah august 1

nbc's kerry sanders breaks it down for us. >> reporter: this thanksgiving, be prepared to fork over more last year, as people gathered in smaller numbers, thanksgiving prices were the cheapest in a decade but now, with higher demand and lower inventory, pound for pound, glut any is going to cost more >> we are sitting in almost a perfect storm. multiple issues at one time when the food and ag system >> reporter: the nation's food supply has been hit hard by transportation costs, labor shortages, and inflation the cost of turkey is set to surpass the all-time-record by the end of the year. in north carolina, it's almost twice the price to ship sweet potatoes from the farm to your table. canned cranberry sauce will also cost more. the cans are made of steel the price is up 200% extreme weather wreaking havoc droughts and hurricanes impacting sugar crops and refineries across the u.s. even your holiday cheer will be pricier. >> it's a bottle shortage. it's a label shortage, a cork shortage everything >> i have people coming and i have to feed them no matter what >> reporter: how do you make

kerry sanders, nbc news, ft. lauderdale. >>> a south bay mom who made national headlines is expected in court. shannon o'connor is accused of throwing wild parties fueled by alcohol with young teenagers. kris sanchez is live at the courthouse. has she made her way in yet? >> reporter: she has not made her way in. she'll be in court in about an hour but we know that she is still in custody because she has not posted bail. and while nbc bay area asked her if she wanted to tell us her side of the story, she did decline that jailhouse interview. now this is o'connor arriving at the san jose airport almost 24 hours ago. wheeled off a flight and out a back door by two plainsclothes sheriff's deputies who escorted her back from boise, idaho. she declined our request for an interview. she's accused of providing alcohol to minors at secret parties she hosted at her los gatos home. also in lake tahoe and santa cruz and then encouraging sexual activity, some of which did not appear to be consensual. her bail was set at $10

nbc's kerry sanders has more on what the airline is now promising passengers who had their travel plans interrupted. >> reporter: this morning, southwest's ceo says most of their crews are now finally in position to resume normal flight operations. this after a nightmarish holiday weekend for customers wondering what went wrong. >> it was just one thing after another, after another. >> reporter: southwest blames bad weather in florida as the critical trigger to the massive disruptions. what happened to southwest more acute than impacts at other airlines. >> because they don't have hubs with extra planes laying around, one flight away if there is a cancellation, the cascading effects any of operational inefficiency simply get out of control. >> reporter: the pilots union says the more than 2400 canceled flights had nothing to do with pilots protesting the federal vaccine mandate which the airline said it would be following shortly before the trouble began. southwest ceo defending the mandate. >> the objective here, obviously, is to improve health and safety, not for people to lose their

here's nbc's kerry sanders >> reporter: gone forever.illed woodpecker first photographed in 1935, now considered extinct in some cases the 23 animals and plants on the u.s. fish and wildlife list have so quietly disappeared few realized they'd be gone forever. hawaii's kawaio'o last seen in 1987 but amid the troubling news also some hope. other species making a comeback against the odds like the florida panther four decades ago there were only 20 of these big cats left. now there are an estimated 200 to see what biologists say is perhaps one of the biggest success stories we head on an airboat and navigate this extensive canal system in remote south florida. the closed loop of waterways is used for the millions of gallons that flow every hour to cool the florida power and light nuclear plant. digging out the manmade canals resulted in ten square miles of long skinny islands, berms of earth that the nearly extinct american crocodile found were an ideal elevated spot to lay and hatch their eggs when did you realize that one could actually

kerry sanders, dr. gupta, thanks to both of you for leading us off. >>> and coming back here to washington, the failure of leadership. a capitol police whistle-blower's explosive claims of lying to congress and protecting those who should be held accountable. congresswoman debbie dingell joins us next with the scathing accusations and what happens now. you're watching "andrea mitchell reports" on msnbc. reports" on m. amazon prime members get select meds as low as $1 a month. who knew it could be this easy? your new pharmacy is amazon pharmacy. at humana, we believe your healthcare should evolve with you, and part of that evolution means choosing the right medicare plan for you. humana can help. with original medicare, you're covered for hospital stays and doctor office visits but you'll have to pay a deductible for each. a medicare supplement plan can cover your deductibles and co-insurance, but you may pay higher premiums and still not get prescription drug coverage. but with an all-in-one humana medi

our thanks to nbc's kerry sanders for that. that wraps up this hour of msnbc reports.ie jackson is in the studio just over there ready to bring you the next hour of msnbc reports after this quick break. salad! good choice! it is. so is screening for colon cancer. when caught in early stages, it's more treatable. hey, cologuard! hi, i'm noninvasive and i detect altered dna in your stool to find 92% of colon cancers even in early stages. early stages. it's for people 45 plus at average risk for colon cancer, not high risk. false positive and negative results may occur. ask your provider if cologuard is right for you. (all) to screening! i brought in ensure max protein, with thirty grams of protein. those who tried me felt more energy in just two weeks! ( sighs wearily ) here, i'll take that! ( excited yell ) woo-hoo! ensure max protein. with thirty grams of protein, one-gram of sugar, and nutrients to support immune health! ( abbot sonic ) ♪ ♪ there are beautiful ideas that remain in the dark. but with our new multi-cloud experience, you have the flexibility you need to

nbc's kerry sanders is following the latest developments for us. kerry, what more have you learned, who was wounded, what their conditions are, and the search for the suspected gunman? >> reporter: we do know that four people are injured or wounded. we're getting some information right now. this was from an off-camera breesing. our nbc producer al hinkle sharing with us that one victim who was injured was a teenage girl who suffered a small abrasion and she's already been discharged from the hospital in good condition. there is a 15-year-old, we assume at that age, a student, in critical condition. he's still in surgery. a 25-year-old who is in good condition. and an adult female who is pregnant, treated and released at the scene. so that's the information that we have just now from an off-camera briefing. as you noted, we saw the picture of the suspect they're looking for. we're now looking at about four hours or so since this incident, since this shooting happened on campus. the authorities say it happened on the second floor, the second story of

. >> i want to go back to kerry sanders if i can. you have the unwelcomed distinction of having become an expert in covering shootings like this. i wonder from your experience on shootings like this, talk to me a little bit about what we're seeing now, this reunification process with parents, how a school, how a community adapts or responds in the media aftermath of having violence like this dropped out of nowhere on them? >> reporter: what we see right now is parents who have been incredibly anxious about to get some relief. they will go through anxiety, relief, and then anger. and when they get to the anger part, which will come in a day or so, they'll start asking and demanding answers to questions, some of those answers are not available. they want to know how a student was able to get a gun onto campus. there's just a practical matter of getting people on and off a campus every day. you hear people talk about medical detectors which some school districts use. but even those sometimes do not pick up on items like this. kids come

the ticks will die it's believed then a healthy moose population can rebuild for the news, i'm kerry sanders>> daniel craig's final mission as 007 shaping up to be a real success. ticket screenings brought in $6.3 million thest the best opening yet analysts expect it will rank in 100 million this weekend this is the fifth movie with craig slinging around a license to kill as james bond. no word yet on who's going to fill that spy's fancy shoes next >>> looking for something to do this weekend how about a peek at one of the spookiest attractions in all the midwest. it's called the ghost ship and for the first time since 2017, it's back open for any brave souls willing to step on board. there, the ghosts come out all year, not just at halloween. local reporting from nbc affiliate kbrj 6 in duluth, minnesota, and their reporter. >> i'm afraid every day on here, for sure >> even the event staff is scared of the ship, but they say it's an event that's become an iconic part of october in duluth >> it's become a tradition for many people. you know, they're very excited because it's been gone a few

joining me now, nbc's kerry sanders and pbs's yamiche alcindor. kerry, what do we know about the latest on these ransom negotiations? >> the fbi has agents now on the ground in haiti attempting to make contact with the mawozo gang here. the 400 mawozo gang, which is claiming responsibility for taking the 17 hostages. their demands we understand right now, and this is "wall street journal" reporting with the justice minister in haiti, is for, as you noted, $17 million. we have a breakdown of who these 16 americans and one canadian is. it includes five children, one as young as 8 months old, 3 years old, 6 years old, 14 years old, and 15 years old. there is a background here to understand that gangs in haiti have attempted and have been successful at extorting money in hostage situations like this before. just in april, five priests, two nuns, and two relatives were released after a ransom was paid. the challenge, of course, here is, does the united states negotiate with what essentially are terrorists. there's a long history of the united states not

geoff. >> some smart ideas there from nbc kerry sanders. thanks for spending the hour with us.ext hour of msnbc reports. you're the best, hallie. to make sure you don't run out of meds here. and with amazon prime, get refills and free two-day shipping. who knew it could be this easy? your new pharmacy is amazon pharmacy. i'll also be needing some nail polish, a bottle of champagne, and a box of chocolates. ( doorbell ) boom! because i'm keeping it casual. ( blowing ) hi sabrina! hi jen! hi. so you're the scientist here. i just have to ask. does my aveeno® daily moisturizer really make my dry skin healthier in one day? it's true jen. really?! this nourishing prebiotic oat formula moisturizes to help prevent dry skin. one day? for real! wow! aveeno® healthy. it's our nature.™ i gotta say i'm still impressed. very impressed. new daily moisture for face. everything you love for your body now for your face. i brought in ensure max protein, with thirty grams of protein. those who tried me felt more energy in just two weeks! ( sighs wearily ) here, i'll take that! ( excited yell ) woo

kerry sanders in florida. and dr. peter hotez is dough co-director of children's medical hospital.di, i want to start with you on this one. we're hearing from the mandate from osha. right? and then obviously, this ban from the governor of texas. how is something like that, that mandate, going to play out in a state like texas? >> reporter: yeah, within day, this new rule, yasmin, expected to advance. affecting about 80 million workers. and the answer to your question is it's going to play out very differently in different parts of the country. i'm here in maryland outside of columbia sports i spoke with the ceo because he said look there's no need to step foot in our building. many of our employees are vaccinated. we have a mandate, this is not going to be a problem. however, if you look to the deep south, that is where the problem is going to be. that is amplified by what happened today in texas. now, the plan for that is that they're going to have to rely on two things, first of all, prior typing industries in states and secondly relike on whistle-blowers. people inside the compa

. >> kerry sanders, while these debates are going on, covid continues to sweep through some police departments across the country. what are you hearing, kerry? >> reporter: jose, we have seen different subsets of groups across the country that have pushed back against vaccines. some teachers who have said they don't want to be vaccinated, some nurses who say they don't want to be vaccinated and we've seen the same thing among some police. but the statistics that are revealed here are quite troubling. when you look at the leading cause of death for officers since the pandemic began, the leading cause of death is covid. take a look at these numbers here on your screen. we have more than 700 officers who have died result of covid. and when you look at the states, there is california, texas, and florida that are the leading states. in california right now, there is a mandate for the officers and members of the l.a. sheriff's department to get vaccinated. but the sheriff, alex villanueva says he cannot force that on to his employees, because he fears officers will begin quitting. and he's already c

nbc's kerry sanders is at the national zoo where this all began nearly a half century ago. rning, guys. shh. they're having breakfast right now. around the world, there are only 2,500 pandas remaining here at the national zoo, three export. >> it's like a giant, furry child. not a care in the world. >> reporter: if you, too, are mesmerized by their pl of them. and if you talk to those who studied panda politics, they will tell you it's clearly black and white. giant pandas, they're arguably china's most famous and cutest export >> it's like a giant, furry child. not a care in the world. >> reporter: if you, too, are mesmerized by their playful, human-like antics, then it turns out you are very human, indeed >> pandas were designed to appeal to humans the roundness of their features, the big circles around their eyes we are biologically drawn to them because their features remind us of the features of babies >> reporter: as precious as they are, gosh, they're adorable, pandas are also, especially here in washington, diplomates. >> two chinese pandas offered to the united stat

nbc news' kerry sanders is following the latest. >> reporter: frances, for the families of those whodied, there will never really be closure. but nicholas cruz, the gunman, has now admitted his guilt, that he murdered 17 people. by admitting guilt it at least spares a long drawn out trial that would have been perhaps excruciating for the families listening to every detail of that horrible day. tears, hugs, anger in court. >> how do you wish to plea >> guilty. >> reporter: as the 23 year old parkland gunman admitted guilt that he murdered 17 students and staff at marjorie stoneman douglas high school. the deadliest high school shooting ago >> reporter: three years ago, nicolas cruz randomly shot anyone he saw and some he didn't see, shooting threw walls, doors and windows. >> the defendant had with him a rifle bag that contained a ar-15 rifle. >> reporter: cruz applied no explanation and apologized >> i am sorry what i did sigh to live with it every day >> her son luke was 15 years old. >> he has no remorse he planned most those murders, 14 others, and attempted murder. he is an evil,

this morning a firsthand look at how the warming of our planet is taking a toll on wildlife. >> kerry sandersrite is very much in need of help kerry? >> reporter: well, good morning, guys the autumn colors here in maine have come later than usual climate scientists say that these days, fall is later, the winters here are shorter, and spring comes sooner than it ever did. all of this a function of climate change, that biologists say is having a devastating impact on one of the state's iconic animals, the moose. majestic, magnificent, but here in maine, moose are in peril. >> we're getting october, november weather where we're getting 70 degrees, into the 80s. every day it's warm out, i know what's going on in the woods today. the 80s. >> reporter: what's going on is climate change biologists in maine say winters are now two weeks shorter than they once were that gives the blood-sucking ticks that only target moose 14 extra days to latch on to them in numbers never before seen >> now you've got 60,000 ticks taking blood on you at a time of year you're trying to make it through with your fat res

the alarming disappearance of the american bumblebee >> kerry sanders takes us inside the race to saveht after this. hi. so you're the scientist here. does my aveeno® daily moisturizer really make my dry skin healthier in one day? it's true jen. this prebiotic oat formula moisturizes to help prevent dry skin. impressive. aveeno® healthy. it's our nature.™ new daily moisture for face. now, we all know progressive offers 24/7 protection, but we also bundle outdoor vehicles with home and auto to help people save more! [ laughs ] ♪♪ [ humming ] [ door creaks ] oh. [ soft music playing ] what are you all doing in my daydream? it's better than that presentation. a lot better. you know, whether it's a fraction or a decimal, it's still fun, you know? yo you ready? dude i'm in class. you got nothin'! ohhh! ♪♪ ♪♪ with relapsing forms of ms... there's a lot to deal with. not just unpredictable relapses. all these other things too. it can all add up. kesimpta is a once-monthly at-home injection... that may help you put these rms challenges in their place. kesimpta was proven superior at reducing t

officers nationwide, more than firearms, more than traffic related fatal ities combined >> nbc's kerry sandersod morning. >> reporter: good morning. by their very nature, first responders are on the front line, which means that they are in the cross hairs of coming into contact with folks who may have coronavirus but some officers are among those groups that we've seen who are hesitant to get vaccinated, questioning the science. but this morning, statistics reveal the number one co killer nationwide is now covid ♪ >> reporter: st. petersburg police officer michael wycoff recently died in the line of duty an 18-year veteran who was sis unvaccinated was felled by a -- not a bullet but covid. his wife at his funeral talking to his fellow law enforcement. >> the virus is lethal you do not want to take this battle on. i promise you, it's grueling, dangerous, and it will destroy you. >> reporter: on monday, two north carolina law enforcement officers who died from covid laid to rest their vaccination statuses unknown. since january, one of the nation's largest police unions counts 724 officer deaths

has used its pandas as a key tool for diplomacy sometimes they radio them as punishment here is kerry sanders. >> reporter: giant pandas arguably china's most famous and cutest expert. >> it's like a giant fur are child, not a care in the world. >> reporter: if you're mesmerized by their placeful antic, it turns out you are human. >> they are perfectly designed to appeal to humans, the rounds in of their features we are biologically drawn to them. >> reporter: they're adorable, pandas are also, especially here in washington, diplomats two chinese pandas offered to the united states during the president's chinese visit will go to the national zoo >> reporter: panda diplomacy dates back to 1972 ling ling and hsing-hsing, giving from china after president nixon established relations. in the decades since, pandas have become formidable marketing tools. foreign policy experts note a pattern. pandas are traditionally given as rewards. >> the countries given these pandas are usually countries who have done some kind of favor to china, like agrees to export nuclear technology. >> reporter: and taken

on "today," kerry sanders talk about why bees are so essential. >> it probably won't ever get back toctive conservation, and that has to be coordinated at a high level. >> you can watch the full interview this morning on the "today" show coming up at 7:00, of course, right after "today in the bay." >> never thought in our lifetime we wouldn't see bees. >> they are so essential. >>> it's news we don't like to hear, families displaced by fires that have destroyed several structures. i'll tell you where that happened and who is here to help. >>> school closers. the late-night move that will force some big adjustments for south bay families. force some big adjustments for >>> breaking right now at 6:30, while you were sleeping two fires leaving more than a dozen people displaced just miles apart. we're live at the scene of one of the fires with the latest developments. >>> two south bay schools closing their doors, and the decision made a few hours ago that will, no doubt, frustrate families. "today in the bay" continues right now. here we go. made it to friday morning. now just got to ma

kerry sanders is in miami tracking the effort to get the 16 americans and one canadian home safely. we also learned that a team from the state department is there along with that team of fbi agents in haiti. what more do we know about their work to get these missionaries home and how are they responding to these demands? >> reporter: the u.s. officials are on the ground in what is a chaotic nation to begin with. they may actually have some contact with the pseudogovernment in haiti but this is a very chaotic situation because of the insecurity and lack of structure of a government in that country. so when you add that up, you realize that the u.s. efforts on the ground with the fbi agents as well as the state department in many ways is going to be complicated because the u.s. does not directly negotiate with terrorists. let's take a look at what their demands are. they're demanding $17 million, according to the haitian justice minister as reported by the "wall street journal." we know there are 16 americans and one canadian, but there are also in that group five children, one as you

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kerri sanders in florida. thank you. >>> more bad news for facebook.e bad news for the founder according to the new york times. washington d.c.'s attorney general is planning to add mark zuckerberg to a consumer protection lawsuit filed in 2018. the d.c. attorney general points to interviews and internal documents for his reasoning. as respondent in the case zuckerberg would be exposed to potential financial penalties. the initial lawsuit alleged facebook misled consumers about privacy by allowing cambridge analytica to obtain sensitive data from users in d.c. and elsewhere. facebook has been fighting this suit. the company will have to -- will have the option to file a motion to dismiss this move by the d.c. ag. >>> quote the closer. that's how one top democrat's negotiating the spending deal described president biden's role in the back and forth between progressives and moderates. but can the president close the deal? we'll get the latest own how the president will make the case today in his hometown of scranton, next. ranton, next from liberty mutua

. >> kerry sanders, thank you. thank you to all of our law enforcement experts walking us through the breaking news in this hour. we will stay on top of it throughout the afternoon. but that's going to do it for this edition of "andrea mitchell reports." chuck todd with "mtp daily" starts right now. ♪♪ >>> welcome to "meet the press daily." we've got a lot to get to. we are going to begin with the breaking news out of arlington, texas, this is the facts that we know. four people have been injured, three are hospitalized following a fight which led to a student opening fire at timberview high school which is just outside of arlington, texas, a suburb, of course, of the larger area of dallas. police have identified the suspected gunman as 18-year-old timothy george simpkins. a search for the subject is under way. and he's considered to be armed and, therefore, dangerous. police briefed the public on the situation. they are confident the incident involved one student. the student was involved in a fight and drew a wea

natalie azar and kerry sanders, thank you for being with me this morning. >>> this morning, thousands of airline passengers are scrambling after southwest airlines canceled nearly 2,000 flights yesterday, leaving many passengers stranded this holiday weekend. take a look at these shots from different airports around the country. the faa and airline officials give contradictory explanations for the cancellations. and all of this comes as southwest pilots are challenging the company's covid-19 vaccine mandate. joining me now from miami international airport, nbc news correspondent, sam brock. sam, good morning. what more can you tell us about these wave of cancellations that continues today, right? >> reporter: jose, good morning. 700 more delays and cancellations so far today. sources familiar with what's going at southwest say things are normalizing today and should be operational tomorrow. but what is going on? what catalyzed this cataclysmic problem. southwest says what happened is severe weather in florida that was compounded by air traffic control issues. however, that particular

>> kerry sanders, thank you so much.> coming up, the battle playing out at schools across the country. how to teach the history of race in the u.s.? a stunning inside look and the massive consequences, next. oknde massive consequences, next growing up in a little red house, on the edge of a forest in norway, there were three things my family encouraged: kindness, honesty and hard work. over time, i've come to add a fourth: be curious. be curious about the world around us, and then go. go with an open heart, and you will find inspiration anew. viking. exploring the world in comfort. ♪darling, i, i can't get enough of your love babe♪ ♪girl, i don't know, i don't know,♪ ♪i don't know why i can't get enough of your love babe♪ ♪oh no, babe girl, if i could only make you see♪ ♪and make you understand♪ get a dozen double crunch shrimp for $1 with any steak entrée. only at applebee's. now that's eatin' good in the neighborhood. you get more with aarp medicare advantage plans from unitedhealthcare. like $0 copays on tier 1 and ti

instead it's the change in temperature is allowing one of its mortal enemies to thrive here's nbc's kerry sandersmajestic, magnificent, but here in maine moose are in peril >> we're getting october, november weather where we're getting 70 degrees into the 80s. and every day it's warm out i know what's going on in the woods today. >> reporter: what's going on is climate change biologists in maine say winters are now two weeks shorter than they once were that gives the blood sucking ticks that only target moose 14 extra days to latch onto them in numbers never before seen. >> now you've got 60,000 ticks taking blood on you at a time of year where you're trying to make it through with your fat reserves >> so they're weakened. >> they're weakened, anemic. >> reporter: those thousands of ticks are drawing close to half a moose's total blood supply especially the calves are dying. we joined state bilaulologists n aerial survey. in this sparsely populated region there are three moose for every resident two decades ago there were 100,000 moose in maine now it's estimated there are only 60,000. ticks to m

let's bring in kerry sanders.with these reports of this huge ransom demand now, what happens next? >> reporter: well, the fbi has agents on the ground as well as members of the state it department to locket where the hostages are being held, to begin to try to get them to be released. but at the same time, to recognize that the united states does not pay ransoms. they do not pay terrorists. essentially, that's what you have here. we do know that as you noted that the amount being asked is $1 million per person, so $17 million. the haitian justice minister telling "the wall street journal" about the 16 americans, 1 of them from canada, but perhaps most disturbing is when you look at the youngest ages of those being held, the youngest is 8 months old, 3-year-old, 14-year-old, 15-year-old and sort of as the backdrop of all of this, there have been attempts in kidnappings and actually successful kidnappings and ransoms paid. five priests, two nuns and three relatives after a ransom was paid. again, at the white house,

nbc's kerry sanders joins us now with more and new information this morning on boosters. hey, kerry, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, hoda. johnson & johnson this morning applying to the fda for emergency use authorization for a booster shot. researchers at the company say their data shows that a booster given 56 days after the initial single shot provides protection against moderate to critical symptoms. all of this coming, as you noted, as the number of cases nationwide are dropping. hope on the horizon, covid-19 cases are finally falling, down 23% overall from two weeks ago with pediatric cases also dropping, falling the same amount. 23% over a similar period. could this be the last major wave of the pandemic? dr. anthony fauci says not so fast. >> i don't think we're going to be, at least in the near future, completely rid of covid-19 for a number of reasons. as long as you have circulating virus in those other countries, many countries that don't have the resources that we do, then you have the danger of there being new variants. >> reporter: the cdc director

. >> kerry sanders has more. >> reporter: good morning.plus a message to brian laundrie who remains at the center of a nationwide manhunt this morning, investigators say brian laundrie remains at the center of investigation because they believe he may have been actually involved in this. they're not sure yet but they want to talk to him now. >> somebody needs to start talking. >> gabby petito's parents and step parents opening up about their desperate attempts to find answers, telling dr. phil when they stopped hearing from gabby, their first calls and texts were to brian laundrie's parents who they say never replied >> a normal parent, when you text someone that they're going to call the cops because you can't find your child, they would replay >> nothing >> no response >> i do believe they know a lot more information that they're putting out there. >> reporter: in response to the petito family claims, a lawyer for the family replied no comment. laundrie's sister speaking out in a new interview i don't know if my parents are involved i th

claims that this disruption was caused by the staff protesting the airline's vaccine requirements kerry sanders has more on it good morning >> reporter: good morning. here at the ft. lauderdale airport, southwest shows that all of its 40 flights are now scheduled to depart on time. nationwide, flightaware.com shows 86 southwest flights delayed this morning 15 canceled. but that is a sharp decline in what passengers have had to endure for the past week now this morning, southwest ceo says most of their crews are now finally in position to resume normal flight operations this after a nightmarish weekend for customers wondering what went wrong >> it was one thing after another after another. >> reporter: southwest blames weather in florida as a trigger for the massive digs eruptions what happened to southwest more acute than impacts of other airlines >> because they don't have hubs with extra planes laying around that are one flight away, if there is a cancellation, the cascading effects of any operational inefficiency simply get out of control >> reporter: the pilot's union says more than 2,400 c

lauderdale international airport, nbc news correspondent kerry sanders. kerry, how is it going now?om, across the system, there are about 120 flights delayed, 15 cancelled. when you look at what's been going on, that say market increase, a better mood than what passengers have had to endure for almost a week now. this morning, southwest's ceo says most of their crews are now finally in position to resume normal flight operations. this after a nightmarish holiday weekend for customers wondering what went wrong. >> it was just one thing after another. after another. >> reporter: southwest blames bad weather in florida as the critical trigger to the massive disruptions. what happened to southwest, more acute than impacts at other airlines. >> because they don't have hubs with extra planes laying around that are one flight away if there is a cancellation, the cascading effects of any operational inefficiencies simply get out of control. >> reporter: the pilots union said the more than 2400 cancelled flights had nothing to do with pilots protesting the federal vaccine mandate which the a