chris mclaughlin reports.ory that's dominating sports, and that's because some who used to play the game say that what they did on the field has left them with permanent brain damage. today, pre—legal letter representing nine former players was sent to the rfq, w are you and world rugby. it's claiming that the governing bodies should have done more to protect players who are now struggling. three men have so far told their stories publicly, former england star steve thompson and michael lichtman, and alex who played 33 times for wales. imight try alex who played 33 times for wales. i might try and move this a bit closer to me. this is another, a former england under 21 back row who also played for gloucester. i have become and had mood swings, depression, anxiety, and at times, some suicidal thoughts. i've depression, anxiety, and at times, some suicidalthoughts. i've heard depression, anxiety, and at times, some suicidal thoughts. i've heard a few former players saying, "look, we knew what we were signing up

for those last-minute shoppers, liz mclaughlin offers gifts for everyone on your list. >> reporter: it'sto get gadgets for stocking stuffers with prices dropped. >> a lot of the smart devices and smart plugs are coming down well under the $10 price point. >> reporter: stocking-size speakers are also popular this year jbl has new palm portable models for under 30 bucks, go 3 for the kids another one for the little ones on the list, solar bots, cute rebots that can teach kids about solar energy for under 15 bucks. >> they power up and roam around. >> reporter: for a very last-minute present, skip the wrapping and go out with a new skill. photography classes are particularly popular this year according to the "strategist." the art of street photography course for just under 100 bucks. >> people who have taken it have called it one of the more motivating classes. >> reporter: a subscription box is another idea with everything from beauty products to kids crafts to beverages. there's a wine club. >> they work with sommeliers at their favorite restaurant to secure a monthly box of sommeliers'

erin mclaughlin has our joint nbc news investigation with the marshal project. >> reporter: elijah mcclainas a 23-year-old with no criminal record. walking home from a store in august 2019, aurora, colorado police stopped him following a call of a suspicious person wearing a ski mask. >> stop. stop i stopped you because you're being suspicious. >> reporter: the confrontation quickly escalates. >> stop, stop tensing up. >> reporter: officers used a now banned chokehold to restrict mcclain. >> i'm trying to go home. >> reporter: parameddings administered ketamine to sedate him and rushed to the hospital unresponsive. days later pronounced dead mcclain's family filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the officers who denied wrongdoing and shielded legally from civil suits under a then law in california calle qualified immunity which makes it difficult to sue police for serious misconduct. >> for too long law enforcement officers have not even had to stand in front of a court or a judge and say, here's what i did and here's why i did it instead they have been able to claim qualified immunity an

. >>> i'm erin mclaughlin in los angeles. inside california's hospitals there's desperation. patients spilling into hallways, conference rooms, even parking lots. >> we are down t 1.1% icu capacity. >> reporter: now the crisis epicenter on the cusp of 2 million confirmed coronavirus cases. days before christmas a chorus of cries of help from the front lines. >> if we continue to gather indoors at th rate that we are many more of us will not see the holidays next year. >> reporter: outside los angeles dozens gather without masks to sing christmas carols, led by actor kirk cameron nationwide almost 1,000 hospital icus hitting 90% capacity nurse holly pike watches as her colleague fights for her life >> i actually had the wonderful privileg of taking care of her and being her nurs for quite a few nights, and it was hard >> reporter: after caring for covid patients utah icu nurse and mother of three jill hulker is on life support waiting for a double lung transplant. >> we're just hoping that she can come home as soon as possible. >> reporter: a christmas wish amidst real fear th

chris mclaughlin was at the match.tic dominating when it mattered. the first was sensational, take a bow, ryan christie. it was two before the half hour, helping hand from berra helped by 0dsonne edouard. liam boyce gave them hope minutes before the break and stephen kingsley gave them the equaliser. game on. it was to go all the way to penalties. both teams scored in extra time and christopher iyer won it from the spot. they did it the hard way, but it is the quadruple treble for celtic. the history makers are celtic. the history makers are celtic football club! chris mclaughlin, bbc news. hampden park. we‘ve had two results in the premier league so far, leicester have moved up to second in the table, after a 2—0 win at tottenham. jamie vardy scored a first—half penalty and then forced an own goal. elsewhere, brighton against sheffield united was 1—1. the 67th bbc sports personality of the year show will take public vote will decide which of the six nominees takes the main prize. welcome to the studio here in sa lfo r

chris mclaughlin was at the match.iliarity, though, in the strangest of times. celtic dominating when it mattered. the first was sensational — take a bow, ryan christie. it was two before the half hour. a helping hand from christophe berra... penalty! ..was followed by the cheekiest of chips from odsonne edouard. but wait, liam boyce gave hearts hope minutes after the break. stephen kingsley gave them the equaliser. oh, they‘re claiming it‘s over the line. it‘s a hearts goal! they‘re level. game on. it was to go all the way to penalties. both teams scored in extra time, and kristoffer ajer won it from the spot. for the cup... and he‘s done it! they did it the hard way, but it‘s the quadruple treble for celtic. the history—makers are celtic football club! chris mclaughlin, bbc news, hampden park. we‘ve had four games in the premier league, all the goals are coming up on match of the day 2 after the news, but i‘ve got the results if you want them. manchester united are up to third in the table after thrashing leeds 6—2.

host: clarence page, long time panelist on the old mclaughlin group. now with the new mclaughlin group. you are joined by pat buchanan and by eleanor clift. you have been in production for a year or so on some pbs stations, correct? guest: yes, and on youtube as we speak. our end of the year awards show is online now. host: find that online on youtube. it's also at loughlin. -- mclaughlin.com. michael from newman, georgia. democrats line. merry christmas, michael. go ahead with your comment. caller: i am calling about the relief package. early in the negotiations when steven mnuchin was negotiating about the relief package, mitch mcconnell was still in kentucky. when the people said he should've taken the deal, it ain't gonna be no deal without mcconnell. , he they did get a deal knew mcconnell was not going to agree to $2000 for individuals. a deal he put into that negotiation. you think mcconnell will go along with it or oppose it? caller: he's not going to go along with no $2000. that is something donald trump put into that legislation. host: we tou

let's turn to nbc erin mclaughlin in california. that hospital has cold storage units ready to receive the vaccines. are healthcare workers ready for it? >> reporter: absolutely. one e.r. doctor who told me this is an option soon. we'll start administer here at sinai. she has two children at home and the vaccine represents a peace of mind. this offers hope and an end is near. >> the vaccine is our principle hope. we made a lot of progress and there are several medications on the market now that we can give patients who have covid really the vaccine in combination with universal masks use is really what's going to get us beyond this pandemic. >> reporter: this as california is facing a desperate situation especially here in southern california of the grasp of infection really shocking. the number of covid cases tripling within just the last month. doctors and nurses struggling to get a handle on this situation is completely full and while the months before we see this vaccine have a real impact to be distributed with the general publ

here's our sports news correspondent, chris mclaughlin. usually looks like versus... glasgow on the weekend of cup final 2020. all very bizarre. on sunday, the stands of hamden will be empty as last season's showpiece is finally played out days before christmas. this was 2019, the same line as sunday. two teams at the top of their game. how things have changed. celtics struggling and manager under huge pressure. it's important to us to try and complete a quadruple, which probably will never be seen again. maybe on a bit of form, yeah it's a good time for us. how much do you think a good time for us. how much do you thinka win good time for us. how much do you think a win on sunday will go some way towards going down that convincing doubters you are the one? you may never convince convincing doubters you are the one? you may never convince some convincing doubters you are the one? you may never convince some of the doubters. since coming in, there's been quite a few of those. parts have felt the pain of coronavirus perhaps more than most cl

nbc's erin mclaughlin is in hard-hit los angeles with more on that. good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning, aig. a new poll finds nearly half of americans will take the vaccine as soon as they can. nearly double the number from october. and officials say there will be enough vaccine to give to every american who wants it by the second quarter of next year. doctors say with infections simply out of control, help can't come soon enough. two days before his 80th birthday, dr. fauci flexes with the holiday message of hope. >> i want to encourage everyone who has the opportunity to get vaccinated so that we can have a veil of protection over this country. >> reporter: this as nearly a fifth of u.s. hospitals reported last week that at least 95% of their icus were at capacity. >> our darkest days in the battle against covid are ahead of us, not behind us. >> reporter: a dangerous situation, only getting worse as americans gather for christmas. >> your choices will save lives or they will lead to more death. >> reporter: and overnight outrage after a

erin mclaughlin, what a great interview. thank you so much for that. >>> in the last few hours new jersey started administering its first batch of 76,000 vaccine doses. it comes at a critical moment for that state, too. one in 500 people in new jersey have died from the virus since the pandemic began. nbc's anne thompson is at hackensack university medical center where the first vaccinations happened in just the last 30 minutes. phase 1a of new jersey's rollout. tell us about the effort under way there and where it goes from here. were we saw it in the last half hour. dr. lisa tang got the vaccine. she's the first person here at hackensack meridian health to get the vaccine. she said she felt fine afterwards. she said she wanted to be first because it was her way of telling everyone that she trusts the science. she has faith in the science. it's also a way, she said, for her to pay it forward because, as erin said, it's not just about you the individual. it's about the entire community. in fact, today here at hackensack meri

also, they tend list on the mclaughlin group, available on youtube and select pbs stations. clarence page, welcome in merry christmas. guest: merry christmas to you, bill. host: we started asking our viewers and listeners about this christmas day 2020 at how things have changed over the past year. politicsandemic and affected the gatherings and celebrations on christmas 2020. what are your thoughts? guest: we did not have any idea a year ago what kind of impact the pandemic was going to have. it would be a pandemic. it wasn't until mid-march they shut down borders. we realized this would grind our society to a halt. nachos here but across the western world. -- not just here but across the western world. it changed the election prospects a lot. president trump was doing well. he had not reached 50% as far as approval, which is kind of a distinction of has among modern presidents. he was scoring well on the economy as an issue. on his way to possibly a victorious contest, but look what happened. the way he handled the pandemic, whether you approve or not, had a big impact on h

erin mclaughlin is in austin, texas. also dr. christopher thomas, a pull monologist who treats critical care patients in baton rouge. erin, paint us the picture in austin. we know the country is suffering. austin, a huge city, a huge growing city. how are they in hospital capacity? >> well, it's not looking great here in austin, chuck. 83% hospital capacity for this city. that number climbs to 90% for the state of texas. and it's really a picture that we're seeing across the country. more than one-third of all americans live in areas right now that are being impacted, areas that are facing critical icu shortages, and surgeons and doctors tell me that it's having a profound impact, not only on covid-19 patients but non-covid patients as well. i was speaking to stephanie deer, her 47-year-old sister laurie's heart stopped in october. she was rushed to the hospital. needed an ecmo machine to save her life. there was not an ecmo machine available because they were all being taken by covid-19 patients. they took 3 1/2 hours for her --

here's aaron mclaughlin >> reporter: tonight a tale of two christmases, one of celebration but ignoring warnings with packed churches and family gatherings and one spent in isolation and grief. >> it is scary because you just don't know what you're going to expect you never know how many hands you're going to have to hold whenever there's no families that are able to be there. >> reporter: perhaps a bad sign for the future, tsa says at least 8 million took to the skies since last thursday, as the cdc announces it's requiring a negative covid test for anyone flying from the uk, with some questioning whether this was too late while doctors say you shouldn't be traveling at all >> this concept of safe travel, it just doesn't exist. you can't glove, sanitize and try to test your way out of that risk. it's virtually impossible >> reporter: in los angeles, a scramble to avert an already unfolding disaster on thursday, california's largest county announced a record single day death toll, 140 lives lost with holiday gatherings, doctors warn the worst is on the way. >> people should be afraid i'

here's nbc's liz mclaughlin. >> reporter: the last console releases in 2013 had gamers flocking to stores get the xbox series x and playstation 5. >> anytime anyone has had any in stock for even a minute, they sold out immediately >> reporter: hard to get because of record demand for an upgrade after seven years. and more americans passing time at home due to the pandemic now classify themselves as gamers. >> at first i wanted the ps5, bout of luck >> reporter: some have had luck following retailers on social media to get restock updates >> it's pretty hit or miss i would say more miss than hit is what it feels like to me. >> reporter: retailers are battling bots to post on retail sites, which is one way to get your hands on a new console. >> i don't think a lot of folks are particularly interested in spending $1,000 on a new playstation. >> reporter: manufacturers anticipate more stock by spring. meanwhile, shoppers need to consider alternatives. a gaming laptop could make it possible to play games without the newest console or the nintendo switch from three years ago now back in stock a

. >> in the chicago suburbs delia gutierrez mclaughlin also looking for that economic security. she is the daughter of first generation mexican-americans once helped by gads hill themselves and she went on to have a successful career in i.t. consulting but that came to a halt in march when she lost her job. >> that is quite an unleveling feeling to be the person who needs a job, needs a livelihood and as challenging as i may be with 20 years of background experience i'm struggling. >> dealia's husband is still working heron employment runs out this month and their savings quickly dwindling. but the family still giving back donating what they can to local food pan asterisk. >> it gives us a great feeling to be able to at loos give with we can to the community that needs it desperately. >> it is unbelievable to be living in the united states of america and seeing the millions upon millions of people suffering. >> we hope that more donations are going to come. gads hill maricela garcia says while heartbreaking the pandemic is an opportunity for change. >> our country depends on the

erin mclaughlin, thank you. >>> and with so many families struggling to make ends meet, one teacher inle to make sure that her students don't go hungry this holiday season. nbc's correspondent blayne alexander explains. >> reporter: every friday, when classes end at north grade elementary school in florida, for this teacher, the work is just beginning. rebecca curry started her mission a few years ago after a chance conversation with a school secretary. >> during lunch, she would watch students stuff their faces or collect extra food on fridays because it was their last meal until monday. and when i heard that, i couldn't sleep, really. it just bothered me so much. >> reporter: so, every friday, a special delivery, backpacks filled with food, courtesy of the school pantry, delivered directly to classroom doors. but now, with the pandemic, a different destination, to the homes of students who need it the most. >> they have the same shirts with stains on it for five days in a row. when you really love those students and you start to get to know them, you see their pains, and how can we e

erin mclaughlin, eye-opening. i thought we had seen everything. thank you so much.g me now, mike clark, hospital administrator in ogden, utah, a state where icu capacity is nearing 100%. thank you so much for being with us. look, when you look at utah hospitals, almost 99% capacity, i'm sure you heard what's going on in los angeles. let me just ask you first, how is your hospital doing right now? how sustainable is this situation? >> that's a good question, chris. thanks for having me on, by the way. it's not sustainable for very long. we are functioning. we've been preparing for this, obviously, since the beginning of the pandemic in march. we continue to move our patients around to try to meet their needs, but we're running double capacity of our icu. we have been for several months. but we continue. our staff are working hard, they're working together, they're working extra, and working short. but we have really good kpoop rati -- cooperation, and we see great things happening, though it is stressful for them. >> stressful. they're human. they have to be exhauste

vaccinations can start shortly after received erin mclaughlin has a look at the plan there good morning, erin. >> reporter: frances, this vaccine is offering hope to so many on the front lines be of this crisis. it will be distributed at cedar sinai in los angeles either tuesday or wednesday of this week that according to a spokesman of this hospital. one of a limited number of hospitals to receive the first doses of the vaccine in the state of california, chosen for a number of factors. proximity to the crisis, its ability to distribute the vaccine to other hospitals and finally its ability to store the vaccine. one er doctor told me she's relieved it's so near. she has two children at home this will provide her peace of mind going forward in what is an escalating pandemic. >>> it can't be understated, the creation of this vaccine was a scientific breakthrough that could change the course of history. >> reporter: we've had big scientific achievements before, often set off with a bang. this achievement packed in tiny viles no less spectacular, but now it's on us put this in historical p

chris mclaughlin, bbc news, hampden park. for me, i am so proud.he hard work that goes on behind the scenes. winning games isn't easy and that's been proven today. you know, the players have covered themselves in glory and we'll be talking about this on 30, 40, 50 years time. and andy murray was back in action this weekend. he beat dan evans at the battle of the brits event in roehampton. murray looked to be in good form too, given that it was just the seventh match he's played this year and a first since october. that's all the sport for now. back to you. i hope that has done the trick! and your sparkly top. looking lovely. thank you so much. we could do with some cheer. millions of us found out this weekend that our plans for christmas will have to change after the prime minister announced new rules for the festive season. household mixing has been scaled back to just christmas day across the uk and those in the newly created tier 4 will only be allowed to celebrate with members of their own household and support bubbles. let's speak to khloe lig

or should i give up a lifetime >> erin mclaughlin with those latest figures for us. erin, thanks >>> winter's especially hard on the families struggling to keep a roof over their heads. the federal eviction moratorium ends on january 31st, and it could leave 40 million americans homeless our jo ling kent takes a closer look >> reporter: derrick and brenda durham have made some tough choices. >> we had to choose a roof over our head or transportation >> reporter: derrick was a quality-control inspector for mercedes-benz, making $15.50 an hour, until he was furloughed in march. the couple lives in south carolina with their daughter relying on $216 a week in unemployment they've fallen $6,500 behind in rent. >> we're going to be out in the street that's what's going to end up happening. we're going to end up being out on the street. >> reporter: until now, the family has been protected by the moratorium on pandemic-related evictions, that was set to expire right after the holidays. congress extended it by another month. bufor t ny americans, that may not be enough. near

ask themselves should i give up this one holiday, or should i give up a lifetime >> nbc's erin mclaughlin with the latest thank you. >>> more fallout this morning from that fatal police-involved shooting of an unarmed black man in columbus, ohio. earlier this week, the city's mayor called for the termination of officer adam coy who shot 47-year-old andre maurice hill now columbus' police chief is joining the growing calls for justice. on thursday, the chief also recommended coy be fired here's nbc's kathy park with more >>> the family of andre hill has nothing to celebrate this holiday. >> reporter: dramatic action out of columbus, ohio, following the shooting death of 47-year-old andre hill the city's police chief making his recommendation >> today i'm announcing action to terminate officer adam coy. >> reporter: columbus officer adam coy, who shot hill, had been placed on paid leave. the body camera footage of the shooting released this week shows the moments leading up to the deadly encounter as coy walks up to an open garage and approaches hill who's seen holding his cell phone while

our sports news correspondent, chris mclaughlin, is following the story. made official today? that's right. this is something we we re that's right. this is something we were expecting, these nine former players and the legal firm representing them have today officially launched a letter of claim with the wru, the rfu and world rug by claim with the wru, the rfu and world rugby for negligence. we already knew that steve thompson, the former england player, alex popham and michael lipman were involved in this potential class action. two other names to bring you this afternoon, the former leicester and gloucester flanker, neil spence. he is currently 1m. and the former trans centre, adam hughes, just 30. retired in 2018 because of fears over a brain injury. also they are suffering from the early signs of dementia, or say that is due to repeated blows to the head, be that in training or in matches. that letter of claim will be lodged with the governing body. they have given them three months to respond to that. there has been a response from the wru, the rfu

chris mclaughlin, bbc news. leipzig. but there were chaotic scenes in the french capital where the match between paris st—germain and istanbul basaksehir was suspended afterjust 14 minutes when some players alleged racist language had been used by the fourth official. the match will resume tomorrow and governing body uefa said it will "thoroughly investigate". tomorrow, the uk's biggest celebration of black music and culture will be live—streamed online, as the mob0 awards get under way. music of black 0rigin comes in a year of momentous calls for change for black lives, with the pandemic also creating fresh challenges for artists. this report, by the former mob0 award winner colleen harris, contains flashing images. it's been going for nearly 25 years, celebrating some of the biggest names in music of black origin. make some noise! # re—rewind, when the crowd say bo selecta.

chris mclaughlin, bbc news.fter the country's education secretary john swinney announced the exams were being cancelled due to the covid—19 pandemic. 0ur correspondent alexandra mackenzie reports from glasgow. so we get to a stage in maths where we have to dispense with numbers. you policy should be looking forward to the christmas holidays after months of disruption —— pupils here. they have already missed one year of exams. now fifth and sixth years have just heard they will not be sitting there highers and advanced highers. it takes off a lot of stress considering the people who have had to isolate. i have had to isolate and it's very difficult to catch up on the work you have missed. i'm pleased and also terrified, because i've not had the experience of sitting an exam. terrified, because i've not had the experience of sitting an examlj just feel like i would not be getting the same kind of experience as past years. the national fives had already been cancelled and there was pressure to also replace the high

erin mclaughlin is in los angeles county where hospitals are beyond strained.s a critical care nurse from west hills hospital in los angeles. give us a sense of the scenario these hospitals are in there in california. >> reporter: we've been watching the crisis unfold at this hospital in burbank. we watched as two patients were brought to the emergency by ambulance and they were stopped and triaged outside because they had no hospital beds available in the hospital itself. the patients were eventually admitted but it gives you a picture of the kinds of scenes playing out across the entire state of california. 47 million californians live in areas where there is zero icu capacity left. here in los angeles, the four busiest hospitals in l.a. county are so full, they're preparing for what's called crisis of standard of care mode which means they would be taking resources from the sickest patients and reallocating to the patients most likely to survive. doctors warning those hospitals could be days away from that eventuality. this is a crisis playing out all the wa

host: clarence page, long time panelist on the old mclaughlin group. with the new mclaughlin group. you are joined by pat buchanan and by eleanor clift. you have been in production for a year or so on some pbs stations, correct? guest: yes, and on youtube as we speak. our end of the year awards show is online now. host: find that online on youtube. it's also at loughlin. -- mclaughlin.com. michael from newman, georgia. democrats line. merry christmas, michael. go ahead with your comment. caller: i am calling about the relief package. early in the negotiations when steven mnuchin was negotiating about the relief package, mitch mcconnell was still in kentucky. when the people said he should've taken the deal, it ain't gonna be no deal without mcconnell. , he they did get a deal knew mcconnell was not going to agree to $2000 for individuals. a deal he put into that negotiation. you think mcconnell will go along with it or oppose it? caller: he's not going to go along with no $2000. that is something donald trump put into that legislation. host: we touched

>> erin mclaughlin in hard-hit california today. thanks. >>> meantime, dr. anthony fauci is enjoying a rare honor to celebrate an important milestone. the mayor of washington, d.c., has declared today dr. anthony fauci day. the infectious disease expert, a long-time d.c. resident, turns 80 today happy birthday to him. dr. fauci, of course, made headlines earlier this week when he rolled up his sleeve for his covid vaccination. >> joining the birthday wishes for dr. fauci. >> indeed. >>> a look at the full forecast right now, good morning. >> good morning again. elsewhere across the country, we are going to see quiet weather, but chilly weather, through the western half of the country. especially north carolina, we have a threat of severe storms today and isolated tornadoes are possible, too. that's a look at the weather across the country we'll get to your local forecast in the next 30 seconds >>> good morning, i'm meteorologist kari hall. we're seeing some clouds move in right now, but the main event with the rain is set to move in for tomorrow. and then we

host: clarence page, long time panelist on the old mclaughlin group.h the new mclaughlin group. you are joined by pat buchanan and by eleanor clift. you have been in production for a year or so on some pbs stations, correct? guest: yes, and on youtube as we speak. our end of the year awards show is online now. host: find that online on youtube. it's also at loughlin. -- mclaughlin.com. michael from newman, georgia. democrats line. merry christmas, michael. go ahead with your comment. caller: i am calling about the relief package. early in the negotiations when steven mnuchin was negotiating about the relief package, mitch mcconnell was still in kentucky. when the people said he should've taken the deal, it ain't gonna be no deal without mcconnell. , he they did get a deal knew mcconnell was not going to agree to $2000 for individuals. a deal he put into that negotiation. you think mcconnell will go along with it or oppose it? caller: he's not going to go along with no $2000. that is something donald trump put into that legislation. host: we touched on

hoda. >> all right, erin mclaughlin, thank you. >>> athletes and visitors at the tokyo olympic village-driving buses for the games. they run automatically on preset routes. the vehicles are also designed to stop if a pedestrian suddenly tries to cross the road. human staff members will be keeping an eye on all things from a central command center. what could possibly go wrong? >> i don't know. but i'm kind of looking forward to that. >> how about a boost? >> i've got you. we all know it's been a tough year, especially for young people. so when it came to cheering up his students, one school principal just had to elf himself. north carolina principal terry vaughn turned himself into an elf on a shelf. the kids didn't know where he would be showing up, what kind of mischief he would be getting into. he transformed himself into buddy the elf. principal vaughn says his own comfort level goes by the wayside. all he wants to do is put smiles on the faces of these kids. >> it's been really cool this year to see educators keep kids engaged in unique ways. >> yeah. >> that's a good one. >>> com

nbc's erin mclaughlin is in los angeles with the latest. >> reporter: the number of hospitalizationse united states have more than doubled since november. states are seeing an exponential raise in cases. here in california, the first state to surpass 2 million total cases. as people are moving for the holidays, there's a real concern this situation is only going to get worse. the day before christmas, health care workers fear this may be the eve of yet another dire surge. >> the trend lines just continue to go up. there's no sign of a plateau. >> reporter: with cases spiking across california. icus at nearly 99% capacity. patients spending christmas eve in hallways, conference rooms, even parking lots. >> everyone is a different shape, size, age, background. we can't predict who is going to come in next. >> reporter: the holiday threatens to push the system even further over the edge. >> this is one christmas where that large gathering should not happen. if it does happen, people that you love may not be there for the next gathering. >> reporter: 11 states have seen an over 60% rise

here to start us off, gabe gutierrez, erin mclaughlin and, gabe, let me start with you. there's a new statement from the da out just within the last 90 minutes, not even, saying it's going to move fast towards an emergency use authorization. explain what that means for the timeline here. we do not often see statements like that during this process. >> yeah, that's right, hallie. the head of the fda saying this morning that the agency will rapidly work towards finalization and issuance of emergency use authorization. it's important to note that does not mean for sure that this will be approved, but virtually leaves no doubt that it will happen. it's just a question of exactly when. the fda advisory panel voted 17-4 with one abstention to move forward to this and recommend to the fda to approve this. the cdc is also meeting today. hallie, as you mentioned, this is highly unusual but then again, it is highly unusual what's happening here. most vaccines take four or five years to go through this long process. this has now been shrunk to under a year and now we expect this to

here is nbc's erin mclaughlin. >> reporter: in texas, doctors say they're battling a forest fire of infectionscus reaching capacity, across the state. >> what i am worried about is that we can't keep up. and in some cases, you may end up denying care to people who aren't likely to make it. that's a real tough one. >> reporter: in austin, thursday, patricia perez's family held her funeral. the 70-year-old grandmother believed she was infected with covid, while volunteering as a poll worker during the election. >> she was so passionate about, you know, working the polls. >> when you hear people say that this pandemic is a hoax, what do you have to say to them? >> people don't take it seriously, until it hits their family. >> reporter: this crisis is now coast to coast. since thanksgiving, 20 states have seen covid deaths surge by more than 50%. health experts worry, with a hodgepodge of regulations, state to state, there's still no uniform response to this crisis. >> we are in the timeframe, now, that, probably for the next 60 to 90 days, we're going to have more deaths, per day, than we had in

she's interviewed by bloomberg news reporter david mclaughlin. "after words" is weekly interview program with relevant guest hosts interviewing top nonfiction authors about their latest work. all "after words" programs are also available as podcasts. >> host: sally hubbard, thank you for coming on to discuss "monopolies suck." it's a very timely book because the issues you write about in the book, the power of dominant companies in the u.s. economy and the impact on workers and consumers and citizens is really a very hot topic in economics and policy making right now. and we will see but could play a big role in the incoming biden administration. so i thought we should begin with sort of the big picture about, that you lay out in the book. i think when people hear the title they might say of course, no one likes monopolies, no one likes dealing with monopolies. the religious book is about a bigger issue. you are warning about a warring trends across the economy that i think many people may not fully understand. i think you could maybe first set t

the mall, they're administering some tests right bewith hind us, and i'm going to introduce scott mclaughlint exactly targeting last minute shoppers, but you kind of have a monopoly on that being in a mall parking lot. >> it is. here's the deal, if you want to qualify for an appointment, you can get a free one through the state. you can wait a couple days for your appointment, a few days for your results. if you're willing to pay $99 for the convenience of just a 5 minute experience of driving through in your car, you stay in, it's totally safe and then getting your results within an hour or two, then that's thal we give. but there's two different, discuss at this point choices. you can either have it free and wait for the week, basically, or you can get results instantaneously, psalm-day results, same-day appointment. >> reporter: a lot of private companies doing it, $99 is right on par. >> actually, i think we're the lowest, i think there's someone down the road doing it for $175. >> reporter: and you have sites all over the place, and they're not always in mall parking lots, this just hap

safety very seriously and uses the latest research in injury prevention. 0ur correspondent chris mclaughlingames, whatsoever. anything that happened in those games. former herbert steve thompson is 42, this month, he was diagnosed with early onset dementia, he blames repeated blows to the head. young during scrimmage sessions, when you pass out, you come up people are training to me get back up, and you've got these bright white lights around your eyes, and you are not with it, and suddenly, you will be doing that time after time. you know, they werejust doing that time after time. you know, they were just making doing that time after time. you know, they werejust making us use our head constantly. 11 former professionals have recently been tested, all have early onset dementia. for now, hr preparing legal action. so it's expected that next week, a pre—legal letter will be delivered to the rfq, the w are you and world rugby. it's a letter that has the potential to change the very fabric of the game, what it will say is that they are responsible for the permanent brain damage of players due

mclaughlin the whole the top stories here on al-jazeera 19 vaccinations are under way in russia despite questions about safety teachers doctors and social workers will be the 1st in line to get the domestically produced sputnik but it's under god for has more from moscow on the vaccination process. we are in one of the vaccinations centers in the south of moscow in moscow cleaning that opened today there is in total they say 70 of such centers in which patients after they signed for it online now these are very specific categories that get the priority that is people working in health care education in social services they have to be younger than 60 and they have to be of generally good health because people with chronic diseases are not liable to get this vaccine yet so the procedure is that after they signed in they get their time and date and there was 1st people coming in here they 1st get a general checkup then there is a procedure to defrost the vaccine that has to be kept in the temperatures below minus 18 celsius and then after the shot so they're left to rest for like 30 minute

she's interviewed by bloomberg news reporter david mclaughlin. "after words" is weekly interview program with relevant guest hosts interviewing top nonfiction authors about their latest work. all "after words" programs are also available as podcasts. >> host:

nbc's erin mclaughlin is in austin, texas, with more. good morning. >> good morning. texas is one of those states with the lowest number of icu beds available. here in austin, all over the lone star state, and across the country, there's concern. situation is only getting worse. this morning in texas, doctors say they're battling a forest fire of infections. hospital icus reaching capacity across the state. >> what i'm worried about is that we can't keep up. and in some cases, you may end up denying care to people who aren't likely to make it. that's a real tough one. >> reporter: in austin, thursday, patricia perez's family held her funeral. the 70-year-old grandmother believed she was infected with covid while volunteering as a poll worker during the election. >> she was so passionate about working the polls. she just wanted to get out to vote. >> reporter: when you hear that people say this pandemic is a hoax, what do you have to say to them? >> people don't take it seriously until it hits their family. >> this crisis is now coast to coast. since thanksgiving, 20 s

healthy patients without the virus is being put in jeopardy, causing delays in their care erin mclaughlin% capacity that number goes up to 90% for the entire state of texas. more than 1/3 of all americans live in areas where there are critical icu bed shortages to cope, hospitals are cutting back on care for non-covid-19 patients, making it more difficult to get treatment some cases, that can be fatal. ♪ ♪ happy birthday to you >> my sister died because of covid, and she didn't have the virus. so nobody is counting her. >> reporter: stephanie dear's 47-year-old sister, lori, is not included in the hundreds of thousands killed by the coronavirus, but stephanie insists she should be. >> this is still hard because i miss her terribly. >> reporter: she was a healthy, active wife and mother in october, her heart suddenly stopped. specialized hospital beds in utah that lori needed to survive had all been taken many by covid patients it took them three and a half hours to get lori the kind of care she needed. the doctors say it didn't come soon enough. >> she had a medical emergency that anyone

erin mclaughlin is joining us now with the latest. good morning, erin. >> savannah, good morning, this crisis is escalating. nearly twice as many people were hospitalized as in april. doctors say care is being compromised and lives lost as a result. >> reporter: this morning, the vaccines are rolling out. giving everyone a much needed shot of hope. in an otherwise bleak battle. >> it's scary. i do think that there is a breaking point. >> reporter: at the largest hospital in mississippi, there's a waiting list to get into the icu. the entire state is out of specialized beds. >> there's no cavalry coming over the hill to save us. we have to dig in and do the best we can. >> did you ever think you'd be in this position? >> no, not in my wildest dreams. >> reporter: similar scenes in california. the state reporting another day of record infections and a new peak in hospitalizations. the governor ordering refrigerator storage units on stand by. 5,000 additional body bags. texas and michigan joining the list of states where hospitals are ne

nbc's ann mclaughlin with that part of the story. good morning. >> good morning, savannah. the u.s.ed more than 1 million covid cases in just the past six days. here in california, icus are at capacity and resources are stretched so thin. it has health care workers begging the public to do their part and slow the surge as the system is once again pushed to the brink. this morning as health care workers await relief, there's despair and fear about the difficult days to come. >> i don't think any of us would make it through this without each other. >> reporter: in central california, icus are full. doctors and nurses are overwhelmed and getting sick. >> we have more patients and less people to take care of them. >> reporter: more than 200 of this doctor's colleagues have been infected with covid. hundreds more have been forced to quarantine. his last day off was in november, when he himself was sidelined by the coronavirus. >> we are doing our best. we are certainly trying not to compromise the care, but inadvertently that is possible. >> more people will die because you are overwhelm

let's go to daniel mclaughlin, the democratic strategist following this closely, fox news analyst, jennahicago and much, much more and francis newton stacey the optimal director of capital strategy, so i'd like to begin with you, what if we had a 28% tax rate and what if we had a higher rate on rich individuals, then what? >> [laughter] >> well, the problem is is that solving this problem with higher taxes is not as if it hasn't been tried before but it's based on some erroneous assumptions and that's assuming that the people are going to stick around and pay particularly if it's new york. now with corporations going from 21% to 28% what people are not factoring into this is that they have a record amount of corporate debt in the system, so now, not only do you have to contend with the tax hikes, you have to contend with the debt service, and that means that companies have to cut costs elsewhere, where are they going to cut? they are going to cut wages, they are going to cut jobs so coming out of covid is a really bad time to raise taxes on corporations who have way too much debt and abo

up from where they committed to them in terms biden restriction balls into >> jon ls bring kevin mclaughlinou behind in the fund-raising game in georgia? >> yes, sir, we are. i appreciate you having me. we are always behind in the fund-raising game but i remind everyone watching that fund-raising alone does not win elections and we don't have to go that far back in history to know that. democrats sen spent $750,000 and they won exactly zero of those races. they lost them by an average of 12 points. we spend our money smarter and wiser and wiser comfortable turn out our boat and went on to say. which was on was on november the here's what he has to say about how this election is going to turn >> if every conservative turns out to the victim can still be election. so every conservative georgia case i think they should be just fine next tuesday. >> jon: the point is i know nothing and start with the structural advantage of your data in georgia is not an advantage to point a vintage look at the perdue's in november, they have about 2.35 grams. the speaker is exactly right, we need to turn out w

our sports correspondent, chris mclaughlin, is in our glasgow newsroom.the england world cup winner steve thompson, that they are suffering from the early signs of dementia. also included, the wales international, former international, alex popham and stevejohnson's team—mate. what they say is they are suffering from the early signs of dementia due to repeated blows to the head during matches and during training. so what they are doing now is gathering other players and are being represented by this law firm who have now notified the rfu and the w are you and world rugby to say, we believe that you are negligent, you should have done more for the players, and they had given the governing bodies three months to respond to the initial claim. and thatis respond to the initial claim. and that is then a legal process, so i don't expect them to comment now, but have they commented previously at all? the governing bodies or the players? the governing bodies have said, yes, they take player welfare very seriously and that they have procedures in place based on th