molly hunter reports >> reporter: in cities across the world the christmas spirit is in high gear. from venice to berlin and to paris, where santa is bubbling away but in thailand a reminder that it's not all that jolly santa coming in on elephants handing out masks and hand sanitizer. in bethlehem, the self-proclaimed capital of christmas, this is the second year without tourists. but locals holding on to the essence of christmas. >> christmas is to think of others. christmas is to love each other >> reporter: and across europe tonight christmas is beginning to look a lot like 2020 omicron is surging in the uk the government estimates 1 in every 45 people were likely infected with the strain last week and a new poll estimates 1 in 6 brits have canceled christmas party plans because of the variant. including the queen, skipping her traditional sandringham christmas, instead opting for a quiet day at windsor as cases spike the prime minister encouraging everyone to get boosted >> getting jabbed not just for themselves, for ourselves, but for friends and family >> reporter: and in it

many of which were changed in recent days tonight molly hunter takes a look at how different countriesre marking the holiday. >> reporter: tonight so many across the world are celebrating christmas just a little differently donning masks, filling pews like normal but this yea in smaller numbers in the uk the queen giving her annual christmas message, her first since losing her husband prince philip. >> christmas can be hard for those who have lost loved ones this year especially i understand why. >> reporter: like so many of us, the queen also changed her plans, spending the day with prince charles and camilla at windsor castle and the biblical city of bethlehem keeping the christmas spirit alive even without tourists for the second year in a row in italy, the pope speaking today from the central balcony of st. peter's basilica with thousands, but far less than usual, of faithful. he spoke about the importance of staying connected during the pandemic italy ha canceled all new year's celebrations and as omicron cases spike new restrictions are coming in across europe, shuttering bars an

molly hunter, nbc news, london. >>> up next, the race to return. why some companies may give you a full refund and still let you keep the items. >>> if your flight was as a professional bull-rider i'm used to taking chances. but when it comes to my insurance i don't. i use liberty mutual, they customize your car insurance, so you only pay for what you need. wooo, yeaa, woooooo and, by switching you could even save 665 dollars. hey tex, can someone else get a turn? yeah, hang on, i'm about to break my own record. yeah. only pay for what you need. ♪ liberty, liberty, liberty, liberty. ♪ liz, you nerd, cough if you're in here! shh! i took mucinex dm for my phlegmy cough. what about rob's dry cough? works on that too, and lasts 12 hours. 12 hours?! who studies that long? mucinex dm relieves wet and dry coughs. thinkorswim® by td ameritrade is more than a trading platform. it's an entire trading experience. with innovation that lets you customize interfaces, charts and orders to your style of trading. personalized education to expand your perspective. a

joining me now from london is molly hunter.rictions we're seeing take hold across europe now. >> reporter: yeah, christmas 2021 is starting to look like christmas 2020. here in england we don't have serious restrictions on gatherings, pubs and restaurants yet. the government is so protective for christmas day. omicron is really surging here, according to government data, about one in every 45 people, they believe likely to have tested positive for that strain. moving quickly through europe, we are seeing these announcements of new restrictions. scot scotland, wales, with curbing how big gatherings can be. outdoor gathering limited to just ten people. in germany, very similar, limiting gatherings to ten people, closing night clubs. in the netherlands, strict lockdown that starts on month. now, we don't have the restrictions here in the uk yet. i bet, though, by the time next week, if we are still surging, if the omicron surge is still going, we'll see some of those restrictions before new year's. aaron? >> we'll be watching for

joining now is molly hunter. thank you so much for being with us.government is saying and what kind of steps are they planning to take to get more people getting more vaccinations and boosters? >> hey, jonathan, good morning. a huge, huge spike and we are going to see those numbers going out according to the government. the previous record was 68,000, that was in january 8th, why are we seeing a shoot up so fast right now. essentially we are looking at two epepidemic as delta rise, w didn't catch omicron. it's the dominant variant here in london. a chief medical officer held a stunning conference with sharp language where he says more records will be broken. we expect it to be higher than yesterday. take a listen to hear what else he had to say. >> there is several things we don't know. all the things we know are bad. the speed of which this is moving at a phenomena pace. >> right a very short one. what we are watching is the hospitalizations in about two weeks. we are waiting for those numbers to come out later today. the good news is there is a a

nbc news foreign correspondent molly hunter joins me now from london. life and legacy. and i promise you, the next two minutes are not going to be able to do it justice. he was a towering figure, a cleric, a nobel peace prize winner, a key figure in fighting and bringing down the apartheid regime in south africa. while nelson mandela was in prison, he was the face of the struggle. take a look at his legacy. this morning bells ringing out for ten minutes in cape town, honoring archbishop desmond tutu, as powerful tributes come in from around the world for one of the fiercest opponents of apartheid. >> black and white together! >> reporter: from his daughter, my dad is at rest. president biden called him a true servant of god and of the people, adding his legacy transcends borders and will echo throughout the ages. president obama, who awarded tutu the presidential medal of freedom in 2009, tweeted, he was grounded in a struggle for liberation and justice in his own country but also concerned with injustice everywhere. the queen adding, he was held in suc

molly hunter, nbc news, london. >> thanks, molly. >>> as we look ahead to 2022, new year's resolutions for many democrats in weren't is likely getting president biden's social spending package passed? representative jake auchincloss joins me after the break with the big priorities he's setting for the next year. at least my shoes look good! looking good start with bounce wrinkleguard, the megasheet designed to prevent wrinkles in the dryer. as a professional bull-rider i'm used to taking chances. but when it comes to my insurance i don't. i use liberty mutual, they customize your car insurance, so you only pay for what you need. wooo, yeaa, woooooo and, by switching you could even save 665 dollars. hey tex, can someone else get a turn? yeah, hang on, i'm about to break my own record. yeah. only pay for what you need. ♪ liberty, liberty, liberty, liberty. ♪ it's the most joyous time of year. only pay for what you need. especially at t-mobile! let's go to dianne. i got the awesome new iphone 13 pro and airpods, and t-mobile is paying for them both! and this is for new and existing custom

nbc's molly hunter joins us. the world, molly. >> reporter: yeah, alex, as you can imagine, from all corners of the globe. here where i am from the prime minister to the queen, the dalai lama's statement said the friendship and spiritual bond between them was something he cherished. let's take a look at his legacy. >> black and white together! >> reporter: desmond tutu was the unmistakable voice and conscience of south africa's civil rights struggle, one of the fiercest opponents of apartheid. the nobel peace prize winner has died in cape town. he was a patriot without equal who gave meaning to the biblical insight that faith without works is dead. he was born in 1931, his father a teacher, his mother a cleaner and cook. after quitting his own job to protest racial discrimination, i studied to become a priest. >> an extraordinary capacity to communicate with black south africans and to get under the skin of white south africans. >> reporter: resistance was met with brutal violence and killing. hundreds of activist

nbc's molly hunter is in london with more on tutu's impact on history. good morning. >> reporter: willie, good morning. the world has lost a towering, charismatic figure, a cleric, nobel peace prize winner, and activist critical in the struggle against apartheid in south africa. >> black and white together! >> reporter: desmond tutu was the unmistakable voice and conscience of south africa's human rights struggle, one of the fiercest opponents of apartheid. this morning south africa's president announced the nobel peace prize winner died in cape town at age 90. he was a patriot without equal, a leader of principle and pragmatism who gave a picture of the bibl insight faith without works is dead. his father was a teacher and his mother a cook. after quitting his own teaching job in protest of the racial segregation tutu studied to become a priest. in 1975 he became the first black anglican dean of johannesburg. >> extraordinary capacity to communicate with black south africans and also to get under the skin of white south africans. >> reporter: resistance

for the news, i'm molly hunter >>> also today, major advancement in space exploration. this weekend, nasa launched a new telescope into orbit the moment decades in the making and a former astronaut who flew on multiple space shuttles will join us live to explain the staggering implications. >>> plus, what's on the launchpad for the space race in 2022 small businesses like yours make gift-giving possible. now, comcast business has an exclusive gift for you. introducing the gift of savings sale. for a limited time, ask how to get a great deal for your business. and get up to a $500 prepaid card with select bundles when you switch to the network that can deliver gig speeds to the most businesses. or get started with internet and voice for $64.99 per month with a 2-year price guarantee. give your business the gift of savings today. comcast business. powering possibilities. >>> welcome back los angeles police have just released body cam and surveillance video from a shooting last week when an officer's stray bullet killed a 14-year-old girl in a clothing store. at this time,

molly hunter for us from london.texas about what are the most important issues to them? immigration in america. merica when you switch to t-mobile and bring your own device, we'll pay off your phone up to $1000. you can keep your phone. keep your number. and get your employees connected on the largest and fastest 5g network. plus, we give you $200 in facebook ads on us! so you can reach more customers, create more opportunities, and finish this year strong. visit your local t-mobile store today. fine, no one leaves the table until your finished. andfine, we'll sleep here.g. ♪♪ it's the easiest because it's the cheesiest. kraft. for the win win. ♪ [text alert] ♪ son of a— —beth? if it's “i thought we said no gifts” season, it's walgreens season. nicorette knows, quitting smoking is freaking hard. you get advice like: if it's “i thought we said no gifts” season, just stop. go for a run. go for 10 runs! run a marathon. instead, start small. with nicorette. which can lead to something big. start stopping with nicorette.

for the news, i'm molly hunter >> also today, a major advancement in space exploration.sa launched a new telescope into orbit a moment decades in the making and a former astronaut who flew on multiple space shuttles will join us. and what's on the launch pad for the space race in 2022 magenta! do you suffer from cartridge conniptions? be conniption-free, thanks to the cartridge-free epson ecotank printer. a ridiculous amount of ink! and a set of replacement bottles are equal to about 80 cartridges. it's a perfect cure for-- i thought you said you bought--- i did buy the magenta! the epson ecotank. just fill & chill. available at. don't settle for products that give you a sort-of white smile. try crest whitening emulsions... ...for 100% whiter teeth. its highly active peroxide droplets... ...swipe on in seconds. better. faster. 100% whiter teeth. shop crestwhitesmile.com. ♪ ♪ wow, we're crunching tons of polygons here! what's going on? where's regina? hi, i'm ladonna. i invest in invesco qqq, a fund that gives me access to the nasdaq-100 innovations, like real time cgi. o

for the news, i'm molly hunter >>> also today, major advancement in space exploration., nasa launched a new telescope into orbit the moment decades in the making and a former astronaut who flew on multiple space shuttles will join us live to explain the staggering implications. >>> plus, what's on the launchpad for the space race in 2022 ♪ ♪ it's a personal trainer that assesses your strength and adds weight as you progress. it's dynamic weight that adjusts for you in real time for a more efficient workout. c'mom and it's a roster of coaches that motivate you to get stronger, faster. the future is strength you can feel and results you can see. and you can only experience it... (sigh) ...on tonal. ♪ ♪ welcome to allstate. where everything just seems to go your way. ♪ ♪ you're in good hands with allstate. click or call for a lower auto rate today. >>> welcome back los angeles police have just released body cam and surveillance video from a shooting last week when an officer's stray bullet killed a 14-year-old girl in a clothing store. at this time, we are not going to sho

hope you have a great christmas eve tonight and christmas tomorrow i'll send it back to you. >> molly hunterned to buy a gift for one another, 50 bucks. >> it used to be 20. >> you all do that too >> well, because we're cheap. >> we set the stage, time to start gifting or giving. let's see, is this who i'm giving my gift to? i'm confused >> let me just say, al, i think that's your gift and i'm your secret santa i drew al. let's see what you got >> yes >> oh, a hot sauce making kit. >> yes, because you love to, you know, do everything in the kitchen. >> this is great. >> i thought it would be great for some of your stuff it has labels and you can name it, like sweet spicy savannah sauce, whatever you want to call it >> thank you >> i think there might be one other thing in there. >> that's a fun idea. >> you make your own, it's a whole kit. >> no, not in there? >> that's it >> oh, the bag >> you only had 50 bucks. >> i went over budget. >> my gift is for savannah, so before she opens it, i just want you to know that you never give yourself enough credit i'm going to say it on tv. you're a bad

we go to delaware and new jersey and molly hunter is live in hard-hit london. the president about to head home to delaware this afternoon but first we just saw him continuing urge people to get booster shots at that meeting with the governors. >> what else should we be expecting him to discuss with his team in the meeting. >> as we were setting up camp in delaware where the president is due to arrive in a few hours, i couldn't help remember whack to when the president-elect was preparing to take office. the message was they knew his presidency would ultimately judge on whether or not he successfully helped see the nation through this pandemic. a year later the virus in a mutated form is still very much with us. what struck out to me as you listen to the president there is the degree to which me is sort of saying essentially are you better off than you were a year ago, that, yes, the virus is still with us but we have so many more tools that can help us to fight it. primarily the vaccine and he underscored the urgency of getting the vaccine and getting boosters.

and nbc's molly hunter got the grand tour and the best assignment good morning >> oh, it was, kristenor a very special visit take a look. ♪ >> reporter: we arrived in bridgerton style in very english weather. to the majestic estate 13,000 acres and at the center the childhood home of princess diana where she spent her teenage years and current home of her younger brother charles spencer. thank you. hello. >> welcome welcome to our home. come on in >> thanks. this is the entrance and, yeah, it's rather dramatic. but it's, i think, beautiful but it's not overpowering. the whole point of this house, i know it is obviously upper scale, but it's not bling. its no the overpowering, i hope not. >> i love it. >> it's an entrance and house fit for a romance. >> my sincere apologies. >> walk into that house and it's immediately it's immediately parent it's a family home. and there's a warmth there and everything is just so opulent and elegant. i really wanted to capture the spirit of a family and the love that a family hold for each other >> bridgerton creator says he visited it in 2018 unknown

molly hunter has more. good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning to you. the world has lost an extraordinary advocate for justice, a cleric, a nobel peace prize winner, and though toss who knew and interacted with him, a man with a grit sense of humor and a great laugh. rest thank you for all you have been to our family an this morning, bells ringing out for 10 minutes in cape town honoring arch bishop desmond tutu as powerful tributes come in from around the world for one of the fiercest points of apartheid. >> black and while together. >> reporter: from his daughter, my dad is at rest. thank you, tshezi for all you have been to our family and to the world. >> president biden calling him a true servant to god and the people president obama, who awarded tutu the presidential medal of freedom in 2009 tweeting he was grounded in the struggle for in 1984, he won the nobel peace prize and by liberation and justice in his own country, but also concerned with injustice everywhere. the queen such high affection and esteem their son archie to africa two years abdo

from overseas in the uk, molly hunter. and dr. paul sax from brigham and women's hospital and a harvard medical school professor. kathy, let's start with you. new york city is the place to see the ball drop. now it's a covid hotspot. the state just shattered its case record for the third day in a row. are new year's eve plans still in place in spite of the spike in cases? what are new york city officials doing to prepare? >> reporter: yeah, hey, joe, good to see you again. covid cases are rising in new york city but according to the mayor, we'll still have a new year's eve celebration right here in times square, however it will be scaled back. typically you have about 58,000 revellers. now the number will be closer to 15,000. and those who come out will need to be fully vaccinated. you need to bring your vaccine cards, your i.d., and also have a mask on the entire time. so a lot of safety precautions that will be put in place. the mayor is saying, look, new yorkers have a lot to celebrate, a lot of milestones that we were able to

and also molly hunter is in london tracking what is happening overseas. liz, let's start with you. what is the latest on this travel nightmare for so many americans? >> reporter: not a very merry christmas as we heard from some of those travelers. thousands had their flights canceled yesterday and today. according to flightaware, more than 3800 flights have been canceled, more than 1,000 here in the u.s. and the airlines are saying that the omicron is partially to blame for those cancellations. airline workers reporting that they are falling ill or have been exposed to the variant, that highly transmissible variant now accounting for the majority of new covid cases in the u.s. and we're looking at just an increase of 55%. so that is pretty huge. 187,000 new daily cases reported. so 55% increase over the past two week. and renewed concern for those unvaccinated individuals, about 40% of americans still not fully vaccinated against the virus. a white house medical adviser dr. anthony fauci had this to say about those still not willing to get the shot. >> when someone says, well, i'm

. >> molly hunter, we appreciate you staying here. happy new year. right now. ♪♪ >>> good morning, welcome to "morning joe," it's december 28th, i am willie geist, joe and mika had the morning off. joining us is katty kay and jonathan lemire. happy almost new year

kathy park, molly hunter, josh letterman, sam brock.ou all. >>> what is the weather going to be like for the christmas weekend? good news, lots of places warmer than usual. bad news for some folks white christmas doesn't begin to cover it. meteorologist michelle grossman is here with more. a lot of folks want a white christmas, in some places it's ridiculous. tell me what we're seeing across the country. >> i know. it's sort of a whacky forecast. you hit it on the head. we are looking at a ton of snow out west, very white christmas and some of us will be barbecuing because we're looking at temperatures closer to memorial day as opposed to christmas day. you can see in the central and southern plains looking at 70s and 80s, up to 84 today in dallas. we need to talk about the monster storm out to the west because this is where all the dramatic whether is. that's what we're going to see the next several days, winter alerts from the northwest, southwest into the rockies, really east of the rockies looking dry and clear for those last minute

molly hunter is in london with international reaction to archibishop tutu's death. >> that's right.figure with charisma. @biden says his courage and moral clarity helped inspire change toward apartheid. he writes his legacy will echo throughout the ages. former president obama called him a mentor, friend, moral compass. he was grounded in the struggle for liberation and justice in his own country, but also concerned with injustice everywhere else. and one more. the dalai lama saying the friendship and spiritual bond between us with us something we cherished. wednesday there's a memorial service. thursday c there's a private intmate night with trends of the tutus. on friday, he'll be lying in spate before his fun -- lying in state before his funeral on saturday. people mentioned this is a man who could make you smile. he was a powerful activist, but he also had a very good sense of humor. and a keen sense of mischief, apparently, too. >> yeah. the descriptions of him just incredible. molly, thank you. >>> coming up, kids and covid. growing concerns about young children who still can'

nbc's molly hunter is tracking it all from london.ing to the latest restrictions? >> hey, lindsey, gosh, there is a lot of frustration that christmas 2021 is looking really a lot like christmas 2020 with inside with your immediate family not being able to go outside and kind of enjoy christmas parties like everyone had hoped to. to give you a quick whip around what's happening in europe, you mentioned a couple of these countries. italy has banned new year's celebrations, bars, nightclubs will be shut down in the next couple of days. they will limit outdoor gatherings to ten people, and in the netherlands full strict lockdowns starting on monday. here in the uk it's going to be very interesting when and what those restrictions here will be. >> and talking about that, there's a new study from the uk revealing some promising data about the risks posed by omicron in relation to delta including that omicron is 70% less likely than delta to cause hospitalizations. so is that giving officials in the uk hope they won't have to implement some

molly hunter is in london with more. good morning. >> reporter: joe, good morning.s annual christmas day message from st. peter's square, a sign of tradition and today's reality. his midnight mass held at 7:30 last night, a nod to the 85-year-old's pontiff's age, capped out at 7,500 people and overnight in the city of bethlehem, palestinians attended mass despite scaled back activities. and around the world, worshippers donned masks to come together. in paris, as france enters a fifth wave of covid. and several times, worshippers in south korea, the philippines and australia filled pews christmas day. but tourists stuck in sidney because of covid travel restrictions celebrated christmas on the beach. >> there's no flights home. i'm celebrating in the best way i can. >> reporter: back here in the uk as omicron forces people to stay home, the duchess of cambridge performed a surprise concert last night. showing off her skills she polished during lockdown. it seems almost everyone has been forced to make changes to their holiday plans, including the queen. skipping the

. >> yeah, molly hunter has more on this one. >> reporter: this is a doozy.rent recollections of that dinner. take a listen. this morning in italy, a juicy culinary conflict is heating up, a food writer had dinner at a restaurant and her review went viral. the decor had the chicness of an underground bunker. she then dives into the offerings. a tablespoon of crab, an orange, a marshmallow flavored cuddle fish and then there was foam served in a cast of the chef's mouth. foam cast mouth course was when things rapidly, rapidlydownhill. >> reporter: there was also the oyster loaf that tasted like newark airport. i can't explain how much we were fed. >> i don't know if they forgot they needed food for that day. >> reporter: so nbc news went straight to the source. what is art, what is good taste, what is a man on a horse came the response withdrawings? we had more questions and reached out for additional clarification. for you these diners didn't see the man on the horse. we didn't get what you were giving them. >> exactly. yes. i think yes. they didn't understoo

the importance of becoming mentally fit and what led him to make it a priority in his life >> molly huntercare of your mental health for years. now he's sharing some deeply personal stories take a listen. >> we know mental health has been taboo and a stigma all around the world >> reporter: this morning, prince william is taking time to walk >> we want to stay fit we go for walks. the doctors tell us it's good for us no one says how good it is to keep mentally fit. it's so important. >> reporter: his royal highness is a guest on the podcast "time to walk" speaking candidly of a rescue operation of a young boy close to his son george's air. >> it's an extraordinary feeling. you just feel everyone is in pain >> reporter: but in the lighter moments of today's podcast, he shared some of the songs his mother principle sis diana used the play to help with anxiety. >> one of the songs i remember and i still quite enjoy secretly is tina turner's "simply the best." because sitting in the back seat, singing away felt like a real family moment with my mother she would be driving along singing the top

we'll let nbc's molly hunter explain. tree. three weeks later, you bring it right back so it can keep living take a look. we have just a few more days until christmas. there is still lonely trees waiting to be brought home but this year, instead of buying a freshly cut tree, well, here comes rental-claus >> it feels so good to keep your tree alive there is something that slightly gets in your heart >> and paul keen is full of heart. you have more people who want to rent than you guys can supply right now? >> by far, yes >> why is that right now, do you think? >> i think just everyone likes the idea >> today about 80% of their customers walk away with pre loved rental trees after three weeks of holiday festivities and ornament wear and tear, they bring them right back here. >> it gets a little pruning up in january, make sure they're ready to go for another year and we'll look after them again. >> americans buy about 30 million christmas trees. while some will be composted and recycled, most will end up in landfills. plus

. >> molly hunter, we appreciate you staying here. happy new year. thank you for all of you waking up "way too early" with us, "morning joe" starts right now. ♪♪ >>> good morning, welcome to "morning joe," it's december 28th, i am willie geist, joe and mika had the morning off. joining us is katty kay and jonathan lemire. happy almost new year to you. the cdc is out with new guidelines shortening the recommending isolation of quarantine time for those who tested positive or expose todd the virus. this comes as the fast omicron variant puts pressure on airlines and other businesses. nbc news. >> reporter: testing for the virus reaches by a crisis point. by 5:00, the lines in south florida already forming with the prospect of free covid testing kits. >> what are you seeing in shelves? >> they're all in stock and fine, i guess they all disappeared in a matter of three days like they were not there. >> reporter: at this library at miami-dade county, you are looking at two different lines. this is for free testing kits. this is for testing on-site. both o

mollie hemingway and ari fleischer, thank you so much. they can turn on a dime. love it twitter turned brand new policy to turn on the most vulnerable members of our society crooked democrats like hunter tonight. big tech is on the job. senator josh hawley, he's here next. ♪ ♪ ♪ it wasn't me by shaggy ♪ you're never responsible for unauthorized purchases on your discover card. [narrator] this is steve. he used to have gum problems. now, he uses therabreath healthy gums oral rinse with clinically-proven ingredients and his gum problems have vanished. (crowd applauding) therabreath, it's a better mouthwash. at walmart, target and other fine stores. ♪ >> pete: well, jack dorsey and his beard are out. and there is a new sheriff in town at twitter. and he's not wasting any time. not even a day. new twitter ceo parag agrawal announced his radical new privacy policy today when he stepped in as day one of the king of the blue checkmark. twitter announced that somehow sharing images of people without their consent public images will no longer be allowed. writing, in part, quote: let them pack what this means this policy update is always a policy update will help curb the misuse of media to har