is coming out, and it's already started coming out please hang out a little longer. >> reporter: sam brock, nbc news, miami. >> the true heroes >>> well, across the u.s. millions woke up to extreme winter weather today, snow still blanketing the great lakes, which could get up to 18 inches by tomorrow while the northeast was hit with heavy rains and winds knocking out power to many, as millions brace for arctic air to set in. >>> heading overseas where christmas services focus on remembering those lost to covid, the pope and queen among those spreading messages of love matt bradley reports from paris >> reporter: tonight this socially distanced christmas somehow drawing people closer together. the pope leading a somber ceremony at the vatican urging rich countries to share covid vaccines with the poor >> for many this time of year will be tinged with sadness >> reporter: the queen of england striking a different note from her usual annual christmas speech >> some mourning the loss of those dear to them and others missing friends and family members, distanced for safety, when all they reall

returned to the air today for its first commercial flight but how did the passengers feel about it sam brock takes us on board. >> we're flying on a boeing 737 max >> reporter: in this american airlines cabin applause for a new chapter in 737 max safety as the first domestic departure roared off the runway >> we've been engaged with the faa, with boeing, with everybody that's associated with the aircraft to ensure that safety is held at the highest level. >> reporter: grounded for nearly two years after catastrophic crashes in ethiopia and indonesia leading to 346 deaths, the 737 max returns to domestic skies with major overhauls, new flight control software and sensors, and intensive pilot training many passengers encouraged by what they saw others learned of the max flight from the pilot's p.a. announcement >> i googled and then i panicked >> reporter: american alerts passengers during booking and at the gate with the right to switch flights. >> after the fact i'd fly on it again. i probably wouldn't even bat an eye toward it >> reporter: on the plane this is going to feel an awful lot lik

thanksgiving >>> tonight there's something of a post-holiday rush to get tested for covid, but as sam brock explains, a negative result doesn't mean you're in the clear. >> reporter: after millions of americans jumped onto planes for the holiday weekend, they're now jumping into line for covid-19 testing. >> i'm pretty sure i was exposed. >> reporter: in illinois some 40,000 new cases since thanksgiving in miami these women hoping to protect hundreds in their church community after taking a trip with family >> you know what you're doing in your own home but you don't necessarily know what everyone else is doing. >> reporter: the most important thing you can do when you get back from traveling is to get tested for covid-19 but a lot of people wonder do i come here after one day, five days, ten days here's what medical experts say. cdc guidelines say get tested within three to five days of returning, stay at least six feet away from anyone who didn't travel with you, and wear a mask in your own home if you're sharing space with anyone who's vulnerable a second test also isn't a bad idea since

families who never thought they would have to ask for help with food tonight sam brock has their story. >> reporter: on christmas week, there's a crush of cars in san antonio waiting for groceries. >> i was like, thank goodness. i have food until i get paid on the 3rd. >> reporter: it's a scene eerily reminiscent of the spring, though the need has only strengthened since >> they were so excited to get this food, they got emotional. they break down in tears >> reporter: the lone star state is not alone in demand or tears feeding south florida now helps 200,000 families a week put food on the table, including debbie and her three kids >> not a position you ever want to be in it's hard to ask people for help i really don't want to, but i have no choice at this point >> reporter: some of these cars have been out here since 3:00 in the morning. and there's about 500 of them just in this field it's not just because it's a holiday week either. this is normal >> happy holidays. >> reporter: coast to coast, a crisis deepens feeding america estimates food insecurity this year at about 50 million

in fayetteville, sam brock, nbc news. >> it is such a new normal. >>> up next, one boy's heroic effort to spread holiday joy. >>> there's good news tonight about the spirit of giving, and a boy who embraced that, even as he faced his own unimaginable challenges. he's one of santa's biggest helpers. >> great now we have two of these. >> reporter: this 9-year-old is making sure christmas is special for kids who have already gone through so much. he's leading a toy drive for a children's hospital. his efforts all the more remarkable because he's a patient, too >> how's it going? >> good. >> reporter: battling inoperable brain cancer. >> every single treatment we ho come in and tell me, i have 1,000 gifts. i have 2,000 gifts now 3,000 gifts and counting it's just incredible that he has not stopped. >> reporter: it all started when he heard nurses talking about the empty toy closet. >> the toy closet is something that has toys in it for kids, because of covid-19, they lost a lot of their funding. >> reporter: with the help of his parents tim and tiffany, alex created a facebook group called

. >>> there's a major change coming to the airlines sam brock with the crackdown on pets. >> reporter: tonight the department of transportation showing not just bark but also bite limiting service animals on planes to just a dog that is individually trained for a person with disability emotional support animals no longer qualify except trained dogs helping passengers with conditions of anxiety or ptsd. >> there's a lot of people who have intellectual o developmental disabilities that these animals can really benefit >> reporter: eric's group open doors advocates for people traveling with disabilities, but also found rampant fraud in a system allowing just about anyone in health care to grant emotional support status. >> there were some writing thousands of letters a month to ltiple airlines and there's just very difficult to treat that many people in a month. >> reporter: the flight attendants' union watched it all unfold. >> flight attendants were hurt, other passengers were hurt bit by animals or creating chaos in the cabin. >> reporter: now after 15,000 public comments and a year o

here's sam brock >> oh, my god! >> reporter: the fire exploding from this house in georgia only one snapshot. >> go! >> reporter: of the horror unfolding inside >> the top of the windowsill was already on fire at that point. >> reporter: jacquill moss, home by happenchance, racing to get his five cousins, mother, and 76-year-old grandmother out. >> it was coming from beneath us and on top of us at the same time >> reporter: with everyone trapped in the bedroom, a three-story window their only option, his family members leapt first, leaving jacquill and his grandmother agnes with flames closing in. >> she was so afraid that she started shaking and she passed out as i was holding her. and so trying to get her out of the window, so when i dropped -- when i let her go -- >> reporter: agnes landed on a mattress brought from a nearby apartment. then jacquill jumped with seconds to spare. >> i just think he's the hero in this and if he wasn't around it would have been a different story. >> go! >> reporter: the fall leading

stakes, sky-high. >> we're not going to see the repercussions for two weeks from now. >> reporter: sam brock, nbc news. >>> president trump may soon wield the power of the pardon in unprecedent ways multiple sources say the president is deciding whether to pardon family members and associates tracie potts joins us. this could prove a controversial move. >> hi, frances they're discussing it. the president said to be concerned that the biden justice department may target his family and some of his closest allies, and a source telling nbc the president feels embattled but doesn't think that his family and others have actually done anything wrong or done anything legal, the white house not commenting on this meantime a judge has unsealed documents that reveal federal investigators looking into what was described in those documents as a potential bribery for pardon the documents were heavily redalkted, so there was a lot that was blocked out no names, no mention of the president, no mention that the white house knew anything about this again, the white house not commenting here, and the president

here's sam brock with that. >> reporter: less than 24 hours after the release of new body cam video -- >> you've got the wrong house! >> reporter: showing chicago police bursting into anjanette young's house naked and confused for someone else - >> the guns were pointed and drawn, and i was fearful for my life and i actually thought if i made any type of wrong move that they would shoot me. >> reporter: chicago's mayor forced to ramp up the damage control again after originally stating she first learned of the botched raid this week. >> in november of '19 this -- ms. young's case and others were lifted up to my attention. i don't have any contemporaneou recollection of this. >> reporter: now tonight lightfoot unveiling another twist, dropping legal action against young's attorney who released the video. writing, i believe that we should give attorney saulter the benefit of the doubt that he did not appreciate that the court's confidentialit order continued in full force and effect. without that video the incident may have never come to light. >> move it >> reporter: as the outrage in

in miami, florida, sam brock, nbc news. >>> in florida an amazing rescue caught on camera. dolphin is trapped in commercial fishing rope. two jet skiers noticed out riding in florida. . one of the men jumped into the water and freed the dolphin by cutting that rope. the dolphin was able to swim and rejoin i said pod. i'm glad it was able to get free. >>> what can we expect from our forecast this weekend because a lot of people want to get outside this weekend and exercise? >> yeah. but now the bay area air quality management district is saying limit your time outside, especially if you have breathing problems. we are seeing wildfire smoke across southern california and now. this fire we are watching burn in san jose. air quality now a concern as we are not seeing a lot of wind to help clear things out. as we head into the afternoon, we are looking at a mostly sunny sky but looks hazy out there right now. we will see our temperatures reaching into the upper 60s. we are up to 68 degrees in napa and 64 degrees in san francisco. going into the reason why we are seeing all of th

. >>> 11 months into this pandemic, and so many families are struggling to make ends meet sam brock visited a food bank in florida that's helping so many in need this christmas >> reporter: on christmas week, there's a crush of cars in san antonio waiting for groceries. >> i was like, thank goodness, i have food until i get paid on the 3rd. >> reporter: a scene eerily reminiscent of the spring, though the need has only strengthened since >> they were so excited to get this food. they got emotional they break down in tears >> reporter: the lone star state is not alone in demand or tears. feeding south florida now helps 200,000 families a week put food on the table including debbie gugliata and her three kids. >> it's not a position you ever want to be in. it's hard to ask people for help i really don't want to, but i have no choice at this point >> reporter: some of these cars have been out here since 3:00 in the morning. there's about 500 just in this field. it's not just because it's a holiday week either. this is normal >> happy holidays! >> reporter: coast to coast, a crisis deepens feed

gabe gutierrez is in columbus, ohio, sam brock is in new orleans, morgan chesky is in louisville and monica alba is at the white house. gabe, first to you in ohio, we've seen throughout the morning frontline care workers getting the vaccine. but then in phase two, it becomes more complicated. tell us what's going on where you are. >>. >> there is a historic moment. just a few minutes ago, the last of the first doses were administered here at the ohio state university wexner medical center. that's one of the vials that actually was administered, again, just a few minutes ago. last hour, we brought you as this was happening live in this hospital is getting 975 doses. it actually got it this morning. a u.p.s. truck came here. it was greeted by hospital sav, by the governor of ohio. and also by these fln workers. one of them who just received that vaccine is right here. she's a nurse in an icu. you've been dealing with covid patients for the last several months. how did it feel to get that vaccine just a few moments ago. >> a big relooefr. a lot of us have been on edge for nine plus mont

nbc's sam brock has been reporting on the rising number of americans experiencing food insecurity sinceandemic began. he joins me now from key biscayne, florida, and sam, welcome in to you. good morning. take us through what you've seen over the course of 2020 and how has the need for food assistance grown? >> reporter: cori, good morning. that is the perfect word to describe this, inconceivable when you see images of food banks. it's jaw dropping. one in four americans right now are not sure where their next meal is going to come from and they are relying upon food assistance. what i've seen personally at 3:00 or 4:00 in the morning in some cases cars that are out there the night before with their engines turned off sometimes in temperatures that are for florida pretty cold, 40 or 50 degrees in the morning because they don't want to waste gas, standing there, it's true in miami, florida, san antonio, texas, los angeles, california, as community groups across the country right now are doing whatever they can to try and stem this crisis. on christmas week there's a crush of cars in san a

sam brock is outside ft. lauderdale airport sam, good morning. >> peter, kristen, good morning and happy christmas eve. so much for the warnings. things are picking up here in fort lauderdale. but at airports across the country, they've been packed with travelers for days now. families are determined not to let covid capture christmas. they're now facing brutal weather, too, complicating matters even more. >> reporter: this morning, it's already looking a lot like christmas, as severe weather strikes parts of the country. knocking trucks off roads. decking the midwest with whiteout conditions, and tangling travelers like this family caught by the cold on the way in >> landed in philly for the connection, and our plane froze to the tarmac. we missed our connection flight. >> reporter: the plane stuck to the tarmac many are bundling up. >> it is probably going to be really cold. we went from being in bikinis to having to put jackets back on. >> reporter: and battling long lines. at miami international, checkpoin

our former colleague sam brock reports people are also stepping in to help. >> reporter: on christmash of cars in san antonio waiting. >> the need has only strengthed. >> they got emotional. they break down in tears. >> reporter: the lone star state is not alone they help 200,000 families a week put food on the table including debbie and her three kids. >> it's not a position you want to be in. i don't want to ask for help but i have no choice at this point. >> reporter: some of these cars have been out since 3:00 in the morning and about 500 of them just in this field. not just because it's a holiday week either. this is normal. >> happy holidays. >> reporter: coast to coast a crisis deepens. feeding america estimates food insecurity at 50 million people, the equivalent of the populations of texas and florida combined. but grassroots help is pouring in. in cities like los angeles, community frijs are popping up where volunteers gather extra food from restaurants, bakeries and neighbors. >> it's amazing. if you stop by, you drop off food and come back two hours later. it's empty again

nbc correspondent sam brock takes us on board. >> reporter: in this american airlines cabinet, applauseew chapter in 737 max safety. as the first domestic departure roared off the runway. >> we've been engaged with the faa, with boeing, with everybody associated with the aircraft to ensure that safety is held at the highest level. >> reporter: grounded for nearly two years after catastrophic crashes in ethiopia and indonesia, leading to 346 deaths, the 737 max returns to domestic skies with majorover hauls. new flight control software and sensors and intensive training many passengers encouraged from what they saw. others learned of the max flight from announcement. >> i googled and i panicked. i probably wouldn't bat an eye towards it. >> reporter: on the plane, this is going to feel an awful like the 737 maxes you've been in but american airlines have put in 64,000 hours of maintenance on the max fleet for the last 20 months to get to this point. united states and southwest plan to launch the max early next year also. families are saying it is inconceivable to me that this airplane wi

sam brock in florida. >>> congress has sent a covid relief bill to the president but it's unclear if he'll sign that. i'll ask congressman dan kildee what the democrat's plan is if he does not do it. >>> and a person is dying every ten minutes from covid-19. ery ten minutes from covid-19. so you want to make the best burger ever? then make it! that means selling everything. and eating nothing but cheese till you find the perfect slice... even if everyone asks you... another burger truck? don't listen to them! that means cooking day and night until you get... [ ding ] you got paid! that means adding people to the payroll. hi mom. that means... best burger ever. intuit quickbooks helps small businesses be more successful with payments, payroll, banking and live bookkeeping. and now with q4 wrapping up, the north pole has to be feeling the heat. it's okay santa, let's workflow it. workflow it...? -uh-huh. just picture it... with the now platform, we'll have the company you always imagined. efficient, productive, seamless. ok, i'm in. whatever your business is facing... let's workflow it

sam brock was there. sam, good morning. >> reporter: paul, good morning. it's exactly how airline executives would like it after two horrific crashes they're trying to restore confidence in and reputation of the aircraft. >> you're fleeiying on a boeing7 max. >> reporter: applause. as the first domestic departure roared off the runway. >> we've been engaged with faa, with boeing, with everyone associated with the aircraft to ensure that safety is held at the highest level. >> reporter: groundedfor nearl two years after catastrophic crashes in ethiopia and indonesia leading to 346 deaths, the 737 max returns domestic skies with major overhauls new flight control software and sensors and intensive pilot training many passengers encouraged by what they saw. others learned of flight from the pilot's p.a. announcement. >> i googled and then i panicked after the fact i would fly on it again. >> reporter: on this plane it's going feel like the 737 maxes you've been on, but american airlines has put in 764,000 hours just to get to this point. united and southwest

sam brock is in florida where the attack hammed. we're going to check in with him next. >>> but first, our team always on social media. so get caught up on the latest stories on the go. be sure to watch our series on instagram. follow us @nbcbay area. >>> 6:24. you're watching "today in the bay." on capitol hill congress is set to hold a historic vote on marijuana. representatives are set to decide today on a bill to remove marijuana from the federal list of controlled substances. that move would wipe away some drug-related convictions. the bill is likely to pass in the house the republic kwan-led senate is unlikely to take up the legislation during the current session. >>> in the meantime the house has passed a bill first launched after the docu series "tiger king." it would outlaw future private ownership of big cats like lions and tigers. the measure would allow current big cat owners to keep their animals but would prohibit most public contact. "tiger king" star and her husband howard both spent years lobbying for the bill. it w

sam brock, nbc news. >> it's a lot. coming up for us, an incredible moment you will want to see.morning on live television. there is reason to believe the outgoing president was indeed watching. we'll have that when we come back. these folks, they don't have time to go to the post office they have businesses to grow customers to care for lives to get home to they use stamps.com print discounted postage for any letter any package any time right from your computer all the amazing services of the post office only cheaper get our special tv offer a 4-week trial plus postage and a digital scale go to stamps.com/tv and never go to the post office again! >>> last thing before we go tonight, as you watch the following clip please remember americans are now dying at the rate of one per minute. please remember we've lost over 270,000 of our brothers and sisters. people who were here with us when the year began, people who will not see another new year's eve. here now a moment of clarity and awareness that took place on live tv on the president's favorite morning show, "fox and friends." an

sam brock, nbc news. >> it's a lot. coming up for us, an incredible moment you will want to see.ppened this morning on live television. there is reason to believe the outgoing president was indeed watching. we'll have that when we come back. that when we come back [ thunder rumbles ] [ engine rumbling ] ♪ [ beeping ] [ engine revs ] ♪ uh, you know there's a 30-minute limit, right? tell that to the rain. [ beeping ] for those who were born to ride, there's progressive. [ beeping ] the lack of control whenover my business kai, made me a little intense. but now quickbooks helps me get paid, manage cash flow, and run payroll. and now i'm back on top... with koala kai. save over 30 hours a month with intuit quickbooks. tonight, i'll be eating a veggie cheeseburger on ciabatta, no tomatoes.. [hard a] tonight... i'll be eating four cheese tortellini with extra tomatoes. [full emphasis on the soft a] so its come to this? [doorbell chimes] thank you. [doorbell chimes] bravo. careful, hamill. daddy's not here to save you. oh i am my daddy. wait, what? what are you talking about? and at fid

nbc's sam brock is in ft. lauderdale. schwartz in los angeles where hospitals are on the brink. sam, just how busy are things where you are, and what are you hearing from travelers who clearly think getting on a plane is worth the risk? >> there's no doubt about it, chris. there's evidently a disconnect between what public officials are telling people to do and what they're actually doing. the tsa just released the traveler through-put for yesterday. chris, 1.19 million people flew. that is more than half of what it was at this same day last year when there was no pandemic. in terms of what i'm seeing on the ground level, everyone will have their own reaction to looking at a busy airport. ft. lauderdale is rather calm right now. what i saw at miami international airport last night was, for lack of a better word, stunning. throngs of people there. they were with their families standing in security checkpoints that went for gates long. there were so many people there. obviously, the social distancing, it's going to look a l

for food and assistance has quadrupled in some places according to armed service the ymca nbc's sam brockn one military mom who's barely scraping by >> reporter: at a food pantry on fort brag run by the armed services ymca. >> any specific needs your family has >> canned fruits and vegetables. >> she moved there two years ago when her husband joined the army she has a degree in interior design and a baby due on christmas. now she has a stunning fortunes. >> covid happened and i lost my job in july due to the virus >> reporter: in a million years did you expect to find yourself in the position where you are right now? >> never i've always been someone who's paid for everything myself, took care of myself, put myself through school, paid my own rent >> reporter: many military families are trying to navigate the same humbling course the armed services ymca says employment for spouses has always been difficult with ever changing locations and deployments, but add a generational pandemic and the group is seeing jaw dropping need at the ten pan tris. >> san diego in particular four fold in term

nbc's sam brock talked to icu nurse lindsay >> in the last nine months, how many times do you think you have cried tears of pain? >> a lot >> reporter: hundreds? >> yeah. i could do it right now. >> reporter: the most ambitious vaccination program in history is only just beginning. vaccinations at nursing homes should begin next week. meanwhile, moderna's vaccine could receive ten days fda approval within ten days lester >> all right tom, thank you. >>> as those shipments are delivered across the country we wante to take a closer look tonight at a city and hospital that received the vaccine. nbc's gabe gutierrez is in columbus, ohio. >> reporter: this was much more than a special delivery it was history in columbus, ohio, nbc news had exclusive access as this lifechanging cargo was loaded this morning. the vaccine shipment driven overnight from u.p.s.'s hub i kentucky after flying from the pfizer plant in michigan. here it was loaded on to this delivery truck. rarely has cargo been this precious. imagine being the u.p.s. worker driving it. >> some day my kids will tell their kids when t

some may not be able to get to their homes or where they're trying to go for the holiday season, sam brock has latest from ft. lauderdale, florida. >> when it's sunshine here in ft. lauderdale, for most of the case that's not the case, getting hammered by severe weather. in the upper midwest, places like north dakota, nebraska, pulling trucks off roadways and creating white-out conditions. in the northeast, torrential rain and heavy winds tonight into tomorrow morning, christmas day. all of this going on as travelers are heading out during a pandemic, to see their families. miami international airport i interviewed one woman heading back to brazil for the holiday with some trepidation about seeing her parents. >> i haven't seen them for seven months. i'm excited to see them. i don't know. i feel like -- i don't know how to explain t i just want to see them. i think we'll be okay. i don't really think it's really dangerous, the coronavirus, at all. >> reporter: aaa originally forecast about 84 million travelers this holiday season. here at ft. lauderdale airport. >> we're updating the weath

nbc's sam brock is at miami international airport for that first flight sam, you're going to be on it am, indeed. good morning we are about to get a firsthand look at the updated 737 max. this comes as america is adding two max days to start and gradually ramping up this comes on the heels of multiple unthinkable tragedies the faa administrator is promising strength and safety, this aircraft is going to be safe and this very specific situation, after undergoing an unprecedented level of scrutiny. this morning the boeing 737 max returns to the sky, taking off from miami for its first u.s. commercial flight in nearly two years. american airlines plans to fly the single max from miami to new york and back on round trips through january 4th, before adding more routes united and southwest plan to relaunch the max early next year the new flights coming after two fatal crashes in ethiopia and indonesia claimed 346 lives. the accidents were linked to faulty sensors and software failures that caused the planes to nosedive, ultimately grounding all max flights in march of 2019. after massive ov

league begins its toughest challenge, resuming play outside the bubble with more on that, here is sam brock reporter: far from a slam dunk, the nba tips off its 2020 season tonight post bubble with some of the sports' brightest stars like former mvp steph curry, bracing for a challenge. >> i got a strong, nonnegotiable that i had to make with myself, just you can't complain about anything at this point. every day is going to be something happening. >> i actually feel like a buzz here in the arena. >> reporter: teams will now go back to traveling for road games. >> it is a little different, you know, actually because of covid, but we're still trying to keep our chemistry the way it has been we're going to the nba approved, but, still, following the safety protocols. >> we want to work. >> reporter: nba commissioner adam sell vir telling nbc's craig melvin testing will likely ramp up to twice a day and the inevitable positives will pop up as seen in the nfl. >> if we have a singular player on a team who tests positive. >> we will isolate that player. if outbreak means we have a spread, you kn

. >> covid has claimed the life of a young soon to be congressman sam brock joins us with that story. good morning. this is simply put heart breaking congressman letlow had just been elected to represent louisiana's fifth congressional district in a runoff earlier this month. now the husband and father of two is gone, the latest victim coronavirus. >> reporter: luke letlow was just 41 years old, the married father of two young children and promising politician who was elected to congress earlier this month to represent louisiana's fifth district. >> didn't come from a lot of money, didn't come from a big political family >> reporter: the congressman-elect was set to be sworn in on monday, his family now planning a funeral after he died from coronavirus complications.ppreciates the nu prayers the family appreciates the numerous prayers and support over the past few days, but asking for privacy in this difficult and unexpected time. louisiana's governor ordering the flags to be flown at half-staff the day of letlow's funeral. he defeated republican lance harrison earlier in the month to

nbc's sam brock joins us now from miami with more. essional sports. it is not what commissioner roger goodell envisions for the nfl. the nfl, so far, has made it through the first 12 weeks of the regular season, but this last week has easily been the most trying. the baltimore ravens, pittsburgh steelers game was postponed three times, hoda, because of positive tests for ten consecutive days for at least one ravens player. on top of that, the denver broncos couldn't field a quarterback because players weren't following safety protocols. commissioner goodell believes it could be safe to finish the season, and it will be, and he doesn't envision a traditional bubble, but he told nbc's mike tirico he is open to new ideas >> not something we would do because we believe that our protocols are working. we would consider further isolations to reduce the risks for all of our personnel, so that they're not exposed to the virus and bring it into the facilities or to the club. >> reporter: now, in a conference call with reporters, commissioner go

sam brock will have more on the "today" show about that. a recent poll shows most americans who know about the 737 max will not fly it. that same poll shows most americans aren't conscious of the airplane's past. >>> speaking of numbers the tsa says a record number of people are flying, the most since march. this despite warnings, really pleas not to do so. they've established flying itself is reasonably safe but what you're doing when you get there, visiting with family outside your bubble or other things is not safe and the government says, scientists say, don't do it. >> a lot of people are. >> yeah. >> thanks, scott. some much-needed help for small businesses struggling to make it could be on the way soon. starting tomorrow indeed. the state will open up applications to its relief grant program, qualifying businesses up to $25,000 in grants. now it's focused on those underserved most. businesses have until midnight january 8th to apply. >>> something that could be key to gaining normalcy as the covid vaccine starts to roll out. new high

joining me now, sam brock. from michigan alison barber. not to diminish the hill that we're climbing, but it is a real moment, what are you seeing down there? >> i don't think it is too cliched or simplistic to say that this is truly a ray of hope to all of the people here carrying the emotional burden of seeing people suffer, losing loved ones for nine months now. that is exactly what we are experiencing on the front level. this is the largest private health care provider in the state of what we heard from people today, the word they heard most frequently was relief. we started this process. we saw people trickle it, and you mentioned late march and early spril. it is excruciating here. they wore their pain over their heart and their chest. this is not the first time we're talking at mitigation, but solution. this is a very specific location that i'm at right now it was helping pfizer with their trial runs but the cold freezing temperatures minus 70 and minus 80 degrees. how to move the dry ice and boxes around. nehr a great position to b

so let's go to sam brock who is in louisiana for us. , that hospital system has 40 hospitals, more than 100 health and you are gentsd care centers, so how does the ralout looll ou? >> reporter: amazing. there is a simultaneous exultation across the country. i'm in new orleans and the benson cancer center, where they had ministered some of the vaccinations just before 8:00 this morning. we could watch it in real time as the president of the hospital association was narrating essentially as we were watching nurses putting the syringes into arms. such a powerful moment. i spoke with governor webell edwards, they have had 6,000 plus people who have died in the state of louisiana, what his reaction was to this. he calmed it momentous and emotional. just the fact that the individuals, the frontline workers who have been putting in 18, 20 hour days six or seven days a week, isolating from their families, are the first ones who are being rewarded with the vaccine at a time where we've seen a shortage of staff fighting covid, now we're seeing som

. >> a decision that could have ripple effects on the entire season sam brock joins us now with the latestning. >> reporter: savannah, hoda, good morning it is called the game for a reason ohio state/michigan has been a staple of college sports every single year since 1918 until now. university of michigan having to pull the plug on this game because of rising covid-19 cases, at the same time making powerhouse ohio state potentially ineligible for the big 10 championship. this morning, a storied college football rivalry stuck on the sidelines. this weekend's battle between heated rivals, the ohio state buckeyes and michigan wolverines called off because of covid. >> the unbeaten buckeyes need this one for the big 10 title. >> reporter: the annual match-up, which dates back to a century, was canceled due to an uptick of cases in their program. >> the players, to a man, wanted to play this game. >> reporter: michigan's athletic director described the decision as disappointing, but pointed to a bigger picture, writing in a statement, the program's health and safety is paramount and will alway

nbc's sam brock has his heartfelt message of thanks. sam, good morning. >> craig, good morning.christmas holiday together less than two weeks ago the junior forward was in critical but stable condition his parents amazed right now at the recovery process, even as johnson's illness remains a mystery. >> i know y'all have been sending y'all prayers out the last few weeks me and my parents are very grateful for the prayers that's been going out. >> reporter: in words that soothed the stunned sports world, university of florida basketball player keyontae johnson first posted this video with a classic gator chomp. >> go gators. >> reporter: and now this morning is out of the hospital, only ten days removed from a frightening collapse. >> we've had a heartbreaking situation here you see this florida team in tears. >> reporter: while it's not clear what caused the 21-year-old to fall face first on the court, his parents are now breathing a sigh of relief posting in a statement, today is a great day. keyontae is being released from the hospital, and look forward to spending christmas to

nbc's sam brock is in florida, where overwhelmed health care workers are preparing to start the vaccinationsr. inside of this massive warehouse, baptist health here in florida is distributing critical medical supplies to a dozen hospitals throughout florida. in a couple weeks, it'll include doses of pfizer's new vaccine, which will come here via truck then it gets moved to specialized freezers around the corner, where then it goes to front line health care workers at high risk those are the first folks set to be vaccinated. >> reporter: the anxious wait for a country sick zenned by covid is about to end with pfizer's vaccine poised for emergency approval by the fda. with more than 3,100 people dying from the virus in just the last 24 hours. a monumental task will be convincing the public to trust the vaccine and show up for a shot the fda commissioner talking to savannah earlier on "today." >> 41% said they would want to wait a few months. now, is that concerning to you >> it is concerning to me. and that's because when it's appropriate medically, or from patient -- or from people characteri

nbc's sam brock live in miami.n. sam, what do we know >> reporter: you know, shep, it is amazing how many people know who carol baskin is because of netflix, her big cat rescue is a sam, what do we know >> reporter: you know, shep, it is amazing how many people know who carole baskin is because of netflix. her big cat rescue is a sanctuary for rescued animals, but in this case it was a reminder of how dangerous it is to try to care for lions and tigers the woman injured, a five-year volunteer there.r volunteer there. you you are not supposed to stick a part of your body in a cage with an animal and opened up a guillotine tunnel door to try to get access to kimba the tiger, and that is when kimba attacked her.f reacting to what was going on and describing what they saw they said it was like seein according to employees that provided audio of reacting to what was going on and describing what they saw, they said it was like seeing her arm almost detached from the shoulder, so dangerous they had to use their fanny packs a

sam brock has more. >> reporter: at a food pantry on ft. specific needs your family has this month? >> i would say some canned vegetables and canned fruit. >> reporter: rachel is collecting the basics, the 30-year-old moved to the military base two years ago when her husband joined the army. she has a degree in interior design and a baby due on christmas. now she's facing a stunning swing of fortunes. >> what happened? >> well, covid happened, and unfortunately, i got -- i lost my job in july due to the virus. >> in a million years, did you expect to find yourself in the position where you are right now? >> never. i've always been someone who's paid for everything myself, took care of myself, put myself through school, paid my own rent. >> many military families are now trying to navigate the same humbling course. the armed services ymca says employment for spouses has been difficult with ever-changing locations and deployments, but had a generational pandemic and the group is seeing need at its ten pantries nationwide. >> san diego in part

sam brock spoke to a member of one of those families about her struggles and about how the military isre. in ft. bragg where i am right now a soon to be mom is talking about her struggles hoping it will hope others seek the help they need. >> any specific needs you have this morning? >> i would say canned vegetables and fruit? >> rachael is collecting the basics. she moved to the military base two years ago when her husband joined the military. she has a baby due in january. >> covid happened and unfortunately i lost my job in july due to the virus. >> in a million years. >> i have never been someone who needed someone to pay for me, i paid my own rent, paid for my own school. >> the armed services ymca says deployment for spouses has always been difficult, but add a generational pandemic and groupt is a they're seeing a 400% increase in dekd. >> other groups are tracking equally unnerving trends. serving is not profits which saw food insecurity ahead of employment and housing. >> there is a lot of stigma and shame and the families have said to us yes, our children are hungry, but that

meantime i want to cross over now to sam brock. it's about the nba.t with the league continuing an aggressive strategy to test players and coaches. here is that report. >> reporter: just 61 days after the l.a. lakers took home the nba title, king james will have to defend his throne with preseason basketball tipping off tonight in the first regular season games on december 22. to start, most teams will have to play to empty arenas, something lebron james admits is no fun. >> it would never be something i would be fully comfortable with. >> reporter: after a wildly successful quarantine-free covid zone to finish the season, the nba has decided to burst its bubble. teams will be competing in home markets, traveling to away games by private planes, and of course players, coaches, and refs taking daily covid tests. >> everybody is super excited to compete against somebody else and play the game that we love. >> reporter: even as the virus spreads at record levels nationwide, coaches are projecting confidence. >> i think everybody is glad to be on the cour