hisamitsu. tonight, the new and dire warning. the covid risk to all americans is, quote, at an historic high. that warning from the white house coronavirus task force today. the head of the cdc now predicting the u.s. could see 200,000 more deaths by february. what top health officials are now telling americans over 65 about leaving the house. tonight, the uk, the first country to approve the pfizer vaccine. the rollout now under way. and here in the u.s., when authorities now say to expect emergency approval here. with that news overseas, the pfizer vaccine approved and likely soon here, we ask, how sure can americans be that it is safe? should they expect any side effects? dr. jha is right here tonight answering your questions. despite that new warning from president trump's own task force on the virus, the images from inside the white house, the christmas party. few masks.

and the president suggesting he'll run in 2024. and can the president pardon members of his own family preemptively? can he pardon himself? jon karl standing by on that. and news late today on americans in desperate need. movement now on capitol hill when it comes to getting them help. is there a deal in the works? mary bruce live on that. boeing's fleet of max jets returning to the skies. tonight, we're onboard. and what changes have been made to those faulty sensors? dangerous cold in parts of the country, and the new storm now heading into the northeast by week's end. rob marciano timing it out tonight. the heartbreaking and deadly crash. families in their cars lined up to see christmas lights. the amtrak train slamming into a minivan. the community had warned of this area before. the mother and her young children rescued, carrying her baby out. the airlines and the major change coming when it comes to pets in the cabin. and america strong tonight. something you've done and children are smiling.

good evening and it's great to have you with us here on a wednesday night. and we welcomed that hopeful news today that the uk tonight is now the first country in the world to approve the pfizer vaccine. the vaccine already being shipped. and tonight, the cdc saying approval could come here within two weeks. but as we wait, a sobering warning tonight. the white house task force telling americans today that our country is in a very dangerous place, that the covid risk to all americans is at an historic high. and they are urging everyone over 65 or with significant health conditions to avoid public places if possible and to wear a mask when you leave the house. and tonight, the alarming numbers behind those warnings. 47 states in the red zone for cases. and we are now averaging more than 180,000 enough cases every day. a new record for hospitalizations.

nearly 100,000 americans in the hospital battling this virus. 2,600 lives lost in the past 24 hours, that's nearly the same number as the all-time high last april. and of course, hospitals are under enormous strain. in virginia and new york, for example, some are suspending elective surgeries. doctors and nurses pleading for help. retired health care workers coming back onto the front lines. and of course so many families effected. the michigan mother contracting covid. doctors delivering her twins two months early. that mother then put on a ventilator. we have it all covered for you tonight. the vaccines, how soon here and how safe. and we begin with abc's chief national affairs correspondent tom llamas leading us off right here in new york. >> reporter: tonight, america facing a new and grim prediction from the cdc as the coronavirus task force is putting out urgent warnings. anyone over 65, avoid all indoor public spaces where people aren't wearing masks and to try and have groceries and medications delivered.

the task force also issuing a stern message to the millions who traveled for thanksgiving. anyone under 40 who was with members outside their immediate family should assume they are infected. saying, "you are dangerous to others and you must isolate away from anyone at increased risk for severe disease and get tested immediately." the reason? the director of the cdc saying there could be 200,000 more deaths in the next three months. >> i actually believe they're going to be the most difficult time in the public health history of this nation. >> reporter: a new surge coinciding with the vaccine rollout. today, operation warp speed said they're estimating emergency approval in just under two weeks, by december 15th. it expects 6.4 million doses of the pfizer vaccine available that day and 12.5 million doses of moderna expected as soon as a week later. >> it's just making sure that we have everything locked, so when

eua decision comes, distribution to the american people becomes immediate within 24 hours. >> reporter: in new york, the original epicenter of the pandemic, massive hospital warehouses like this one are stocked to the roof with supplies. the governor is expecting 170,000 vaccine doses within two weeks in what he calls the largest government operation since world war ii. as soon as the vaccine comes, these syringes could possibly be used. and it's pretty amazing to think that just in this plastic tube, once it's filled with vaccine, it could save someone's life. and it can't come soon enough. the nation set to top 100,000 hospitalizations. in michigan, doctors had to perform an emergency c-section on jasmine logan to deliver her twins. all of this while she's currently infected with the coronavirus. >> she did everything that she could to hold on so our babies could be safe and strong. >> reporter: after a healthy delivery, jasmine had to go on a ventilator. >> i'm picking my kids up and i

can't even see my wife. i can't even take my wife home. >> reporter: the emotional toll felt in every corner of hospitals across america. the amount of people dying every day from covid-19 now matching peak levels from april. more than 2,600 deaths reported in the last 24 hours. >> we just sit there and hold their hands. they want you to limit 15 minutes in the room, but how do you walk away from someone that's saying, "i just want to die?" >> that nurse talking about holding the hand of a patient who was dying and we've heard that from so many nurses around the country. tom llamas back with us live tonight. and tom, i know you spoke with front line workers in new york today who said they know they're not even seeing the effects of thanksgiving yet? >> reporter: david, we've seen spikes all over the country and here in new york. but health care workers tell me they are still waiting for the thanksgiving surge and they know it's going to happen. the head of critical care here at mt. sinai telling me they've opened up an additional icu, just to be safe. she says it's not a question of if but when. david? >> tom llamas leading us off again tonight. tom, thank you.

and as we mentioned here at the top, the uk, the first country to give emergency approval for the pfizer vaccine. refrigerated trucks like this one leaving the factory in belgium, set to deliver the first batch of doses within days. so tonight, how is it working there and what can we learn about what to expect here in the coming weeks? abc's maggie rulli from london tonight. >> reporter: tonight, just hours after the uk became the first country to give the green light to pfizer's vaccine, the first vials packed up in ultra cold containers are shipped out of this plant in belgium. >> help is on its way with this vaccine. from easter onwards, things are going to be better and we're going to have a summer next year that everybody can enjoy. >> reporter: 400,000 people could be vaccinated next week, with the first of two doses, starting with the elderly in care homes and their providers, along with people over 80. millions of doses will follow in what's being called the largest vaccination program in the

country's history. >> it's very, very good news, but it is by no means the end of the story. it is not the end of our national struggle against coronavirus. >> reporter: the first challenge may be convincing some people to even take the vaccine. >> i don't trust it. like, i don't know what's inside. >> i just don't like taking anything until i really know too much about it and i feel like this is being pushed out. >> reporter: now, david, it is still going to take months to roll out this vaccine. remember, people are going to need two doses of it. now, hospitals like this one tell us they'll be getting this vaccine soon, but in the meantime, while we wait, scientists warn us that things like social distancing and mask wearing, they remain as important as ever. david? >> no question about that. maggie, our thanks to you, as well. and with the uk approving the pfizer vaccine and approval expected here soon, of course, the questions, how safe is it, what should americans expect? so, let's bring in dr. ashish jha, dean of brown university of school of public health, back with us tonight. and dr. jha, you know a lot of people at home have concerns, questions over the safety of

these vaccines. so, give us a bit of a reality check here tonight. how safe do we believe the pfizer vaccine actually is? and how can we be sure there won't be side effects? >> yeah, david, thank you for having me on. you know, i understand people's concerns. we've gone fast on this. but these vaccines have gone through every hoop, every step that we would of any other vaccine. and the results from all of those tests have been reported back transparently. so, we know a lot more about these vaccines than we do about many others. and everything we're seeing so far suggests that these vaccines are safe and effective. there will be some side effects. with everything, there are always some side effects. people will have some -- people have pain in their arm, i expect some people to have fever in the first 24 hours. those are common. but everything we're seeing right now makes me feel confident these vaccines are safe and effective. >> and dr. jha, we know it will be a tall order convincing a lot of americans that this hasn't been rushed, that it's safe, given what you've said tonight. what percentage of the population do we need to reach

so this is really effective in holding the virus at bay here in the u.s.? >> yeah, so, we really need to get to 70%, 80% of people getting vaccinated if we're really going to bring the pandemic under control and get back to some semblance of normal. even less than that will make a difference, david, but we have to have a large proportion of people getting vaccinated if we want the virus to not dominate our lives the way it has. >> all right, dr. jha with us again tonight. dr. jha, we thank you again and we'll see you in the coming days, i'm sure. and we continue here with the news this evening and despite that new and dire warning from president trump's own coronavirus task force today, many took note of images overnight, from the christmas party at the white house. crowds and few masks and the president suggesting that he'll run in 2024. here's our chief white house correspondent jonathan karl. >> reporter: just as the president's own coronavirus task force has issued its most dire warning yet, saying the risk is at an historic high, the white house is defying public health guidelines. >> we love you, president! >> reporter: this video shows an

indoor white house christmas party last night. guests packed shoulder to shoulder. lots of christmas decorations, but very few masks. and it's not just one party. the white house schedule this month has multiple holiday parties, as the white house press secretary boasted today. >> we will engage in the celebration of christmas and there will be a hanukkah celebration, as well. >> reporter: as the white house continues to engage in reckless behavior, trump's former campaign manager, brad parscale, an architect of his 2016 victory, says the president lost this year because he appeared unconcerned about a pandemic that has americans scared. >> i think if he would have been publicly empathetic, he would have won, by a landslide. i think he could have leaned into it instead of run away. >> reporter: at the party last night, trump spoke to his guests not about the rising covid death toll but about his own political future, floating the possibility he may run for president again in 2024. >> but it's been an amazing four

years, we're trying to do another four years, otherwise, i'll see you in four years. >> reporter: the president continues to lie about election fraud. just today, releasing a 46-minute video repeating fact-free conspiracy theories about the election being stolen. this even after his attorney general told the associated press yesterday, quote, we have not seen fraud on a scale that could have affected a different outcome in the election. the president also suggested he's concerned he may be prosecuted after leaving office. just as his allies are talking about preemptive pardons for members of the trump family and even trump himself. it's unclear if he could pardon himself, but in the past, he has said he has the power to do it. >> yes, i do have an absolute right to pardon myself. but i'll never have to do it, because i didn't do anything wrong. and everybody knows it. >> let's get right to jon karl with us live tonight from washington. and jon, so much talk about this, about whether the president will pardon his own children or himself and can he

actually issue a preemptive pardon? >> reporter: well, the short answer is yes, in fact, david, it has been done before. gerald ford pardoned richard nixon for any crimes he may have committed while he was president, even though nixon hadn't been charged with anything. but remember, a presidential pardon only applies to federal crimes. it does not protect someone from state or local prosecutions. and as for whether or not the president can pardon himself, that is very much undetermined. unclear if he can do that. >> all right, jon karl with us again tonight. jon, thank you. there was also news late today and we know so many americans in desperate need across this country, struggling to make ends meet. movement on capitol hill when it comes to getting them help. so, let's get to mary bruce with us live tonight. i know president-elect joe biden signaling tonight he is onboard with this compromise, so, bottom line here, is a deal in sight and where do things stand right now? >> reporter: well, david, we saw a big shift on the hill today. it seems that democratic leaders and looks like the president-elect are now onboard with this bipartisan compromise,

even though it falls far short of what democrats have been demanding all along. what it would include is $300 in weekly federal unemployment benefits and $160 billion in state and local aid, which republicans had been rejecting. but it would not include another round of stimulus checks for all americans. the big question now tonight is, will republican leader mitch mcconnell get onboard? he's been pushing his own plan. and what about president trump? he hasn't said a word yet about this new compromise. the bottom line tonight is that while there is cause for optimism, with millions of americans suffering, a deal is far from done. david? >> all right, and you'll keep us posted for sure. mary, thank you. we turn to other news tonight and boeing's fleet of max jets returning to the skies today. and we were onboard. and we asked, what changes have been made to those faulty sensors? this 737 max jet with passengers onboard flying for the first time in nearly two years, coming in for a landing in dallas. of course, the max jets were grounded around the world after two deadly crashes. here's abc's gio benitez tonight.

>> reporter: tonight, the boeing 737 max is back in the air, after all the planes were grounded following two crashes that killed 346 people. this is the first time anyone from the public has flown on this plane since it was grounded nearly two years ago. american airlines flying reporters today on a mission to restore public confidence in the max. >> i know our pilots would not get in this aircraft if they didn't think it was safe. >> reporter: here in the max cockpit, you won't see any changes, but boeing says it has completely updated its flight control system and that is all in the software. that software was triggered in both crashes involving lion air 610 and ethiopian 302, when a faulty sensor gave the wrong information, sending the nose of the planes down not once, but multiple times. the system now uses two sensors and can only send the nose down once. but some victims' families calling today's flight a marketing stunt. >> neither of us would ever get

on a 737 max and we will warn every single person we know. >> reporter: and david, southwest and united also have the max, but american will be the first to fly it with paying customers on december 29th from miami to new york. david? >> all right, gio benitez in dallas tonight for us. gio, thank you. and when we come back here, dangerous cold in parts of the country tonight. and the new storm heading into the northeast by week's end. rob marciano timing it out. and the holiday lights tragedy. the amtrak train slamming into a family minivan. and why the community had warned of that site before. in a moment. pay off my stu loan debt. (chime) they were able to give me a personal loan so i could pay off all of my credit cards. (chime) i got my mortgage through sofi and the whole process was so easy. choosing sofi was literally one of the best decisions i could have ever made because it gave me peace of mind.

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another bundle in the books. got to hand it to you, jamie. your knowledge of victorian architecture really paid off this time. nah, just got lucky. so did the thompsons. that faulty wiring could've cost them a lot more than the mudroom. thankfully they bundled their motorcycle with their home and auto. they're protected 24/7. mm. what do you say? one more game of backgammon? [ chuckles ] not on your life. [ laughs ] ♪ when the lights go down tonight, we're tracking dangerous cold and that storm moving in by the end of the week in the northeast. let's get right to rob marciano, tracking it for us. hey, rob. >> reporter: david, it is december, we had temperatures in the 20s all the way to florida this morning. nearly the same tomorrow morning, in the 20s, atlanta, boston, same deal. midwest tomorrow that gets into

the gulf tomorrow with some rain that will ride into the southeast during the day on friday, then up into the mid-atlantic and the northeast with rain, wind and snow both saturday and sunday, looks like another mess. david? >> all right, rob, thank you. when we come back, we'll have more on that holiday tragedy, the deadly amtrak crash and some had warned of that location before. why don't you call td ameritrade for a strategy gut check? what's that? you run it by an expert, you talk about the risk and potential profit and loss. could've used that before i hired my interior decorator. voila! maybe a couple throw pillows would help. get a strategy gut check from our trade desk. ♪

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truck to get them out safely, including her 6-month-old baby. major changes from the airlines tonight concerning passengers flying with pets. the transportation department allowing airlines to ban emotional support animals including cats, pet rabbits and others. service animals will now be specifically defined as dogs trained to help a person with a disability. when we come back here tonight, something so many of you have done, it's really taken off. or, give you unusually high energy, even when depressed. overwhelmed by bipolar i? ask about vraylar. some medicines only treat the lows or highs. vraylar effectively treats depression, acute manic and mixed episodes of bipolar i in adults. full-spectrum relief for all bipolar i symptoms, with just one pill, once a day. elderly patients with dementia-related psychosis have an increased risk of death or stroke. call your doctor about unusual changes in behavior or suicidal thoughts. antidepressants can increase these in children and young adults. report fever, stiff muscles, or confusion,

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at home have fueled right here. building desks for kids learning from home. >> oh, hi david. >> 9-year-old jamia in the fourth grade, telling us why she loves hers. >> it brightens up the positivity, just because of the beautiful brightness of it. >> in omaha, nebraska, marcus holley, a father of three. he went to buy his children desks -- they were sold out. >> so, i'm like -- i'm going to have to build them a desk. >> so, he taught himself on youtube, building them from scratch and then said -- let's keep going. >> maybe somebody else can use these, i can build them. >> marcus has now built more than 150 desks. >> thank you. >> his go fund me raising $10,000 in donations. and this grandfather outside san francisco tonight. les, who told his local news this -- >> when david muir aired this, my wife said to me, you can build anything. you should do this. >> and so he did.

>> hi, david. >> tonight, les showing us his work. 50 more already under construction. >> these are some of the finished desks here in my garage. >> his go fund me raising more than $12,000. and where are all of his desks going? well, 8-year-old rosie, for one, in the third grade. and yasmin, too. >> hi, david. i just want to show you guys my desk. my new desk that was made by les. i'm very grateful. thank you, les. >> and in santa fe, new mexico, david gunter and the community desk project. sending his blueprints all over the country to other "world news tonight" viewers. about 100 of them. including walter and yoko putnam and al thompson in toledo, ohio. >> a student desk can make things a little bit easier for kids and make them sit down and work and learn, i think, is a plus, it's a good thing. >> we do, too. every single desk made, we love what you've done. we'll see you tomorrow. a break through overseas in

the race for a vaccine. tonight a ucsf doctor explained what the u.k. is about to begin could be a lesson for us here in california. >> the impact of the pandemic. the busy transit system faces business cuts and layoffs. contributor and insider phil ma with the perspective. >> i'm wayne freedman where tourism is a boom and normally a concern. we'll tell you why coming up. an out of work restaurant worker shares his edd saga. thieves stole his money and then the bank took his reimbursement. >> announcer: building a better bay area for a safe and secure future. this is abc 7 news. >> tonight, california is going in the wrong direction. a record number of new coronavirus cases, more than 20,000 in a day. >> shattering case records is not where we want to be on december 2nd. >> reporter: for the fourth straight day, a record number of

patients sick enough to be hospitalized. >> a milestone in the bay area. more than 2,000 lives lost, all indications we're about to face tougher restrictions. >> good evening to you. i'm dan ashley. >> i'm liz kreutz. thank you for joining us. amid the grim headlines, hope from overseas. today the united kingdom became the first country to approve pfizer's covid-19 vaccine. the first 800,000 doses will be ready for use starting next week. and next week here in the u.s. an fda committee will review pfizer pfizer's request for emergency use. if approved, distribution could begin within 24 hours. pfizerest vaccine developed with biointech is 95% effective. >> abc 7 is committed to keeping you informed. when the vaccine is