thank you for joining us on this inte tonight, as we come on the air, all eyes on the fda. a decision could come at any time. set to give emergency use authorization for pfizer's coronavirus vaccine. today, the pressure from president trump. the white house suggesting the fda chief's job is on the line if the vaccine so not authorized by the end of the day today. tonight, how will this work across the u.s.? the rollout ready to begin. who will get it first and when? the trucks and plane set to help distribute doses within hours of the final green light. it all comes as america marks its most devastating and deadliest week yet. authorities say we could hit 300,000 american lives lost within days, pointing out thanksgiving surge is here. the effects from gatherings from the holiday are now being seen in hospitals across the country. new york city banning indoor

dining. more than 107,000 americans in the hospital, fighting the virus tonight. where they're now seeing patients in tents. and now the warning about christmas. after images of the holiday parties at the white house, that sudden pressure from the president to approve the vaccine immediately. as president-elect joe biden tonight says the nation needs, quote, presidential leadership right now. the winter storm as we head into the weekend across several states in the midwest and what's coming behind it that could affect the east. rob marciano timing it out. new video showing the search warrant executed "b" hoat the hf of -- she said she was -- pleading officers point guns at her children. tonight what authorities are saying about the raid. the developing scene in new york city when a driver hits a crowd of protesters. several pedestrians hit. the youth football coach facing charges tonight after taking aim at this player,

authorities investigating the video and what we've now learned. made in america christmas. tonight, your one thing, the new list of ideas coming in. good evening, and it's great to have you with us as we near the end of another week together. a decision could come at any time from the fda on emergency approval for that phaser vaccine, and it comes after the deadliest week so far in this pandemic. and a warning that it's going to get worse. this thanksgiving surge could turn into a post-christmas surge according to authorities and the cdc director warning that in the next 60 to 90 days we could see more deaths per day than on 9/11 or pearl harbor. but tonight, there is a promise of the vaccine. the white house chief of staff suggesting the fda commissioner's job could be on the line if the authorization does not come at the end of the day today. with or without that threat, the

fda's authorization is expecting soon after the vaccine endorsed last night. fda scientists are taking care to craft directions for doctors across this country, especially about vaccinating patients with severe allergies and pregnant women and teenagers. swch and after that final green light comes the vaccine will be rolling out of this plant in michigan and americans would get those shots by monday or tuesday. tonight, the staggering toll. more than 294,000 lives lost. that's already more than all the combat deaths from world war ii. alex perez outside that phaser plant in michigan. >> reporter: tonight, with the fda expected to green light the first coronavirus vaccine at any moment, the president threatening the fda commissioner. sources tell abc news white house chief of staff mark meadows suggested to dr. stephen hahn in a phone call that his job could be on the line if the fda doesn't authorize emergency use for the vaccine by the end of the day. earlier the president tweeting,

get the damn vaccines out now, dr. hahn. stop playing games and start saving lives. tonight the fda is working on a fact sheet for doctors. >> it's very close. it's really just the last dotting of "i"s and crossing of "t"s. we could be seeing people getting vaccinated monday, tuesday of next week. >> reporter: after two health care workers in the uk had severe allergic reactions to the vaccine, the agency will likely recommend a warning for anyone allergic to its components, a common warning for most vaccines. and if you have other severe allergies and carry a device like an epipen, dr. fauci says you may need to be watched for a few minutes after the shot with medication nearby to handle any reaction. >> you might want to make sure that those people get vaccinated in a facility that has the capability of quickly giving them some epinephrine. >> reporter: tonight workers at this pfizer plant in michigan are standing by, ready to take the vaccine from these freezers and pack them into thermal boxes loaded with dry ice.

the 2.9 million doses in the first batch of the vaccine will be rolling out of this facility on trucks around the clock the moment pfizer gets the green light. much of it headed to airports. fedex taking the west, u.p.s. taking the east, to reach all 50 states within 48 hours. each box tracked every step of the way. >> this is a gps tracker that also gives temperature. it gives light exposure and motion. so it gives us a lot of data. and pfizer is also providing data from their own packages. >> reporter: u.p.s. already shipping out thousands of vaccine kits with syringes and ppe. health-care workers and nursing home residents will be some of the first vaccinated. >> we're going to inject right at a 90 this have degree angle. >> reporter: hospitals across the country training and eager to get started. >> we've been planning, planning, planning so we can finally do this thing. >> there's a lot of hope out there. let's get to alex outside the

plant in michigan tonight. the fda will review the moderna vaccine next week and tonight we're learning the government is ramping up its order of that vaccine in particular. >> reporter: yeah, david, the government agreeing to purchase another 100 million doses of moderna for delivery in the spring. moderna will face the same review process that phaser faced beginning next thursday. >> alex perez leading us off. alex, thank you. we urn the to the crushing pressure on the nation's hospitals in the middle of the thanksgiving surge they're sighing now. reports 200 hospitals are at full capacity. this week, more than 107,000 are in the hospital fighting this virus. that's a new record. some hospitals treating patients in tents. here's matt gutman from california. >> reporter: even the tender touch of medical staff unable to stave off the deadliest week of this pandemic. hospitals slammed for the thanksgiving surge, nearly a third running out of icu beds.

now officials warning, no christmas parties, no family get togethers. >> we are in the time frame now that probably for the next 60 to 0 days we're going top more deaths per day than we had at 9/11 or pearl harbor. >> reporter: covid claiming more americans than the number of u.s. troops killed in battle in world war ii. 72-year-old rockey burkholder, one of nearly 16,000 americans dying this week, almost all of them alone. >> and the hardest part for me -- i mean, someone i love so much, so much and not being able to hold him. >> reporter: in new york tonight, the original epicenter, a major reversal. the governor shutting down indoor dining starting monday. more than 107,000 hospitalized across the country with covid, a number that's nearly double the previous peaks in the spring and the summer. nurses in indiana not sure how much more they can take. >> we are being pushed to our limits, both physically and mentally. >> reporter: here in california, el centro regional medical

center frantically setting up tents for covid patients which have tripled the past three weeks. >> we ask everybody that is able to help us if you have a california license, okay, and actually come down to the state of california, southern california, come join us. >> reporter: in l.a. county, more than 1,700 health care workers testing positive, double the number last week. some are sick. almost everyone tired. are your are your staff exhausted? >> our staff are pretty tired. there is a level of burnout because not only is this physically demanding, it's emotionally demanding. >> let's get to matt gutman with us tonight from mission hills, california. matt, we mentioned this number moments ago. it's almost hard to wrap your head around -- in the hospital tonight, more than 107,000 americans battling the virus. you have reported quite a bit in recent days from inside hospitals, witnessing our front line workers firsthand. i know they're crushed by this thanksgiving surge, which makes this warning about christmas all

the more important tonight. >> david, i have been in an icu at over 200% capacity. outside a major hospital that is using a garage as a triage unit. spoken to a doctor who's been pulling 20-hour days for two consecutive weeks. everybody says the same thing -- they can buy more beds, make more space, they cannot manufacture more medical staff. with the exploding numbers in l.a. county i'm told that some hospitals in this region will reach the breaking point, and the next comes weeks they say they may not be able to admit new patients. david? >> matt, thank you. we should mention monday night, a special edition of the "20/20" examining every step of this process. the shot, the race for the vaccine. it's monday night, 10:00 p.m. eastern, "20/20" right here. in the meantime tonight, we are following breaking news coming in right now from the supreme court, the state of texas motion taking legal aim at the vote counts in the presidential election in several

key swing states, it's been denied by the supreme court for lack of standing tonight. let's get right to our chief white house correspondent jonathan karl with late reporting. what have you learned? >> reporter: the supreme court, including all three justices nominated by president trump flatly rejected the texas case, wouldn't even bring it up. this is a case that just today the president called the most important case in history. this on a day when the president also took aim at his own food and drug administration. >> we love you! >> reporter: after a week of crowded indoor parties at the white house, an increasingly outlandish claims about the election -- >> one more year! >> reporter: president trump took aim at his own administration today, slamming the fda as a, quote, big old slow turtle that's taking too long to approve the covid vaccines. and now joe biden is urging americans to have confidence in the people and the process behind the development and approval of the vaccines. >> i want to make it clear to

the public -- you should have confidence in this. there's no political influence. these are first-rate scientists taking their time looking at all of the elements that need to be looked at. scientific integrity led us to this point. >> reporter: as the pandemic takes a grave turn for the worst, the incoming president is imploring the outgoing president to show leadership. president trump has yet to acknowledge the deadly covid surge and has dismissed the idea he should encourage people to behave safely and responsibly. >> i'm wondering what your message is to the american people given all the increasing cases right now, about what they should do over christmas and the hardships that they're all facing. >> reporter: yeah, well, cdc puts out their guidelines and they're very important guidelines, but i think this -- i think that the vaccine was our goal. >> reporter: biden today said that is just not enough.

>> we're in a tee for crisis right now. this nation needs presidential leadership right now. presidential leadership is willing to model the steps we should be taking for our -- to save our own lives and the lives of our families. >> a lot unfolding. jon, you reported president trump with that sudden pressure on the fda chief today on the vaccine authorization by the end of the day today. we'll see if that happens. you report on the president's focus for weeks now on his ailing effort to overturn the election that joe biden won by about 7 million votes at this point. and now this major blow at this hour from the supreme court. of course we're waiting for reaction from the white house. >> reporter: we are, but david, this has got to end it. this is really the end of the road. it was the longest of long shots. it wasn't even really a shot, but it was an effort to overturn the election. and now you have the supreme court not even willing to hear the case, and as i pointed out, including the three justices that donald trump himself put on

the supreme court. keep in mind, he today was ca calling this the most important case in history. 126 republicans in the house, by my count, had signed on, including republican leader kevin mccarthy to support this case. it is done now. >> done. with a decision from the supreme court at this hour. jon karl, thank you. we move on to other news. winter storm system moving across the country with heavy snow and drenching rain. 8 inches of snow already in new mexico. multiple accidents in nebraska. and what could be brewing behind it that could affect the east. rob marciano tracking it all on a friday night. hey, rob. >> hi, david. impactful weather in the west heading east, including the snow you spoke of. four inches in nebraska heading to mad son. a low over to the louis now. indianapolis, detroit, you're going get rain. it falls apart as it hits the appalachians. this sets up an active pattern

next week where we could see the potential for snow around the new york metro area. >> thank you. there is new video tonight showing the search warrant executed at the home of a florida sicientist who was the coronavirus tracker for the state of florida. she said she was fire in the retaliation over public comments about covid-19. tonight here, what authorities, including florida's governor, are saying about the raid. here's rachel scott. police! search warrant! open the door. >> reporter: tonight new police body camera video released of that raid at the home of a florida scientist. >> outside! >> reporter: rebekah jones, a former state coronavirus data tracker, recording the encounter, too, making it public earlier this week. >> do not point that gun at my children! >> reporter: you can hear her claim police pointed guns at her children who were upstairs. you can see one officer pointing his weapon in that direction. the raid part of an ongoing investigation into a hack of the

state's department of health internal emergency alert system. officers seizing her electronics. >> i mean, it's a political, just, shakedown and a way to try to shut me down. >> reporter: jones once ran the state's covid-19 dashboard. she was fired in may, she says in retaliation for claiming the department was doctoring covid-19 data at a time when the governor was trying to reopen the state. the governor says she was fired for insubordination, defending the officers today. >> these people did their jobs. they've been smeared as the gestapo for doing their jobs. they did a search warrant. >> reporter: the florida department of law enforcement releasing that body cam video saying the officers exercised extreme patience. tonight, the investigation into that hack is still ongoing. david? >> rachel scott with us tonight. rachel, thank you. when we come back here, the developing headline here in new york city. when a driver heads into a crowd of protesters, several hit. the video coming in and late reporting in a moment.

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we reported on the f-16 crash in delta county, michigan this week. the fighter pilot has been identified. the wisconsin national guard sharing this photo of 37-year-old captain derwood hawk jones. the jet went down during a training mission. when we come back, our made in america christmas. we asked for ideas. you'll see what happened.

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finally tonight here, our countdown to christmas, and your one thing made in america. we have been asking for your ideas and we're off the running. tonight, the companies we have reported on so far, they have received a holiday gift already, calls from so many of you. >> reporter: our "made in america christmas" is closing out the week tonight, and the businesses we profiled already hearing from you. the 228 grant street candle company in baltimore. you saw them right here. eight workers. >> hi, david. >> reporter: owner kendal brown, grateful. >> thank you to everyone who has supported small businesses like ours during the pandemic. >> reporter: tonight he tells us they're now approaching 1,000 new orders and counting, he's adding workers, more american jobs. in faribault, minnesota, faribault woolen mills, founded in 1865. making blankets for pioneers heading west and for our troops during both world wars. and now working with the yarn at their sewing machines making the

blankets -- inspecting them, folding them, just in time for christmas. >> hi, david. >> reporter: and they tell us tonight sales are up. >> there's nothing better than sitting around a campfire, socially distant with warm blanket around your shoulders. and lots of that kind of business has been coming our way this year. >> reporter: 20 new hires this year and a second shift added to keep up with demand. >> made in america is important because we all know how much people have suffered in the economy, and we're able to provide jobs here. >> reporter: and in louisville, kentucky, an american tradition . we have reported on them right here. tonight they are back in full swing. >> covid caused us to stop making bats for a while, but with safety precautions in place, we're back at it and going strong. >> reporter: louisville slugger baseball bats -- 136 years, more than 100 million bats already made and counting. it all starts with maple, ash and birch wood from new york and pennsylvania.

the logs brought here to louisville. getting their shape and after a little sanding, that hand-dipped finish and that famous stamp burned in. and tonight -- >> hey, david! >> reporter: their one message. >> our logo proudly says made in the usa. more than 3,000 bats are made every day here. with those three words in mind -- >> made in america! >> we're going to say on this through the holidays. so many american companies have helped during the pandemic and now so many of you helping them and their workers. we love it. see you monday. good night.

vaccine watch is on. we're waiting to hear if the fda will authorize the emergency use of the pfizer vaccine that could happen at any time tonight or early this weekend. good evening, thanks for joining us. i'm larry beil. >> i'm kristen sze. we'll begin with the rain. the rain returned. rain drops started falling near chase center. and a similar scene in the east bay. this is video from emeryville and oakland where you can see the rain coming down with more on the way. spencer christian is here with a glimpse of what is ahead for us, spencer? >> okay. kristen. as you can see by looking at live doppler 7 it's across a wide expansion the rain in the north bay and begun pushing southward and eastward earlier than anticipated. i'll give you a closer look at the bulk. it's light to moderate but in the east bay and down in the south bay but there will be more waves of rain coming later tonight. the storm ranks one on the abc 7 storm impact scale.

tonight through sunday morning, we're expecting periods of light to moderate rain. it will be heavier in the hills and mountains, it will be beneficial and it is snowing in the sierra. winter weather advisory until 10:00 tomorrow morning. i'll give you a closer look and show you how long the rain will last in a few minutes. new to developing news on the coronavirus vaccine. there are reports the white house is pressuring fda chief steven hahn to grant emergency use authorization to pfizer's vaccine today or face possible firing. white house chief of staff mark meadows spoke to haun today. haun disputed the reports of the conversation saying only the fda was working rapidly. yesterday a panel of outside advisors endorsed the vaccine and the fda is signing you have next, that is the next step to get shots to the public. marin county can begin vaccinating health care workers as early as next week.