tonight, time running out for millions of americans who depend on covid relief benefits to make ends meet. >> we need help now. >> the president, no closer to signing the stimulus bill, despite pleas from frustrated americans and lawmakers and if washington doesn't ask, the government will shut down tomorrow night. the dire warning from dr. fauci. >> it might actually get worse. >> about the coming post-christmas surge as millions travel this holiday weekend and with new year's eve days away, the guidance for celebrating safely. monumental vaccine rollout

to vaccinate hundreds of millions of people across 27 countries. breaking news, the suspect in that christmas bombing is dead but the search for answers continues as copycats shut down a highway for hours and cops caught in the blast speak out. >> travel tips. if you're planning to travel once it's safe, how to take advantage of the deals available right now. >> and there's a lot of good news. tonight we celebrate the people who went above and beyond to help others this year. >> announcer: this is "nbc nightly news" with kate snow. lawmakers are putting pressure on president trump tonight asking him to sign a bill that would send direct payments to americans suffering during this pandemic and stop the government shutdown. that bill was negotiated by white house officials with the leadership of congress, but after it passed, the president demand a larger direct payment,

putting congressional republicans in a bind. some of their constituents lost unemployment benefits overnight, and the longer it takes to get some agreement in washington, the more delayed any relief will be. we've a lot to get to tonight. let's begin with garrett haake. >> a government shutdown looms at midnight monday. tonight, the spending and covid relief bill that could prevent it sits on president trump's desk. the bill includes $900 billion in covid relief money, including direct payments, hundreds of billions for small businesses and expanded unemployment benefits which expired saturday. for the third time since labeling the bill a disgrace last week, today the president went golfing while lawmakers across the ideological spectrum urge him to sign it. >> i know he wants to be remembered for advocating bigger checks but he will be remembered for erratic behavior if he allows this to expire. >> what the president is doing

right now is unbelievably cruel. sign the bill, mr. president, then immediately monday, tuesday, we can pass a $2,000 direct payment for the working families of this country. >> reporter: at issue, those $2,000 payments the president now demands after his administration negotiated them at just $600. missouri mother of five, shelly hains, hasn't worked since april. what would you tell the president if you could? >> eneed help now. show me how to make this work with the $600 or the $2,000, because the math isn't there, but something is better than nothing. we need help now. we don't need help in a month from now. >> reporter: that need is everywhere, just 25 miles south of the president's golf course, st. gregory's meals with meaning, is serving three times as many meals as they were since the pandemic. >> garret is with us now from florida. what is congress likely to do?

>> reporter: the republican-controlled senate is highly unlikely to go along with those $2,000 payments. that's the reason some lawmakers are telling the president if you don't really like this bill, go ahead and veto it. congress can override the veto and it would become law anyway without his signature. kate? >> all right. garrett haake, thank you. dr. anthony fauci has a new warning tonight that we've reached a very critical point in the pandemic. it comes as millions are traveling for the holiday and as resources run out for the surge of covid patients. megan fitzgerald reports from los angeles. >> reporter: tonight, americans heading home from holiday travel and family get togethers, concerns those gatherings are contributing to the growing national covid catastrophe. >> i'm going to be as safe as i can, but i felt like it was important to see family. >> reporter: nearly 10 million americans flew in the past ten days, despite pleas to stay home. a record during the pandemic that's deadlier now than ever before. >> as we get into the next few

weeks, it might actually get worse. >> reporter: dr. anthony fauci warning of a surge to come, in part due to holiday travel. >> when you're dealing with a baseline of 200,000 cases, new cases a day and about 2,000 deaths per day, with hospitalizations up over 120,000, we're really at a critical point. >> reporter: and the holiday season isn't over yet. new york city install this had iconic crystal ball that draws millions to times square each year. this year's ball drop will be closed to the public. the cdc urging americans to stay home on new year's eve. as the nation's hospitals buckle under the weight of covid patients flooding the system. in california, now the epicenter of the pandemic, icu capacity is at 0%. >> my concern is really resources. are we going to have the resources to take care of our community? >> reporter: throughout the state, some hospitals now postponing elective and nonurgent surgeries.

it's a race against time to get front line workers vaccinated. so far, 2 million have received the first dose, including this doctor in boston, he appears to be the first to have had a severe reaction to moderna vacci vaccine, hissing his own epi-pen on himself. >> i think people need to get vaccinated and at the same time, i really would like moderna and also pfizer to investigate this more to prevent things from happening. >> megan joins us now from los angeles. how big could this post-christmas surge potential ly be? >> reporter: well, kate, with the likely holiday travel surge weeks ahead, the cdc predicting the u.s. could surpass 400,000 deaths by mid-january. kate? >> meagan, thank you. overseas, a massive vaccination program is now under way in the european union. it's an historic effort to wipe

out the virus there. cases are up. with a new strain circulating, help can't come soon enough. matt bradley reports from payers. >> reporter: today with just the prediction of a needle, finally a shot of relief for europe's 450 million people as the largest vaccination campaign in the western world begins to inocate its hardest-hit content where more than half a million people have died from covid-19 according to the world health organization. >> our european vaccination days are a touching moment of unity and the european success story. >> reporter: but the vaccine can't come soon enough with cases spiking, health officials in france are warning of yet a third lockdown. just like in the u.s., the vaccine will go first to those who need it most. like dr. nichltkola marchioni o

gertrud vogel in germany. a 78-year-old woman right here at this hospital was the first to receive the vaccine. with this new mutant variant, the vaccine couldn't come soon enough. over the past week a new variant has spread from britain throughout europe and the world. doctors say it's no more deadly than the original nor any more resistant to vaccines, but it could spread as much as 70% faster. europe still doesn't have enough vaccine to start widespread inoculations until next month at the earliest. today's jabs were a symbolic start, aay to show the world that all of europe can roll up their sleeves and work together. matt bradley, nbc news, paris. now to breaking news about that massive christmas morning bombing in nashville. late today, authorities say they know who was responsible. morgan chesky has late details. >> reporter: tonight, authorities naming the nashville

bomber. >> anthony warner is the bomber. he was present when the bomb went off and perished in the bombing. >> reporter: federal authorities say all signs point to the 63-year-old acting alone. his motive still unknown, but the damage he caused beyond clear. an act of domestic terrorism, what would make that? >> tied to an ideology, use of violence in the face of a political ideology. >> reporter: the rv belonging to warner was playing "downtown." what came next? residen police running to protect residents and then each other. when the clock wore out. >> i saw orange around him and

felt him stumble. i felt it, the heat, the wave. >> i said to myself, stay on your feet. stay alive. i took a full-out sprint, running to make sure sthaes okay. >> reporter: blocks away, jeffrey rasmussen was driving his family, as police yelled to evacuate. >> as we were driving away, my wife and son saw t he totally started to sob and said our house blew up. our house blew up. >> reporter: their home potentially a total loss. tonight, the family giving thanks to those who likely saved their lives. >> we had two angels show up christmas morning on our doorstep and happened to be dressed in police uniforms. >> wow! morgan joins us now from nashville. there were tense moments today, a vehicle that some describe as a copycat incident. >> reporter: kate, that's right. authorities pulled over a white box truck on a road outside

nashville, aeldly having the same audio coming from warner's rv. tonight, the fbi says those two incidents not connected. kate? >> morgan chesky, thank you. >> u.s. serviceman from florida has been charged with murder after a deadly shooting at an illinois bowling alley in rockfor, 90 miles west of chicago. three men were killed and three others injured. authorities believe it was a random attack. >> still to come, the country where christmas looked normal agai

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with several new covid vaccines rolling out, many are optimistic vaccines will roll out travel in the year ahead. with deals popping up, kerry sanders has what you need to know before booking. >> reporter: ron adams at his desk, at home, isolated with his kids, walking the dogs, cooker and bailey, with little to no contact with anyone outside the family. now with vaccines, expectations we will soon be able to travel safely, near and far. >> i've always enjoyed traveling everywhere. when i'm not able to do that, it's not fun. it's not enjoyable at all. >> reporter: the week the first vaccine was given trivago reported an increase. >> every time we get favorable news, there's a spike in people's online behavior. we start to look and dream about

opgs, but there's still so much uncertainty. >> reporter: airlines, hotels and cruise lines are offering better deals than ever. mosaic has given unlimited free companion tickets until may 2021. some miami beach hotel rooms offered at half price. ron adams and his extended family already booked a cruise for august, the expectation by then his family, the in-laws and everyone else on board will be vaccinated. >> a big part of the reason we put a deposit down was they made it fully refundable for us. and frankly it's a great deal. >> reporter: if you're booking a cruise, experts say read the fine print. florida attorney general reports hundreds of ticket holders still waiting for refunds from cruises canceled as far back as march. and for all travel, experts suggest use points as they're more likely to be refunded if

you cancer sbl use a credit card over your debit card in case the travel company goes bankrupt. and try to talk to someone. phone negotiations often land you a better deal. a vacation away from covid, so many wish lists for 2021. kerry sanders, nbc news. >> we can hope. here.ighlights from 2020's most the need for food. shelter. compassion. this year, it just happens to be greater. more families than ever are facing poverty. if you need help, please reach out. if you can give help, please reach within. ♪

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the virus struck. bill neely on how they did it and how they pulled it off. >> reporter: it looks like the world we used to know. >> merry christmas. >> reporter: christmastime in new zealand. a summer celebration there. people mingling. families united. >> to the father, to the son. >> reporter: gathering in churches, no mask, no coronavirus epidemic. this island nation of 5 million is a world leader in stamping it out. >> we've had no community transmission for several months now in any part of new zealand. >> reporter: its record is remarkable. 25 covid deaths in all, compared to the horrifying figures in the u.s. new zealand's population matches south carolina's, and yet that state has had more than 5,000 deaths from the virus. new zealand did it by shutting down hard and fast.

>> it's proven to be that it can be eliminated using this approach. >> reporter: they tested and traced, led by a tough prime minister. >> we are taking a rapid response to break the chain of transmission, to go hard to keep it out and stamp it out. and we need to be vigilant. we need to stick things out. everybody. >> reporter: stamping out covid in june. >> i did a little dance. >> reporter: months later, it returned, in people arriving from overseas and president trump mocked. >> new zealand, it's over. it's over for new zealand. everything is gone. they're beautiful. they had a massive breakout yesterday. >> reporter: the second lockdown closing borders worked. fans allowed back in sports. but the hit to its biggest industry, tourism, is massive. new zealand's borders still closed. and it is now preparing again. ordering three times more

vaccines than it needs. a remote country, but with lessons for the world. above all, be vigilant. in fact, new zealand has ordered so many doses of four different vaccines, it's planning to offer them free to neighboring countries. quite a record. kate? >> bill neely, thank you. when we come back, moments to remember. a look back at some of the most inspiring stories that touched our hearts in 2020. ♪e all w t-mobile is upgrading its network at a record pace. we were the first to bring 5g nationwide. and now that sprint is a part of t-mobile we're turning up the speed. upgrading over a thousand towers a month with ultra capacity 5g. to bring speeds as fast as wifi to cities and towns across america. and we're adding more every week. coverage and speed. who says you can't have it all?

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there's good news tonight. tonight my colleague jose ballart and i look back at the amazing people we met this year, who make the world such a better place. even in 2020, there is so much good news. in the darkest of times -- ♪ we all need somebody to lean on ♪ >> everyday americans led the way. ♪ there's always tomorrow >> neighbors helping neighbors. putting their skills, however small, toward the greater good. >> greg daly is a newspaper man who volunteers to give his older neighbors what they need. >> you're a godsend. >> kindergarten teacher margaret norris uses her own money to deliver meals to student zpls i want the table to look like what it would have looked prepandemic

with things they would have purchased. >> reporter: finding new ways to celebrate milestones. ♪ happy birthday to you >> to say "i do." >> i sit here in a convertible at a drive-through wedding in the middle of a global pandemic, you can't help but smile how fitting this scenario is to our relationship. >> so often music is what got us through. dancing every day his baby boy was in the nicu. >> anthony madu won a scholarship to the american ballet theater after he was filmed dancing in the did he say late streets of africa. >> reporter: we featured campaigns in kindness, americans donating their stimulus checks. >> it's good. it's the right thing to do. >> to feed their neighborhoods. >> i'm going to take care of my neighborhood. if everybody takes care of their neighborhood, we're going to be okay. >> this teacher donating his to take inner city kids to the great outdoors.

>> as our nation faced an historic racial reckoning. >> i'm sorry for the pain that our country is feeling right now. >> in minneapolis, rose mcgee offered a shoulder to cry on, along with a comfort pie. >> we all have something that we can do. and we want to find what that is in a positive way. >> there were moments that had us at the edge of our seats. >> you're kidding. >> i'm really nervous about this one. all right. i'm clicking it. congratulations! >> former sanitation worker got a message that changed his life. his brothers cheered him on. so did the rest of us. >> it's not like i'm going to harvard. it's like we're going to harvard. >> cheers, too, for dr.s jasm e jasmine, mother and daughter

graduating school together. >> study session together? >> oh, yeah. >> finding his calling to be a doctor in the same hospital he was once a security guard. >> i thought about smart people growing up, i was like, they're usually wealthy. they usually don't look like me. >> despite the hardship, we did push forward with acts of service and innovation. >> we can do it as long as we work together. creating his own mobile testing lab. >> people need help and i want to be the one to reach out my hat to help them. >> building desks for kids in need. >> we appreciate what you're doing here. >> when an 8-year-old in virginia needed a place to learn, this community rallied together to build her a backyard school house. throughout it all, we celebrated health care heroes. >> you've got to be there to take care of people. >> finding ways to say thank

you. >> we can find a way to give meals to people. >> to bring a little light to their days too. ♪ twas grace that brought >> and showing how far we have come together. ♪ and grace will lead us home >> we are so grateful for all of you who have shared your inspiring stories and, speaking of inspiration on my digital series, the drink with kate snow, julie tamor shall the creative force behind the lion king on broadway and the new film "the glorious" at nbcnews.com/thedrink. that is nbc nightly news on this sunday. i'm kate snow. for all of us here on nbc

>> announcer: nbc sports, home of the olympic games, the nhl, the pga tour premier league and primetime's number one show, "sunday night football," only on nbc. 1265 lombardi avenue, street address of lambeau field and that's the way you think of it if you close your eyes, snow. started snowing mid afternoon,