>>> but we begin with sam brock and the latest on vaccine mandates >> reporter: overnight, a blow to the president's controversial vaccine mandate. this after an appellate court upheld its legal pause on president biden's policy for companies with 100 or more workers to provide proof of vaccination or a weekly negative covid test starting in january. the new orleans court writing the mandate is, quote, fatally flawed and requires further judicial review. >> i feel it is wrong for the federal government and arm of federal government to step in-between me and my team members. >> reporter: this man owns 15 stores in louisiana and mississippi and filed suit in the 5th circuit that issued the stay the case likely to be ultimately decided by the supreme court, the legal showdown coming amidst a booster battle overnight, new mexico joining california and colorado in defying federal guidelines and promoting booster shots for everyone 18 and older. >> we believe we're still adhering to the cdc guidelines it turns out the entire state, every single county, all 33, are in high risk setting. >>

brock is there tonight. >> reporter: for the family and friends of ahmaud arbery, after months of agony, the jury in this case now deliberating >> i do think that we will come back with a guilty verdict we will get justice for ahmaud >> reporter: at points during the prosecution's rebuttal, graphic photographs of the crime scene, causing ahmaud arbery's mom to cover her face three men in this case face nine charges, including aggravated assault and murder with malice aforethought which can be formed in an instant. >> it has nothing to do with anger or hatred for a person. instead, it deal exclusively with the concept of intent, intent to kill, intent to cause serious bodily harm. >> reporter: the prosecutor telling the jury a self-defense claim cannot apply when you create the danger and confront an unarmed victim >> this isn't the wild west he moved toward mr. arbery with a gun. >> reporter: a message they hope sticks with the jury >> what's potentially the power of these last two hours being the final thing the jury will hear before they start deliberating >> she had a fresh jury the

sam brock is there tonight. >> reporter: tonight two versions of a fatal sequence mostly captured on camera involving 25-year-old ahmaud arbery and the three men charged with his murder >> their decision to attack ahmaud arbery in their driveway because he was a black man running down the street. >> he could have a gun, and he definitely has fists. >> reporter: arbery was spotted on surveillance video several times walking through a home under construction, but never observed committing any crime by travis mcmichael, gregory mcmichael or roddie bryan according to the prosecution the shooter, travis mcmichael, claiming self-defense. >> i shot him. >> why >> he had my gun. it's a life or death situation. >> reporter: the prosecution quickly countering. >> then they shot and killed him not because he's a threat to them, but because he wouldn't stop and talk to them. >> reporter: the defense says the pursuit came in the midst of a neighborhood-wide crime spree and allege travis mcmichael tried multiple times to communicate with him peacefully. >> take the gun out, shoot him in the back.

>> sam brock, thank you. >>> overseas tonight austria is taking extreme measures to contain covid by ordering lockdowns but only for those who are not vaccinated. it is part of a bold effort to slow the spread of cases once again surging throughout europe. kathy park has the story. >> reporter: tonight millions of unvaccinated austrians on lockdown for at least the next ten days. an order from the government as the country tries to slow the spread of the coronavirus. it will be very consistently controlled. anyone 12 and older who hasn't been vaccinated are being told to stay home. only allowed to leave for food, work, and exercise. violators could face a fine up to 1,450 euros roughly more than $1,600 u.s. prompting a flurry of last-minute vaccinations this weekend. if everybody gets vaccinated i also do. 65% of austria's population is fully vaccinated. one of the lower rates in western europe. the entire region back at the epicenter of the pandemic according to the world health organization. neighboring germany now reporting record daily infections. more than 50,000. with cases rea

sam brock is there tonight. >> reporter: tonight fatal sequence mostly captured on camera involving 25-year-old ahmaud arbery and the three men charged with his murder >> their decision to attack ahmaud arbery in their driveway because he was a black man running down the street. >> he could have a gun, and he definitely has fists. >> reporter: arbery was spotted on surveillance video several times walking through a home under construction, but never observed committing any crime by travis mcmichael, gregory mcmichael or roddie bryan according to the prosecution the shooter, travis mcmichael, claiming self-defense. >> i shot him. >> why >> he had my gun. it's a life or death situation. >> reporter: the prosecution quickly countering. >> then they shot and killed him not because he's a threat to them, but because he wouldn't stop and talk to them. >> reporter: the defense says the pursuit came in the midst of a neighborhood-wide crime spree and allege travis mcmichael tried multiple times to communicate with him peacefully. oot him in the ba. >> the defense claiming travis mcmichael char

sam brock is covering that in georgia. i'm also joined by our legal analyst, federal and state prosecutor. sam, let's start with you. we're on a bit of a break. we expect courts to pick back up any minute. we thought it would happen five or six minutes ago. both sides are trying to make their final case to the jury here of where this thing goes next. >> reporter: so let's talk timeline, hallie. we are now in the third part of a five-part segment for closing arguments. it started with prosecution, then for each of the three defendants facing nine counts, those attorneys get to make their closing arguments and then there is a rebuttal. there's two more left and they're about an hour each. we should be wrapped today by 5:00 and it's entirely possible the jury could be deliberating starting tomorrow, which will really be up to the judge, is my understanding, whether they want to begin deliberations tomorrow or extend things after the thanksgiving break and pick up after that. this is nothing new we're hearing, but the prosecut

sam brock is in miami for us. hey, sam. >> chris, good afternoon on a rainy day in florida. a couple things going on. one the arrival of the child vaccine and also lower infection rates in many different communities means more schools right now are dropping mare mask mandates here in miami-dade. starting today parents can opt their kids out of having to wear a mask. this comes as 15 states right now have double-digit increases in covid cases and concerns that things can get worse. in the one time covid epicenter of south florida, infections are falling. but some parents with young kids don't see that as cause to start relaxing mask rules just yet. >> one of the main reasons it went down is because probably everybody is wearing masks. >> new concerns another wave of the virus is coming as we head into winter. 15 states have seen a double-digit increase the last two weeks including some where vaccination rates are above average. cold weather states like minnesota, michigan and illinois showing sizable upticks but some warm weather states like arizona and new mexico have also s

. >> they could face life in prison nbc sam brock is in dpachl with the latest sam, good morning. >> reporter: philip, good morning. am jury here in pruns brunswick against three men accused of killing ahmaud aubrey, a small city in georgia. for the family and friends of ahmaud aubrey, the jury in this case deliberating. >> i think we will come back with a guilty verdict. we will get justice for ahmaud. >> reporter: at points during the prosecution's rebuttal, graphic scenes of the crime scene, causing his mom to cover her face three men include nine charges and murder with forethought. >> it has nothing to do withing with anger or hatred instead, it deals exclusively with the concept of intent, intent to kim or cause serious bodily harm. >> reporter: the pros security saying a self-defense claim cannot apply when you confront the danger and confronts an unarmed victim >> he went towards him with a gun. >> reporter: a message they hope sticks with the jury >> what's potentially the power of these last two hours being the final thing the jury will hear before they start deliberating >

sam brock, thank you as well for being with me this morning. >>> green bay packers star quarterback aaron rodgers facing new fallout after admitting that he is not vaccinated against coronavirus. what we've learned about the growing controversy, next. you're watching "jose diaz-balart reports." watching diaz-balart reports. wondering what actually goes into your multi-vitamin. at new chapter. its innovation organic ingredients and fermentation. fermentation? yes, formulated to help your body really truly absorb the natural goodness. new chapter. wellness well done. ♪♪ this... is the planning effect. this is how it feels to know you have a wealth plan that covers everything that's important to you. this is what it's like to have a dedicated fidelity advisor looking at your full financial picture. making sure you have the right balance of risk and reward. and helping you plan for future generations. this is "the planning effect" from fidelity. why give your family just any eggs when they can enjoy the best? eggland's best. the only eggs with more fresh and delicious taste. plus, superio

joining me now are our own very reporters, gabe gutierrez in new york, sam brock live in miami, shannon pettypiece at the white house. also with us, dr. kavita patel, an msnbc medical contributor. gabe, experts in south africa have seen an increase in covid hospitalizations among young children. what more can you tell us? >> jose, this is very interesting, and we're just getting this information now. but experts in south africa say they've seen a large increase in transmission there in south africa, but they don't know how much of it exactly is due to the omnicron variant and how much could be to delta. but there is reason for concern. but as you mentioned, something that's notable is that they're seeing an increase in hospitalizations among very young children. that is children less than 2 years old. they are now making about 10% of hospital admissions, and that is the largest of any age group. that is fueling new concerns, jose, that this new variant, possibly, could be affecting younger children. at least that's what we're hearing from south african experts. still, much more study is

uneven playing field was decided against three white men in the deep south by a nearly all white jury sam brock is at the courthouse with the verdict and reaction >> all rise for the jury. >> reporter: a series of guilty verdicts that took about ten minutes to read. >> count one, malice murder we, the jury, find the defendant travis mcmichael guilty. >> whoo! >> reporter: rippled through the courthouse and the crowd outside. >> guilty! >> reporter: demonstrating justice for ahmaud arbery could speak to decades of discrimination. >> i never thought this day would come. but god is good. you know him as ahmaud i know him as quez >> yeah. >> he will now rest in peace. >> amen! >> brunswick, georgia will go down in history as the place that criminal justice took a different turn. >> reporter: the jury's verdict guilty on 23 of 27 possible counts, including malice murder for the shooter travis mcmichael who was found guilty on all counts felony murder and aggravated assault for his father gregory who drove the truck and the same for neighbor william roddie bryan who helped pin arbery with his v

nbc's sam brock joins us now from miami with that angle on the story. hi, sam, good morning. >> reporter: savannah, good morning. many communities right now are taking a wait and see approach with the omicron variant, but there is fresh urgency from the federal reserve about the impact it may have on the economy, while here in miami a return to a cultural touch stone, some 100,000 visitors expected for art week. >> reporter: this morning a warning to businesses as they brace for omicron. jerome powell saying this could affect americans' willingness to work in person and lead to uncertainty and more inf uncertainty and more inflation so far, no confirmed u.s. cases of the highly mutated variant, the country's collective antenna's are raised >> very concerned. i'm both vaccinated and have the booster shot, but that doesn't mean i'll be protected >> reporter: two of the nation's largest cities, new york and los angeles, already issuing new advisories, urging residents to wear masks indoors, regardless of vaccination status. as some businesses consider vacc

. >> nbc's sam brock is also there on the ground for us in georgia. he looks at what's next, including the sentencing phase of this trial. that's coming up on nightly news with lester holt at 6:30. >>> we have documented the troubles with the millennium tower sinking for years, but that's not the only building sinking in the bay area. jaxon van derbeken tells us the timing is less than ideal, because the sea revel is rising at the same time. >> i looked at every building in the bay area. so just under a million buildings. >> reporter: tom parsons is a research geophysicist with the u.s. geological survey, the usgs. he studies how pressure builds up on the earth's crust and sinking cities. it turns out, the entire bay area sunk as much as 3 inches on average during the last century. the cause? an extra 3.5 trillion pounds of concrete and steel. >> the most dense and tallest buildings are centered in the downtown san francisco area, that's where we see the most calculated cumulative settlement. >> reporter: downtown of course is home to the infamous mil

thank you so much, sam brock, sam henderson. and turning back to washington and the president's decision to tap the strategic petroleum reserves and that the coordinated response should face criticism for some economists and a lot of republicans. joining me now, former chairman of the counselor of economic advisors. amy stodtert. let's talk first about the impact of this. economists will tell you it will not have any immediate impact. it has to go through the whole system and the supply chain, as you will. so is this more of a political statement to show okay, the white house is doing something about inflation? as we approach the holidays? >> a lot of oil producers and conservatives and republicans will make that argument. when you tap the petroleum reserve you may get some impact on gas prices but a lot of that can be factored in very quickly. the markets all right expected it to be tapped. but for whatever impact it has. whatever happens at the pump is not long term, it will not have a long-term impact on gas prices. and look,

sam brock explains. >> reporter: at airports nationwide, passengers are trying to get a leg up ahead of the thanksgiving holiday. >> did you make a decision to travel now so you don't have to deal with whatever craziness? >> absolutely. i figure next week is too crazy. >> reporter: shake off soft preflight jitters, many are flying for the first time since covid brought travel to a standstill. >> we have a lot of hand sanitizers and lysol and a lot of face masks. >> reporter: a record breaking week of holiday travel with more than 4 million people expected to take to the skies and severe weather is about to strike a huge swath of the country starting with the midwest in great lakes on sunday. chicago, a hub for united and detroit is set to be slammed first along with nashville and new orleans. in recent months bad weather and a lack of staffing have caused a number of airline melt downs including southwest and americans cancelling thousands of flights. kathleen bang tracks the aviation industry for flight awareness. >> it's also ground crews, you got to have baggage handlers and you g

nbc's sam brock joins us now from the port of miami with details. sam, good morning. >> hoda, good morning. savannah, good morning. this is a problem that has been building up for years, so it is not going to be a quick fix. but the issues we have from harbors connecting to highways could be happening elsewhere, too. that's something we're expecting the president to play up. as our nation's ports slowly grind under the weight of supply chain challenges, the race is on to get things moving in time for the holidays. president biden calling a meeting at the white house tuesday with the ceos on walmart, u.p.s., fedex and target trying to improve. as supplies shrink, orders and packages continue to pile up in the ports for the holiday season. >> if i don't have a strong holiday season, you know, that can spell trouble. >> cam mitchell owns a toy store in boston. she started stockpiling inventory back in july, but still has to compete with a slinging supply of goods with major corporations. >> they're making a choice between selling 24 to me or 2400 to so

nbc's sam brock is outside the courthouse in brunswick. hey, sam, good morning >> reporter: hoda, good morning, closing arguments are almost over all that's left at this point is a two-hour rebuttal from the prosecution this morning which means as you suggest the jury could be deliberating by early this afternoon that is, more controversial comments on race, once again, hoda, front and center the case against three georgia men accused in the death of ahmaud arbery hinges on one primary question does their self-defense argument justify shooting a man they suspected of trespassing or theft? it's a point highlighted in monday's closing arguments >> travis, coming out of the grass now trying to yank this gun. is there any question that ahmaud arbery is assaulting travis mcmichael before that third shot not one single bit of question >> who brought the shotgun to that party you can't create that situation and then go, i was defending myself >> reporter: while the videotaped confrontation between the unarmed arbery and the men accused of killing

nbc's sam brock is in miami with the details on this. sam, good morning. >> savannah, hoda, good morning. doctors say one thing is certain a fifth wave this winter will not be worse than last year. but returning to sites like these to get your booster shot is likely the best way to stay safe this holiday season >>> americans are flying right into the holidays, hoping to share hugs, not illness, with covid cases once again ticking up >> we're going to see a post holiday spike, no question about that >> reporter: covey infections now up double digits in 20 states with hot spots ranging from the northeast to the great lakes to the southwest, making it hard to pin the latest jump on any one factor. although there's a guaranteed path to put yourself in harm's way. >> how worried would you be if you're unvaccinated heading into the holidays? >> there is no doubt if you're unvaccinated, heading into the holidays with the patterns we see, you have a target on your back. >> reporter: dr. kavita patel says unvaccinated younger americans are still

nbc's sam brock is in georgia outside the courthouse. we're also joined by joyce vance. thank you for being with me. sam, there's already been quite a back and forth from the jury today. right? >> there's been some activity, jose. they are in their ninth hour of deliberations. at about 9:40 or so eastern, the jury requested video that the cell phone video showing the pursuit and ultimately the death of ahmaud arbery. they watched it three times in high resolution version. they also requested the 9-1-1 tapes and here's the key part of that. they only listened to about the first 20 or thirty-seconds which says 9-1-1, what is your emergency? and gregory mcmichael responds, i'm out here. there's a black man running and presumably he was going to say down the street and is interrupted by dispatch. that's basically what they listened to. that what happened within the last hour or so. the defense's argument has been staked the entire time on a community-wide crime spree that was going on at the neighborhood, and the idea there was a citizen's arrest being carried out by the mcm

>> sam brock outside the courthouse there in brunswick, georgia. sam, thanks. >>> los angeles police are searching for a group of thieves who rushed into a nordstrom store and ran off with goods it is the latest of a series of robberies by shoplifting groups. police say five robbers wearing masks entered the nordstrom store in canoga park they stole $25,000 worth of purses later they sped off in a get away car l.a.p.d. said it boosted mall patrol due to a rash of robberies in recent days >>> joining us now is nbc senior national correspondent tom llamas he has new information on president biden's health >> good morning, happy thanksgiving to you guys you may remember the president underwent a colonoscopy last week it turns out a polyp removed from the president's colon is benign but a precancerous lesion. that according to 9 physician kevin o'connor he said it requires no further action dr. o'connor said the polyp was similar to the one the president had removed in 2008. the doctor recommends what he calls routine surveillance that normally calls f

. >> nbc's sam brock reports from the port of miami, and the white house is now taking action. >> reporter: laura and marcus, good morning and greetings from miami here. a big day for the biden administration as it touts $17 billion from the infrastructure bill that is not even signed yet that will go to ports to help the supply chain backlog going on around the country. the investments could be applicable elsewhere including there out in california, whether it's deepening harbors or connecting the ports to highways and rail. there are problems in california because of all the cargo coming in from asian. the executive director from the director of portland is calling on the state to come out and help with funding because he's worried freights and jobs will move out of california to other parts of the country. it's a national issue going on, especially as the holidays are approaching and retailers hope it gets fixed or at least improved before thanksgiving and christmas. we'll have more of that timeline coming up on the "today" show. >> thank you. >>> let's take a live look at the san josÉ

sam brock is following this story for us that has certainly caused a lot of controversy. sam, good morning. >> reporter: no doubt it has, peter. good morning. all of these emails you're talking about come from an investigation into the washington football team of alleged misconduct that had nothing to do with gruden. legal experts say he faces an uphill battle having to prove not only the nfl leaked the emails but did so specifically with the intent of costing him his job. this morning jon gruden going on offense against the nfl. just weeks after revelations leaked that gruden used racial and homophobic slurs throughout the course of his career. now he filed a lawsuit claiming through a malicious and orchestrated campaign the nfl and commissioner roger goodell sought to destroy the career and reputation of jon gruden. though legal experts say proving that claim won't be easy. >> even if jon gruden establishes that the nfl or commissioner did leak the emails. he may have to do they did so with the purpose of interfering with gruden's contract. >> they have to address the s

nbc's sam brock has the latest. sam? >> reporter: katy, good afternoon. look, the bottom line here is that this really ramps up the pressure on the fda and the cdc to update their guidelines as more cities and states are expected to follow suit. local officials right now are arguing that the government's position on boosters is that they should be available for high risk populations and that everybody in their city or state theoretically is at high risk. the federal government right now choosing to look the other way. with covid cases once again on the rise, health leaders coast to coast are trying to pump the brakes on an upward trend. >> hi. it's dr. dave chakse with an update on covid booster results. >> reporter: people likely recognize these ads with doctors pushing a booster. but dr. chakse offering them to all fully vaccinated adults to om 40 million people. >> we've seen that we have to stay ahead of the virus and new york city was very much a part of that decision. >> colorado, new mexico, california and arkansas all issued the same guidance, off

nbc's sam brock has more from miami. sam, good morning. >> reporter: willie, good morning. another sunday, another marquee nfl quarterback out with covid protocols. in the case of ben roethlisberger he says, willie, that he has been vaccinated. aaron rodgers, though, gets the minimum amount of time for an unvaccinated player, ten days, and it's more than just the quarterback's brief bout with covid but his comments about immunization and vaccines that has all eyes today on number 12. when aaron rodgers steps onto lambeau field today, it will be in the eye of a covid firestorm of his own making. in august, rodgers said this. >> yeah, i've been immunized. >> reporter: but after testing positive for the virus on november 3rd, the reigning mvp of the league was revealed to be unvaccinated and made these comments on the pat mcafee show. >> i believe strongly in bodily autonomy and the ability to make choices for your body, not to have to acquiesce to some woke culture. >> reporter: rodgers, who petitioned the nfl for an alternative to the vaccine months ago, has since apologized

craig, back to you >> sam brock in florida, thank you. >>> 19 minutes past the hour let's check back in with mr. roker and see what you've got. >> we're looking across the country. things are not all that exciting, but all in all, not too bad. we've got some record highs down through the south. texas on into the central plains very windy up west we're going to be looking at some wind advisories there chilly here in the northeast a little lake-effect snow still hanging around leeward side of the eastern great lakes and plenty of sunshine down through the gulf and on into the southeast. we're going to get to your local forecast coming up in the next 30 seconds ♪♪ you found the one, now find the ring. ask about special financing with the diamond credit card. at zales. the diamond store. >>> good tuesday morning. i am meteorologist, kari hall. we are seeing patchy fog in the north bay and it's clearing up and now we are seeing the fog creeping into the morgan hill area. watch out for that. the rest of the day looks nice, mostly sunny. temperatures are headed for the upper 60s, and we

joining me now, sam brock, and dr. emilio, managing director at opportunity labs. sam, today, florida's largest school district is dropping its mask mandate, as concern grows over the waning effectiveness of vaccines. what are you hearing? >> look, it's a delicate conversation right now that's going on, jose, and this dynamic of what's actually driving numbers up right now, a huge portion of this is in fact the booster situation. about a third of all eligible seniors have received their booster shots, of which two-thirds have not. it's great this is a population that is largely fully vaccinated, but that vaccine that was administered six or nine months ago does wane over time and we are seeing more increasingly more breakthrough cases. they have sort of staked out their positions that everyone 18 or older should have access to a booster shot. that's what's going on right now, conversations at the highest level of the biden administration, making them more readily available. the other things you correctly point out, communities in general, relaxing some of those rul

sam brock is in miami with more. >> reporter: good morning. good to be with you. the bottom line here is this ramps up the pressure on the fda and cdc to update their guidelines as more cities and states are expected to follow suit. local officials argue that the government's position on boosters is they should be available for high risk populations and everybody in their city or state is at high risk. right now the federal government is choosing to look the other way. with covid cases once again on the rise, health leaders coast to coast are trying to pump the brakes on an upward trend. new yorkers likely recognize these ads with the city's health commissioner, who's been encouraging booster for those 65 and older or with underlying health conditions. now with backing from the mayor, offering them to fully vaccinated adults, six months after pfizer and moderna or two months after the johnson & johnson jab. >> we have to stay astep ahead of the virus. the decision that new york city made was very much in that vein . >> reporter: taking a looser interpretation of f

nbc's sam brock is in georgia outside the courthouse. we're also joined by joyce vance. thank you for being with me. sam, there's already been quite a back and forth from the jury today. right? >> there's bee

let's talk about both of those things with nbc correspondent sam brock in miami and matt bradley in london. sam, let me start with you because you're in one of the many states challenging president biden's vaccine mandate here. talk through that and what we expect to see today. >> reporter: yeah. there's been considerable backlash here, hallie, not surprisingly given the ongoing feud between the governor here ron desantis and president joe biden. which ear expecting to see a few things happen over the next couple of weeks, one of them a special session held in tallahassee to provide protections for floridians who have lost their jobs because of vaccine mandates. that's one thing. the state legislature is also considering leaving oshia an creating its own enforcement arm for workplace safety. a couple of things on the plate here in florida to look forward to. now there's been 26 states total, hallie, that have been party to some four of lawsuit in four different appellate courts for florida. it's the 11th circuit court of appeals. florida joins georgia and alabama in that lawsuit and the ar

brock in miami. gabe, let me start with you. the head of covid response team says they are obviously working around the clock to learn more about this variant with still some question marks about, you know, the things that we don't know even as these travel restrictions go into effect. >> that's exactly right, hallie. and there is still a lot we don't know here. but the white house team says that, yes, around the country, they are analyzing some 80,000 samples per week, more than any other country. so, it's really only a matter of time, hallie, before we find this variant here in the u.s. and as you mentioned today dr. fauci saying that confirmed cases of this variant now in 20 countries, 226 confirmed cases. but he also stressed the importance of vaccines and boosters, even if it turns out that there may be less protection from them going up against this variant. take a listen to some of what he had to say there. >> as with other variants, although partial immune escape may occur, vaccines and parti

sam brock reports from brunswick, georgia. >> reporter: two versions of a fatal sequence mostly captured on camera involving ahmaud arbery and the three men charged with his murder. >> their decision to attack ahmad arbery in their drive ways because he was a black man running down the street. >> he could have a gun and he definitely. >> reporter: arbery spotted on surveillance video. the shooter travis mcmichael claiming self-defense. >> i shot because he had my gun. it's a life or death situation. >> they shot and killed him. not because he's a threat but because he would not stop and talk to them. >> reporter: the pursuit came in the neighborhood's crime spree. >> you can't create the situation. >> reporter: now outside this georgia courthouse, members of the new black panther party chant for accountability and aggrieving mob also heard this. >> turning ahmaud arbery into a victim after the choices that he made does not reflect the reality of what brought ahmaud arbery to the neighborhood. he had khaki shorts to cover his long dirty toenails. >> reporter: what that, arbery's mother le

but first, sam brock is at miami international. good morning, sam. >> hoda, good morning, look, it is the timing of the storms that troubling right in the heart of what might be the busiest travel week in years. this is as many air line, hoda, are still not back to full staffing. at airports nationwide, passengers are trying to get a leg up ahead of the thanksgiving holiday. did you make a decision to travel now so you don't have to deal with whatever craziness -- >> absolutely. i figured next week would be too crazy. >> reporter: shake off some preflight jitters, many flying for the first time since covid brought travel to a stand still. >> it's a little nerve-racking. we have lots of hand sanitizers, lots of lysol, lots of face masks. >> reporter: ending potentially a record week of holiday travel with nearly 4 million people expected to take to the skies and severe weather about to strike a huge swath of the country, starting with the midwest and great lakes on sunday. chicago, a hub for united and detroit, a hub for delta said

sam brock is live at the courthouse with the very latest. sam, good morning. >> reporter: savannah, good morning. there were signs last night the jury might be close to a decision requesting more time when the judge asked if a verdict was imminent. now today, savannah, the waiting game is on after the lead prosecutor went after the defense's argument about self-defense or a citizen's arrest. a high profile case that capt will soon be coming to a close. >> we will be justice for ahmaud. >> reporter: for weeks, defense attorneys for the three men arguing they were protecting a community urged siege from crime, travis mcmichael, his father and their neighborhood are all facing murder and aggravated assault charges. when they saw arbery running their through neighborhood, they chased him with two pickup trucks and a shotgun. >> these are real experiences, real people who were very scared. and so they took it upon themselves to do something about it. >> reporter: in her rebuttal, the lead prosecutor looking to puncture a hole in that argument. >>

brock has more on that sam, good morning. and also the rollout of vaccines for younger kids hitting full steam this morning sam, good morning. >> reporter: savannah, good morning. as for that rollout, this behind me is one of the roughly 1700 cvs pharmacies across the country where parents can now take their 5 to 11-year-olds for a shot that is that legal clash is playing out right now. more than two dozen states suing the federal government over a looming corporate vaccine mandate. this morning, the biden administration is playing defense after an appeals court temporarily blocked its corporate vaccine mandate for large companies saturday the white house has until later today to respond >> the administration is certainly prepared to defend them >> if osha can tell people to wear a hard hat on the job, to be careful around chemicals, it can put in place these simple measures to keep our workers safe >> reporter: at issue is what the three judge panel called grave statutory and constitutional issues with the mandate. starting

absence's sam brock is in miami he with the latest for us on this one. >> craig, good morning. with the new vaccine for kids, lower infection rates in more schools, more schools are dropping their mask mandate. here in miami dade, parents can opt out of their kids wearing a mask. 15 states are seeing double digit increases in covid cases as we head into the winter with concern that things could get worse. in the one-time covid epicenter of south florida, infections are falling, but some parents with young kids don't see that as cause to start relaxing mask rules just yet. >> one of the main reasons why it went down is probably because everybody has been wearing masks. >> reporter: now there are new concerns another wave of the virus is coming as we head into winter. 15 states have seen a double digit increase in recent weeks. cold weather states like minnesota, michigan and illinois showing sizable upticks, but some warm weather states, like arizona and new mexico, have seen an increase, too. then there's california, central valley still coping with covid wars. >> it may tells

nbc news correspondent sam brock has the details. >> reporter: as our nation's ports slowly grind under the weight of supply chain challenges, the race is on to get things moving in time for the holidays. >> i don't have a strong holiday season, you know, that can spell trouble. >> reporter: kim mitchell owns boing toy store in boston. she stockpiled inventory in july but has to compete for a shrinking supply of goods with major corporations. >> they're making the choice between selling 24 to me or 2,400 to somebody else. >> reporter: even as ports across the country do record volume, there's still a bottleneck brought on by production strains, a shortage of warehouse workers, and some 80,000 truck drivers. >> it's the worst that i have ever seen. >> reporter: the biden administration announcing steps tuesday to fast-track $17 billion earmarked for ports in the infrastructure bill before it is even signed into law. some of the highlights include modernizing ports and marine highways and deepening harbors for larger cargo ships. the administration letting ports redirect grant money saved

nbc news correspondent sam brock reports from brunswick, georgia. >> reporter: for the family and friends of ahmaud arbery, after months of agony, the jury in this case now deliberating. >> i do think that we will come back with a guilty verdict. we will get justice for ahmaud. >> reporter: at points during the prosecution's rebuttal, graphic photographs of the crime scene causing ahmaud arbery's mom to cover her face. three men in this case face nine charges, including aggravated assault and murder with mall as aforethought, which can be formed in an instant. >> it had nothing to do with anger or hatred for a person. it deals exclusively with the concept of intent. intent to kill. intent to cause serious bodily harm. >> reporter: the prosecutor telling the jury a self-defense claim cannot apply when you create the danger in confronting an unarmed victim. >> this isn't the wild west. he went toward mr. arbery with a gun. >> reporter: a message they hope sticks with the jury. >> what's potentially the power of these last two hours, being the final thing the jury will hear before they start