Despite urgent warnings, people are traveling this holiday week at the highest levels since march, more than 1 million flying in just 1 day tonight the parts of the country most at risk as hospitals see more Record Numbers. The search for solutions. How to keep schools open safely. Why some are succeeding even as the pandemic grows. The Big New Recall by gm, almost 6 million vehicles could be on the road with dangerous airbags. Which models are affected and holiday displays for our times, my report honoring the heroes on the front lines. This is Nbc Nightly News with lester holt. Good evening, everyone there is Breaking News as we come on the air tonight. The governments General Services administration is for the first time acknowledging joe bidens win for president. Notifying the President Elect that the formal and official transfer of power can begin. The decision comes more than two weeks after biden was projected as the winner and after a series of legal an procedural defeats in President Trumps efforts to overturn the results. Lets go right to Hallie Jackson for the latest good evening. Reporter good evening, lester. This is breaking late tonight. The agency in charge of formally starting that process doing just that, a move that the Incoming Biden Administration is waiting for for weeks and President Trump sought to delay. In a letter obtained by nbc news, the administrator of the General Services administration said she is now making available access to the services and resources millions of dollars the Incoming Administration needs and she said she came to the decision independently based on the law an available facts and she said she was never directly or indirectly pressured by anybody in the Executive Branch including in the white house. In a tweet just moments ago, though, the president said hes the one recommending the gsa to move forward an in his words do what needs to be done but at the same time he says he is keeping up the fight against the Election Results and thinks he will prevail. More mixed messaging from him over the last 72 hours, more and more republicans put pressure on President Trump to concede and allow this Transition Move forward just moments ago the Biden Transition is responding calling this move a needed step lester certainly an important development. All right. Hallie, thank you. Today President Elect joe biden resealed some of his top cabinet choices. Its a Diverse Group that could make history. Our Geoff Bennett with late details. Reporter after four years of President Trump often at odds with the Foreign Policy establishment tonight President Elect joe biden is pulling from that group for his first cabinet picks naming long time Foreign Policy adviser tony blinken to serve as Secretary Of State. Blinken has been at bidens side for nearly 20 years. In the senate and in the Vice President s office. My mentor, my partner, my friend, and the greatest Public Servant i know, the Vice President of the united states, joe biden. Reporter biden turning to another familiar face, former Secretary Of State john kerry to serve as his climate czar a key focus of bidens campaign. Combating Climate Change means jobs. Reporter biden also naming vetera state Department Official jake sullivan, formerly one of Hillary Clintons closest aides to be National Security adviser and nbc news learning tonight from two sources that another washington veteran former fed chair janet yellen is the choice for treasury secretary to be announced soon she would be the first woman in that post two more firsts on bidens National Security Team Announced today. Avril haines tapped to be the next director of National Intelligence and if confirmed the first woman to lead the intel community. Alejandro mayorkas a Cuban American who would be the first immigrant and latino to serve as Homeland Security secretary biden also naming Linda Thomas Greenfield to serve as ambassador to the united nations, restoring a professional diplomat to that position, biden set to be appear in person with the first cabinet picks tomorrow lester thank you ill speak with President Elect joe biden tomorrow on an exclusive interview here on Nbc Nightly News. Astrazeneca today became the third drug maker to announce its produced a safe and highly effective vaccine renewing hope that americans could receive doses perhaps within weeks, the first americans. Keir simmons reports. Reporter hailed as a vaccine for the world, its far cheaper to produce and easier to store because it doesnt need to be frozen tonight 3 billion doses are being promised next year, over 20,000 people took part in a trial including participants in age groups most as risk like robin powell whos in his 60s. It feels like a weight beginning to be lifted off. Reporter the preliminary results published today by Oxford University show 70 effectiveness, better than a flu vaccine. That compares with this months results from pfizer and moderna, both more than 90 but surprisingly a smaller first dose of the oxford vaccine gave it 90 effectiveness, too. And it uses tried and tested technology. The Safety Profile has been absolutely excellent. Reporter a 30,000 participant trial is still under way in the u. S. Washington invested more than a billion dollars. But already astrazeneca is celebrating. How does it hit you personally the sooner we have a solution and this can be a potential solution the better it is so its the emotions, theres an enormous sense of pride. Reporter and preparing to present its findings to the fda. Looking for emergency authorization. A virus thats moved sickeningly fast but now the Vaccine Breakthroughs accelerating keir simmons, nbc news, london. This is tom costello with multiple vaccines potentially on the way Health Experts must now coin convince americans theyre safe after the white house interfered in fda and cdc coronavirus guidance, americans confidence in those agencies and the vaccine process dropped. But now indications that confidence is slowly starting to return a gallup poll finds 58 are likely to be vaccinated up from a low of 50 in september though 42 still say they wont get the vaccine. Weve got to make sure we engage the community. There was no compromise of safety, nor was there compromise of scientific integrity. Reporter vaccines typically take years to develop but the covid vaccines have been fast tracked in just nine months, even some front line medical workers are cautious a third of nurses say theyll get the vaccine, a third say no and the rest are unsure. I think were feeling a little reticent to step to the front of the line right now. Reporter veteran Nurse Marie Rataco i the Vice President of the massachusetts nurses union. Nurses, of course, want to see an end to this nightmare but i need to hear what the fda says about the vaccine. Reporter the former director of cdc says both agencies have some work to do. How does the fda and the cdc reclaim its authority . You get the scientists at the cdc, fda and nih speaking directly and regularly to the American People telling them what we know and what we dont know. Reporter tonight the nonprofit ad council developing a 50 million ad blitz to persuade americans to get vaccinated much as it did during the 1950s with the polio vaccine. Lester all right tom costello, thank you. I want to bring in richard engel. Richard, as mentioned, astrazenecas vaccine is called the vaccine for the world so how will it get to people and when reporter this was the day that oxford and astrazeneca has been hoping for so they have a distribution plan. 200 million doses this year those 3 billion doses next year of which 300 million will be allocated to the united states, another 300 million for the rest of the world to be distributed by International Agencies and because this is more of a classic, traditional vaccine, its a little more robust to changes in temperature and can be made cheaply and right from the start the manufacturer said they wanted to sell it at cost, 3 to 4 per dose, so this could end up becoming the vaccine for the world, particularly in places with poor infrastructure Lester Richard engel tonight, thank you. Despite the promising vaccine news theres still a great deal to be concerned about. From so many ignoring the travel warnings, infections soaring and more hospitals overwhelmed. Heres blayne alexander. Reporter its beginning to look a lot like typical Holiday Travel packed airports anticipating the busiest week since the start of the pandemic. No one is six feet apart. Everyones three feet apart or two feet apart. Its horrible. Reporter over the weekend, tsa processed more than 3 million passengers, a far cry from this time last year but the highest threeday total since midmarch. Some Airlines Adding Flights this week to meet the increased demand theres no close proximity to other passengers so we had no concerns. It felt really safe reporter the roads also crowded aaa estimating 95 o all Holiday Travel will be done by car. All signs that despite Health Officials repeated warnings to stay at Home Millions of americans are not. Keep urging people to please dont travel, please change your plans. Well, we felt like its not getting better. So, i mean, might as well just try to just have a little bit of fun. Reporter today the cdc is raising the red flag on cruises classifying them as level four the highest risk for contracting covid19 all of it leading dr. Anthony fauci to plead once again reconsider. Be careful now and look forward to many more in the future than endangering yourself or a vulnerable member of your family. Reporter dr. Fauci warns any spike in cases after thanksgiving travel will show up in december, meaning that if were not careful now christmas could be even worse one more reason experts say to stay home for the holidays. Blayne alexander, nbc news, atlanta. Im Miguel Almaguer with a Record Number of americans hospitalized for 13 straight nights, our nation is on pace to soon hit 200,000 daily infections at the start of the pandemic, it took months, then weeks to add a million cases. Now just days. Researchers believe by january we could hit 20 million confirmed infections, larger than the population of new york state. Everybodys got a full emergency room. Reporter hospitals across the nation are falling deeper into crisis the u. S. Air force dispatching nurses to north dakota the National Guard loading bodies into makeshift morgues in texas. Exhausted Front Line Workers are watching each other become infected. I still get teary thinking about it. Ive been in nursing for 20 years and that was my breaking point. Reporter after more troubling scenes of Mass Gatherings from weddings to bars, states like kentucky and nevada are ordering new restrictions as cases nearly triple in california, l. A. County which has more infections than many states do has ordered restaurants to close indoor and Outdoor Dining by wednesday. In nearly half of all states deaths are up more than 50 . Thomas steele was on life support and needed a double lung transplant. To beat covid. Theres nothing like sitting there in a Hospital Room gasping for every breath you take. Reporter released today it was a Miracle Steele survived but tonight this sobering reminder, one american is dying roughly every minute from covid. Miguel almaguer, nbc news in the search for solutions, the growing debate over whether Closing Schools will actually help stop the covid surge. Nbcs Stephanie Gosk went to one district determined to stay open. One, two, three. Reporter at this Middle School outside boston superintendent Deedee Galdston hopes weekly testing will help keep the kids in class. Schools open today . Yes. Reporter how exciting is that for you . It is a great feeling to have our students back in School Reporter there is also air purifiers a hybrid schedule and everyone wears a mask. They said this is hard but how are we going to do it reporter back in march schools closed across the country in fear that classrooms would spread covid but now the research tells a different story. Weve learned Tha Transmission can occur in schools, especially in the older age groups, but what we havent seen is large outbreaks with younger children. Reporter causing some epidemiologists to rethink how to balance childrens needs with Community Safety instead of Closing Schools first and then closing other things down, w should keep the schools open and close other things down. Reporter with no clear guidance, its been a patchwork of approaches almost all urban School Districts are remote including new york city with a Positivity Rate below 4 Meanwhile Schools remain open in places like sioux falls with a Positivity Rate of nearly 50 its 2 here in watertown. Honestly up until our final hour of deciding i wasnt sure if i was going to keep him in a remote setting. Reporter jack went back to the teachers two weeks ago. I think just being in front of them and just being and his peers is just its so important for them. Reporter do you think this country has done enough to open the doors of schools like yours it would have been wise to think about what were doing here and make that a national movement. Reporter there is no way to eliminate the risk in schools but in this town they say its manageable. Stephanie gosk, nbc news, watertown, massachusetts. Breaking news now about millions of gm trucks, Safety Experts say their airbags are dangerous. Gm disagrees sam brock tells us the government had the final word recall. Reporter General Motors forced to pump the brakes on 6 million of its suvs and pickup trucks from 2007 to 2014 including models like the Cadillac Escalade and Chevy Silverado that use Takata Airbags at the center of the largest recall linked to 18 deaths. The Nonprofit Center for auto safety opposed gms fouryear fight against this latest recall. They said we think our set of Takata Airbags that use the same dangerous explosive as all the other recalled airbags, we think theyre slightly different. We dont think we need to recall them. Reporter the federal government found otherwise. General motors says safety and trust are at the forefront but we believe a recall is not warranted based on the factual and scientific record. We will abide by nhtsas decision the recall coming with a hefty bottom line. More than a billion dollars. If you want to find out whether the recall affects your car you can just enter the vin number on the nhtsa website. Lester all right sam, thank you in just 60 seconds, for so many this thanksgiving its a nonmovable feast how to prepare for your smaller gathering. Safety is a high priority this thanksgiving so in many homes there will be fewer people around the table. And vicky nguyen tells us that has smal turkeys in big demand. Reporter this year many large thanksgiving gatherings with friends and extended family are canceled and that impacts how Grocery Stores are stocking up this holiday. With the cdcs warning, some stores are offering pintsized holiday packaged meals for 2 to 4 people instead of 12 more hams and meatless options are also expected but turke isnt off the table. During our survey results, 9 out of 10 people still said no matter what they want to have thanksgiving. They want to make turkey its part of that tradition. Butterball turkey talk line. How can i help you today . Reporter the folks at butterballs Turkey Talk Line Stand By from now through the holiday to answer questions by text or phone. It starts with shopping and so we recommend two pounds of turkey per person for every adult that you will have at your party. Reporter but it may be harder to find smaller 10 to 15 pound birds because many people are downsizing their meals. Check Grocery Store websites and most important dont wait online Food Shopping is at the highest level since before the pandemic vicky nguyen, nbc news. All right. Up next, The Royal Drama Over princess dianas portrayal in the crown. Princess dianas brother is speaking out as the new season of the crown is putting her private life back in the spotlight. Kelly cobiella has more on the controversy. Reporter its family drama on a royal scale as princess dianas brother said diana and charles you see in the Netflix Series the crown isnt real. The americans say theyve watched the crown like theyve taken the History Lesson well, they havent. Reporter in an itv interview airing last week, diana brother said the producers asked to film at the childhood home. I said, obviously not. I feel passionately that i have a role to honor her memory. Reporter it comes at the same time as new investigation into how the bbc got this explosive interview with diana in 1995 when the princess went public about her troubled relationship with prince charles. Well, there were three of us in thi marriage so it was a bit crowded. Reporter now the journalist Martin Bashir is accused of using fake Bank Statements to show diana that royal employees were being paid to spy on her and to convince her to talk the bbc says its taking the allegations seriously. Martin bashir who worked for abc and msnbc hasnt commented but an internal investigation in 1996 found hed done nothing wrong lester all right kelly cobiella, thank you. Up next, so many to thank this holiday but these folks are at the front of the line. My report next in the season of celebration we may find it hard to find joy in all the ways of old, after all we have lost so much, yet we have also discovered the heroes among us and how they are being celebrated this Holiday Season its the season of giving thanks and gratitude has taken on a whole new meaning. Its really a heartfelt thank you letter to all First Responders. Reporter the iconic windows at Macys Department store here in new york are dedicated to those who serve this city in its darkest hour this year the people in the hospitals, wearing uniforms, theyre the heroes. Reporter a display to say thank you to the men and women on the front lines fighting covid19. I think its amazing. Its exactly what we should be doing. It helps it feel like new york again. Reporter and its not just limited to here in new york holiday displays across the country are being dedicated to Front Line Workers a 45foot Christmas Tree in Boston Common will be decorated and dedicated to local health care heroes, the first lady of Mississippi Reeves is asking artisans to create ornaments to honor the states Front Line Workers and First Responders to in hopes of lifting their spirits this season in bethlehem, pennsylvania, 200 hand engraved ornaments each bearing the name of nurses, doctors and other Front Line Workers hang in the citys square. I think its very special, especiall this time of year with the star and the beautiful sound of wind chimes which give hope. Reporter so this year when you hear a bell ring, an angel here on earth just got their wings. And thats nighty news for this monday tomorrow well have my conversation with President Elect joe biden. Thank you for watching, everyone im lester holt. Please take care of yourself and each other. Right now at 6 0 putting a pause on fluhots f now. The pay area county where they are solely focussed on testing for the coronavirus. Plus business is beware on black friday. The violation from 500 up. The extra officers on patrol to make sure everyone is following the safety rules. New indictments in a widening investigation surrounding the santa clara sheriff office. All this quid pro quo. Pay to play. Give to get. Its illegal. The top exec at apple. That is ensnared in the gun permit probe. Good monday. Thanks for joining us. Were getting some key updates about where we are in the covid surge. Lets talk about that. Hospital beds are filling up. We have the latest numbers and how the Hospitalization Rates are impacting you gets the vaccine first. A lot of good information. Thank you. Governor Newsom Out Lining A will the of information about the states current covid surge and the vaccine. Detailing how vaccines will be distributed once they are given the green light. California will not distribute the vaccine but will help. The distribution will actually be up to drug companies. Partnering with healthcare providers. A lot of n