to denying all accusations against her. >> at its core, it is a sexual assault case and that's driven by the victim witnesses who get up on the stand, point at the defendant and say that's the person that did this to me. so ultimately, credibility is everything. >> reporter: the verdict could come before the christmas holiday, the same day as maxwell's 60th birthday. still ahead -- the check-in with the nation's doctor. surgeon general vie vehicle murthy is our guest to whether the united states has a plan to weather another covid winter, but even as new cases overtake the previous delta surge, many americans still plan to head home for the holidays. how airlines are handling what's shaping up to be the busiest travel week in two years. also ahead, nbc's garrett haake joins us with the latest