Than one million new cases. Now new restrictions going into effect in some cities and states. But do they come too late to stem the tide . Well talk to the former head of the cdc in a moment. Meanwhile, overnight there were nearly two dozen arrests as supporters of President Trump and counterprotesters clashed violently in the streets of washington. The president tweeting to d. C. Police to crack down. Well have more in a live report and talk to chuck todd in a moment. Then our sunday focus on a president ial election. The department of Homeland Security this week called it the most secure in American History even as the president continues to cast doubt on the results. We have an inside look at how the vote counters did their jobs during a pandemic no less. Plus, in our sunday spotlight this veterans week, harry smith sits down with marine jake wood who rounded up his fellow vets and created a new global force for good, rushing into disaster zones to bring help and hope. And later, a new sunday sitdown with an American Icon, dolly parton, on her first holiday album in 30 years. Her message to a divided country, and looking back on her most famous songs and the moment she first heard Whitney Houstons rendition of i will always love you. I fell over i was afraid i wept. It was just to know that my song, that little song of mine could be that big and that great, and with her singing like that, it was it was just overwhelming. A sunday sitdown with the great dolly parton. Another life well lived later in the show. Lets begin with the steady spike in coronavirus cases as we head deeper into fall and winter. On saturday more than 156,000 cases were reported making it the 11th day in a row with a daily total over 100,000. In the past week alone, the United States has registered more than one million new cases. Nbcs kathy park is in new york city with more for us. Good morning. Reporter willie, good morning to you. This crisis is going from bad to worse, and you really just have to look at the numbers. Back in march and april, a bad week was 215,000 cases, and new york was at the epicenter. In july the number was just under 500,000 cases per week. This week we crossed more than one million cases with hot spots across the country, and experts warn that this trend could continue into the winter months. This morning coronavirus cases skyrocketing to new levels with more than a dozen states breaking daily records. Governors and mayors now reimposing restrictions to slow the spread. In the dakotas where hospitals are filling up and frontline workers where stretched thin, governor doug burgham making an aboutface issuing a mask mandate. Our situation has changed, and we must change with it. Reporter both oregon and new mexico are headed toward partial lockdowns, crippling businesses. In new york city, deputies shut down an illegal club for violating emergency orders hours after a new curfew went into effect. Governor cuomo taking another swipe at the president who threatened to withhold vaccines from the empire state. He has created problems for the vaccine because the vaccine is only relevant if people will take it, and we want people to take it. Reporter but the head of operation warp speed warning that thousands of lives could be at risk if their work on Vaccine Development is interrupted. Calling on the white house to allow contact with joe bidens Transition Team. As covid spikes, shoppers are back to panic buying. Jamming parking lots and emptying grocery shelves. The crisis magnified at this north Texas Food Bank where thousands of families waited hours in line. But the price of the pandemic rising above the economics. Frontline workers are at their breaking point. Everyone feels like they ran a marathon and now were going asked to do an iron man, and were just tired. Reporter and millions of families are grappling with tragedy. 4yearold raydon gonzalez lost both his parents to covid. His dad in june and his mom last month. He said he wishes he could bring her back. I cant emphasize enough the severity, the seriousness, and the hurt that this pandemic can cause. So were your masks, be safe. Reporter a critical reminder cutting through the pain. And as we head into the Holiday Travel season, consider this california, oregon, and washington are asking returning residents as well as visitors to selfquarantine for 14 days after arrival. Willie . All right, kathy park starting us off in new york city this morning. Thank you so much. Dr. Tom frieden served as the director of the centers for Disease Control and prevention under the obama administration. Hes now president and ceo of resolve to save lives, a Global Health initiative. Dr. Frieden, good to see you. Boy, you look at the images in kathys piece, and it takes you back to march and april and what was happening in new york city and other places now happening across the country. We cant say you didnt warn us. You and others said were going to go through phases here and this is likely to come back in fall and winter. Where are we right now in your assessment . Well, first off, were seeing more cases in more places than ever. If you look at a single number, hospitalizations there at the highest number ever, more than 60,000 americans in hospitals today. That member will increase within the next month to over 100,000. So stressed as hospitals are today, theyll continue to be stressed. And tragically, deaths are continuing to increase, and well hit by the end of the year 2,000 deaths a year by the time president elect biden is inaugurated, more than 300,000 people will have died, reported to have died from covid, even more will have actually died from it. Theres really a lot that all of us can do to turn this around. Its not inevitable. Its not just the government, all of us have a role to play, wearing masks, which most people are doing, watching our distance, washing our hands, and avoiding crowded indoor spaces. And unfortunately, that means changing our thanksgiving plans because traveling from one place to another, meeting inside with lots of families for a long time without masks, thats a formula for a massive explosion. Unless we change our thanksgiving plans, were going to have a very unmerry christmas im afraid. Thats an important message. I think a lot of people coming to terms with the fact this that will have to be a different thanksgiving and Holiday Season. You mentioned inauguration, were still more than two months away from the Biden Administration taking over. What coordination in a transition would we be seeing and shod we be seeing should we be seeing now between the Trump Administration in this case and bidens Transition Team . In this country we only have one government at a time. And the Current Administration needs to step up in terms of responding to the crisis that we have with coronavirus. At the same time, a transition is like a relay race. Youre passing the baton. That has to be done smoothly because any stumble is going to, in this case, cost lives. That means ramping up our response and getting ready for a Vaccination Campaign that will be extraordinarily complex. Both of those things need to happen because the vaccine is not going to magically make the pandemic go away, and its not going to come as soon as we like. Its very fast. We dont know how the vaccine will work. We dont know which groups it will work for and whether it will be safe. Its encouraging to see a 90 protection rate from the pfizer product and other products will be coming out in the near future with their data. So this is a crucial time to have close coordination so that baton can be passed smoothly. And in the case of coronavirus response, we can reduce current cases, prepare for a Vaccination Campaign thats going to be extraordinarily important and complex, and continue to improve our work being careful about what and when we close things. This is not about lockdown. Wed like to keep schools open. Wed like to keep retail open if at all possible. Wed like to keep the economy moving. At the same time, we dont spread the infections. That means the government, communities, families, and individuals all doing our part to fight together. Theres only one enemy here, and its a virus, the coronavirus. And the more were unified, the more we can stop it. And as you say, time is of the essence. Dr. Tom frieden, former head of the cdc. Thank you so much. Overnight at least 20 people were arrested in washington after violence broke out during clashes between pro and antitrump protesters. Nbcs Kelly Odonnell is at the white house with more. Kelly, good morning. Reporter good morning, willie. The hours after the protrump rally that brought thousands to washington turned more dangerous with clashes in the streets, attacks on trump supporters, injuries and some arrests. Now, social media documented some of the violence and amplified that with posts that caught the attention of President Trump himself, who used his twitter feed to denounce the quote, human radical left garbage and he called out washingtons mayor and the metropolitan police to intervene, saying, get going, do your job and dont hold back. Now, earlier thousands filled the streets to show support for President Trump and his unfounded claims of fraud in his election defeat. The president also used his motorcade and his secret Service Protection to make his way through that crowd with a driveby stop earlier in the day before he went golfing as demonstrators continue to spend hours in the city marching from one point to the other on his behalf willie Kelly Odonnell at the white house. Chuck todd, nbcs political director and moderator of meet the press. Good morning. Ump getting north deat the winner is joe biden, President Trump getting North Carolina we know joe biden is the president elect, so my question to you is how much more space do republicans continue to give the president before they turn their focusto joe biden . I think the georgia recount or audit, however you want to classify it, is sort of the moment that will, i think, unofficially end this with many republicans. Look, the president is getting what he wants, and when they see that nothing is going to change, and well have that answer by middle of next week, wednesday, certification by friday. If this is going on after that, then, willie, we have to start looking at this as a constitutional crisis. But i think when that georgia audit shows, which is just as likely bidens vote total grows, it doesnt even shrink, then thats when this end game truly starts to begin. We heard this week republican senators using their democratic friends to ask him to congratulate joe biden on their behalf chuck, thank you very much just a quick case. Well look for more this morning when chuck sits down for an exclusive interview with president elect bidens newly named chief of staff, ron klain. There are two weeks left in the atlantic hurricane seaso and it just keeps coming overnight hurricane iota formed becoming the 13th hurricane of the season the storm is expected to become a major hurricane by the name is reaches nicaragua and honduras tomorrow those are th and were waking up to once again another cool start, San Francisco, a beautiful shot there. Here is a closer look at your daytime highs. We do have a possibility that well get to see some shower activity mainly further up to the north, ukiah, the north bay area. The rest of the bay area is going to remain dry with temperatures in the upper 60s. And we will be seeing a couple of areas well, were going to see that coastal Flood Warning in effect through tomorrow. State ahead, the highs and lows of the week including 2. 5 miles in the water, 112 miles on the bike, and 26 miles on his feet. The amazing story of a triathlete who made history over the course of 17 hours. And on this sunday at the masters, the most incredible shot you may ever see at Augusta National or anywhere else for that matter. Up next, our sunday focus, on the security of this years electoral process. As officials on the front lines push through the president s claims of widespread fraud. The fraud that would be needed to cast illegal votes across several states by the hundreds of thousands is a James Bondstyle conspiracy that just isnt possible. Its all coming when the only thing that matters is being together, why not bring the holidays to a vrbo vacation home. Somewhere with more space to get closer to the people you love. Your together awaits. With vrbo hi susan honey . Yeah . I respect that. But that cough looks pretty bad. Try this new robitussin honey severe. The real honey you love. Plus, the powerful cough relief you need. Mind if i root through your trash . New robitussin honey severe. Strong relief for your severe symptoms. Strong relief g. 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It isnt for people with type 1 diabetes. Dont take trulicity if youre allergic to it, you or your family have medullary thyroid cancer, or have multiple endocrine neoplasia syndrome type 2. Stop trulicity and call your doctor right away if you have an allergic reaction, a lump or swelling in your neck, severe stomach pain, changes in vision, or diabetic retinopathy. Serious side effects may include pancreatitis. Taking trulicity with sulfonylurea or insulin raises low blood sugar risk. Side effects include indigestion, fatigue, belly pain, decreased appetite, nausea, diarrhea, and vomiting which can lead to dehydration and may worsen kidney problems. I have it within me to lower my a1c. Ask your doctor about trulicity. On thursday, a pair of election committees within the department of Homeland Security issued a clear, forceful joint statement that read in part, the november 3rd election was the most secure in American History. Those words were a direct rebuke to unfounded claims made by the Trump Campaign and amplified by the president himself that the election process was compromised and somehow rigged against President Trump. This morning in our sunday focus, Morgan Radford brings us a cleareyed look at Election Security from a republican official who helped to make sure all of the votes were counted. Reporter a socalled million maga march on washington. [ chants ] its been nearly two weeks since election day, and one week since joe biden was declared president elect. Its the honor of my lifetime. Reporter late thursday the state of arizona called for biden along with an apparent win in georgia which hasnt voted for a democrat in almost 30 years. But despite the number the, the president s message remains the same this is a fraud on the american public. Reporter filing nearly 20 lawsuits, despite no evidence of widespread duplicate ballots or votes cast past deadlines. They can try to steal the election from us. Reporter the president capitalizing on the doubt he sowed amongst supporters even before the election was called. The ballots that are coming in at midnight from china reporter will you have faith in those results . Not necessarily, no. Reporter so how secure was this election . And how trustworthy are the results . Our system has issues. We can improve on it. But fraud is not one of them. The fraud that would be needed to cast invalid, illegal votes across several states by the hundreds of thousands is a James Bondstyle conspiracy that just isnt possible. Reporter in fact, a group of Government Agencies including the department of Homeland Security announced last week that this election of the most secure in American History. And still, many members of the president s o