the white house firing back. 1 million doses of vaccine heading to local pharmacies this week what you need to know to get your shot. the terrifying wall of water after a glacier collapses in india. more than 100 missing. others miraculously rescued. president biden in his first tvntviewer when he says schools should re-open and what nearly brought him to tears. >> i'm sorry to get so personal. and saving paradise we take you to the other side of the world and the country going all-out to protect their natural beauty >> this is "nbc nightly news" with kate snow good evening from snowy new york. one of many places seeing whiteout conditions today. the second big storm in less than a week. it also forced some vaccination sites to close and sent cars skidding off of roads in virginia and north carolina it is bitter cold in the midwest. in northern michigan a windchill of negative 30 in minnesota, negative 49 kathy park has all the details. >> reporter: tonight, the northeast slammed with another winter storm just days after digging out from a record-shattering nor'easter heavy bands of snow blew into new york city. at times falling up to 2 inches per hour the mario cuomo bridge barely visible. >> there's definitely a lot of snow, but also our city is dealing with a lot right now. so i think everyone's trying to be patient and understanding. >> reporter: the worsening weather canceled covid vaccinations at megasites throughout new york and new jersey overnight, the first flakes fell in western north carolina sending cars off slick roads. in charlottesville, virginia, more rollovers and spinouts out west, tragedy in utah's salt lake valley. an avalanche killed four skiers saturday four others managed to dig themselves out and survived the conditions so dangerous rescuers had to be flown in >> they just happened to be in the wrong place, wrong time. >> reporter: in the midwest the snowy weekend will now make way for single-digit temperatures and subzero windchills chicago dipped to minus 7 this morning. and it was so cold in duluth forecasters literally froze their pants off in this experiment as the temperature plunged to minus 25 degrees the arctic air settling in, and forecast to stay frigid for days >> just have to wear layers and don't leave any skin exposed to get frostbite. and just keep moving >> and kathy joins us live from central park so, kathy, the storm has just started pulling away, right, from there >> reporter: kate, that's right certainly was a fast mover with most of the snow fall from sunrise to sunset. central park got about 4 1/2 inches and the deep freeze is next overnight temperatures will be staying in the 20s kate >> all right, kathy park, thank you. there's a reason for optimism tonight as covid cases and hospitalizations trend lower. but there's news that the uk variant is spreading quickly inside the u.s and that south african variant may pose a challenge to at least one vaccine. here's sam brock >> reporter: tonight, new research is putting the threat of the fast-moving uk strain under the microscope the findings from a group of scientists which are not yet peer reviewed shows the variant appears to be doubling in the u.s. about every ten days its transmission rate is at least 30% to 40% higher than more common variants and backing up cdc warnings the strain is likely to become the dominant one in the u.s. by march. this comes as south africa stops using the astrazeneca vaccine based on limited protection against its variant. why are you concerned this evening? >> we're always concerned about events that can lead to kind of mini superspreader events i'm even more concerned about the super bowl being a potential foundation because of the presence of these variants >> reporter: an unsettling sign. tens of millions of people gathering around tv sets or bars to watch the super bowl >> go, chiefs! >> reporter: and in some cases raging nightclubs during the days leading up to the event. >> what i'm really worried about people partying in bars or people that are back home in crowded events hey, let's make sure that everybody we watch the super bowl with this year is around to watch it next year >> well, covid is definitely something to be considered you got to be safe no matter what. >> reporter: masking and social distancing critical. even as covid cases dip nationally but in iowa, the governor has abandoned the mask mandate and any limits on public gatherings prompting this tweet from white house chief of staff ron klain. "100 days of masking to bend the curve. is it too much to ask? an imperative football fans are also being implored to take to heart. >> if previously one person could get two people infected, with these new strains it's possible one person can get three people infected and so on. >> reporter: tonight, critical hours for curbing covid. >> and sam joins us now from tampa. sam, let's go back to that study of the uk variant. what else did it find? >> reporter: look, kate, scientists looked at half a million samples and were able to trace the presence of the uk strain back to the united states in late november which is to say some parts of the country that have been particularly hard hit like l.a. county, it might have been the uk variant that was driving it kate >> so interesting. sam, thank you. the federal government will make a major push this week sending 1 million vaccine doses to pharmacies across the country. but just how easy will it be to get an appointment meagan fitzgerald with what you need to know >> reporter: tonight, a vaccine headache >> extremely frustrated. >> reporter: for people in rhode island trying to get a shot >> they said we're either all booked or we had no vaccine. >> reporter: saying "we're aware of the scheduling issue and are in the process of resolving it." something they hope to avoid when the federal government ships a million doses this week to 6,500 pharmacies nationwide including cvs, walgreens, rite aid, walmart, costco and some grocery stores the program aims to speed up vaccine distribution and eventually expand to 40,000 pharmacies >> it will look a little different than getting a flu shot where you can walk in and ask for it we're going to ask patients to actually book an appointment. >> reporter: here's how you do it first, make sure you're eligible for a shot in your state. go online, have a family member help to select your local pharmacy you can also try the mobile app if that doesn't work, you can call. >> we want people to have the ability to even call and then schedule their appointment. that's new functionality that we're building out >> reporter: while pharmacies are asking americans to be patient with the new process, some are having success. >> showed up at the pharmacy, took, like, ten minutes. i had to wait, fill out a few form and that's it. >> reporter: and more hopeful news tonight about increased distribution pfizer announced they expect to be able to increase vaccine production by some 50% as manufacturing ramps up. >> things are going to get better as we get from february into march, into april because the number of vaccine doses that will be available will increase substantially. >> reporter: millions of americans waiting to get vaccinated are counting on it >> and meagan joins us now from los angeles. so, meagan, how soon will people be able to get a shot through that new pharmacy program? >> well, kate, cvs will start vaccinating thursday walgreens says it will happen on but keep in mind it's happening in limits states. it's important to check the website. both pharmacies they those who are eligible can start making appointments as soon as tuesday kate >> that's great news meagan, thank you. tonight in president biden's first tv interview, he says that getting enough americans vaccinated to reach herd immunity by summer's end may prove difficult. he's also weighing in on when schools should re-open for in-person classes. kelly o'donnell is traveling with the president in wilmington, delaware. >> reporter: tonight president biden ran with a super bowl sunday tradition, going back almost two decades the big interview. the covid crisis top of mind. >> i think it's time for schools to re-open safely. safely you have to have fewer people in classroom. >> reporter: on foreign policy, a message to u.s. adversaries including china's longtime president xi. >> i'm not going to do it the way trump did. we're going to focus on international rules of the road. >> reporter: on confronting iran's nuclear ambition will the u.s. lift sanctions first? in order to get iran back to the negotiating table. >> no. >> they have to stop enriching uranium first. from the global stage, to the home front the president reflected on son, hunter's battle with addiction that the younger biden describes in a new memoir. >> but the honesty with which he stepped forward and talked about the problem and the hope that it gave me hope reading it, i mean, it was like my boy's back, you know what i mean he's -- anyway i'm sorry to get so personal >> reporter: this week, the president's first 100 days agenda must compete with a second trump impeachment trial. mr. biden unwilling to render his own verdict. >> i've watched what everybody else watched what happened when that crew invaded the united states congress but i'm not in the senate now i'll let the senate make that decision >> reporter: today, house republican conference chair liz cheney defended herself after wyoming's state party censured her for backing impeachment. >> the oath that i took to the constitution compelled me to vote for impeachment and it doesn't bend to partisanship >> kelly joins us now from wilmington kelly, we're likely to see a lot of video evidence during the impeachment trial? >> kate, a big video component. from house managers acting like prosecutors, they'll use a video record to build up the events leading to the insurrection while the trump defense team plans its own video reel but of democrats talking about protests and violence to try to undercut the argument that it was mr. trump's words that led to january 6th. kate >> kelly o'donnell, thank you. former secretary of state george shultz has died best known as secretary of state under ronald reagan. he's credited with helping end the cold war he was one of the most consequential policymakers of our time, holding four different cabinet-level positions throughout his long career his service even earned him the presidential medal of freedom. george shultz was 100 years old. now to breaking news overseas a horrifying tragedy unfolding in northern india. a glacier broke. triggering a massive flood. now a desperate search for survivors is under way. blayne alexander reports. >> reporter: from above, the damage is unbelievable and up close, the water simply unstoppable. in this remote village in northern india, a flash flood shredded through this dam reaching the village below. coming on so fast officials say there was no time for warning. tonight, many villages evacuated. at least nine people confirmed dead more than 140 others still missing. rescuers racing to care for the injured. all of it triggered when part of a glacier in the himalayas sheared off sending water and debris careening down the mountainside is this a sign of climate change >> this is definitely a sign of climate change as planet warms up, ice is melting. glaciers are melting as the planet continues to warm, the chances of this happening goes up. not just in himalaya but in the andes, and in smaller valleys elsewhere around the planet >> reporter: but in the midst of the war, hope. pulled from this hole coverein mud and debris, a man miraculously still alive. a momentary light amid so much loss tonight, the search continues. blayne alexander, nbc news. when we come back, what's behind the surging crime rate across the country and how one of the biggest events in tennis is drawing big crowds right now it's all about location we're back with a sobering look at the shocking spike in homicides across the u.s. communities large and small are dealing with an epidemic of killings ken dilanian on what may be behind it. >> reporter: across the country, a troubling trend. >> another senseless shooting. >> reporter: a surge in gun violence. >> this year's murder count is closing in on a milestone. >> reporter: steady for years, homicides suddenly skyrocketing in 2020. and major cities like chicago and buffalo are seeing huge spikes already this year >> gun violence has plagued my family, but i know the power of hope >> reporter: in philadelphia rosalind runs operation save our city to help victims of crime. >> it's endless. the trauma is endless. it's always there. it never goes away. >> reporter: experts believe fallout from the pandemic is driving the surge. >> we got people that are under tremendous strain and quite honestly sometimes people just snap >> reporter: joblessness is also a factor those without a high school degree are most likely to commit crime. that group is at the highest unemployment rate this past year topping 20% in the spring >> there's not enough resources and the kids are younger. they're younger. they have nothing to do they're not in school. you know, it's easy to get a gun. >> reporter: add rising tensions between police and communities of color >> people feel unsafe. they feel unsafe because of the mixed picture we are getting of law enforcement that is based in fact not fiction. and all of these things contribute to heightened emotions and heightened violence >> reporter: in washington, d.c., clayton rosenberg is determined to help his community heal he's an activist with the group, alliance of concerned men. what are the solutions here >> conflict resolution should be on the forefront because people with all these idle time have to know how to deal with covid. >> reporter: so the group is holding zoom conversations twice a week teaching young men how to stay calm during conflict have you seen it work? >> we see it every day. world is watching. the community is watching so we're making sure even amongst covid, we're going to find a way >> reporter: for a nation battered in so many ways, small steps offering signs of hope. ken dilanian, nbc news, washington. still ahead, a major breakthrough in the fight over in-school learning and off the wall the weird ways tennis' big shots had to prep for a safe australian open. what it could mean for the future of major there's been a breakthrough in the showdown over chicago resuming in-school learning mayor lori lightfoot announced a tentative agreement today with the city's teachers union. they've been at odds over covid safety concerns with the union refusing to return to classrooms without more safeguards under the proposed deal the k-8 staff will gradually start the in-person schedule later this week tonight we're remembering boxing great leon spinks he was the legendary underdog who toppled muhammad ali for the heavyweight championship in 1978 spinks learned his way around the ring early joining the marines then fighting for team usa in the 1976 olympics recently he'd battled prostate cancer leon spinks was 67. half a world away from us the australian tennis open is starting with tens of thousands in the stands. everything looks almost normal again. tonight, matt bradley on how they're pulling it off safely >> reporter: tonight, it's advantage australia. the city of melbourne serving up a rare covid era international sporting event in front of a full audience. and setting an example for the world, particularly the upcoming tokyo olympics >> a great signal to anyone wanting to run sports, entertainments events or anything, that there's a way to do it. it is going to be expensive. there's a safe way to do it. >> reporter: these crowds are here just for the warmup matches. when the tournament starts within hours, they're expecting up to 30,000 in the stands every single day for many players, the australian open began behind closed doors strict covid rules forced them to quarantine for two weeks. >> the only movement we could get was basically the perimeter of our room. and, you know, a lot of us got pretty creative. >> reporter: american bethanie mattek-sands made a home made gym. others like american star coco gauff were literally bouncing off the walls while many looked, well, bored. the australian paid for athletes to arrive on chartered flights each at 40% occupancy. that's because only one could jeopardize the entire country. when it comes to covid, australia has been almost undefeated the number of daily new cases now down to a handful. >> the world is watching i'm giving it my best hope i think that it will run smoothly, you'll see some great tennis. >> reporter: so far this is one open that's refusing to close matt bradley, nbc news >> we need some great tennis. when we come back, saving paradise the drastic measures under way to preserve these tropical islands. finally tonight the tropical island paradise taking drastic measures to preserve its environment. before the pandemic hit we sent our kerry sanders to the maldives off the coast of india to see how they're fighting plastic pollution. >> reporter: they're some of the most beautiful beaches in the world. the maldives here in the indian ocean an urgent real-world environmental challenge is rapidly unfolding. can the stunning mostly untouched nature that lures a million and a half visitors a year be saved from those very people >> an average tourist creates six pounds of garbage daily. and that's quite a lot. and when you see that there's a lot of tourists that pass through maldives. >> reporter: the numbers are staggering tourists and residents produce a mind-boggling 636 million pounds of garbage a year. adding to the problem, ocean currents carrying plastics here from nearby countries. and this is where that garbage winds up much of it plastic 700 tons a day 30 years ago this was a small island with a lagoon and a coral reef today it's three times its size appropriately nicknamed "trash island." rather than watch more islands here become trash islands, it was theatrical, but to make a point, the government in the maldives held an underwater cabinet meeting. eventually, a new law of the land here. by 2023, single-use plastics should no longer be available. no more bottles, bags, and baby diapers. >> us doing it is not going to save the planet. we can only be an example. we can only hopefully die knowing that we did the right thing. >> reporter: 1,100 islands make up the maldives. this the first island to completely eliminate single-use plastics it begins with all water. now delivered in reusable glass bottles. already on this one tiny island, they've reduced six daily pounds of garbage per person to just a half a pound it's a start, but the united nations estimates 8 billion pounds of single-use plastics are dumped in the world's ocean every year at the current rates with that much plastic in the water, it's estimated by the time a child born today is 30, there will be more plastic in the ocean than fish the question tonight, can that maldives >> that is "nbc nightly news." i'm kate snow. for all of us here, stay safe and have a great night. great party carly you must of blown your budget. not exactly. you have great wine name brand snacks tons of meat, and where did you get this imported cheese? hello? grocery outlet bargain market. want some peanut butter with that? no thanks, just us. more beef for less bacon. don't be jelly. ♪grocrey outlet jingle♪ raise a glass... to savings! in the south bay. a 3.2 magnitude earthquake strikes near milpitas tonight and what we are learning about the exact location of the tremor. thank you for joining us. i am terry mcsweeney. >> that earthquake hit near milpitas just before five this evening. >> hit near the reservoir, and a seismograph showing activity before leveling out, and let's bring in rob mayeda with more on that. >> that main rt

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