flooding up and down the east coast. roads covered, cars submerged. our team is tracking where the storm is heading next. three israeli hostages escaped captivity in gaza, only to be gunned down by israeli soldiers. it has sparked outrage with the country's government and given new life to calls for a ceasefire. could this be a turning point in the peace effort? it's not santa in the air this holiday season. it's police drones. the tech that aimed at catching

shoplifters. we'll take you inside the new program in los angeles. this little chopper's final product went all the way to mars, but this one is heading to the smithsonian. how this gadget took science to historic heights. a team of santas trade their sleighs for surfboards. while this trip will secure their place on the nice list. it's monday, december 18th. >> i'm frances rivera. a powerful storm system continues to wreak havoc as it barrels up the east coast, bringing strong winds, heavy rain and flooding across the region. on sunday, parts of the carolinas were inundated with 9 to 11 inches of rain and thousands were pout power in new jersey as the storm sets its sights on new england. nbc's george solis starts us off. >> reporter: a powerful coastal storm charging up the east coast is already packing quite a punch. >> you're floating.

uh-oh. >> reporter: charleston, south carolina in the bulls-eye. fierce winds and torrential rain rain combine with the high tide, sending water gushing into streets, flooding neighborhoods. some cars were able to make it through the high water, and the suspect was patrolling streets, helping rescue people from cars that didn't make it. >> that water is higher than the road. >> reporter: is that the worst flooding you've ever seen? >> this has been the worst we've seen. we've been here through several hurricanes and rough storms. but this is probably the highest we've seen the water peak. >> reporter: the carolina coastline seeing scenes like this. >> water coming up pretty high. >> reporter: this same system slammed into florida on saturday. the deluge bringing blinding rains and strong winds. visibility so bad, this car plunged off a seawall near venice. watch again, the driver saying he was not familiar with the area and couldn't see where he

was going. his car continuing to float until first responders arrived. >> oh, my gosh. >> reporter: in st. petersburg, this scary scene. the storm causing an electrical surge, sending bolts of electricity coursing along this power line. the downpours also wreaking havoc along the florida turnpike near west palm beach. with millions at risk up and down the east coast, the storm threatens to uproot holiday travel for millions this week. >> all right, george, thanks. some crazy video there. that storm will be bringing strong winds to the northeast today. let's bring in nbc meteorologist michelle grossman who is tracking where that storm is lingering. michelle, good morning. >> good morning to you both. it's going to be a tough commute for many of us in the northeast to new england. we'll see the rain lingering in portions of new england. the winds gusting up at 60 miles per hour. that's going to cause a chance of power outages, some downed trees. we're looking at 60 million people under flood alerts down to portions of the midatlantic. where you see the green, a flood

watch. we are going to see that throughout the morning. also looking at cold air coming in on the back side of this system. that's going trigger some snow. we're going to see heavy snow throughout the great lakes and through the appalachians. 13 million people impacted by winter alerts. and then the wind. 46 million people under wind alerts. we have high wind warnings, especially along the coast of new england, the east coast. we'll see winds gusting 40, 50, 60 miles per hour. today we'll see gradual clearing throughout the northeast. it's going to linger into new england, and we'll see the snow on the back side of the. and we're going to talk about the week ahead in just a few minutes. >> all right. michelle, thank you. now to israel, where there is continued outrage this morning after three israeli hostages were killed by friendly fire in gaza. they were all taken hostage here and they escaped hamas captivity, only to be shot dead by the israeli defense forces.

the idf acknowledged the error. the men came out of the building where they had themselves written help in hebrew and sos in english, shirtless and waving a white flag. >> in what the idf admits was a breach of their rules of engagement, nearby soldiers deemed them terrorists and shot two of them dead. the third man tried to run away. despite screaming in hebrew, he too was shot and killed. the idf chief of staff stressed to soldiers and commanders to never shoot at people who appear to be surrendering. he note ed the palestinians who are captured alive are often valuable for intelligence, saying, quote, we already have over a thousand. the incident has infuriated israelis and reinvigorated those who favor truce and further prisoner exchanges. with a major israeli government calling for they cannot convince

families that the war is benefitting their loved ones. drama for president biden late last night after a car crashed into his secret service motorcade. take a listen. >> whoa. >> wow. the president was promptly whisked away and is safe. the accident is under investigation, but the secret service says they do not suspect foul play. the funding fight on capitol hill is still raging on. republicans are holding up financial support for israel and ukraine until the white house agrees on concessions on the border wall. aaron gilchrist has the latest on the talks. >> reporter: with israel and ukraine both at war, american aid is in jeopardy. a rare sunday negotiations session in the senate after homeland security secretary alejandro mayorkas spent hours on the hill this weekend. the white house trying to craft a border security deal that will

apiece republicans who are holding up foreign aid over it and not alienate democrats. deal makers say there has been progress. sources telling nbc news the major sticking points include limits on admitting refugees under humanitarian patrol, putting asylum seekers in detention while claims are heard, and expanding powers to expel migrants nationwide. homeland security officials warn policies being considered could overwhelm the entire system. many legal border crossings are already overwhelmed like in lukeville, arizona, which closed indefinitely because there are too many migrants. officials also warning the government doesn't have enough space to detain all asylum seekers. two sources tell nbc news secretary high york cass and the president's chief of staff listened to concerns from hispanic lawmakers on saturday and promised to brief them before a final deal is reached. but also echoed the president's call for compromise on immigration. >> we all know it's broken. i'm willing to do significantly more.

>> reporter: mitch mcconnell signalling in a note to members obtained by nbc news that a vote this week doesn't look look likely. >> we're not anywhere close to a deal. it will go into next year. >> and our thanks to aaron gilchrist for that report. now to a chilling announcement from the fda about some cinnamon apple sauce products that potentially poisoned dozens of kids. the agency now says a change in a key ingredient may have been on purpose. jesse kirsch has more. >> reporter: the fda says it is investigating if someone deliberately tampered with ingredients used in cinnamon apple puree pouchs, using a cheaper product to make more money. it's kpaul economically motivated alteration and it may have been responsible for the lead poisoning of dozens of young children. >> i think it's absolutely disgusting that you would knowingly do that to make an extra dollar. >> reporter: ricky and sarah callahan say they regularly gave their son rudy these wanabana apple cinnamon fruit puree

patches. those as well as weis and schnuck's cinnamon apple sauces voluntarily recalled. the callahans suspect those pouchs poisoned their 15-month-old son. how is he feeling? >> since he has been diagnosed with blood poisoning, we've found out that rudy has a little bit of a speech delay. >> reporter: it's not clear where in the supply chain the puree may have been compromised, but the fda suspects the cinnamon may be the source of unusually high lead levels. wanabana did not respond to our request for comment, but has previously said it is working closely with the fda to investigate the source of the contamination. >> even if they find that it was intentionally put into the cinnamon, even at the source, testing of that product should have occurred at some level. >> reporter: so far the fda has received at least 65 reports of lead poisoning in children under age 6, which doctors say can have serious consequences.

>> some stomach upset, a little bit of fatigue, all the way to somewhat permanent and life-altering event such as damage to brain and developmental delays. >> reporter: this concerns leaving parents like the callahans left to worry. jesse kirsch, nbc news. just a little west of the storm system, the great lakes facing winter alerts. michelle grossman istracking how much snow to expect. good morning. >> good morning, guys. great to see you on this monday. we're looking at a lot of snow. could see up to a foot. the cold air working on the back side of the system. so that's a big story today. also looking at that lingering storm system in the northeast, and also new england. it's going clear out of the northeast later on this morning. but new england is going to hold on to the rain a little longer. could see some flash flooding as well. really wet on the west coast. a storm system is going to impact the west over the next several days, and you can see the reds, the oranges, the yellows, that will linger into wednesday rain and snow. the snow in the higher

elevations. lots of sunshine throughout the middle of the country. the northern plains, into the south central 50s and 60s, and near 70 in houston. all right, guys, that's a look at your monday forecast. >> all right, michelle, thank you. earl seller back in 60 seconds with a look at the high-tech tools fighting shoplifters this holiday season. and the ravens storm past the jags in a sunday night early this. the nfl playoff picture. not coughing? hashtag still not coughing?! mucinex dm gives you 12 hours of relief from chest congestion and any type of cough, day or night. mucinex dm. it's comeback season.

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catch criminals. marissa parra shows us how they work. >> reporter: high above south florida's dolphin mall, a watchful eye on holiday shoppers down below. >> with this drone, we're able to use artificial intelligence and lock into vehicles or humans. >> reporter: the newest tool in the sweetwater police department's arsenal, designed to stop smash and grabs like this one from happening here. >> retail theft is an epidemic in america. >> reporter: police and mall security here have decked the hams with undercover officers, security cameras, even license plate readers. >> it's the holidays and we have to keep the safety for our citizens. >> reporter: but it's the eyes in the sky that may be the future of retail policing. lieutenant and pilot jay voigt shows us how it works. that's his colleague, lieutenant jonathan archie playing the part of a suspect. this is what happens after the call to launch the drone comes in. >> press on that target.

>> reporter: now it's set to track lieutenant archie, all on its own. you can see it following him. motion track. and then you see it go down. >> and there he goes. it's going to follow him. >> wow. >> reporter: now watch what happens when the lieutenant starts running. you can see the drone hovering above, chasing him. >> now he is running. the drone is going to follow him. the drone speeds up when he speeds up? >> yep. >> reporter: if the suspect gets into a vehicle, the drone can lock in on that too. >> as he is walking to his car, what happens once he gets into the car. >> he got into the vehicle. now we click in the stvehicle h is in? >> and now it automatically follows the vehicle? >> you got rain shower target. >> reporter: drones like this are becoming more common in policing. the manufacturer says their drones are used by more than 300 law enforcement agencies across the country. this holiday season, police from southern california to upstate new york are using similar

drones in similar shopping centers. the sweetwater pd wouldn't give us exact numbers, but say they've seen fewer thefts since the drones launched. >> you can see the entire property. and it makes it that much easier to identify something that doesn't look right. >> reporter: a modern tool to fight a classic holiday crime. marissa parra, nbc news, sweetwater, florida. still to come on "early today," a marvelous performance on sunday night. the a convincing win and an early holiday treat, coming up right after this.

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the purple and black looked unstoppable on the road against the jacksonville jaguars. baltimore secures their 11th win of the year and becomes the first team in the afc to punch their ticket to the play-offs. and as we head into this final stretch of the nfl season, there has been no shortage of upsets and unexpected endings. the bears had a chance to shock the browns on the last play of the game. but the near perfect hail mary from justin fields wound up in the embrace of a cleveland defender, giving them the hard-fought 20-17 win. texans got the job done in tennessee without rookie sensation cj stroud. houston's defense held during overtime, allowing them to take down the titans with a walk-off field goal. a tough time for the titans. and for the second time this year, a field goal gave the lowly panthers a taste of victory. eddie pan erpanero drilled one.

good news for all your cowboys fans. the team clinched a play-off spot. the bad news is it came on the heels of a blowout loss in buffalo. the bills riding to victory on the back of a whopping 179 rushing yards from james cook as they trounced over the cowboys, 31-10. looking ahead now to the play-off season, here we go. a little longer before sharing a victory together. the father/son duo shot 61 at this weekend's pnc championships in orlando. that's good enough for a five-way tie for fifth place. the duo's best finish was back in 2021 when they took second place. two-time masters winner bernhard langer and his son jason took the top spot at the tournament. when we come back, the smithsonian just got a piece of mars history. and why a vase bought for around 4 bucks at goodwillak a shocking six-figure sum at auction.

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we are back with what you need to know early today. quaker oats is recalling several granola products sold nationwide over a possible slal contamination. so far no reports of related infections. for the full list of affected products, visit quaker granola recall.com. the teamsters have voted to authorize a strike at anheuser-busch's 12 breweries if a new contract agreement cannot be reached before february 9th. union members are looking to protect wages and retirement benefits. nasa has donated a prototype for the ingenuity helicopter to the smithsonian. in a simulated environment, it demonstrated the ability to fly in another planet's atmosphere. in april 2021, ingenuity made history with its first flight on mars. a vase spotted at goodwill for $3.99 sold at auction for more than $100,000. it was designed by renowned

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there's toothpaste white, and there's crest 3d whitestrips white. so much whiter! crest. after a violent storm swept through western kentucky two years ago, homes, businesses and places of worship were all destroyed. but local artist has spent hundreds of hours bringing one church back to its former glory. liz desantis from our evansville, indiana affiliate has more. >> reporter: winds hit bethel baptist church two years ago, only one thing was able to be saved. a set of three glass windows from the back of the church. >> when they sent me pictures of

what they had, the question was can we save it? >> reporter: scott pointer owns the glass factory in owensboro. he says he has been working to restore the glass to its former glory. >> i kind of analyzed and said we can do that. >> reporter: luckily, the damage wasn't too severe. >> they were kind of protected by a wall that was in front of them from debris. >> reporter: the process of repairing the windows will take ten months of painstaking work, tracing the original design and taking it apart piece by piece. >> we start at one corner. once all the glass is cut out, and we start our build from here. and we build out this way. >> reporter: pointer says he's now more than halfway done. he says when he delivered the first set of panels, the reaction was more than he could have imagined. >> people were running over to look at them, and we're going have something that was original from the church. >> reporter: while work is under

way in bremen to bring the congregation back into a new home, the church has experienced some setbacks. >> and then all that wind came. it blew all the trusses down, and the new church imploded. so they had the start all over again. >> reporter: when church goers finally get to step foot in their new building, pointer says he is glad they'll have a piece of their history waiting to greet them. >> it's something they walk, in and that's what you see. because when the light shines in on these on a sunday morning, it's amazing. >> and our thanks to liz desantis for that report. and wow. all coming together. they always say a church is so much more than the structure, the walls and the building. >> the light shining in in more ways than one. a group of santas ditched their sleighs and grabbed their paddle boards future a god cause. the northwest santa raises people battling cancer during the holidays. at lake washington, they raised

nearly $5,000. who knew that santa could paddle that well, because he is in the air in a sleigh so much. >> it doesn't need rudolph or any of the other reindeer. all good right there on the water. thank you so much for starting your week with "early today." i'm frances rivera. >> and i'm jessica layton. we will see you tomorrow. have a great monday.

flooding up and down the east coast. roads covered, cars submerged. nbc meteorologist michelle grossman is here tracking where the storm is heading next. to capitol hill and a stalemate over funding for american allies. but it's not issues with israel or ukraine holding up the vote. our team in d.c. joins us live to say why security has halted this. don't be