the white house making a diplomatic push in the gaza conflict, advisors meeting with israeli officials in the

nation's capital brie jackson is live with what it could mean for the rising tensions overseas. the crisis at the border secretary of state antony blinken is heading to mexico as thousands join a new caravan heading toward the u.s college football is about to hit its peak even before the new year's day playoffs. there is plenty of action to talk about we're breaking down the biggest plays as bowl season heats up. our furry friends could be the ticket to teaching old friends new pets pets could be the key to warding off dementia which companies are looking to buy in. it's wednesday, december 27. "early today" starts now good morning, and thanks for joining us, i'm jessica layton gaza was on the agenda at the white house as a close advisor to israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu met with top

biden officials in d.c ron dermer seen here is the strategic affairs minister in the israeli government and has worked for netanyahu for decades. let's go live to washington where brie jackson joins us live good morning this was a highly-anticipated agenda what do we know that came out of those meetings >> reporter: ron dermer met with jake sullivan and secretary of state antony blinken a white house official tells nbc news that the meeting had four items on the agenda. the transition to a different phase of the war to maximize focus on high-value hamas targets, practical steps to improve the humanitarian situation and minimize harm to civilians, efforts to bring home remaining israeli hostages, and planning for the day after the conflict ends, including governance and security in gaza. those last two points are seen as the hard problems of the gaza war. hamas still holds more than a

hundred hostages abducted from israel on october 7th. and it's highly unlikely that they can be recovered through force alone. haun hamas is so far resist ago renewed temporary truce saying only a cease-fire will do. t tl the talks about potentially scaling back the war have been exactly that, just talks u.s. officials from the president on down urge israel to be more careful, but there are no signs that prime minister benjamin netanyahu has taken that to heart. there's also no sign that the biden administration hwill withhold diplomatic support, meaning that a brutal war that started 82 days ago still has no end in sight >> brie, thank you meanwhile, as tensions rise in the middle east, we are

learning more about american airstrikes that targeted three facilities used by iranian-backed militias in iraq. it was retaliation for a strike on a u.s. air base that hurt three american troops, one soldier injured critically nbc's ali arouzi has more. >> reporter: so the u.s. military has attacked iranian-backed militant groups in iraq hours after u.s. personnel were injured in a drone strike on a u.s. air base on tuesday morning in iraq the u.s. defense secretary lloyd austin said three sites were hit in response to attacks on u.s. forces in iraq and syria so who are they? they're financed and armed by iran and have been one of the most prominent groups involved in attacks on u.s. targets in iraq for some time now it forms part of an umbrella

group of militias under iran's patronage. it's also been incorporated into the iraqi army but these attacks are nothing new. the u.s. has repeatedly targeted sites linked to militant groups in iraq and syria in recent years. and depending on the political situation, these can ebb and flow considerably. given what's going on in the region and the heightened tensions, the attacks have dramatically increased since october 17th alone, there have been over 100 of these types of attacks by iranian-backed militias. sos a the conflict in gaza continues, iran keeps issuing threats, which are carried out by their proxies with alarming frequency these days whether that's the houthis disrupting shipping in the red sea or militias in the lavaunt targeting u.s. interests now to breaking news from south korea this morning police say actor lee sun kyun

has died in an apparent suicide. authorities say lee, who had been under investigation for alleged drug use was found in a car in seoul on wednesday. his family reports that he had left home after writing what seemed like a suicide note lee, along with his fell low parasite cast members was awarded outstanding performance by a cast in a motion picture at the 2019 s.a.g. awards he was just 48 years old a tragic update to a missing persons case in san antonio. police now believe they have found the body of 18-year-old savannah soto. pregnant teen was last seen friday that was the day she was supposed to be induced two bodies were found in a car that belonged to soto's boyfriend. so investigators believe it is soto and her partner, but they still need to be identified by a medical examiner the bodies were likely there for several days the crime scene was called

perplexing and detectives are looking at this as a possible murder secretary of state antony blinken is headed to mexico today to tackle the migrant crisis head on it comes after a week of record crossings at the southern border, and there is no sign of it slowing, as thousands of migrants have joined a caravan in central america making their way to the u.s morgan chesky is at the border with the latest. >> reporter: in southern mexico, a new migrant caravan is heading north. a group of men, women and children whose organizers say is now 8,000 strong, an of an estimated 2,000 more joined in a single day the caravan last seen in the mexican state near guatemala would be the largest since last year many of them desperate and exhausted. [speaking in a global language this father from honduras sharing his 3-year-old daughter is now too weak to walk. the u.s. border still more than a thousand miles away. in eagle pass, texas, just days

after these stunning scenes of migrant families lining the rio grande, u.s. customs and border prediction facing a quiet lull that likely won't last long. outside an eagle pass shelter, we met these people. where are you going now? >> oklahoma. >> reporter: oklahoma. >> los angeles >> reporter: l.a >> dallas. >> reporter: dallas. >> reporter: betty ann from venezuela says she's waiting for her asylum hearing after a five-month journey here she called dangerous but worth it mexico's president now saying he'll meet with u.s. secretary of state antony blinken in mexico city to discuss potential joint solutions. texas governor abbott taking his own steps, installing more barbed wire on the border and busing more migrants to democratic-led cities, chicago and new york, both buckling. >> governor abbott has maidde i

clear he wants to destabilize cities >> reporter: lawmakers in washington still need to strike a deal over southern border policy, but as of right now there is no clear agreement. >> or t >> our thanks to morgan for that report in nebraska, near whiteout conditions calling this dangerous scene on the highway troopers in that state alone responded to more than 100 weather-related crashes. maura barrett has more from chicago. >> reporter: a deadly winter storm on the move. creating treacherous conditions across the heartland as millions look to head home from the holidays. >> if you do have to travel, you should pack provisions in case you get stranded >> reporter: blizzard warnings in effect across five states, including colorado, blan kelted in up to ten inches of snow with up to six inches on the way. in south dakota, whiteout conditions forcing authorities to shut down the interstate.

strong wind gusts tearing apart this car park and piling snowdrifts at residents' front doors. the storm turning deadly in kansas a wichita woman killed after authorities say she lost control of her truck on an icy stretch of highway and in nebraska, the state patrol responding to nearly 150 weather-related incidents, despite urging drivers to stay off the road slick conditions on the interstate causing semi-trucks to slip off the roads, others jackknifed, forcing highways to shut down for hours. flyers feeling the effects, too. more than 5,000 flights delayed or canceled, due to fog taking over the northeast fog also responsible for hundreds of canceled flights in the midwest over the holiday weekend. >> it was delayed, delayed >> reporter: last year 2 million were stranded.

the airlines' push to hire more workers paying off to bring cancellation rates down. >> is there a reason for that? >> the day after christmas >> that's okay i'll deal with no delays this is perfect holiday travel. new numbers, tsa clocking 18 million in just the last few days tsa is predicting thursday and friday at the end of this week had will be the busiest travel days this year. the blizzard and icy conditions will finally subside across the plains this morning, although pockets of lingering snowshowers can't be ruled out snow will stretch south into parts of missouri and illinois throughthe evening while heavy rain will be possible from the north atlantic through the northeast today. heavy rain could lead to areas of flash flooding later tonight.

finally, active weather returns to the west coast as a new system moves onshore through the day bringing heavy rain,tron s . bit pittsburgh 53 a chilly 39 in green bay a family in north carolina got a big surprise o uunder the christmas tree this year a 3-year-old got up at 3:00 a.m. and opened every present here's explanation the little guy gave to dad. >> my son came downstairs and wanted to open all the presents so no one was confused thand thy all knew what they had gotten.

>> they were able to rewrap everything so the oldest son could open his presents. more sports coming up. whoa! crest reality checkup. bleeding gums are serious, jamie. i must be brushing too hard... no, it's actually a sign of bacterial infection. one that can spread to other parts of the body. check this out... unlike other toothpastes, crest gum detoxify's antibacterial fluoride works below the gumline to help heal gums and stop bleeding. crest saves the day, huh? no reason to fear. the #1 toothpaste brand in america. crest. i'm adding downy unstopables to my wash. now i'll be smelling fresh all day long. [sniff] still fresh. ♪♪

get 6x longer-lasting freshness, plus odor protection. try for under $5! rapper kanye west now known as ye, is back in the headlines this morning, this time with an apology to the jewish community written in hebrew. just weeks after he was captured on video making anti-semitic comments yet again dana griffin has more. >> reporter: an artist with a history of making controversial comments the rapper, ye, formerly known as kanye west is now apologizing to the jewish community for his quote, unplanned outburst, posting a message in hebrew on his instagram, writing in part it was not my intention to hurt or disrespect and i deeply regret any pain i have caused, adding that he is committed to learning from the experience

>> i'm going to give y'all one last thing before i go >> reporter: the apology coming weeks after this expletive-filled rant at a listening party for ye's upcoming album which included references to hitler, jesus and donald trump's legal battles that party eventually shut down by the las vegas metropolitan police for not having a permit but it's not the first time ye, who says he has bipolar disorder, has come under fire for comments this interview with infowars shocking fans and critics alike. >> i say good things about hitler also. >> reporter: but it was this comment last october that swiftly cost him lucrative endorsement deals. >> i can say anti-semitic things and adidas can't drop me now what now what >> reporter: adidas, along with the gap and balenziaga cutting

ties with the rapper in the fall of 2022. his net worth taking a serious hit, plunging from 1.5 billion to 400 million, according to forbes t ramifications spreading beyond the music world. the anti-defamation league reporting ye was directly referenced by perpetrators of at least 59 anti-semitic incidents in 2022. still to come, we're going bowling. we break down all the action from tuesday's bowl games as we gear up for the college football playoffs, coming up right after this playoffs, coming up right a this.

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the losing streak reaches 27 consecutive games. >> basketball infamy was achieved at little caesar's arena with their 118-112 loss to

the brooklyn nets, the pistons have dropped 27 straight games, with the longest record in losing streaks turning now to college football where bowl season is heating up ahead of the playoffs on new year's day. tuesday saw a triple-header starting with the quick lane bowl in detroit. later on, texas state put on a show in the serve pro first responders bowl. the bobcats scoring 21 unanswered to pull away from rice university, that coscore 45-21. the kansas jayhawks pulled away from the rebels on the back of seven total touchdowns for a win at the guaranteed rate bowl. and now to a quarterback

taking to the air waves. aaron rodgers took to espn to elaborate on the new york jets elevating the quarterback to their active roster last week. he told pat mcafee it was the decision of team, not his own, to move him to the 53-man roster so he could continue practicing. he would have been fine going to injured reserve so players on the roster would not have to be released despite a rapid recovery from his torn achilles, he likely will not make another start this season your pets might keep your brain healthy. and later, there's a she-wolf in the closet and a statue in colombia see the shakira monument when we come back. a monument when we come back.

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we're back now with what you need to know "early today. free returns might be a thing of the past according to the firm happy returns, 81% of retailers now charge customers to send back

unwanted items your pets may keep your brain young, according to a study that found living with others, pets or people, helps to slow dementia. and shakira's hometown in colombia unveiled a massive art piece immortalizing the singer she wrote on instagram, this is too much for my little heart we'll be right back. hrt. we'll be right back. with this tomorrow. you won't. it's ripe in here. my eyes are watering. look how crusty this is. ugh, it's just too much. not with this. good advice. when stains and odors pile up, it's got to be tide. jordan's sore nose let out a fiery sneeze, so dad grabbed puffs plus lotion to soothe her with ease. puffs plus lotion is gentle on sensitive skin and locks in moisture to provide soothing relief. a nose in need deserves puffs indeed. america's #1 lotion tissue. ma, ma, ma— ( clears throat ) for fast sore throat relief, try vicks vapocool drops.

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sincelicense to set up shop in the big apple. here's contessa brewer >> reporter: at a party thrown by the world's biggest casino company, hopes that a new year brings a new reason to celebrate. >> this is a destination resort in new york. it's worth all the effort we put in we're very excited about it. a market at that can't be replicated >> new york is the holy grail for casino expansion >> reporter: he spearheaded the efforts nearly a decade ago. >> this may be the last greatest untapped market in the world estimated $5 billion in revenue, gross revenue. >> reporter: las vegas sands has spent years and tens of millions of dollars lobbying for a license to build at the nassau coliseum in long island. community support is crucial caesar's publicizes all those who back their bid this year, bally's bought trumps

links in the bronx mgm resorts already operates in yonkers, but it's proposing a world class resort with a concert venue, and resorts world already offers slots in queens, wynn resorts and a related company unveiled a plan for the hudson yard. in queens, mets owner steve cohen has partnered with hard rock international, owned by the seminole tribe in florida to overhaul parking lots into a development. planned project's cost 8 billion bucks. can you get a return on that investment without a casino license? >> i think that's pretty challenging. i think the scope of $8 billion cannot be justified unless you

are able to maximize the amazing population >> reporter: sands has an ambitious $6 billion commitment. it says it had buildwill build g even if it doesn't land a gaming license. why does it make sense for las vegas sands? >> it doesn't. but we're committed short and long term. >> reporter: they are returning a hunger games-type competition. highest bidder may just have the best shot at landing the casino license. contessa brewer, cnbc business news than forks

right now at 5:00, tracking incoming rain. the wet weather returning, and we're issuing a microclimate weather alert. here is a look at our radar, powered by storm ranger. meteorologist