good wednesday morning. coming up on "early today," mega millionaires. the second largest jackpot in u.s. history has at least two grand prize winners. we'll tell you where. blackhawk down in afghanistan as the war against the taliban rages on. firefighters fighting raging flames and thick smoke in california's dryest season on record. plus, police chief for a day brings joy and shaq to a 5-year-old boy. "the voice" crowns a winner and president obama sends a clear message to russia about their anti-gay policies.

it's wednesday, december 18. "early today" starts right now. good morning. i'm richard lui. christmas has come early for at least two people in california and georgia. they have winning lottery tickets for last night's $636 million jackpot. both tickets match the numbers 8, 14, 17, 20, 39 with a mega ball of 7. the california ticket was sold at jenny's gift shop in san jose. the store owner won the jackpot as well. he told the l.a. times he would receive $1.5 million for selling that ticket. the winning ticket in georgia was purchased at gateway news stand in atlanta. we now have at least two new millionaires in the country. if there were no winner last night, the jackpot would have reached $1 billion. instead it will be just $15 million. there are more questions than answers this morning in

reno, nevada after a fatal shooting. police say a gunman opened fire at a medical center killing one person before taking his own life. police say it appears to be random, but the motive is unclear. shots were fired inside the third floor at the renowned medical center complex tuesday afternoon. the medical center was put on lockdown amid the chaos. it was the single deadliest incident for u.s. forces in afghanistan in more than a year. six u.s. soldiers dead after their helicopter crashed. it's unclear whether it was from enemy fire or mechanical failure. jim miklaszewski has more. >> reporter: there were two helicopters flying in tandem in afghanistan when, without warning, one of them suddenly dropped from the sky. the u.s. military launched a rescue team but it was too late. six of the blackhawk crew had

been killed. only one survived with serious injuries. the incident occurred in afghanistan where taliban fighters remain a serious threat. there are currently some 43,000 american forces in harm's way in afghanistan. under a pending security agreement with the afghan government that number could drop to 7,000 to 10,000 by the end of 2014 but would commit u.s. forces to another ten years in afghanistan to train afghan military forces and keep al qaeda in check. >> al qaeda would still love nothing more than to say after 12 years of combat that they have outlasted us. >> that was jim miklaszewski reporting for us. a rare moment of bipartisanship is expected in washington today. the senate is expected to give final approval to the two-year budget agreement. nbc's tracie potts joins us live from washington. good morning to you.

when we heard about the deal going through, it's like a purple unicorn. is this a blip or a real shift in mood? >> reporter: that's a good question, richard. it is rare. maybe it is a blip for now. but it's a blip on a really important issue. by the end of this day, we could actually have a budget in place. not just for this year, but for the next two years. the house approved it and left. $1 trillion budget for the next two years. it's not the spending that everyone want ed but would prevent another government shutdown january 15th. a medicare fix so doctors can get paid for the next three months and higher fees for

corporations and airline tickets. but no new taxes. no more unemployment extension. higher pension contributions for federal workers and smaller increases for retired veterans. >> their pay is going to be cut as much as $70,000 for staff sergeant over their lifetime. and we need to think about that. >> reporter: this budget would erase $23 billion in red ink, just a fraction of what the nation owes. >> it is certainly not the comprehensive agreement that the american people deserve. >> reporter: a late afternoon vote, an early christmas gift to the nation. and the reason the senate is in such a rush to get it done, they want the president to sign off on it before he goes on vacation the end of the week. richard? >> thank you, tracie potts in washington for us. big sur, the fire rages on.

the fire was just 5% contained on tuesday. it's destroyed 22 buildings, including at least 15 homes so far. one house belonging to big sur fire chief herself who is, quote, just trying to function as a chief for now, she says. 8d 830 firefighters are on scene, hoping that the wind cooperates with them today. chain reaction crash involved some 20 cars on louisiana's highway 1, leaving a 62-year-old man dead and sent several others to the hospital. a mile of road was shut down there. let's get more weather across the country. bill karins, what's happening in california? they have that fire they're fighting now. >> unusually warm, still very dry. temperatures will cool off, kind of go back to a more typical weather pattern. through the northwest. not a lot of moisture with it. look at yesterday. again, it was 82 once again in l.a. you have to get the picture of when it's that warm and that dry, recipe for disaster, any

fires that do form. bringing up some southerly winds, little bit of clouds. struggling to find a lot of rain reports. especially higher terrain north of l.a. up towards the mountains and central sierras. that cold front in the northwest will get the attention. that's what's going to drop to the south. temperatures will cool off. it will be a little windy behind that. may get an inch or two of snow in a few spots, mountainous areas of california and northern and central nevada. not a bad morning at all in many of the big cities in san francisco to san jose southward. wednesday forecast with that front coming through, temperatures will fall. we could -- there is a chance, seen a few snowflakes in seattle and portland late tonight, early tomorrow morning, but not causing any concern for any accumulations or anything like that. we'll watch that front. that will be the only story. that's a look at youg cold.

san jose holding on to a decent forecast. again, we're still trying -- slight chance of -- with that front, maybe in southern california, maybe a little rain. >> above freezing. lots to smile about there. >> yes. >> thank you so much, bill karins. where you can get free shipping for your presents and look at this. or listen to this. toronto's favorite punching bag mayor cuts a rug. we'll show you that. plus an incredible story of a man and the dog that really is his best friend.

and welcome back. an 11-year-old guide dog named orlando helped save his blind companion. cecil williams fell on to the

new york city subway track on tuesday. orlando jumped to the tracks and the two of them laid down. he will be forced to retire in january, 11 years old. williams saying his insurance will not cover a non-working dog, so he's looking for a good home for him now. latin phrase written on his arm meaning the die has been cast. the permanent marker writings on his arm also listed five attack areas, including the library, where carl peterson planned to kill a teacher. the lone victim remains in a coma. astronauts plan a pair of spacewalks. if they turn out okay, a cargo ship from earth will be allowed to disembark to resupply those six crew members. toronto mayor rob ford dancing along with other city council members to celebrate an agreement to promote live music along with austin, texas.

i don't know what that move is. but since the austin city council end their meetings with music, toronto, they did the same. little bit of a jig? what do you think? now for business. we turn to cnbc's seema mody. hi, seema. >> hi, richard. img represents celebs such as justin timberlake. rolling out the red carpet to lure those last-minute holiday shoppers. target, nordstrom has extended hours and free shipping wednesday with guaranteed delivery by christmas. anxiously awaiting the fed's decision this afternoon, central bank may cut back its stimulus programs early next year. richard, back to you. >> seema, thank you so much. just ahead, president obama's message to russia's

president putin puts mr. obama's priorities front and center. and the fearless feat of high-flying fancy for you to feast your eyes on when "early today" returns.

google is out with its most popular searches of the year

that begin with "what is." the top five, what is gluten? what is molly? what is doma? what is ricin? the number one search of the year, what is twerking? now let's get to the latest in sports. no twerking in that. president obama choosing two openly gay athletes to clear messages about russia's view on gay propaganda. billie jean king will walk in sochi opening and/or closing ceremonies. the first time since 2000 when a president, first lady, or vice president will not be there. the uconn women dominating. lewis hitting a career high seven of those three-pointers. time-out, time-out. michigan state coach tom izzo grabs the mike. gives a retiring speech for the

ref. phd has officiated. he is known for instead of calling technicals, to pull players aside personally and say, hey, knock it off. the trailblazers last second tie-breaking shot from last year's rookie of the year who ices the game here. ravens kicker justin tucker gets thank yous from all over the world for his 61 yard game winning field goal over detroit. green bay packers aaron rodgers opening his weekly radio show, thanking tucker. add i adding, quote, it's amazing we are sitting here 7-6-1, with a chance to win two and be in the playoffs. translation, thank you, amazing ravens kicker for keeping us barely staying alive packers in the hunt. and another wrote legatron is greater than megatron. take that.

cam newton and two other panthers took 20 selected kids from three different schools shopping. the kids received headphones, backpacks and $150 shopping sprees at a sporting goods store. they were selected based on the respective schools received a grant of $25,000 from cam newton's foundation. spreading more holiday cheer. kids out of children's hospital in boston got a visit from rob gronkowski. in his wheelchair after his knee injury. adrenalin junkies the world's first superman double back flip never been landed before on a mountain bike. what does he do? nails it. weather is headed your way. bill has that forecast for us. plus hundreds rally to help a boy's wish come true. oh, yeah, and search-foot shaq showed up, too.

welcome back. taking a look out in the middle of the pacific, our friends in hawaii dealing with a few rain showers. don't feel too bad for them. it won't rain all day. maui, showers approaching. honolulu, drier there. anyone traveling around maui or the big island, shower notice forecast. temperatures around 81 today. 81 and sunny in honolulu. funny that l.a. was one of the only spots that was as warm as hawaii. 71 degrees. definitely more clouds out there. that cold front dropped through the north will drop temperatures

and we may see snow showers. just be prepared for that. shouldn't cause too many slick conditions that will lead to a very chilly thursday morning. the winner of "the voice" is tessanne. congratulations! >> they got everybody screaming out there. tessanne chen was the winner, winning for herself and team adam levine. she will receive $100,000 and a record deal with universal public. what a voice. she has "the voice," tessanne chen. basketball legend michael jordan and his wife announced they are expecting twin girls. and actor bruce willis and his wife, not being left out here, are expecting their second child.

that makes five for willis, including his children with ex-wife demi moore. in their new movie, julia roberts tackles meryl streep. roberts said of the action scene, i didn't look forward to it but she was a worthy opponent. she was not going down without some scratches and some heels in thighs. >> i want to see the outtakes. >> she definitely meant business there. john mayor released music video for "who you love," featuring his love, katy perry. that one might last. what do you think? >> no. >> another three hours? the three hour tour, warner brothers announcing they will make "gilligan's island" into a feature film. >> they better do this right. >> the actor will be good. >> you're responsible. >> reporter: you can blame me if it doesn't turn out as well as you want it to. jennifer lawrence says she wants younger generations to be protected from criticism that she's received. >> and the word fat, i think it should be illegal to call somebody fat on tv. if we're regulating cigarettes

and sex and cuss words because of the effect it has on our younger generation, why aren't we regulating things like calling people fat? downton abbey, actress sophie, who plays daisy, tells "the daily mail" that the ornate costumes worn don't get washed to help preserve the look, they say. they've taken on a stinky smell. >> will you bring out odiferous? >> odiferous. >> i learned a new word today. >> i wear the same tie, same shirt every day. you don't have to worry about that. i'm richard lui. this is nbc "early today." we hope it's your first stop of the day.

leading the news in this morning's covington news, community supports officer morgan day. 5-year-old morgan stewart was made sheriff for the day. hundreds turned out to participate and even nba great shaquille o'neil made a special appearance to morgan's delight, no doubt. >> and on nbcnews.com, doomsday preacher harold camping dies at 92. he predicted doomsday and end of the world. dates each proved wrong, as you probably guessed. some stories we're watching. an incredible rescue in ontario, canada. the operator of this crane was stranded above this massive fire. the flames consumed the vacant building below. the operator was hoisted from the crane by helicopter all

while firefighters battled the blaze below. there are fears this morning that the crane could collapse. and an 11-year-old guide dog saved his blind companion when he fainted and fell on the subway tracks. orlando and cecil williams laid down between the tracks as the train rolled over them. and, thankfully, they are both okay. little bump on the head, as you saw. if you're not fully awake yet, this will do the trick. you may have won $636 million. does that wake you up? there are at least two mega million winners in california and georgia. check your tickets. the numbers are 8, 14, 17, 20 and 39 with a mega ball of 7. and now for a little christmas cheer. a man in croatia decorated his farm with, can you count them, 1.3 million christmas lights. his family began decorating oh, what, 11 years ago here, bill? >> it has a rotating stage.

>> does it? more than 50,000 people visit the attraction every year. >> wish i could go see it. >> you still have time, my friend. looks like santa is swimming with the sharks in japan. feeding stingrays. he will be making the plunge twice a day until christmas. swimming with that thing must be very, very heavy. >> the suit? >> yes. >> what was heavy was when the walrus sat on his lap to tell him what he wanted for christmas. >> ah! a white house meeting for moms today. the president and first lady will talk with a group of moms helping young adults gain health care coverage under the affordable care act. a new visitors center in britain near the prehistoric stonehenge monument that has stood for 4,000 years. happy birthday to katie holmes, who is 35, brad pitt, 50 and steven spielberg, 67. thanks for watching "early

today." have a good one.

. . check your tickets. hic the megamillions jackpot.t( $636xdt(jf million. we'll give you another look at those life-changing numbersw3 andlp we'llçó(( show yout( e ticket were sold. >> a live look outside offát(çóo winnersville. it is wednesday, december 18th, this is "today in the bay." .r' winnersville. it's 4:30. i'm terry mcsweeney. >> we are live a