good morning. coming up on "early today," incredible details, torture and what the president called a brutal response to september 11th. the fallout and way forward. and then to the political battle being waged on capitol hill in fighting and defeating isis. and then a royal wrap on kate and william's royal tour. the latest on quarterback cam newton's serious accident and who is "time's" person of the year? it is wednesday, december 10th. "early today" starts right now. >> good morning. i'm dara brown. 6,000 pages detailing what the

cia did in secret after 9/11. nbc's tracie potts is live in washington. tracy, there's outrage, but no one is giving any direction on what's next. >> we're not quite sure what's going to happen to the people who were involved, although there are a lot of opinions about that, dara. we're also hearing new reaction this morning from china, often accused of human rights violations. they're now saying the u.s. needs to follow the rules. this 500-page summary of the report is raising a lot of questions about what happened behind closed doors. keeping terror suspects naked in dark dungeons for days, slamming them against walls, sleep deprivation and simulating drowning did not help the u.s. track down osama bin laden, it was found. president obama called it brutal torture. >> the cia set up something very fast without a lot of

forethought to what the ramifications might be. >> reporter: ramifications for troops and diplomats now on alert all over the world. >> and the good guys air their dirty laundry. >> it could be used to insight unrest and even attacks on our service members. >> democrats insist this information had to come out. >> the report will carry the message never again. >> reporter: former cia chiefs are defending what happened. >> the standard was what is lawful, effective and appropriate in a time of great extremism in the united states with 3,000 fellow citizens who have been murdered. >> reporter: the report says president bush didn't find out until four years after it started. not so the cia says. >> we briefed the white house legal council in great detail. >> reporter: history now wide open for the world to see and judge. and there is some discussion

already at the united nations. at least one human rights official there says that cia agents, officials, government officials who were involved should be prosecuted. dara? >> tracie potts live in d.c. thank you for that report. now to the war on isis. it is also consuming capitol hill right now and the obama administration is once again wrangling with congress over the use of military force in this fight. this time it's no-olds-barred. secretary of state john kerry testified before the senate foreign relations committee yesterday aspare to vote over a new measure aurth rising use of force against isis. during the heated debate kerry warned lawmakers on both sides of the aisle against limiting the president's actions. >> for the life of me, i don't understand why it was such a clear idea what the authorization should look like. you don't have anyone over there that could type that up real quick and send it over here so we could start a debate? >> there's no doubt we're starting a third war in this region.

>> this is bigger than just where it is in iraq and syria. secondly, let me be crystal clear. we didn't start this. we're not about to start a third war. osama bin laden started this. >> the committee, once chair by kerry, will vote on a proposal that would allow the u.s. to fight isis anywhere in the world but would ban the use of boots on the ground. whirlwind three-day visit is over. william and kate wowed the u.s. culminating in a glitzy gala at the met. here is nbc's chris pallone. >> reporter: braved the rain outside new york's museum of art for a last chance to catch a glimpse of prince william and kate. those hearty fans were not disappointed. they dazzled in their evening formal wear, celebrating the 600th anniversary of st. andrews university. a special place for will and kate. it's where they met and

ultimately fell in love. this gala is the last official event for will and kate in the united states. jam packed, which started early in the day in lower manhattan. they began their day paying their respects to the victims of the terror attacks at the 9/11 memorial, laying a bouquet of flowers along with a handwritten note of condolence. they spent half an hour looking at the museum, a staircase, damaged fire truck and listening to the stories of people that died that day. great britain lost 67 souls in the attack. from there, off to a performance from a child development group called the door. teens from new york were thrilled to meet and perform for the royals. >> it was surreal to see them standing there. it was good that they came to visit us. >> reporter: it was a short trip to the u.s. for will and kate, but one that will likely create memories on both sides of the atlantic. chris pallone, nbc news, new york.

old-fashioned grilling on capitol hill. the one who once lamented the quote "stupid difficult of the american voter" on obama care. he was an adviser to the development of the aca. he called himself arrogant and his remarks glib. darrell issa used forrest gump to lead to his first blunt question. >> night before last i was at the kennedy center honors where they honored tom hanks, famously forest gump. the ultimate in successful stupid man. are you stupid? >> i don't think so, no. >> does m.i.t. employ stupid people? >> not to my knowledge. panthers quarterback cam newton in a serious two-car accident near the team's stadium. he suffered two fractures to his

lower back, but no other internal injuries and would not need surgery. he remained hospitalized overnight for observation. he is in good shape, the panthers say. there is no timetable on how long he will be out. the panthers play the bucs this saturday. now time for a look at the national weather. here is nbc meteorologist bill karins. good morning, bill. >> this storm coming into california is going to be serious, will cause power outages, a lot of debris flows that go along with the storms. we'll have some cleanup after it's done. we need it. it's going to be a drought denter -- not a buster, but definitely a denter. this is a significant storm. so far this is a warm front kicking off. on and off light rain. the big bulk of the rain comes in later today and tonight. there's the parent storm. another piece will develop on it later. now we're watching all that moisture streaming towards the coast. a huge shield of clouds, literally the tropical connection goes all the way back

towards the hawaiian islands. we're sucking up all that warm air and now sending it into the mountainous areas. this is a recipe for very heavy rain. as the cold front swings from north to south t rain will shut off over the next 36 hours. the heaviest rains are later tonight in northern california. then towards thursday morning late tore the south. it will slowly weaken as it shifts to the south. but not before all the heavy rain comes and the strong winds. we have high wind warnings to a big chunk of northern california. some of the gusts could be up to 80 miles per hour. that's why we're going the lose trees and have power in northern and central california. it looks like it's their turn.

blizzard warnings, almost impossible at the highest elevations. >> a little bit of everything. it could be one of the worst storms they've seen in three, four, five years. >> sounds wicked. let's hope everyone stays safe. 2015 begins in three weeks. facebook took a quick look back. the ebola virus outbreak taking the top spot, followed by the ice bucket challenge craze and the shocking suicide of actor robin williams. the super bowl was fourth and rounding out the top five, the michael brown shooting and the resulting turmoil in ferguson, missouri. we'll be right back.

welcome back. in an interview with telemundo tuesday, president obama told jose diaz-balart his immigration plans won't be

deterred by a new registration. >> we saw independent, democrat, republican voices saying this is the right thing to do. the american people believe if you've done things the right way, then you shouldn't be punished for it. police in new york shot and killed a man who reportedly stabbed a student at a synagogue in brooklyn. the whole scene was caught on this cell phone video. the suspect allegedly yelled that he would kill jewish before before attacking the student. the suspect later died. the student is in serious condition. details about joan rivers' will have been released. her daughter, melissa, was named sole heir. estimated up to $150 million. rivers also left money to several charities. police are looking for a pair of thieves in new york city. the woman stands in front of the man so store employees can't see he's stuffing fur coats underneath his jacket. the pair then runs from the store.

let's get down to business with cnbc's landon downey. >> at least one in five people expect to be in dead for the rest of their lives. creditcards.com says that's double from those who said it last year. millenni millennials, those 18 to 29 aren't as concerned even though many are saddled with student loans. three stores say it's a pricing error to charge different prices for white and black barbie dolls. a new burger with grass fed beef with no added antibiotics. more expensive than a regular burger at $469. that doesn't necessarily mean it's a healthier option. the burger has 44 grams of fat. >> thanks so much, landon. just ahead, what cuba gooding junior and o.j. simpson now share. it is ridiculous.

a skier's stomach churning attempt and the ending. that's up next in sports.

this morning on "today," revealing new details as nfl commissioner roger goodell speaks out about the tough new policies being adopted by the league in the aftermath of the ray rice domestic violence incident. that's ahead on "today."

>> now time for the latest in sports. i'll turn it over to my friend francis rivera. >> the cavs wo have won their eighth straight game, rallying from a ten-point deficit. lebron james made the tie-breaking three-pointer with 38 seconds on the clock to seal that victory. rookie quarterback johnny manzel will make his first start against the bengals on sunday. johnny football has been on the field for just 18 plays this season. texans rookie jadeveon clowney underwent micro fracture knee surgery on monday. is he expected to make a full recovery. bad news here, he is expected to be out at least nine months. he was the top overall pick in this year's draft and only played in four games this season. pele has been released from the hospital after a two-week stay. he had surgery to remove kidney stones and was hospitalized again for a urinary tract infection. the 72-year-old will continue his recovery at home.

ottawa senators fired coach gave an exit press concluded including a xwoet from taylor swift. take a listen. >> my daughter said to me today that -- something about the players play, play, play and i'm gonna shake, shake it off and move forward. any questions? >> you're the [ bleep ] best. i love you. you're the best! >> that is not my daughter. it doesn't get much more extreme than this. professional skier cody townsend skied straight down a vertical chute in the alaskan mountains. look at this footage. it's amazing. it won him the ski line of the year award by powder magazine. well deserved when you can do something like that. back to you. >> you won't be seeing me do that, francis. just ahead, is it right what

some schools have stopped because of the ferguson decision. love him or hate him, biebs gets a title he finally deserves. this is "early today."

we're going to wait over the next couple days to see how impressive these rainfall amounts will be. one of our long-range computers is showing how much rain will fall. it's pretty widespread. even southern california looks to get the possibility of an inch of rain. the highest total is definitely

in northern california by the time we're all said and done, some areas maybe in the mountains could end up with 80-mile-per-hour wind gusts and eight inches of rain. forecast for today, the weather will go downhill as the day goes on, especially later this evening. if you're at any elevations, whatever, bring stuff in, tie it down. do what you have to do, especially anywhere in central california. by the time we get to thursday, that's when it's game on as the front flies to the south, we get thunderstorms on it and that's when we'll see the strongest winds. they're saying in the sierra they could have 100-mile-per-hour-plus winds at the highest of elevations. now time for entertainment news. former miss america mary ann mobley died after a battle with breast cancer. not only known for that prestigious award in 1959 but also from her time as an actress playing opposite elvis presley and even earning a golden globe in 1965. cuba gooding, junior, his

next role playing o.j. simpson, starring in a new miniseries with sarah paulson playing marsha clark. it will be interesting to see it come back again and see what things might have changed. >> a spin on it. maybe they'll throw out the stuff that happened afterward in vegas. >> anything with cuba gooding is going to be good. >> he's talented. dreamworks animation is creating its own channel launching across angel with hits like "how to train your dragon" and "the adventures of pus n boots." the most treated about star this year was justin bieber. >> i don't get it. >> i don't either. the individual members of one direction -- >> taylor swift? >> they took two three four respectively. "finding dorie" will go from the sea marine biology institute.

>> it is a classic. >> anything >>. >> this time dorie travels to find her parents. >> such a trip. >> so much fun. up next, tune in to "south park" to see their christmas special where they take time to make fun of the year's most notable and notorious celebrities of the year. i'd say be prepared to laugh. >> have to be in the mood. >> some of the characters are pretty amazing on that. in celebration of the 25th anniversary of national lampoon's christmas vacation, fandango wanted to celebrate by helping one family recreate the iconic house. they helped decorate the house and make it i understand a true griswald christmas. i'm dairy brown. this is early today. we hope it's just your first stop of the day on nbc. >> one string at a time.

leading the news in "the washington post," plane crash in gaithersburg, maryland, marie gemmell took two of her children, a 3-year-old and a 2-month-old into the bathroom and tried to shield them with her body. family and friends say her actions were not surprising. she often posted pictures of her kids at soccer games, festivals and other events. from the associated press, major provisions of the $1.1 trillion spending bill. massive bill unveiled yesterday funds every government agency except the homeland security department until september of 2015. congress has a thursday deadline to keep the government funded. from nbc sports, magic

johnson, i hope the lakers lose every game. seems a little harsh. but the lakers are among the nash's worst teams this season. this gives them a chance to keep their top five round one picks. mothers of five black and hispanic men killed by police will be on capitol hill. their testimony before the congressional black caucus comes one night after another heated meeting of the ferguson commission. a growing number of athletes including l.a. lakers' kobe bryant showing their support after the recent grand jury decision not to indict a new york city police officer in an apparent choke hold death. the phrase "i can't breathe" is becoming so popular that yale librarian fred shapiro made it his 2014th most notable quote. columbia law is allowing students to delay taking their final exams over the trauma they experienced over the michael

brown and eric garner grand jury decisions. law students at harvard and georgetown are asking their schools to follow suit. now it's time for a look ahead. "time" magazine reveals its person of the year today. we'll find out who takes this title this morning on the "today" show. according to the magazine, the person of the year can be an individual or group who, for better or worse, has had the biggest impact over the past year. some of the finalists vladimir putin, taylor swift and roger goodell. now it's happy birthday to actress and former cosby kid raven simone who turns 29, celebrity chef bobby flay turns the big five-oh and susan day, a/k/a patrick turns 62. i'm dara brown along with bill karins and the rest of the crew here today on "today," we thank you for watching "early today." we hope you have a great

wednesday. we'll see you back here tomorrow.

wife was worried. i'm doing what a good husband does, right? >> bracing for a blast of wind and rain. people in areas prone to flooding scramble before the rain comes down. >> dozens more people detained. another night of destruction, police protest and looting in the east bay, landing more than a dozen people behind bars. new video of the damage left behind. surprising finding from the cia's torture report how officials actually tracked down osama bin laden. live look outside this morning. this, the approach to the bay bridge on your wednesday, december 10th. you're watching "today in the bay."