good morning. breaking news coming up on "early today," new details in the search for the missing airasia passenger jet with 162 people on board. and then hundreds of passengers awaitress cue from a heavily fire damaged ferry. so much on this monday december 29th. "early today" starts right now. good morning. nice to be with you. i'm frances rivera. night is falling in the search area for a missing flight which officials now believe to be at the bottom of the sea. an hour ago, indonesia's vice president said they cannot confirm reports that australian crews found debris in the search area. indonesia deployed about a dozen planes and ships to conduct land and sea searches.

in addition malaysia australia and singapore deployed ships and aircraft to the search area. meanwhile, the ntsb has also said it is ready to help the indonesian government if need be. and just a few hours ago, the ceo of air asia which owns half of airasia indonesia tweeted this message to the families of those on board. keeping positive and staying strong my heart bleeds for all the relatives of my crew and our passengers. nothing is more important to us. as families of the 162 passengers and crew await word of their loved ones many are comparing this disappearance with that of malaysia airlines flight mh-370 which is still missing nine months later. but as the new york times points out, their stories are not the same especially as it relates to the weather conditions at the times of their disappearance. nbc's katie ture has more. >> reporter: officials know where and when this plane went off radar, so in theory they should have a pretty good idea of where it is. after a full day of searching in the daylight yesterday, still no

sign of it. the airbus a-320 200 took off from surabaya bound for singapore. at 6:13 the pilot asked to change course and climb higher to avoid the clouds. only the course change was approved. at 6:17 42 minutes into the flight contact was lost. no distress call received. there was severe weather at the time including high winds, thunderstorms and lightning. >> severe turbulence can extend from 20 miles from the thunderstorms. even if you try to go around the storms you're going to have a problem. >> reporter: the possible weather factor a reminder of what happened when air france flight that crashed in the atlantic ocean off brazil in 2009. >> the storm affected the technology in the aircraft and it interrupted the auto pilot flying the aircraft at the time led to the pilots being unable to maintain control of the aircraft and went down. >> reporter: the captain of the

airasia plane was experienced with more than 20,000 flying hours. the plane had made over 13,600 trips. the airline is partially owned by the budget carrier airasia, based in malaysia. the plane has black boxes. they have black box pings if need be. right now, they're searching for debris both on the water and on land as there are a number of thickly vegetated islands in the area. katie ture nbc news singapore. we now go to nbc meteorologist bill karins for more on how the weather may have contributed to the disappearance of this plane. we know it is not a big deal as far as planes going into thunderstorms, but how can the weather factor in as this being a cause. >> the line of thunderstorms that this went through, this flight about four or five other planes went through it in a similar -- in the vicinity. so some of the storms -- some planes went through the storms but this plane did not. there is that red line kind of

estimated path that the flight took that's where the last known location was there. kind of halfway on its route, about 45 minutes into the two-hour flight. and 34,000 feet is where it lost contact. the thunderstorms in the vicinity went up to 50,000 feet. so again, it looked like the plane was trying to navigate around or through the storms and you don't go over storms this tall and that's when the plane was lost in this region. it was trying to punch through this line of storms when the contact was completely lost. lightning, could be hail updraft, down draft, or something mechanical in addition to what happened with the weather also. so there could be multiple culprits with this. unfortunately, the forecast in this region it is a monsoon season and the forecast is for five to six inches of rain over the next two to three days which you get the clouds and visibility for searching and then the thunderstorms whipping up the seas and then even more difficult because the surface, the spot for the vessel so the

weather is not cooperating and it won't for the next couple of days. >> making it really tough, especially for the families waiting for any kind of word. bill thank you very much. also breaking this morning, the race to save passengers trapped on a burned out ferry. the frantic rescue effort happening 44 miles off the coast of greece in the adriatic sea. this video just in. it is from the italian port city of bari. passengers from the norman atlantic exhausted, but they are safe. the doomed ferry caught fire on sunday flames broke out in its parking bay. 478 were on board and right now the death toll is at five. so far a little over 100 are still waiting. at area hospitals, patients are being treated for smoke inhalation and hypothermia. a tug boat is slowly towing the ferry to boat. the disaster is drawing global attention.

at the vatican sunday the pope prayed for the ferry passengers and those aboard missing flight 8501. to new jersey and a freak accident. a boy is struck and killed by a police cruiser. the 10-year-old and two others were on their way to a sleepover. the boy was hit while crossing the street. the police officer was responding to a call driving at a high rate of speed when the accident happened. >> we would like to offer our deepest condolences to the family of that child. >> the child died at the scene and the accident is under investigation. a man in central california is lucky to be alive after a shark attack. several surfers were in the water when the great white shark appeared yesterday near los osos. the shark bit one man, but let him go. that man was able to paddle to shore and taken to the hospital. witnesses believe the shark was eight to ten feet long. now for a look at national weather. bill karins is back with us. and what is in store, bill?

>> winter. of all places in las vegas. las vegas. las vegas, on the strip, could end up with about 1 to 3 inches of snow. one of the bigger headlines we'll get this week. we had some snow out there and winter storm watches down here over the vegas area. still winter weather advisories in central portion of oregon and few winter storm warnings. the actual snow totals really nothing blockbuster out of this. again, even on the strip, since 2008 since we have seen as much as two to three inches of snow. it is possible even right down there at the airport. here is the forecast for your monday. we have some snow and rain mix, depending on your elevation throughout areas of oregon and washington state this morning. the really cold bitter stuff, again, very mild december across the country. but we are watching very cold coldest air masses of this winter season from billings to casper denver a little snow traveling in and out of there. could get an inch or two. even into tomorrow again, cold and there is some of the 24 29

even with the sunshine there in the northwest, it is going to be a very chilly day and continues into new year's eve. california. even by your standards. chill is on. so we'll wait and see how it all happens. but one to three inches of snow in vegas makes for pretty pictures. >> a little dusting on the cactus -- the cacti, plural. bill thank you. sunday marks the official end of america's longest combat mission. one flag retired, another unfurled representing a new mission called resolute support. the sacrifice, more than 2200 american lives lost. 2014 has been the deadliest year since the 2001 start of the war with 5,000 afghan forces killed. about 13,000 troops will stay in

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welcome back. across the country, outrage continues over recent police relations with local communities. and over the weekend, hundreds of officers turned their backs to new york city mayor bill de blasio when he began speaking at the funeral of an officer killed in the line of duty. the mayor's office later issued a statement saying quote, the sole focus is unifying this city and honoring the lives of the officers. new york police commissioner bill bratton says it was wrong of the officers to turn their backs. nbc's richard jordan has the latest on what is being done about this growing frustration. >> reporter: this trust has grown between the police and communities and now police and government officials. new york police commissioner bill bratton expects tensions will continue. >> i think it is probably a rift that is going to go on for a while longer. however, we'll be making efforts to sit down and talk with the

union leaders in particular to deal with their issues. >> reporter: this weekend, protests showed the divide. some people gathered to support police and many others demonstrated against recent police related deaths. thousands of police officers turned their backs to a screen showing new york mayor bill de blasio at the funeral for rafael ramos. many officers blame him for furthering the divide. >> the reality is the mayor of the city of new york should not be blamed for the murder of those police officers. that issue should not have been inject injected. it is wrong. >> reporter: the nypd called the demonstration inappropriate. >> this is a mayor that cares very deeply about new york city police officers cares very deeply about the divide in the city at this time and is working hard to heal that divide. >> reporter: there is support for dialogue that would lead to change. richard jordan nbc news washington. also in the news this morning, five people are dead after a three alarm fire broke out in a high rise apartment

building for seniors in san antonio. and now ten residents remain hospitalized while several others are still unaccounted for. officials say the fire started on the third floor, but the investigation is still ongoing. in alabama, really dramatic scene here. look at this newly released cell phone video captured chilling footage of neighbors urging a child to jump from a burning building. >> come on, jump! we got you. come on. jump! come on! your mama right here. your mama says do it. come on. >> oh my god. >> there is that catch. two adults and four children were hurt in the christmas morning fire. one of the children suffered burns and had to be intubated because of breathing issues. officials say food left cooking unattended on a stove is to blame for that fire. former president george h.w. bush spent the weekend in the hospital for more monitoring.

now the hospital says he could be discharged soon. the 90-year-old has been in the hospital since tuesday night after experiencing shortness of breath. time to get down to business can cnbc's landon downey. good morning. >> good morning, frances. it was an impressive opening weekend for the interview. the comedy took in $18 million from three theaters and online sales. the studio says the film has been streamed or downloaded more than 2 million times since wednesday and is now available on itunes. sony's playstation network is back on line following several days of disruptions. the company says heavy traffic could still cause some issues. a hacker put a link on twitter that contains 13,000 user names and credit cards. the markets are eyeing greater hikes before we hit 2015 this week. the dow set record levels and has risen in the past seven trading sessions. frances, back to you. >> nice way to end the year. thank you very much.

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this morning on "today," new details in the search for the missing airasia jet as officials now say it may have crashed into the sea.

we're live in singapore with the latest ahead on "today." now to get to the latest in sports. the nfl regular season ended and the last playoff spots are filled. so who is going to be there? the steelers defeated the bengals 27-17 clinching the three seed and claim the afc north. the ravens earn the final afc playoff spot after rallying to beat the browns 20-10. and the panthers dominated the falcons 34-3 to win the nfc south. here is a look at the rest of the playoff picture. cowboys take the east. seahawks take the west. packers win the north. and the panthers take the south. the nfc wild card cardinals and lions. in the afc, patriots broncos take the west, the steelers and colts the south. wild card bengals and ravens. the chiefs missed the playoffs but justin hue ston finished strong with four sacks against the chargers. he had 22 sacks on the season half a sack short of michael strahan's nfl record.

and no one was more excited than houston's son who cheered loud from the stands. how cute is he? jim harbaugh and the 49ers have muchaltually agreed to part ways. and about his future? >> jim, do you expect to be the next coach of michigan? >> there will be announcements made concerning those things. >> leaving you hanging. the niners will hold a media conference at 1:00 p.m. pacific. and these two texan fans turned tailgating into a ceremony. they tied the knot outside the stadium before the game with the jaguars. the texans won but fell short of making the playoffs. they promised to stick by each other through the team's ups and downs, living happily ever after in tailgate heaven. just ahead, they look so happy. the surprise hollywood couple

now calling it quits. plus more movie trouble, the film pulled from theaters and why. you're watching "early today." crest gave one friend crest 3d white whitestrips. and the other, a whitening toothpaste. here's what they thought. i can't tell if the paste whitened. well the whitestrips worked. yeah. the paste didn't do that. crest whitestrips work below the enamel surface to whiten 25x better than a leading whitening toothpaste. crest whitestrips. the way to whiten. [ shutter clicks ] hi there! [ laughs ] -i'm flo! -i know!

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now for some entertainment news this morning. at the box office this weekend, the hobbit the bat. the five armies took first place grossing $41 million. it was a tight race for second as as unbroken just beat out

into the woods. and exodus gods and kings will not be seen in egypt. no official reason has been stated yet, other films that depict biblical figures have been banned in the past. after 19 years, chris rock and his wife, they're filing for divorce without saying why. a statement issued sunday asked for privacy as they go through the process. and madonna, she is mad. the singer has been having a tough time as of late after having many of her upcoming songs leaked online. and though she did officially release, they nose-dived in sales, she took to social media and ranted there saying this there are those who want to shut me up but they cannot. we still live in a world that discriminates against women and i will fight for my right as an artist a human and woman until the end of my days. and alicia keys is a mom again. she gave birth to her second son this weekend and her son's name

genesis ali dean. she and her husband posted this photo on instagram announcing the joyous occasion for baby number two. so all is good. nice holidays where they have like the two -- you know, once you have the second whole new ball game whole new world. >> you realize you can't take care of the second one as well as you did for the first one and you feel bad for the second one. >> kid two always getting the shaft, without a doubt. >> genesis, that's all right. >> not too bad. i like that. >> uncommon. >> but not crazy out there. >> not apple. >> exactly. >> poor apple. >> i'm frances rivera. this is "early today." we hope it is your first stop of the day on nbc. ♪ ah, push it. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ push it. ♪ ♪ p...push it real good! ♪

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leading the news from nbc 5 in dallas four found dead in texas home. boy lone survivor. police say a 9-year-old called a relative and said a man inside the home was injured after attempting suicide. the relative quickly called 911 to report the incident and when police arrived, they found four people dead inside and a 9-year-old uninjured. from the honolulu star advertiser lava resumes advance toward marketplace. lava advanced another 100 yards on sunday. the lava is now just under 700 yards away from reaching a marketplace there in pahoa. search and rescue efforts under way for the missing airasia flight. katy tur is in singapore with the latest.

>> reporter: good morning, frances. right now search and rescue teams are focusing on the area around the belitung islands between indonesia and singapore, in the flight path. and about four countries are now assisting in all of this. indonesia has most resources, 12 ships, helicopters, planes. singapore added a c-130. malaysia has given a c-130 and other ships and now australia has gotten involved giving an ap 3 c orion air patrol aircraft. they searched all day yesterday. they searched all day today. they stopped for the nighttime. they're going to stop once it gets dark and so far they see no sign of the plane and weather conditions are becoming a factor. it is cloudy now which means visibility is less than ideal and they expect it to rain tomorrow and for the next few days which means that it will be even harder to spot any wreckage if there is any on the surface of the water. weather could have been a factor which contributed to the plane disappearing. while it was in the air, about 45 minutes into the flight

pilots called air traffic control and said they wanted to change in altitude to avoid some weather. that was the last that anyone heard of this plane. now, indonesian officials are preparing for the worst, saying that from their coordinates, from the beth edst educated guess at the moment they believe it is at the bottom of the java sea but that's unconfirmed as of now. frances? >> katy tur in singapore. shifting gears, we're celebrating some birthdays today. happy birthday to new orleans saints head coach sean payton who turned 51. and actor ted danson turns 67 years old. and british singer mary ann siphle is 68 years old on this monday. keep it here for more news weather and sports. i'm frances rivera with bill karins. thank you for watching "early today." have a great one.

everyone's asking what's now after the messy divorce between the niners and jim harbaugh. >> from nbc way area this is "today in the bay." >> good morning, it is 4:30. i'm