new details on the devastating inferno at the warehouse known as the ghost ship as the death toll continues to rise. >> we believe that a lot of our victims were in their 20s to 30s, and it is very unfortunate that we have to tell you that we have 17-year-old victims. global reaction continues to pour in from donald trump's phone call with taiwan's leader, and the incoming president's tweets on trade. cheers from the dakota pipeline as protesters celebrate a major victory, but not everyone is happy. a frightening incident involving a north carolina man who fires a shotgun in a d.c. pizzeria hunting down a fake

hillary clinton news story. and kennedy center honors, eagles, james taylor, and others. "early today" starts right now. good monday morning, i'm ayman mohyeldin. >> i'm frances rivera. really tough to start this week with a grim reality with the death toll rising. and now a criminal investigation has begun into that tragic warehouse party fire that claimed at least 33 lives in oakland, california, on friday night. officials say some of the victims were teenagers. one was the son of a first responder. authorities are still identifying victims and have not yet made their way through the entire building, which had been housing artists. nbc's steven luke has the latest for us out of oakland this morning. steven, what more do we know? >> reporter: well, good morning from oakland. we're beginning the third straight morning here of search and recovery efforts. and just over the blue tents behind me is where this is taking place working nonstop through the night. and they still have more than half the building to go through.

so that's why they say they are still perhaps more people that will be found. we do know that there are unaccounted for individuals. and so we have heard this number of perhaps the death toll getting up to as high as 40 at some point, but we're at 33 right now. you also mentioned a criminal investigation is underway. and that is correct because the mayor and the d.a.'s office has assigned basically a special unit to look into this, with so many unanswered questions. and as they delicately go through the rubble here, just a ten-foot pile it's been described of debris, as the roof and second floor caved in on the people who were partying there late friday night, the inferno just basically exploding, whether is why so many people didn't get a chance to get out. but a lot of unanswered questions that we'll stay on top of here in downtown oakland. reporting for you, steven luke, now back to you.

>> thank you very much. protesters at the dakota access pipeline are celebrating the federal government's decision to deny the controversial pipeline's current route. sunday's announcement is a victory for thousands who have camped out in the cold near the construction site, arguing that the project would have threatened native american lands. but energy transfer partners, the company that's behind the project, claim the decision is purely political. nbc's tammy leitner reports from north dakota. >> reporter: thousands linked arms. cheers rang out. there were hugs, tears, and dancing as word spread across this sprawling camp in rural north dakota. >> we've gone through a lot, through thick and thin, through hot and cold. >> it's a good time to celebrate, you know? >> reporter: it was news many who have camped out for months have been waiting to hear. that an oil pipeline's planned route along the standing rock sioux reservation has been denied. it's a fight that began in the spring and in recent weeks escalated into violent clashes. at the heart of the balance, a

$3.7 billion oil pipeline that stretches across four states and runs along the standing rock sioux reservation, including near sites considered sacred by the tribe. while proponents said the pipeline would be good for local economies, the tribe argued a potential pipeline rupture would pollute their drinking water and requested that the route be changed. d.c. police arrested a 28-year-old north carolina man who opened fire inside a pizza restaurant with an assault-style rifle. that man edgar welch told them he was going to the restaurant to, quote, self-investigate what is called pizza-gate. that's a fictitious online conspiracy theory linking that pizza parlor to child trafficking led by hillary clinton of all people. and it turns out the north carolina man isn't the only person to have assaulted the restaurant. the owners say they have seen a spike in harassment since the election largely due to fake

online articles like that one. they're insisting articles be taken down. no one was injured in the shooting and police were able to arrest welch on site. he's charged with assault with a dangerous weapon. and we have breaking news for you, nbc news has learned that neurosurgeon we'll be right back -- ben carson will be nominated as the secretary of housing and urban development. ben carson also said he could make a, quote, significant contribution particularly by strengthening communities in need. we also have word that jon huntsman has joined president-elect donald trump's list of contenders for the position of secretary of state. huntsman also served as president obama's ambassador to china comes as mr. trump made news with a series of tweets that had china in the cross

hairs. there was also trump's angry tweet against "saturday night live" and alec baldwin after the actor once again reprised his role as the president in waiting. >> next i'm going to do what i promised, my whole campaign, and i'm going to build that swamp. >> don't you mean drain the swamp and build the wall. >> no, that is too many things. just smoosh them together. smoosh. >> trump responded, just tried watching "saturday night live," unwatchable! totally biased, not funny and the baldwin impersonation can't get any worse, sad. baldwin hit back saying release your tax returns and i'll stop. and trump announced via several tweets his administration would put a 35% tax on u.s. companies that move overseas, that move jobs overseas. it stipulates any company that, quote, leaves our country for another and fires employees is

forewarned prior to making a very expensive mistake. however, it was the news regarding trump's protocol breaking news with taiwan still making headlines. trump defying decades of u.s. policy and communicated with that country's leader. the call the vice president-elect mike pence says is not as big a headline as some would make it seem. >> i think the conversation that happened this week with the president of taiwan was a courtesy call. she reached out to the president-elect and he took the call from the democratically-elected leader of taiwan. >> and trump also managed to comment on politics here at home, specifically a michigan recount effort by green party nominee jill stein. it is expected to get under way today at noon. this as her pennsylvania effort hits a roadblock with the green party dropping its statewide suit there, instead taking the matter to federal court. and reacting to the news, trump tweeted, quote, the green party just dropped its recount suit in pennsylvania and is losing votes in wisconsin recount. just a stein scam to raise

money. also breaking this morning for the first time in history, a japanese leader will visit the u.s. naval base in honolulu to commemorate the pearl harbor attacks. this will mark the reconciliation between the two enemies turned allies. we now go to politics overseas where the trump phenomenon seems to have hit a bump in austria as the right candidate loses his fight to lead that country as a major shift in italy, as the prime minister minister in that country prepares to resign following a referendum. bill neely joins us now from vienna. what can you tell us about these two seismic political shifts in europe? >> reporter: good morning, ayman. good morning, frances. italy's prime minister, matteo renzi, was known as demolition

man as he would sweep away italy's old politics and kick-start the economy. he's been demolished by this referendum and kicked out of office. he'll resign later today. he lost big time, 60/40. it was really a howl of protest from italian voters against italy's stagnant economy. here in austria the populist view was stalled. the far-right candidate failed in his attempt to become austria's president. so there was a huge sigh of relief in brussels among some of the european establishment and officials. but within a few hours, that was swept away by matteo renzi's defeat. now in europe they are trying to play this down and say it was just italian government politics. it's not. this is part of the populist wave sweeping across the west. we have seen trump, we have seen brexit and now mr. renzi is the

latest domino to fall. frances? >> we'll continue to see backlash from it. bill neely, thank you so much. and just hours ago, the nobel organization says bob dylan has provided a speech to be read in stockholm, sweden. but it is not clear who will be reading the speech submitted by dylan. the music legend is still not expected to attend the event in person to receive his award. dylan claimed pre-existing commitments prevented him from attending. stay tuned on this one, i have a feeling it's not over yet. still ahead, one of the greatest bands in the world honored. we'll have details for you next. and check out this incredible lightning display captured saturday night in brisbane, australia. just significant to see on video. and we'll bring in bill karins with heavy rain and mountain snow. i doubt we'll see anything like that on the show.

>> when you see the storm light the bottom of the clouds up, that's pretty amazing. the dangerous weather is in the deep south. maybe a tornado threat, not like last week, but a couple area in southern alabama, mississippi and florida. 5 million people at risk. one area of snow exiting new england during the day today. and we have snow moving in for the morning commute here in the pacific northwest, too. we have winter weather advisories around the portland area. anywhere above the florida levels could get accumulating snows out there early today. be careful as youead out h the higher elevations pick up 2 to 5 inches throughout the day. northern california will have to wait until tomorrow. and the west stays active this week. we'll talk about that coming up. just ahead, influencing the american culture. the final kennedy center honors.

plus, could a pet parrot testify against this woman in a murder trial? believe it or not, the parrot is the only witness. that will be up to a judge to decide that story next. per roll more "doing chores for dad" per roll more "earning something you love" per roll bounty is more absorbent, so the roll can last 50% longer than the leading ordinary brand. so you get more "life" per roll. bounty, the quicker picker upper psh psh lunch is ready! campbell's spider-man soups. made for real, real life. thanks mom try theraflu expressmax,nd flu hold you back now in new caplets. it's the only cold & flu caplet

that has a maximum strength formula with a unique warming sensation you instantly feel. theraflu. for a powerful comeback. new expressmax caplets. my swthis scarf all thatsara. left to remem... what! she washed this like a month ago the long lasting scent of gain flings because my teeth are yellow. these photos? why don't you use a whitening toothpaste? i'm afraid it's bad for my teeth. try crest 3d white. crest 3d white diamond strong toothpaste and rinse... ...gently whiten... ...and fortify weak spots. use together for 2 times stronger enamel. crest 3d white.

martha argerich, al pacino, the eagles, james taylor, and mavis staples. ladies and gentlemen, join me in saluting our 2016 kennedy center honorees. >> quite the impressive roster there as you heard stephen colbert introduce president obama's final class of kennedy center honorees in washington, d.c. the five recipients are recognized for their lifetime contributions to american culture through the performing arts and each of them showed no signs of stopping at all. the full kennedy center honors airs on december 27th on cbs. it will be an exciting show to watch. >> and always impressive, too. leading the news, a suspect charged in the charleston church

massacre is asking for his defense team to be allowed back on the federal case. with opening statements scheduled to begin this wednesday. dylann roof was granted permission last week to act as his own lawyer, but is now requesting help only on the guilt phase of his trial. he seeks to do the sentencing phase on his own. the 22-year-old is facing the death penalty for the 2015 massacre of nine african-american worshippers at that south carolina church. a murder case we've been following is back in court in michigan. it involves a woman, her late husband and believe it or not her parrot. glenna duram faces first-degree murder charges for the 2015 death of her husband, martin. the couple's parrot, bud, is the only witness to the alleged murder. family members say that the african grey parrot mimics what is believed to be martin duram's last words, saying don't expletive shoot. prosecutors are confident there's enough evidence for the case without the bird, but they have not ruled out putting the parrot on the stand. a date has not been set for the

second day of preliminary hearings just yet. wall street fallout from donald trump's weekend tweets, and european stocks rise on italy's political unrest. you're watching "early today." ,. so graceful. the corkscrew spin, flawless... ...his signature move, the flying dutchman. poetry in motion. and there it is, the "baby bird". breathtaking. a sumo wrestler figure skating? surprising. what's not surprising? how much money heather saved by switching to geico. fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more. hey julie, i know today's critic...need a sick day. dads don't take sick days. dads take dayquil severe: the... ...non-drowsy, coughing, aching, fever, sore throat, stuffy... ...head, no sick days medicine.

no, no, no, no, [music] people are both soft and strong... yey! which is why our products are too. angel soft. ...and dale, welllping he loves colleen.nt. they have their differences. but they make it work, most of the time. and at least they agree one thing. new tide purclean it's the first bio-based detergent... with the cleaning power of tide. so you can actually clean your clothes and still... ...do your part. new tide purclean. the first bio-based detergent with the cleaning power of tide. if it's got to be clean, it's got to be tide.

now time for today's quick hits. an electric plant explosion sent foam pouring out on the philadelphia city streets after pepco's fire suppression system activated itself.

no one was hurt, but it looks like a bunch of suds. 2,000 customers lost power. an investigation is under way into what caused a massive blaze that has left 60 people displaced in cambridge, massachusetts. thankfully only a few people suffered minor injuries during that ordeal. a united airlines flight emergency crash lands at a san antonio airport with passengers forced to evacuate via the emergency shoot after experiencing landing gear issues. luckily no one was hurt. we talked about the italian referendum. european markets are in the green following the italian vote. kate rogers is here with the details. good morning, kate. >> reporter: good morning to you, ayman. european stocks recovering slightly after earlier losses on monday following prime minister matteo renzi's announcement that he intends to resign after facing a defeat in a key referendum. wall street is poised to start the day in the green after falling earlier on news of renzi's defeat. markets could start on shakier foot after stumbling for the

first time since the presidential election. and u.s./china relations could take a turn for the worst after donald trump publicly act insulting china after accepting a call from taiwan's president, a move that violated four decades of foreign policy. and british defense company bae systems is developing a pie pilotless plane called jet 31. they have launched a series of test flights in which the aircraft flies by itself using an infrared camera by being monitored by operators sitting 15,000 feet below it. back over to you. >> when you think about it, you've got drones pilotless so why not planes, right? >> because they don't carry human beings. kate rogers, thank you very much. no thank you to that. >> good point. >> still ahead, five things that will age you the quickest. we've got that list, that's next. she said it's too much work. lulu's hair just floats. uhh help me!

(doorbell) mom, check this out. wow. swiffer sweeper, and dusters. this is what i'm talking about. look at that. sticks to this better than it sticks to lulu. that's your hair lulu! mom, can we have another dog? (laughing) trap and lock up to 4x more dirt, dust and hair than the store brand stop cleaning. start swiffering. that cough doesn't sound so good. well i think you sound great. move over. easy booger man. take mucinex dm. it'll take care of your cough. fine! i'll text you in 4 hours when your cough returns. one pill lasts 12 hours, so... looks like i'm good all night! ah! david, please, listen. still not coughing. not fair you guys! waffles are my favorite! ah! some cough medicines only last 4 hours. but just one mucinex lasts 12 hours. start the relief. ditch the misery. let's end this. ito become dangerous.d for an everyday item new tide pods child guard pack. helps keep your laundry pacs safe and your child safer.

align, press and unzip. only abreva can heal it in as few as two and a half days when used at the first sign. it penetrates deep and starts to work immediately to block the virus and protect healthy cells.. don't tough it out, knock it out, fast. abreva. hair is delightfully fragrancedl with notes of moroccan rose and the freshness of springtime unforgettable, wherever you go the scents you can't forget... from herbal essences, blooming now! plumping surface cells for a dramatic transformation

-without the need for fillers. your concert tee might show your age... your skin never will. olay regenerist. olay. ageless. and try olay luminous evens tone for radiant, glowing skin. and she's back. >> i am moana. >> that was a hit at the box office this weekend. disney's "moana" finished earning $28.3 million at the domestic box office and $119 million and climbing two weeks out. "fantastic beasts" was in second. rounding out the top three,

"where to find them qugts with $18.5 million and "arrival" is third with $7.3 million. what causes the most premature aging? soda, sitting in traffic, or your boss? can you guess? all of the above. don't say your boss, though. you don't want to get in trouble. soda, cola in particular, is bad for the bones, believe it or not. researchers found that older women that drank cola at least daily had lower bone density than those that drank one a month. drivers beware. traffic-related accidents or pollution lead to age spots and overall skin aging. and of course a bossy boss can make your brain shrink. while the brain shrinks naturally, stress from that, scientists say a study of -- women were found to be two years older. finally researchers found that a lack of exercise also causes premature aging. vigorous exercise is the key to staying young. a few tips for all of you out there. and this is "early today." per roll

more "doing chores for dad" per roll more "earning something you love" per roll bounty is more absorbent, so the roll can last 50% longer than the leading ordinary brand. so you get more "life" per roll. bounty, the quicker picker upper the spare, no, i don't want to put anybody out. nonsense! we lend it to everybody. some people we hardly know.

welcome back. the cold air is in place. the snow levels are fairly low. and we are going to watch the snow piling up. here's the snowfall map. this is over the next 24 hour. of course, you can see the cascades are here. that's where we could see anywhere between 3 to 8 inches of snow. but even in the portland area, we have only an inch or two, especially higher elevations. but yep, this is a sign of things to come, guys. we have this storm and a big cold outbreak coming right on its heels. >> we'll be watching that. thank you for that, bill. well, at least this people have died in the massive fire that is ravaged tennessee last week. over 100 others were also injured and nearly 1,700 structures have been damaged. residents can now check in on their properties during the daytime. however, the hard hit town of gatlinburg remains under a curfew as more than 700

firefighters are still working to contain the wildfires in that area. sad news for those folks that can't get back home. the 2016 presidential race has some voters looking to change the way we decide our elections, but according to a new gallup poll, the numbers aren't as high as they used to be. 49% say they want to amend the constitution to replace the electoral college with a popular vote system. that number is down 13% from a 2011 survey. those in favor of keeping the current system has risen to 47% from 35% in 2004 and 2011. this is the first time in gallop history the majority does not support replacing the electoral college. all right, the king is crowned once again. lebron james has now become "sports illustrated's" sports person of the year after the king brought the nba championship back to cleveland. and in football, tom brady becomes the most winning quarterback in history. racking up 201 wins, surpassing peyton manning in total wins for any quarterback in the nfl's history. that's a pretty impressive feat.

brady may be the only thing michigan state football fans are cheering over this morning after they found themselves out of the top four in the college football rankings. while alabama stays right at number one, the crimson tide will face washington in the peach bowl, while ohio state buckeyes square off against the clemson tigers. personal bias here, go buckeyes. >> a lot to watch in sports and over the weekend. and a lot of santas are out there. they were sweating across the globe making for an active weekend. hundreds swarmed the streets of athens for the third annual santa run. s men, women, and children, even babies in strollers wore their jolly red costumes for the 2.5 kilometer race. this was the scene in zurich, switzerland, where members of a vespa fan club were seen riding through the city in their santa suits. and then some wore santa swimsuits on paddle boards. so from the seas to the slopes, nearly 200 santas skied in the 18th annual santa sunday fund-raising event in maine. >> it doesn't matter how he gets there, as long as he gets there.

>> tnk youha =sam/cont.vo=

an emotional couple of days there's really not much hope left, but you know, every time that phone rings, i get this feeling, he's calling. it's a mistake. >> an emotional couple of days  for the bay area and families here. we are getting a closer look at the aftermath of friday's deadly fire. we dive deeper into the investigation into how this happened. good monday morning. thank you for joining us. i'm sam brock. >> i'm laura garcia-cannon. it's a story we've been covering all weekend long. the tragedy continues to unfold. we are learning more about the