breaking news add this hour. authorities confirm the suspect in the berlin christmas market attack has been killed in italy. >> expect large crowds, again, crowded planes, crowded terminals and crowded roadways. >> one of the busiest travel days of the yearith a record setting 103 million travelers. >> an arrest made in the horrific arkansas road rage incident that left a 3-year-old dead. >> donald trump calls for more nukes via twitter. why some experts are saying it could be the start of a 21st century nuclear arms race. >> plus, a grinch teached speedy drivers a lesson. "early today" starts right now. good friday morning, everyone

i'm ayman mohyeldin. >> i'm frances rivera. >> a lot of breaking news. the manhunt in germany, police reveal the suspect they have been looking for in the christmas market has been killed in a shootout with police in milan. we have new images of the aftermath following the shootout occurring after european authorities had been in an all-out manhunt for amri after he killed 12 and injured nearly 50 others. the shootout comes after we learn it took authorities a full 24 hours after the attack and a second search to find his wallet and identification. police in germany are looking into links to amri as a suspect in a fatal stabbing in germany. he was on their radar for having links to isis and was on a terror watch list. no word on whether he carried out the attack himself or had accomplices with him.

we'll bring you more details. >> also more breaking news. the associated press is reporting a possible hijacking in malta. a libyan plane landed at malta's international airport this morning with possibly two hijackers onboard. all emergency teams have been sent to the area of what they're calling an unlawful interference on the tarmac. the libyan airline was originally intended to fly domestically but was diverted to the mediterranean island. there are 111 passengers onboard. moments ago, he tweeted about the incident, alerting followers that emergency operations are under way. we'll keep you posted on nbc. >> new developments overnight in the road rage killing in little rock, arkansas. police have arrested a suspect in the fatal shooting of 3-year-old acen king. the suspect surrendered to little rock police.

a woman whaas driving her grandson. the driver behind her honked at her and she honked back. that's when the other driver opened fire at her and hitting and killing acen instead, who was in the back seat of the car. the shooter then drove off. jail records show the suspect was booked last night on a a charge of capital murder. >> could it be a 21st century nuclear arms race? a tweet that sent shock waves around the world. president-elect trump 28 day before the inauguration setting nuclear policy through 140 characters. he put the world on notice that he is looking to increase the nation's nuclear arsenal, despite the current administration's vow to rid the world of its stockpile. that as vladimir putin also t k talks of strengthening his own nuclear capabilities. nbc's andrea mitchell has a report. >> reporter: after setting off alarm bells throughout the campaign about how he would handle nuclear weapons, donald trump signaled he wants more

nukes. shocking nuclear experts by tweeting, the united states must greatly strengthen and expand its nuclear capability. until such time as the world comes to its senses regarding nukes. reversing u.s. policy since ronald reagan to cut the number of nuclear weapons. hours earlier, vladimir putin, who u.s. intelligence officials say was personally involved in the sircyberattacks told his generals we need to enhance the combat capability of strategic nuclear forces. >> they're hearing a guy running for president of the united states talking of maybe using nuclear weapons. nobody wants to hear that by an american president. >> why do we make them? >> less than a month before he takes office, arms control experts are stunned. >> all during the campaign, donald trump has dealt with nuclear weapons loosely, cavalierly. this tweet may have started a new nuclear arms race. >> what is your concern when you see what sounds like new policy

being made on twitter. >> every word matters. strengthen the nuclear arsenal, fine. expand it, everybody is harping on that word, whether donald trump meant it or not, he is changing u.s. policy. >> this morning, in his annual newser in moscow, putin pushed back against any notion that his country had interfered in any way. despite u.s. intelligence officials saying russia was to blame for cyberattacks that hit the democratic party. >> this morning, new reaction from kellyanne conway who defended trump's nuke tweet. >> he said we're going to expand our nuclear capability. >> he did literally say we need to expand our nuclear capability. >> what he's saying is we need to expand our capability to be ready for those who also have nuclear weapons. he's putting the world on notice that he will do what he thinks

he needs to do to keep us safe and secure. >> by expanding our nuclear capability. i mean -- >> not trying to change a policy through twitter. >> conway is the latest white house hire for the trump team after the transition announced a slew of top communications posts including communications director sean spicer as press secretary. hope hicks and jason miller as well as social media director dan scavino. >> and tough moments for ivanka trump on a jetblue trip. she was flying with her family when another passenger confronted her. the man was kicked off the plane, but not before social media lit up with the incident. kristen welker has all the details. >> ivanka trump, seen here with her family moments after landing in san francisco on her way to hawaii, the target of the lingering tensions of the 2016 race. trump was confronted by a fellow passenger who witnesses overheard saying they ruin the country, now they ruin our

flight. >> he said, oh, my god. this is a nightmare. and he was shaking. >> the unruly passenger, daniel goldstein, and his husband, kicked off the plane. but not before hasner tweeted out a picture of the moment and ivanka's stunned reaction. and it may have been planned. he tweeted before the incident, ivanka and jared were at jfk and his husband was chasing him down to harass them. #banality of evil. trump apparently tried to distract her children as things got heated. in a statement, jet blue insisting the decision to remove a customer from a flight is not taken lightly. if the crew determines the customer is causing conflict, the customer will be asked to deplane. he later tried to downplay the incident, saying my husband expressed his displeasure in a low tone. >> if i was security, i wouldn't take the chance either. >> i have no doubt she was fully

secure in this entire encounter. they were able to make sure that the situation didn't escalate. that's why first daughters have secret service, for situations like this when there is a potential threat. >> now, the men thrown off the plane didn't comment after deleting their twitter account, and there's no comment from donald trump personally on the incident. >> well, back here at home today marks one of the busiest travel days of the year. millions of you are traveling across the country to see loved ones for the holidays. many will be flying but most will be hitting the roads. >> from coast to coast, a record setting travel season, but today, the busiest. nationwide, 6 million people flying this season. the busiest airports, atlanta, chicago, l.a., dallas, and denver. in the tower at chicago o'hare, controllers now using a new system to speed things along. flight paths, reroutes, and weather now transmitted directly

to the cockpit computer, cutting down on radio chatter and tarmac wait times. still, the vast majority of americans, 94 million, are hitting the roads. gasoline now $2.26 on average, up 13 cents in a month. at the utah d.o.t. command center, they're preparing for a massive saturday storm in the rockies. >> teen 6 and 12 inches in the valley and 12 and 24 in the mountains. a lot will be blowing snow in the higher elevations. >> a rush to reunite with family and friends. >> let's get right to the weather and bill karins. obviously, weather will be a big factor for those travelers we were just talking about. gh it is already wrrg that storm in the rockies is already moving into california. see the yellow? that's right over the bay area currently. the blue area shows you snow, and then pushing toward spokane. a lot of weather out there to be dealt with. look at all the winter warnings, advisories, storm watches recollection all these colors. the only thing it tells you is

there's a lot of active winter weather. a blizzard watch for the dakotas. warnings in the sierras and high peaks outside of l.a. and a flood watch in the los angeles area in case we get heavy rain centered over the burn areas from the past year. the snow forecast for the sierra called for 12 to 18 inches above 6,000 feet, and the blizzard in the dakotas will be the big story by sunday south, the rai will move to the south later on in the afternoon. well, take you through the complete forecast for the rest of the holiday weekend coming up. >> thank you. coming up, what one florida officer dressed as a grinch is handing out in place of speeding tickets this holiday season. what could it be?

hey! hey! ♪ this is for you. did you really? didn't have too! ♪ getting the gift you almost kept for yourself? now that's a holiday mini miracle. and it's easy to create your own at walgreens... with most stores open till midnight, and till 10 p.m. on christmas day. walgreens. at the corner of happy and healthy. but pantene is making my hair practically unbreakable. whenever i try to grow out my hair, strands always break off. the pro-v formula makes every inch stronger. so i can love my hair longer. strong is beautiful. pantene.

plumping surface cells for a dramatic transformation... ...without the need for fillers. with olay, you age less. so you can be ageless. olay ageless. ♪ snowmen with buttons, snowflakes with icing ♪ ♪ candy corn feathers, sure look enticing ♪ ♪ rice krispies treats, the fun doesn't stop - ♪ ♪ how many ways can you snap, crackle, pop? ♪ make the holidays a treat with kellogg's rice krispies. my swthis scarf all thatsara. left to remem... what! she washed this like a month ago the long lasting scent of gain flings psh psh lunch is ready! campbell's spider-man soups. made for real, real life. thanks mom

bit fast. wee bit. and instead, today being the holiday season that it is and i being the great green one is going to give you a break. >> grinch spotting in florida. this grinch, not such a mean one. that's colonel lou caputo handing out, guess -- onions instead of speeding tickets. he's been offering them choices between onions and a ticket. >> i'm pretty sure, vegetable all the way. >> picking the onion. that's a grinch i would want in that time. >> leading the news with the world on high alert, australian authorities say they have foiled a plot to bomb parts of melbourne on christmas day. here's some of the targeted areas. police say that the plot involved explosives and possibly even knives or guns. the country's leader assuring the threat of terror won't

intimidate australians. >> this is one of the most substantial terrorist plots that have been disrupted over the last several years. >> seven people were arrested. police say three men have been criminally charged with another awaiting today's court hearing. >> turning now to a controversial arrest caught on camera in texas. it began when a mother called police to report an alleged salt on her son. when the officer arrived, the situation spiraled and she and her family members found themselves under arrest. more from gabe gutierrez. >> don't grab her. don't grab her. >> this arrest caught on camera is sparking outrage in ft. worth, texas. jacqueline craig, seen here, said she called police wednesday to report that a neighbor had grabbed her son's neck for littering. the video begins after the officer arrives and shows him speaking with the neighbor and then questioning craig about ler

parenting. >> don't put your hands on my son. >> why don't you teach your son not to litter. >> it doesn't matter if he did or didn't. it doesn't give him the right to put his hands on him. >> why not? >> the exchange quickly escalates. >> if you keep yelling, you're going -- >> craig and several other women begin screaming at the officer. before he takes three of them into custody. >> i just felt like i didn't get justice for what i called for. basically. >> the video has been viewed more than a million times on facebook. it's unclear what happens during at least three gaps in the recording. >> it was not edited in any way. if someone messages or calls in the middle of a facetime, it skips a beat. >> ft. worth police saying we acknowledge the initial appearance of the video may raise serious questions. we ask that our investigators are given the time and opportunity to thoroughly examine this incident. the unidentified officer has been placed rerestricted duty

pending investigation. and jacqueline craig is out of jail, back with her family. >> just ahead, what's replaced weight loss as the top new year's resolution. >> plus, a duke basketball player gets caught tripping one of his opponents. now he's off the court indefinitely. you're watching "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

incr...think it wouldotection in a pwork, but it does.dn't... it's called always discreet for bladder leaks, the super... ...absorbent core turns liquid to gel. i know i'm wearing it but no one else will. always discreet for bladder leaks. kohlso shop anytime forours the best gifts ever and earn kohl's cash. pick up a bb-8 and get $20 kohl's cash the fitbit blaze and get $30 kohl's cash or a ps4 and get $50 kohl's cash. give a little more and get a little more this holiday. kohl's. are my teeth yellow? have you tried the tissue test? ugh yellow. what do you use? crest whitestrps. crest 3d whitestrips whiten 25 times better than a leading whitening toothpaste i passed the tissue test. oh yeah. crest whitestrips are the way to whiten.

a trump tweet sends shares of lockheed martin tumbling. believe it or not, there is still time to ship those christmas gifts. steve has details on those stories, plus this year's top new year's resolution. and what is shipping, like $50 for a $3 gift? >> something along those lines. not quite, but it's going that way. yeah, first of all, another trump tweet. lockheed martin shares fell. talking about the f-35, which has had some big cost overruns. tremendous costs and cost overruns has led him to ask boeing to price out a comparable f-18. so that led to diverging share prices on what is generally a fairly quiet market. the u.s. postal service has said today, friday, absolute last day to get presents to their destination by christmas morning, but customers have to pay more with priority mail express. this is fantastic, the last story. what is the top new year's

resolution from everybody? normally, it's one about being healthier and losing weight. this time, being a better person topped the poll for the first time since 2014. being a better person got 16%, losing weight, 10%, exercise more, 10% as well, and spend less, save more, 7% as well. as far as you two are concerned this christmas time, it's almost impossible for you to be better people. happy christmas to both of you. >> you really know us that well. that's your assessment of us. but you know, i'll take it. >> i think the thing about better person is misleading because it encapsulates all the things underneath it, which includes losing weight, saving money, and exercising. thank you for joining us. >> just ahead, tiger woods is tiger claus. he shares a bizarre christmas tradition. plus, this photo is going viral. why this boy's story has the internet in tears. that's next. stay with us. rm. the vault to man's greatest wonders... selfies, cat videos and winking emojis. speaking of tech wonders,

with the geico app you can get roadside assistance, digital id cards... or even file a claim. do that.. yeah, yeah that should work. it's not happening... just try again. uh, i think i found your problem. thanks. hmm... the award-winning geico app. download it today. i'm about to pop a cap of "mmm fresh" in that washer with unstopables in-wash scent boosters by downy. because this scent lasts up to 12 weeks, which is longer than any relationship i've ever been in. freshness for weeks!

dobecause you've got ams lot of cheering to do! get fast sinus relief...with vicks sinex. and get your head back in the game. sinex. the congestion, pressure, pain to clear your head, medicine. hey!reens presents, a holiday mini miracle. hey! ♪ this is for you. did you really? didn't have too! ♪ getting the gift you almost kept for yourself? now that's a holiday mini miracle. and it's easy to create your own at walgreens... with most stores open till midnight, and till 10 p.m. on christmas day. walgreens. at the corner of happy and healthy.

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 breaking news. everybody won the lottery. even if you didn't buy a ticket, your friend bought one for you. ticket holders will each receive $4 buzle. >> beyonce has announced the winter dates for your tour, and it kicks off in your wiliving room. >> wait for it, wait for it, wait for it. >> you're awesome. >> there it is. >> doesb that make you feel good. >> it was very nice. a lot of good news out there.

here's a story for real you're going to love. this is 3-year-old michael brown. he was adopted this week by his foster family. the excitement on his face is priceless. that's because the sign there that he's holding says after 832 days in foster care, today i am adopted. one of his adoptive sisters posted pictures on twitter, and as you can imagine, the holiday season with everybody looking for a sign of good hope, it was retweeted more than 50,000 times. so one lucky boy right there, in the foster care system now having a permanent home and a permanent family. >> that face you just want to squeeze, so cute. >> tiger woods as santa claus or rather tiger claus. lots of people wearing ugly christmas sweaters, but look what he decided to go, go shirtless. he tweeted a picture with this caption, christmas tradition that my kids love, mac daddy santa is back. this is "early today." i don't see cake, i just see mess. it's like awful. it feels like am not actually cleaning it up.

what's that make mommy do? (doorbell) what's that? swiffer wetjet. this is amazing. woah wow. now i feel more like making a mess is part of growing up. only new wetjet pads have absorb and lock to soak up tough messes and lock them away stop cleaning. start swiffering. testinhuh?sting! is this thing on? come on! your turn! where do pencils go on vacation? pennsylvania! (laughter) crunchy wheat frosted sweet! kellogg's frosted mini-wheats. feed your inner kid

let's take you through your holiday travel weekend. today, we mentioned the very heavy rain in central california, on the coast, moving through the bay area. eventually that will move down towards los angeles. also a wintry mess in areas of the central plains today. tomorrow, we start to clear it out. cool in san francisco and l.a. for christmas eve. weather will be there for salt lake city, and also in areas in northern arizona getting snow. by christmas day, much of the west begins to clear out, which will be good for travel out there. today is the difficult day. >> make it through today. bill, thank you very much. >> a star player for a college basketball powerhouse has brin suspended indefinitely after a series of serious fouls on the court. >> duke university junior greyson allen was called out for

tripping an opponent. it's not the first time he has done this. >> constant movement by the phoenix. >> the first half was winding down. duke in command of the game, when one of its star players lost control. >> as we saw in that replay there -- >> it took the replay to clearly show what's been seen before. star guard greyson allen caught purposely tripping an opposing player again. nobody injured, but this player's reputation severely hurt. >> i made a really bad play. sor sorry. i'm sorry to my team. >> known for strong moves, allen has a reputation for dirty play. february 8th, his first tripping incident against louisville. two weeks later, another takedown against florida state. now, a third foul. some say is bigger than the game. >> sportsmanship is something we value as american sports fans. what greyson allen is doing with the tripping is the opposite of that.

>> already a superstar at one of the nation's most prestigious universities, allen skipped the nba draft to play another year with du. s krzyzewski -- >> what happened was unacceptable. he knows it. >> says he's both allen's coach and teacher. and the lesson he is giving is bigger than basketball. miguel almaguer, nbc news. >> you hate to see like such a nice sport, especially at a collegiate level, have that kind of ugliness in the game. only hope that he's learned from these mistakes and going forward does not repeat them. >> especially if he decides to go pro. maybe this will be the shift. >> especially under coach k. who probably doesn't tolerate that behavior. >> we thank you for being with us on this friday. i'm frances rivera. >> i'm ayman mohyeldin. from our "early today" family to yours, have a wonderful and safe holiday. see you back here monday morning.

good morning. we are in a microclimate weather alert as this storm system moves into the bay area with heavy rain, gusty winds and the potential of thunder and lightning as well. i'll have details coming up in the forecast. pete suratos in the north bay where we're monitoring the wet conditions all morning long. i'll be bringing that to you coming up. breaking news from overseas. suspect killed. italian police confront the man wanted for the massacre in germany after days on the run. the reason the intense search ended with gunfire. "today in the bay" starts right now. good morning on this friday aorning at 4:30.