revamp, amid public challenges against the intel community, reports that donald trump wants to shake up the cia. a hail mary. president obama makes a last ditch effort to save his signature law as democrats and republicans hold dueling rallies on the hill. life or death, the charleston church killer defends himself in court. a close call. a new details on how queen elizabeth was almost shot in her own palace. and a rabid bobcat and an on coming car in the restaurant. and why a popular product is getting an "f."

"early today" starts right now. great being with you on a thursday morning. i'm frances rivera. after weeks of president-elect trump's loud and blunt public challenges against the intelligence community, leveling a series of social media attacks against the agencies and even going so far as to mock and dismiss their assessments, a new "wall street journal" report now says trump will look to dramatically revamp the office of national intelligence. it was tasked with overseeing the 17 different intel agencies. it's a move many insiders feared after trump repeatedly questioned the intel community's capabilities. and it comes after the president-elect took to twitter to praise julian assange, a person many including insider republicans see as a national foe. he said this of the wikileaks founder. julian assange said a 14-year-old could have hacked podesta. why was was dnc so careless and said russians did not give him the info. well, that was a different tone compared to house speaker paul ryan hours later. >> look, i'm not going -- the

last thing i'm going do is start commenting on every little tweet or facebook post. >> let me ask you what your opinion is of julian assange. >> i really have none other than i think he's a sycophant for russia. he leaks, he steals data. and compromises national security. >> responding to "the wall street journal" report a top transition official concedes there is quote, a lot of discussion on revamping the intel office, but called the journal's article quote, oversold. trump is scheduled to be briefed by top intel officials on friday at his fifth avenue headquarters. and later this morning, one of trump's republican colleagues, senator john mccain, will hold the first of what will be many hearings regarding the russia's alleged interference in the election. elsewhere, republicans and democrats engage in the showdown of all showdowns.

republicans led by vp elect mike pence mapped their plan to dismantle president obama's affordable care act. while democrats galvanized by the president himself met in an effort to hold their ground. but what does it mean for the 20 million americans who have gained coverage through the act? nbc's hallie jackson has more. >> reporter: a rare simultaneous showdown. a few minutes and a few hundred feet separating president obama and mike pence. rallying their troops for congressional combat. >> make america sick again? is that what the republicans want to do? >> we've got to fix this by replacing it with something better. >> reporter: for the gop, killing the law's politically popular. but policy wise? a puzzle. >> we are going to get health care at a much lower price. >> reporter: and while donald trump's taking aim at the law overall, tweeting it will fall of its own weight, he still wants to keep coverage for people with pre-existing conditions and let those under 26 stay on their parent's coverage. the catch? those popular pieces are paid

for by the unpopular mandate, requiring everyone to get insurance. >> you can't keep the good parents of the aca and remove the rest of the law and still have it work. >> reporter: so what will the replacement plan look like? not even republicans know for sure. >> within six months we should be able to put pen to paper and have a replacement plan. certainly we're not doing that on day one. >> reporter: it will only take 51 votes to tear down the law. republicans can do that on their own, but to build it back up, 60 votes. meaning they'd need democrats to help. >> when you break something that's difficult to begin with -- >> reporter: are you prepared to own the political fallout potentially? >> i think the most important thing for the president-elect and for the leaders here in congress is that we keep our word to the american people. >> nbc's hallie jackson reporting. now to the drama playing out in the south carolina courtroom. no apologies from dylann roof, the avowed white supremacist unanimously found guilty of murdering nine church goers.

he said he had not shed a tear for the victims as the jury decides whether to sentence him to life or death. nbc's gabe gutierrez has details. >> reporter: jurors had seen dylann roof planning the massacre and unanimously found him guilty. but the convicted mass murderer spoke to them in person for the first time. i'm not going to lie to you, he said. there's nothing wrong with me psychologically. he offered no apology for the killing of nine black church goers at the historic ame church. instead, a journal was read i loud. i'm not sorry, i have not shed a tear for the people i have killed. the prosecution's first witness -- the widow of the reverend pinckney. >> every day, it's i think about him every day. >> reporter: the courtroom was tense as prosecutors played her 911 call as she huddled in a locked office after hearing the

gunshots her 6-year-old daughter whispered, daddy's dead? no baby no, her mother responded through tears. but pinckney knew her husband of 16 years was gone. after the emotional testimony, roof chose not to cross-examine her. mental health experts say it's exceedingly rare for defendants to represent themselves in death penalty cases. >> just because he's been found competent to stand trial, he does fit the profile of somebody with schizophrenia who doesn't understand he's ill. >> reporter: during her testimony the prosecutor asked reverend pinckney's widow why roof spared her -- and she said to continue his legacy. the makers of my pillow may have sleepness nights ahead. they were downgraded from a-plus to an f and they revoked the

accreditation. one of the reasons was the infomerci infomercial. it advertises the $90 buy one, get one sale. but the sale never ended and here's how one consumer advocate puts it. >> this was an example of a retailer trying to have consumers perceive a great bargain that actually wasn't there. >> my pillow ceo was disappointed and said, my pill lie offered the sale because they wanted to give as many people as possible the chance to have great night's sleep. western states are getting pummelled overnight by freezing snow and rain. some drivers were left stranded and a road leading to lake tahoe was shut down after being buried by an avalanche. in utah the snow caused a business's roof to collapse. fortunately no one was hurt. and in denver, people are handing out blankets and warm clothes to help the homeless who are camped outside. some suffering from frost bite. and with the storm now moving into missouri, cars are skidding

across the snow covered roads and then in duluth, minnesota, it is so cold, look at the steam. you can see it rising off lake superior. how about some relief? let's turn to nbc meteorologist bill karins with the latest on this epic storm. >> we just got finished with the first one and the second is on the way for the weekend. the atmospheric weather, that's going to spread over to california and lipgering into monday. we have snow and rain shower activity out there and the heavy stuff has ended. today we kind of get a break. there's still some snow in the mountainous areas. we begin to clean up in the mountainous areas and then we have to get ready for the second one. the second one is more intense. snow levels are higher. a lot of rain with this one and we're concerned with the flooding in the river areas. any undammed streams are a big problem when you talk ab===end

jeff at chroma w/comparison california and central california. southern california some early morning shower, cloudy and damp. that's ending this afternoon. so we'll talk more, frances, about the impacts of the storm. across the country, there's a lot of winter weather to be had. >> okay. bill, thank you. here's something that's coming out of the cold. the incredible images from china of the illuminated frozen wonderland. it's part of the 33rd ice and snow festival. helping the chinese celebrate the new year. more than a million tourists come to admire the 20 foot tall sculptures and constructed completely out of ice. just ahead, gizmos and gadge its aplenty. a live report from the consumer electronics show in las vegas. plus, a close call for the queen. new details on how she was almost shot in her own palace.

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watch how one driver is taking the term drive tore a whole new level. see that plow right through the michigan restaurant and look at the customers in the booth. barely missed them. police say the woman who was driving with her mother and children inside may have actually hit the gas instead of the brake. despite what it looks likie amazingly how close it got to the customers no one was hurt. jerry brown threw down the gauntlet against the incoming trump administration, announcing he would launch his own quote, damn satellites into space if the administration scales back nasa. well, now the governor is putting his money where his mouth is. the state has hired former attorney general eric holder to bolster what it sees as imminent battles with the trump administration on everything from climate change, lgbt and immigrants' rights to labor laws and space exploration. holder will serve as the adviser

and outside counsel. check out this story from "the new york times." a new report details how britain's queen elizabeth was nearly shot several years ago. late one night, a buckingham palace guard reportedly saw someone in the dark. he tried to call out, and to his surprise, it was the queen. the guard then blurted out, quote, bloody hell, your majesty, i nearly shot you. the queen kept her cool and said, quote, that's quite all right, i'll ring through before hand so you don't have to shoot me. she sounded like the queen in her british accent. now to the hottest new technology on the gadgets that goen display today in -- go on display today in las vegas and home technology is dominating the event. chris poll loan has more. >> reporter: good morning. just walking around here in vegas you can tell our homes are going to be a lot smarter at this time next year. everything from our door locks

to our garbage cans as manufacturers try to make our lives easier, safer and save us some money. it's the 50th year of the consumer electronics show where the products of tomorrow are unveiled today. nearly 4,000 manufacturers showing their latest and greatest gadgets and gizmos to more than 165,000 people, from fitness trackers that fit on your finger to robots that will give you directions to the airport. the hot buzz phrase is the internet of things or iot. making everyday things you have used your whole life like your fridge or bed smarter. >> now, you can buy systems in your home that all work together. and rather than having to control everything through a different app. >> reporter: even your garbage can is part of your smart home now. >> the trash can inside it, in fact, it's all -- >> reporter: scan your trash as you throw it away and eugene will tell you whether it can be recycled and let you buy more online right from your phone. >> alexa, trigger lock.

>> reporter: your voice can open your doors and your lights can do a lot more than turn on and turn off. stringify are bridging the divide to make most of the products work together. >> from the user's standpoint, why did i want them to work together? there's the use case issue and then the compatibility issue. we try to solve both of those. >> reporter: thinner, smarter, better. the future has arrived. >> nbc's chris pollone, thank you. the backlash over the disappointing holiday sales, and how much would you pay for this fish? we'll tell you what this man paid for the big tuna. [ gears stopping ] when your pain reliever stops working, your whole day stops. try this. but just one aleve has the strength to stop pain for 12 hours. tylenol and advil can quit after 6. so live your whole day, not part...

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the dow continues its dance can 20,000 and disappointing holiday sales are taking a hit on major retail sales. landon dowdy has details. >> wall street may get some back today and the stocks are rising yesterday following the release of the minutes from last month's fed meeting which shows the central bank thinks interest rates may raise faster than previously expected. and investors having a strong showing in auto sales. meanwhile, watch shares of retailers today. macy's and kohl's tumbled in late trading last night after

both chains slashed their profit forecast following weak holiday sales. macy's says customer traffic continued to decline even though the online business is doing well. the company is closing 68 stores as part of a plan announced last summer to shut 100 locations nationwide. here's a true fish out of water story. a giant bluefin tuna fetched nearly $640,000 at the annual new year's auction at tokyo's famous fish market. today the opener of a sushi chain bought the 470-pound fish caught off the coast of northern jap japan. it's been on the menu all afternoon, frances. >> wow. a whole lot of tuna rolls, sashimi and then some. thank you, landon. just ahead the obamas are reportedly planning a star studded farewell party. who's on the guest list? and ellen's emotional tribute to the hilarious carrie fisher. ite your best efforts.

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stallones, three daughters with wife jennifer flavin. the golden globes are this sunday, live at 7:00, here on nbc. >> he'll hit it out of the park. he's jimmy fallon. when you have friends like amy poehler and tina fey who have done it before. >> there will be some shenanigans. all right, ellen degeneres and her emotional tribute to carrie fisher. she shared special memories and she reminded us of her special sense of humor. >> i live next door to my mother that's a reality show. >> did she move in there? >> i think that's her. [ laughter ] >> if that's not her, i will be so pissed off. >> that's great line. >> isn't it really touching. meanwhile, the fans have started the change.org petition to officially crown princess leia

as an official princess. >> there's only like 12 or 13. >> a lot of executives in the room trying to make the decisions. she was taking about the reality show. there was a hbo showing the two together. well, new details are emerging about one of the hottest tickets in washington, d.c. the obama's farewell party at the white house. "the washington post" reports the obamas are planning a star-studded affair. of course oprah, beyonce and jay z, bradley cooper who just seems to appear at every big party. samuel l. jackson and usher are the invited guests. the obamas told "people" magazine last month they'd have one final party before leaving the white house. >> i'm sure this is a full blowout and they will hit the -- they hit the dance floor all the time. >> do they clean up afterwards? >> i'm sure they have someone to do that too. this is "early today." i really did save hundreds on my car insurance with geico. i should take a closer look at geico...

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well, this is pretty incredible. this isn't your typical polar plunge. these are lake michigan surfers. look at the icicles. how long do you have to be in the water for that to happen? maybe he has a heater inside the wet suit. he's happy about it. the big story is what's going to happen the upcoming weekend. this is going to be storm number two. the next one next week is not quite as big. this can produce another seven to ten inches of rain. the snow levels are higher. there's going to be more snow melt and we are concerned with flooding. the last time we saw a flooding event we had about $178 million worth of damage, frances. that's what we're trying to avoid this time. >> all right.

thank you. authorities have not determined a cause for yesterday's terrifying train crash in new york city. they said 104 people were hurt when a long island railroad train derailed. fortunately, no fatalities. and ntsb investigators expect to be on the scene for several days. a cause of the crash won't be determined until after they leave. things are getting more serious between prince harry and his girlfriend megan markal. he has met with her father. her father is extremely proud of his daughter. the royal meeting seems to have taken place during one of the prince's visits to toronto, canada. that's where markal lives and works. a close encounter with a rabid bobcat. it goes after a wildlife officer, just totally pouncing on him right there. the bobcat got into the home through an open front door in north port, florida. but wouldn't leave. the animal was removed and put down. it tested positive for rabies,

so another bobcat attack took place nearby just days ago. a rabies alert is in effect for venice and north port. if you shop at whole foods have you seen "hamilton"? >> it's the peak -- >> have you seen that or have you shopped there? well, you've finally made it. >> i knew it. i made it. >> money management site. a research company one poll asked what signifies that someone is living the american dream. if you have eaten a lobster or steak dinner, go on weekend trips, buy coffee, own a pet or if you have your own netflix subscription -- >> i'm one out of six. >> you are living the life of the american dream. i have netflix subscription but i share it with my brother so i don't know -- >> share it with me soon. >> i will give you the password. we figured out a way around that. i'm frances rivera, thanks for watching us on "early

today." see you right back here when it is happy friday time forllf a o "storm preps" being put in

place--- as a weekend system could deliver multle inches ofr bringing local rivers and creeks near--- or up to flood stage. laura//vo plus, a "building demolition" deemed absolutely storm presence put in place. demolition deemed absolutely necessary. the recent weather has leaders saying they must act now to prevent a formerer apartment complex from falling into the ocean. and a serial purse snatcher snatched up by police. the group they say he was targeting in his crime spree. today in the bay starts right now. around these parks we like to call this friday eve. thank you for joining us. i'm sack brock. >> around these parts, i