breaking overnight, former h.w. bush hospitalized. information on his condition ahead. as donald trump prepares to take office in two days, surprising new polls on how americans really feel about their new commander in chief. captured. suspected cop killer markeith loyd arrested and restrained with the handcuffs of a slain police officer. >>chelsea manning's 35-year prison sentence for giving classified information to wikileaks commuted by president obama. donald trump's hhs nominee tom price faces tough questions with millions of people's health care at stake. >> betty white reveals the secret of life on her 95th birthday. "early today" starts right now. great being with you.

>> i'm ayman mohyeldin. breaking news. former president bush has been hospitalized but is resting comfortably. he is doing fine, and his office says they expect the former president to go home in a couple days. earlier this month, bush's office and his wife, barbara, who celebrated their 77th wedding anniversary, would not attend trump's inauguration due to his age. donald trump is back at his fifth avenue place one of the last times before his inauguration. he had a black tie dinner packed with foreign diplomats where he boasted to large crowds planning to attend friday's inauguration. >> this place is surrounded tonight, but i want to thank you

all for being here. we have great respect for your countries. we have great respect for our world. i also want to tell you, you know, so many people are talking about what's going on and now they just announced i think we're going to have record crowds coming. >> talk of record crowds kind of the trump transition team is going out of its way to post social media ads to encourage people to head to washington for festivities. when president-elect trump takes office, he'll be entering the office with the lowest rating ever. 44% of americans approve of trump's handling of his presidential transition. put those numbers into context. president obama's transition had a 71% approval at the same time. and just 30% express high levels of confidence that trump has the right set of goals and policies to be president. a whopping 70% are somewhat confident or not confident. >> trump has decried the new data calling the polls rigged as he did in the election. greater still. seven in ten americans now say

they disagree with trump's favorite method of communication as he uses twitter to meet the masses. 69% of those say trump's tweeting is bad and could have unintended major implications. trump can count on vladimir putin as a supporter. in fact, the russian president came to his defense. that and more as congressional list of democrats grows in the boycott against friday's inauguration. nbc's hallie jackson has more. >> reporter: from vladimir putin, a perhaps unsurprising response to those salacious but unsubstantiated allegations against trump. rubbish. putin accusing the obama administration of trying to delegitimize trump. working to solidify a partnership even before it begins friday, inauguration day. dozens of democrats will be boycotting. the no shows now numbering more than 50. scattered reports of boycotts popped up in 1973 with richard

nixon and 2001 with george w. bush but nothing that reached this level of coverage. sparked by comments from congressman and civil rights freedom writer john lewis who despite saying this would be his first missed inauguration also skipped president bush's in 2001. >> we didn't attend it, like so many other members of the congress didn't, but president bush was a friend of mine. >> he got caught in a very bad lie. let's see what happens. as far as other people not going, that's okay. because we need seats so badly. >> reporter: demonstrations already starting in washington. at least 99 of them planned this week. some for, most against. >> that was nbc's hallie jackson reporting. to capitol hill where trump's cabinet picks faced a drilling. democratic lawmakers went after betsy devos, the president-elect's pick to lead the department of education after she refused to rule out defunding public schools. >> the financial futures of an

entire generation of young be people depend on your department getting that right. now, mrs. devos, do you have any direct experience in running a bank? >> senator, i do not. >> do you have -- have you ever managed or overseen a trillion dollar loan program? >> i have not. >> how about a billion dollar loan program? >> i have not. >> okay. >> i've worked -- >> you have no personal experience with college financial aid or management of higher education. >> and senator cory booker says he will vote no on devos's nomination. that is another one of trump's cabinet picks openly disagreed with him. this time congressman ryan zinke. he bluntly said he flat out disagrees with the president-elect's position on climate change. later today h.h.s. nominee tom price will face off against the senate house committee as they are outright refusing his nomination due to ethics concerns. for more we're joined by nbc's tracie potts. tracie, what more can we expect this morning?

>> reporter: a lot of questions about this $2600 that he purchased in stocks in a medical device company around the time that he also introduced legislation to roll back some regulations that would affect that company. now the trump transition team says they have it all wrong, and they say this is a purchase by a broker and he was not aware of that purchase until several weeks later and he reported it and had been working on the legislation a year before, and it's raising questions likely to come up at the health panel hearing today where they will be looking at whether or not he should be confirmed. there's another hearing happening next week before the senate finance committee. >> tracie potts there in washington. thank you. after a month long manhunt. murder suspect markeith loyd has been captured. he was accused of fatally shooting his ex-girlfriend. then while being sought for that crime loyd allegedly shot and killed orlando police officer debra clayton.

while being taken into custody, he claimed that police beat him up. the orange county sheriff said his face was injured when he resisted arrest. he was wearing body armor and had these weapons. one was a glock handgun. it was modified so it could carry up to a 100-round drum of ammunition. in another shocking detail the sheriff revealed that loyd was from around the corner from the officer's house. president obama granted 209 kau phaou commutations. the most controversial was for chelsea manning. nbc's dan schenn any man has more. >> reporter: president obama has commuted the sentence of chelsea manning after she served seven years of a 35 year sentence, the longest sentence for any leaker. the former army private was

convicted of passing more than 700,000 documents and battlefield video to wikileaks. last november she asked the president to commute her sentence. at trial she apologized. >> i can only go forward and i won't to go forward. before i do that i understand that i must pay the price for my decisions and actions. >> manning's lawyer says justice was finally done. he argues the government was never able to point to lives lost or specific damage caused by the leaks. >> we have secret sessions of the court martial where that would be the place that the government would do that and the answer was no. what they would be able to show and what they did show was certain diplomats had their feelings hurt. certain countries were upset. >> reporter: nbc news has learned defense secretary ash carter was opposed to the commutation and republican action was swift. >> i think we ought to set examples and you do it by letting people know, you are going to do that, you'll pay a heavy price.

>> reporter: manning was convicted in 2013. a day after a guilty verdict, announced she was a transgender woman named chelsea. she is currently in a male prison in kansas and reportedly tried to commit suicide twice last year. a driver found himself in a sticky situation tuesday morning when his truck was swallowed by this giant sinkhole. it was carrying more than 1500 gallons of water when it sank through a parking lot. thankfully though the driver managed to climb out unharmed. let's check in with nbc meteorologist, bill karins, to see about the weather. >> in the portland area, that system is warming up a little bit and pacific air moving in. thursday showers and another big storm brewing possibly as we

head towards friday, and so as you would guess this time of year, high elevation snows, we're getting that, and now we will watch some of the moisture headed to the south, so san francisco and l. .a rain, and we are removing moisture to the south, and it's umbrella day today from monta rphaupmonterey, california. just ahead, president-elect trump is facing a new discrimination lawsuit filed days before he takes office. and betty white reveals the secret to a long and happy life.

especially for people with heart failure. but today there's entresto... a breakthrough medicine that can help make more tomorrows possible. tomorrow, i want to see teddy bait his first hook. in the largest heart failure study ever, entresto was proven to help more people stay alive and out of the hospital than a leading heart failure medicine. women who are pregnant must not take entresto. it can cause harm or death to an unborn baby. don't take entresto with an ace inhibitor or aliskiren. if you've had angioedema while taking an ace or arb medicine, don't take entresto. the most serious side effects are angioedema, low blood pressure, kidney problems, or high potassium in your blood. tomorrow, i'm gonna step out with my favorite girl. ask your doctor about entresto. and help make the gift of tomorrow possible.

what's the best way to get two servings of veggies? v8 or a powdered drink? ready, go. ahhhhhhhh! shake! shake! shake! shake! shake! done! you gotta shake it! i shake it! glad i had a v8. the original way to fuel your day. 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

i'm so blessed with good health and faculty. i mean, i've got memories and all of that, and that's -- you can't really expect that at 95. i am the luckiest broad on two feet. i am a positive thinker. i'm an optomist and that's why i've stayed healthy all my life. everybody has been so wonderfully kind to me for all these hundreds of years and i love you and thank you. >> she's absolutely adorable. what an amazing, remarkable woman. that was betty white on her birthday sitting down with katie couric to reflect on her 95 golder years of life with serious optimism, i would say. >> healthy, happy. she looks great. sense of humor. leading the news this morning, a new report says millions could lose health insurance if republicans repeal

obamacare. the nonpartisan congressional budget office says if obamacare is repealed without a substitute, 32 million americans will be without insurance and premiums for individuals could double all happening within 10 years. well, that comes as a new nbc polling shows obamacare getting its highest approval rating yet with 45% of americans saying it's a good idea compared to 41% against. also leading the news this morning, the secret service will pay out $24 million to settle a decades old lawsuit that accused the agency of discriminating against african-american agents. as part of the settlement the secret service will not admit any wrongdoing but will still give up to $300,000 to some black agents who say they will repeatedly passed over for promotions that instead went to less qualified white agents. a former contestant on the apprentice has filed a lawsuit against donald trump. she claims the president-elect defamed her in tweets and at rallies when he denied allegations of groping her during a job interview in 2007. the suit alleges trump accused summer and other women of lying and fabricating their accounts.

she will drop the suit if trump retracts his claims. trump spokesperson hope hicks said in part there is no truth to this absurd story. over to nigeria, a bomb kills many. it's believed to be the first time that the military acknowledged making such a mistake. just ahead, the trump affect has investors around the globe on edge. we'll tell you what they are next. stay with us. it's got a menthol burst. you can feel it right away. wow, that sort of blind-sided me. and it clears my terrible cold symptoms. ahh! this is awkward. new mucinex clear & cool. feel the menthol burst. while powerful medicine clears your worst cold symptoms.

start the relief. ditch the misery. let's end this.

fast-forwarding today, president obama gives the final news conference of his presidency. on tuesday the president surprised white house secretary josh earnest at his final briefing. >> this guy ranks as high as just about anybody i've worked with. he is not only a great press secretary but more importantly he is a really, really goodman. >> caroline kennedy steps down today after three years serving as u.s. ambassador to japan. and the baseball hall of fame class of 2017 is expected to be announced. some of the names likely to be

voted in, tim rains, jeff bagwell well, and ivan rodriguez. investors eye a speech by janet yellen this afternoon. the dollar dropped sharply yesterday by a comment on president-elect donald trump in an interview with the wall street journal, he said u.s. companies can't compete with chinese rivals because the value of the dollar is too strong. and meanwhile lowe's are cutting jobs, and other positions are are distributions and call centers and lowe's corporate headquarters. the retailer is overhauling its staffing dollar. netflix adds another feather to its content cap. it signed a big production deal

with "seinfeld" with old and newer episodes. episode will tape two standup specials. back over to you. >> thank you for that. just ahead a. brilliant taylor swift impersonation has gone viral. you are watching "early today." wait a minute... hey... hold on, i can explain. you better have a good answer... switch to geico and you could save a ton of money on your car insurance. why didn't you say so in the first place? i thought you's was wearing a wire. haha, what? why would i wear a wire? geico. because saving fifteen percent or more on car insurance is always a great answer. be ready to clean up the mess. house. the kids have fun, but it's pretty gross.

(doorbell) what's that? it's a swiffer wetjet. i can just grab this and just go right to the mess. that comes from my floor? now that's disgusting. i want friends over! you want friends over? jimmy dean delights frittatas. a delicious, savory egg breakfast, without all the bread and carbs. made with real ingredients. an excellent source of protein to help power through your morning. jimmy dean delights frittatas. no time for a bath? johnson's head-to-toe cleansing cloths. they're twice as big as regular wipes, so you're done in half the time. and you're off. johnson's. for every little wonder. people spend less time lying awake with aches and pains with advil pm than with tylenol pm. advil pm combines the number one pain reliever with the number one sleep aid. gentle, non-habit forming advil pm. for a healing night's sleep. with not food, become food?

thankfully at panera, 100% of our food is 100% clean. no artificial preservatives, sweeteners, flavors, or colors. panera. food as it should be. your date with destiny has arrived. let's do this! new cinnamon frosted flakes are finally here. sweet cinnamon and the frosted crunch you love. well? tastes like victory t. tastes like victory. they're great! but...my doctor recommended prilosec otc 7 years ago, 5 years ago, last week. just 1 pill each morning. 24 hours and zero heartburn, it's been the number 1 doctor recommended brand for 10 straight years, and it's still recommended today. use as directed

it's been reported that donald trump doesn't like shaking hands with people, and even called it barbaric, although take a look at this. i think maybe he doesn't know how to shake hands. watch this. no. oh, there you go. like michelle obama said, when they go low, you go, too slow. >> can't get that perfect high and low balance in here. but here's something. when it comes to the perfect balance of mind, body and booze. beer yoga for you incorporates beers. the facebook pages are popping up inviting people to cup in.

>> i think there's a cap on how many beers you have otherwise downward dog is not going to work. >> you can say, downward dog isn't going to work. one little girl's performance going viral with her channeling taylor swift. 7-year-old appeared on philippine competition show and wowed the crowd channelling the grammy winning pop star's singing, impressions and even costumes. check this out. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ >> you got it. >> pretty remarkable, right? she nailed some of those moves. she's got all of the looks. even the costume changes. >> setting the bar though, i think she has to do a little bit of shake it off with all the costume changes and the looks. look at it right there, she's got a great start right there. this is "early today."

puffs have pillowy softness for dakota's tender nose. with lotion to comfort and soothe when she blows. don't get burned by ordinary tissues. a nose in need deserves puffs, indeed. now get puffs plus lotion in the squeezable softpack. achoo! snap achoo! snap achoo! achoo! snap snap achoo! achoo! feel a cold coming on? zicam cold remedy nasal swabs shorten colds with a snap, and reduce symptom severity by 45%. shorten your cold with a snap, with zicam. babdo you want any?p. no thanks. i have a salad. there's nothing like a bowl of campbell's chicken noodle soup... and salad. made for real, real life.

welcome back. what's another two or so feet of snow? now, as far as the snowfall totals are going to go, highest in the peaks as you would expect, and when you get dune to four or 5,000 feet, that will be today and tomorrow. warmer but showers continuing, and the steadier rain is moving further to the south. all of the active weather in the country definitely causing travel delays from the west coast to the deep south. three days before leaving office president-elect gave some 273 individuals a second chance, officially granting more pardons than any president in history,

and some of the most standout, james cartwright who pleaded guilty to lying to the fbi about his discussions with reporters about the nuke program, and a hall of famer that was convicted in 1995 with tax evasion, and the co-founder of new york's famed studio 54 nightclub who was convicted for tax fraud. and then ordered to remain behind bars until trial, and during the hearing prosecutors say santiago gave conflicting stories for his motive, and he said he was inspired by isis from websites. and it's my son's dream job, the university of cambridge in england is looking to hire a lay

go professor, and they are promising over $100,000 for a salary and the number one requirement, though, is to have a child-like mind-set, so if you like to get paid and play legos, hurry, because the applications close this friday and that requires a move. >> i think you would have to be an academic as well and not just want to play with legos. you can see him showing off his spinning skills, and the staff calls him the dynamic tornado, but they have no idea why this this otter likes to make himself so dizzy. >> pushes it to a new level. thank you for being with us.

thank you for being with us. >> have a great day, as a supervisor at pg&e, it's my job to protect public safety, keeping the power lines clear, thank you for being with us. >> have a great day, while also protecting the environment. the natural world is a beautiful thing, the work that we do helps us protect it. public education is definitely a big part of our job, to teach our customers about the best type of trees to plant around the power lines. we want to keep the power on for our customers. we want to keep our community safe. this is our community, this is where we live. we need to make sure that we have a beautiful place for our children to live. together, we're building a better california.

radar...where it's very light to start--- ready or not, the return of rainy weather. a live look at our radar this morning. generally nice to start, but activity will will pick up considerably as they go on. >> more activity on the ground too with pg&e. a bigger brand of crews is being primed to prevent power outages. the discovery police make when they get to the scene that has the city working on its first homicide. today in the bay starts right now. a very good morning to you. thanks so much for joining us. i'm laura garcia-cannon. >> a triple threat. back-to-back storms moving ro