as senate democrats build an obstruction of justice case against president trump, he goes on the offensive, attacking his own fbi. sending a message, the u.s. and south korea have begun the biggest joint military exercise. a $69 billion merger between cvs and aetna will have an impact on everyone's bottom line. jerusalem is israel's capital, but not everyone is happy. drone racing as you never saw it before. s did you happen to catch the supermoon overnight? "early today" starts now. >> i'm phillip mena. >> i'm frances rivera.

it's been 217 days since donald trump became the 45th president. the russian investigation is still front and center. the white house is on damage control after a weekend that saw the president weighing in on friday's news that former national security adviser, mike flynn pled guilty to lying to the fbi. at one time, president trump said he's not concerned, then tweeted why he fired flynn. it suggests he knew flynn lyed to the fbi. >> they are trying to clean it up saying it wasn't the president who authored that tweet after all. we have more from kristen welker. >> reporter: damage control. john doud saying he dictated this tweet sent to an aide. i had to fire mike flynn because he lied to the fbi. it implied he knew the former national security adviserer,

michael flynn, lied to the fbi, then asked comey to go easy on flynn. dowd saying he is responsible and the president did not know flynn lied to the fbi when he fired him. dowd adding, i'm out of the tweeting business. i did not mean to break news. news, some say, if true raises questions about an obstruction of justice. republican senator, lindsey graham warning. >> ongoing criminal investigations at your own peril. i would be careful if i were you, mr. president. i have seen this. >> he says i never asked comey to stop investigating flynn. more fake news covering a lie. comey testified to congress. >> what he wanted me to do was drop any investigation connected to flynn's account of his conversations with the russians. >> the top democrat. >> i believe fbi director comey.

i think he was very credible in his testimony and private meetings to us. >> reporter: friday, flynn pled guilty about lying and is cooperating with special counsel robert mueller. >> what has been shown is in collusion. there's been absolutely no collusion. so, we are very happy. we'll see what happens. >> reporter: at least three other former campaign associates have been indicted or pled guilty in the mueller investigation. dianne feinstein says the congressional investigations are ramping up. >> i think what we are beginning to see is the putting together of a case of obstruction of justice. >> reporter: some critics suggest as the investigations grind on, they may be taking a toll. >> as this investigation moved closer to the oval office, it has driven increasingly erratic behavior by the president of the united states.

>> thanks to kristen for that report. this morning, the mideast is on edge with a palestinian official warning the trump administration to tread carefully. israel's capital will promote anarchy. president trump is set to announce policy decisions about the u.s. decision on the status of jerusalem any day now and the president may follow through to move from tel aviv to jerusalem declaring jerusalem the capital of israel. that has the palestinian side warning of potential for violence. now, we are hearing from the man the president tasked with leading the efforts, his son-in-law, jared kushner. here is what he said about a pending decision. >> they say they have insight sources. what i'll say is the president is going to make his decision and -- >> he hasn't made this decision? >> he is looking at a lot of different facts.

when he makes the decision, he will be the one to want to tell you, not me. >> warned of possible unrest in the days ahead. as the russian investigation gets closer to the oval office, the president who prided himself on being the law and order president took on the agency. he lashed out against the fbi writing the fbi, its reputation is in tatters, worst in history. we will bring it back to greatness. democrats say mr. trump is trying to delegitimize the russian probe. eric holder said you will find integrity at fbi headquarters, not 1600 penn avenue right now. sally yates says it fbi is in tatters? no the only thing is the rule of law. the assault on the agency comes as one of the most experienced investigators was removed from

the russian probe after he sent anti-trump messages. the president went after the agency shortly after learning the news. the united states and south korea are launching forces. it will include hundreds of military aircraft. the drills come a week after north korea tested the most powerful ballistic missile ever. over the weekend, national security adviserer, hr mcmaster said north korea is the greatest threat between the u.s. and the world. >> it is important we work together with all of our allies, partners, everyone, internationally, to convince kim jong-un that the continued pursuit is a dead end for him and his regime. >> leading the news, five artists were celebrated at the 40th annual kennedy honors.

gloria estefan and lionel richie were there. the youngest ever to receive the honor at 49 years old. it had notable absences. president trump and first lady milan ya were the first to skip the gala. they wanted to avoid political distraction. alec baldwin's cold open as president trump on "saturday night live" is number one on youtube's trending video list in the christmas carol spoof. he's visited by the ghost of michael flynn after lying to the fbi. >> you came to get me, i knew it. it's the muslim stuff, right? >> no. >> the birther stuff? >> no. >> pocahontas? >> no. >> making fun of the fbi like this? >> no! sir! i'm not here for any of that. >> you have a lot of chains on. >> no, i'm michael flynn.

the ghost of witness flipped. mr. president, i came to warn you, it's time for you to come clean for the good of the country. >> the what? the good of the -- >> the good of the country. >> the good of the cun cun? >> let's check in with bill karins to see how we are looking. cooler air coming in. >> cooler in the middle of the country. we get pattern flips and the wind is cranking in california. we are supposed to be in the rainy season and we won't see rain for a week or two. very low humidity. the wind up to 70 miles per hour. the high wind warnings are in effect, especially the higher elevations and wind advisories for downtown los angeles. downed power lines and tree branches. how high will the wind get? shows the 20s and 30s in the blue. we crank it up this evening, 50-60 miles per hour. again, the high peaks and we get

into the canyons, gusts up to 70 miles per hour. we'll keep an eye on that. as i mentioned, no wet weather at all in the northwest for at least a week. that's very rare for dember. thecat off in northern arizona today, too. 41 in flagstaff. well, we are going to talk about the rest of the week's forecast. i kind of gave it away. >> that's all right, we can hear more. >> any travel, interesting things happening. >> thank you. kind of regretting not looking up last night. a supermoon illuminated the night sky. special glasses needed to see it. it appears larger and brighter, according to nasa. it lit up the sky.

nasa says it moon orbits the earth in an oval shape. sometimes it appears further away and sometimes closer. >> it was a beautiful sight to see. billy bush has a warning for donald trump and the me too backlash against women. ♪ so probably take it at night. and if you have any questions, the instructions are here in spanish as you requested. gracias. ♪ at walgreens, how we care will change over time, but why we care remains the same treating everyone with the care and attention they deserve. walgreens. trusted since 1901. ltry align probiotic.n your digestive system? for a non-stop, sweet treat goodness, hold on to your tiara kind of day. get 24/7 digestive support, with align. the #1 doctor recommended probiotic brand. also in kids chewables.

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have heard the rumblings of a backlash, this is why you shouldn't hire women. actually, this is why you should. she urged companies to place more women in powerful roles calling it the long-term solution to sexual harassment. billy bush is reaffirming the infamous tape of donald trump making crude remarks about women and sexual assault is, in fact, real. in an op-ed for "the new york times," bush writhes there were seven guys on the bus. every one of us assumed we were listening to a stand-up act. we now know better. bush says he believes the women who accused the president of sexual assault, calling them warriors. at the time he was taped he was acting in self-interest. abc news suspended the chief investigative reporter over a report on the michael flynn

investigation. he was fired without pay. ross incorrectly reported then candidate, donald trump, directed flynn to make contact with russian officials. he clarified flynn was not directed to make contact until after the election with abc issuing a full correction a day later. he said my job is to hold people accountable and that's why i agree to being accountable myself. the stock market dropped but then recovered by the end of the day. the president reacted on twitter congratulating abc calling it a russian witch hunt. those who lost money should hire a lawyer. a popular vehicle on the road to tell you about. plus, check out the outrageous cheese mug. you will not believe the equally outrageous price. that's next. i know, hon. he came to st. jude children's research hospital

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steeply discounted deals. how about that? a cookie for breakfast, lunch, dinner and dessert. all today. >> only for today. a merger deal is in the works that could impact health care costs for almost every consumer. landon dowdy has details for us. >> cvs is buying aetna for $69 billion. the deal is expected to close the second half of 2018 and create the health care triple threat combining a pharmacy and management platform along with the insurance business. this comes as insurers are facing pressure to lower medical cost and amazon threatens to enter the drug industry. ford is recalling pick-up trucks. the front seat cushions could come loose and fail to properly hold in passengers. the recall covers certain 2016

f-150s and exemployeer models fitted with front power seats. ford is not aware of crashes or injuries from the problems so far and owners will be notified starting january 8. a lavish holiday present. finlandia's cheese making a beer mug made of cheese. it holds 16 ounces of your favorite beer. they recommend a stout. the wine glass pairs well with merlot. it is offered december 6, only, in honor of finland's 100th anniversary of an independent nation. quite the hefty price tag. >> no kidding. i'm going to costco and get a slab of cheese and do it myself. a lot more ahead including the physical training of becoming true jedi knight.

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welcome back on this monday morning. if you are doing any traveling, the week ahead, across the country, a big storm in the middle of the nation is causing a pattern change. warmer in the west, colder in the east. we have to deal with a santa ana. by wednesday, much of the country is cooler than it has been especially compared to how warm we were beginning of december. mild and dry throughout the west. very little wet weather on the map. thursday looks quiet. friday, sunny skies throughout the west. we have done the big storm today in the middle of the country, crickets. >> okay. sounds good. thank you, bill. australia started debating a bill to legalize same-sex marriage in the country. one lawmaker took time to ask a

question. >> ron, will you marry me? >> that is a member of parliament, tim wilson, proposing to his long-time boyfriend seating there. the colleagues burst into cheers with the body speaker emphasizing the record should show the answer. it was a resounding yes. they shared a hug after wilson left the floor. the proposal is believed to be the first of its kind in the lower house of parliament. police released dashcam footage from earlier this year showing a speeding semitruck. that happened in england. the 47-year-old driver fell asleep at the wheel and slammed a semitruck into two stationary cars at 43 miles per hour. look at that, sending the car spinning, twirling across the highway. they were treated for non-life threatening injuries. the driver has been jailed for 16 months. that is terrifying to see that

happening. so thankful they weren't badly hurt. being aboard the international space station, it comes with sacrifices. italian astronaut mentioned to his bosses during a live stream, he misses pizza. guess what? they delivered for him. nasa sent ingredients for pies to the iss. expedition crew members had fun with it making the out of this world creations before they enjoyed movie night. >> it will be floating all over the place. >> hundreds of santas went dashing through the snow for a good cause in maine. it was the 18th annual santa sunday event. they, you know, dressed up as santas. a minimum of $15. they wore full santa gear and raised $2500 for nonprofits in the area this year. >> if you showed up, department get the memo, what is going on here. >> i'm phillip mena.

>> i'm frances rivera. thanks for watching "early today." your news continues here on nbc.

i think what we are beginning to see is the putting together of a case of obstruction of justice. >> pressure building around president trump surrounding the guilty plea of his former national security advisor michael flynn and the president's comments to james comey. >> tay president trump will fly to utah where he will face stiff opposition over a decision to shrink federally protected lands of two national monuments. >> a bombshell in the world of classical music. allegations of sexual misconduct against a superstar conductor who spent most of his career with new york's metropolitan opera. >> behind the scenes training . "early today" starts rights now.w.