we're in december. the vegetation is as dry as it's ever been. you know, we haven't had rain, what, since last february or something. and it's just, it's just so ready to go. >> a week later and the southern california wildfires have now scorched over 230,000 acres. >> one day that the alabama vote as the country waits to see if embattled judge roy moore with accusations of inappropriate behavior will become a u.s. senator. >> to a wild weekend of wicked winter weather including an incredible scene in buffalo. >> and not for the faint of heart, santa hats and speed owes. do we need to say more? "early today" starts right now. >> good morning. i'm phillip mena.

>> i'm frances rivera. fire fighters are entering an eighth day of fires raging across southern california. fire officials say six wind whipped fires covering more than 250,000 acres have destroyed more than 800 homes and structures. 100,000 people have been forced to evacuate. the largest blaze, the thomas fire in santa barbara and ventura counties, is causing power surges and temporary outages for tens of thousands of customers. and the inferno is triggering new evacuation orders. >> among those in the line of danger, talk show host ellen degeneres who tweeted her home is under evacuation and had to take her pets. dan has the latest from the ground. >> reporter: the thomas fire, the biggest in southern california, is still on the move. >> over of the last 12 to 14 hours we experienced extreme fire behavior. >> reporter: a new flare-up in santa barbara county, more than 100,000 residents under evacuation orders. perfect for wildfires. >> we're in december. the vegetation is as dry as it's

ever been. you know, we haven't had rain, what, since last february or something. and it's just, it's just so ready to go. >> reporter: strong and changing winds have made this fire hard to predict. it has surprised veteran fire fighters. >> flame and heat that is put off from grass that i would normally look at and assume it would do x and it's not doing that at all. it's doing so much more. >> reporter: the thomas fire began monday in ventura county, northwest of los angeles. fire fighters from across the country are now working around the clock to fight the flames. >> it's tiring. you do 24-hour shifts so we do get some rest in between, but depending on the conditions and the temperatures and such, it can be exhausting. >> reporter: exhausting with no end in sight. dan scheneman, nbc news. >> and fire fighters are trying to stay ahead of most of the six major wildfires raging in southern california. the thomas fire isn't showing signs of letting up any time soon. classes are canceled for most school districts in santa

barbara county over the growing threat. nbc's scott cohn is live from a high school in carpentry a right in the inferno's path. scott, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, frances. the hope was going into this weekend that they'd be able to gain the upper hand on this thomas fire. but as you can see, the fire had other ideas. it is now massive, 230,000 acres, that's 359 square miles. it's an area larger than all five boroughs of new york city. and it is not showing any signs of letting up. it grew 30% in just the last day. the issue, the winds, and now that it's in the santa barbara county, some of the toughest terrain around. >> you get down slope winds when you don't expect them. you get up slope winds when you don't expect them. the other issue with the santa barbara front country is the age of the fuels. the area where the fire is now last burned in the 1964 coyote

fire. so that fuel is 50 plus years old. >> reporter: and that is the fuel that you see burning behind me in the hills above carpentry a. the forecast is for the winds to die down. they clearly have done that already. and we're expecting the winds will shift again to an on-shore flow bringing moisture on. those wind shifts themselves create all kinds of challenges and dangers for fire fighters. that's part of what happened yesterday. this fire has proven to be very difficult to predict and it could become the largest wildfire in california history. right now ranked at number 5. frances? >> so erie to see the flames behind you, scott. thank you. >> one day to go in alabama's senate race. doug jones and roy moore are making their final push. moore once again denying allegations of sexual misconduct and gets his strongest endorsement yet from president trump. nbc's gabe gutierrez has more

from alabama. >> reporter: president trump with his most direct involvement yet in that critical alabama senate race. >> hi, this is president donald trump, and i need alabama to go vote for roy moore. it is so important. >> reporter: the president recording this robocall for republican roy moore. >> i'm going to make america safer and stronger and better than ever before. but we need that seat. we need roy voting for us. >> reporter: moore speaking with the host of media outlet, the voice of alabama politics. >> i know i've stood for moral values so they're attacking me in that area. i understand that. but it's also part of the scheme of political parties today and political candidates in both parties quite frankly to degrade your opponent. >> reporter: he once again repeatedly denied allegations of sexual misconduct with teen girls decades ago. >> i have written cards, graduation cards. i have known families. i have known a lot of people throughout my life. but these allegations are

completely false. i did not date under aged women. i did not molest anyone. >> reporter: but even members of his own party are breaking ranks with the president. >> are you comfortable the leader of your party is all in for roy moore? >> there are a number of people in my party that are not, including myself and many republican senators. >> i didn't vote for roy moore. i wouldn't vote for roy moore. i think the republican party can do better. >> reporter: moore's opponent democrat doug jones continued his frantic push for african-american voters. campaigning with new jersey senator cory booker. >> there's only one candidate in this race who has the opportunity of reaching across the aisle and trying to be effective. to work with both republicans and democrats. that is not roy moore. >> reporter: doug jones had five campaign stops on sunday. but meanwhile roy moore hasn't had any public events since tuesday. still with largely unreliable polling so far, this race could go either way. philip? >> gabe, thank you.

a reminder this morning megyn kelly today has an exclusive megan sits down with three women who have publicly accused president trump of sexual misconduct. that is at 9:00 a.m. here on nbc. >> the united states, south korea and japan are beginning missile tracking drills as tensions remain high with neighbor north korea. these latest drills come after the largest-ever joint military exercises between the u.s. and south korea. they are in response to the north's late november missile test. since that test, all sides have warnds the growing escalation could grow close tore war. nbc's janet mackey frayer has more. what more do we know about today's drills? >> reporter: good morning, frances. the drills are slated for two days involving the u.s., japan and south korea. they are using computer simulation to track missiles that are hard to detect. namely, those that could be fired from north korean submarines. these drills involve destroyers from three different countries in the waters between japan and the korean peninsula. they were triggered by concern

that north korea is also trying to advance its submarine missile program. this is problematic because those missiles would be more difficult to track and detect before they were being launched than those being launched from sites on land. north korea successfully tested an slbm in august of last year. now, these drills follow massive aerial drills that happened just last week as well as an intense if i indication of diplomacy in the region. the u.n. had its highest level official in six years visiting pyongyang. it was at the request of the regime. and he says that the situation is the most dangerous security issue in the world, and that time is running out. he says the greatest risk right now is miscalculation and that there need to be channels opened for dialogue in order to minimize the overall risk of conflict. the u.n. chief antonio gutierrez is also visiting japan this week and another sign that the u.n.

is deepening its involvement in the region, as well south korea has stepped up sanctions against north korea. these are largely symbolic, but nonetheless a bit of added pressure in a situation that is short on options. frances? >> all right, janice, thank you. >> it was a football game that looked more like a snowball fight. just outside of buffalo on sunday as the bills took on the indianapolis colts in whiteout conditions. the storm hit less than an hour before the game started and passing was almost impossible. so, running the ball was pretty much all they could do. the teams rushed a combined 97 times in this game. it was eventually won by the bills 13-7 in overtime. the win keeps the bills at 7-6 and in the afc playoff picture while the 3-10 colts are eliminated from playoff contention. >> a lot of us did get a good dumping when it comes to that snow. and more snow is in store for parts of the northeast. let's check in with nbc meteorologist bill karins. what are we looking at? >> good morning. another snowstorm, this time northern new england and for the great lakes. pretty significant cold blast can kickoff more snow, too.

winter storm watch as the northern half of the new england area from albany, new york northward to maine, new hampshire, also vermont. little section of lake effect from erie and michigan. here comes the clipper system. this is what is going to eventually come down, evolve into a new storm off the coast of new england. it will be like a maine special. really the mountains of maine, new hampshire, vermont, if you're a ski lover getting ready for the holiday ski season, this is your dream come true for snow. this is in the next 48 hours. again, we are watching the snowstorm really developing and then it's the mountainous areas of new england. this is ache lake effect snow by the way. this is one to 2 feet off of lake erie? more than 2 feet in the plateau. these are the mountains of vermont, green and white mountains those areas to easily get 6 to 12 inches of snow. great for snowmobilers and regur ration andland also dulut.

it looks like a little warm in chicago, 39. well, now this trick isn't for the faint of heart. this is an italian tight rope walker, the first person to ever cross rome's famed tiger river on a high wire. crowds watched as he inched slowly across the 442-foot-long cable suspended 65 feet above the river. he said the wind and the rain made the walk more difficult, but he still made it successfully. at night, too. >> yeah, at night with a crowd around cheering him on. >> with that i am peckably taylored suit on. >> you have to. a that's right, thanks, bill. just ahead, president's united nations envoy said his accusers should be heard. have you heard about the number of diet cokes mr. trump drinks every day? tell you about it next. are you taking the tissue test?

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united nations ambassador haley ambassador said the women who accused president trump who accused him est sexual misconduct have a right to be heard. the president trump said they were lying and voters dismissed those accusations. however, ambassador haley had this to say while speaking on cbs's face the nation. >> women who accuse anyone should be heard. they should be heard and they should be dealt with. and i think we heard from them prior to the election, and i think any woman who has felt violated or felt mistreated in any way, they have every right to speak up. >> the former south carolina governor added she was proud of all the women in numerous industries across the country who have come forward with their stories of sexual misconduct. >> up to 8 hours of tv and 12 diet cokes a day, that's what it looks like for, guess, the president. an in-depth look at his first year in office, aides and others close to the president said he watches anywhere from 4 to 8 hours of cable tv news per day

starting when he wakes up at 5:30 in the morning. the news is what provides fodder for his frequent tweets. the president has to adjust his expectations of the office learning it is better to woo not whack gop leaders to get things done and highly calf nated all those diet cokes as well. >> he has to stay up to watch that much, i guess. fire fighters in oregon rescued a deer stuck on a frozen water hazard. the deer wandered onto an icy pond at a golf course. it struggled to get on its feet. fire fighters coming to the rescue had to use a sled to push the deer safely to shore. fire fighters thanked everybody for their wonderful comments. >> if you missed this weekend's saturday night live we have you covered. plus this little boy's plight has the internet on fire attractsing captain america and more. we'll explain straight ahead.

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senator al franken announced his resignation this week in the wake of sexual harassment allegations and yet ufrpg l bad touch is up four points in alabama. you see, the democrats hold themselves to a higher standard than anyone else, which is why they always lose. it's the same reason the harvard football team sucks because you also have to be a rocket scientist to play there. but to play for alabama you just to to be able to spell bama. >> reminder the alabama crimson

tide are in the playoffs this year and harvard is not. >> point taken. aki ton jones asked his month thoer to record him after a day of being bullied on school friday. that's him. this video has been viewed 21 million times since with the #stand with keaton trending across social media. many have spoken out in support of jones including actors haley seinfeld who sent him a very special invite. >> i think you are amazing. and what makes you so special is that there is only one you, and i would love for you, keaton jones, to be my date to the pitch perfect 3 premiere on tuesday and if you would like to go be -- >> love it. >> there you go. take that, bullies. that's justin bieber sending him a personal message, like many who have said they should message him if they ever need to talk or if he gets bullied again. all over the place, we have people from snoop dogg to sean hannity to take your pick, whoever you'd like to take along with you at school to row text you from those bullies.

>> turn it around homefully for him at school. make him the most popular kid. >> on friday he left in tears, monday he shows up the most popular guy in the country. pretty cool. >> police in long island, new york are asking for your help in finding these guys. this couple here, a sky diving duo. after the pair used a stolen credit card to buy two sky diving sessions totaling around 700 bucks back in june. authorities say they purchased the dives and the video package with a credit card from a man from washington state whose wallet had been stolen. a cash reward of up to $500 is up for grabs to lead to the arrest. how tough it is for the man in washington state to know they got his credit card and they did this. >> they were thinking yolo. there is more than one day to live and they're going to see some consequences pretty soon. >> hopefully it will be fomo instead of yolo. >> exactly right. coming up a look ahead at the official start of the awards

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much trading had to be halted twice overnight. >> this morning nominees will be announced for the 75th annual golden globes televised january 7 on nbc and hosted by late night seth meyers. the today show will carry the announcement live. >> let's check back in with nbc meteorologist bill karins. bill? >> monday, good time to look at the week ahead forecast. of course there's no rain at all heading for the fire areas in southern california. that's bad. as we go through today blustery with snow in areas of the great lakes. tuesday we get the snowstorm in areas of northern new england. behind it bitterly cold air will move in along with some heavy lake effect snow. it will feel a lot colder than it did after the last shot of cold air from the lowest wind chills we've seen. by the time we get to friday, no big snowstorms in the northwest. a lot of light stuff heading to the northeast. >> bill, thank you. still the art a of making and reading tiny books. a look back at pretty digital wonders. see ya. -take care. ♪

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in this break neck digital age let's slow down a few minutes to appreciate the printed word. >> we're talking about books. some of the smallest books you've ever seen. they began in art form long ago. it turns out one library has a treasure trove of them. >> nbc's kevin tibbles got a look. >> reporter: only a mouse could curl up with one of these at night. teeny weany tomes, books, grad school bethany is cataloging them. do your eyes ever get tired? >> yeah, especially with the really tiny ones. >> reporter: the university of iowa has anything but a pint size collection. 4,000 all measuring 3 inches or less. and intricate art form that dates back centuries. >> that was printed in the 19th century. >> reporter: this copy of

dante's divine comedy has print so small it's called fly's eye type. and it was done by hand. i can't on read it with my glasses on. libraryian lets her fingers do the walking. >> this is a book about the life of general tom thumb. >> reporter: aptly named. some of the books are religious in nature, conveniently carried in a pocket. here's the complete set of shakespeare in a tiny stand. novelty versions often have colorful pull outs and for the holidays the night before christmas that would fit in a stocking. >> this is the actual envelope it was mailed in in the 1960s. have you ever received something like that in a christmas card? >> reporter: there is even a tiny flip book of a boxing match from the 1800s. the collection was donated by avid local collector charlotte smith who authored some tiny books of her own, but to these little jewels still have a place in our world of kindles and ipads? >> it takes you off line and

wants you to discover more. the role of an object like that is increased today because you know right away this is different. this is real. i want to i understand foo out more about this. >> reporter: why stop at tiny? how about micro miniatures that fit on the tip of a finger? >> it's in there. >> reporter: i certainly can't read it. >> no, i can't read it either. >> reporter: we had to put it under a microscope. whether it's shakespeare or sherlock holmes, make sure you've got a good optometrist. because a tiny book's beauty rests in the eye of the beholder. kevin tibbles, nbc news, iowa city. >> man. >> i was on board until the little tiny microscopic one -- >> a little too much effort on the eyes. really cool. >> yeah. i think it could make a come back. they're tiny little books. i don't know where you'd find them other than university of iowa. >> as long as you don't lose them, too. have to pay the library fee. thanks for starting your monday with us. i'm frances rivera. >> and i'm phillip mena. from spain to germany to denmark was the weekend for the annual holiday santa runs throughout

europe. while over in boston some very confident runners took to the streets in santa hats and not much else. keep it right here. moreewis straight ahead. ns

over a week of fighting an ever intensifying set of blazes, thousands of firefighters try to take a stand as hundreds of thousands fear for their lives and property. i did not date underaged women. i did not molest anyone. >> but members of roy moore's own party are breaking the ranks with the president as alabama voters prepare to choose their next senator. then an example of a marathoner doing one of the most honorable and selfless things we've seen in a very long time. that crazy cryptocurrency known as bitcoin got even crazier overnight after hitting the futures market. and you've got to love december football in buffalo! "early today" starts right now. good morning. i'm philip