from the cross roads of the world to the seat of power -- >> we're going to have a great year. going to be a fantastic 2018. we are off to a great start with the tax cuts, anwr and the individual mandate, which was very, very unpopular. >> president trump offering an optimistic view at a new year's eve black tie party in mar-a-lago. kim jong-un threatens the u.s. with a button at his fingers tip. a police ambush.

and wicked winter weather bringing along treacherous travel as the deep freeze kicks off "early today" for 2018. good morning and welcome to the new year, i'm frances rivera. >> happy new year, i'm phillip mena. thank you for spending your day, week, year with us. people across the u.s. rang in the new year with fireworks. new york was seven degrees below zero to watch the ball drop. >> bundled up spectators in dallas braved 20 degree temperatures as they watched the fireworks. seattle's iconic space needle transformed into a launching pad for fireworks. many parts of the world have rung in the new year with

dazzling displays like this in thailand. now to gabe gutierrez for more. >> reporter: from dubai to seoul, to hong kong, 2018 is already making a spectacular entrance. >> for new year's, i'm hoping to have a year full of love, happiness, laughter and help others where i can. >> reporter: new zealand greeted it with pyrotechniques. north korea put on an extravagant show. in australia, sydney harbor lit up, a colorful display, celebrating the recent legalization of same-sex marriage. as the rest of the world rings in the new year, police are on high alert. in turkey, 100 people arrested with links to militants, istanbul doubling the number of

officers. in germ any, stricter security after 100 women were groped and robbed two years ago at a new year's party. >> i feel safe. i'm not scared. >> yeah, not scared. >> the thing is fear. you can't let that ruin your life. >> reporter: in london, no specific threats, but urging revelers to report suspicious activity. >> 31,000 police officers in london. 8 million londoners. i want londoners to be the eyes and ears of the police to keep us safe. >> reporter: around the world, 2017 is coming to a close. in japan, a celebration of new beginnings and letting go. gabe gutierrez, nbc news. law enforcement in littleton, colorado identified a gunman behind a rampage that left a sheriff's deputy dead and several injured.

the suspect, 37-year-old matthew reel opened fire when officers entered his home. they are calling it an ambush. we have more from nbc's steve patterson. >> reporter: a deadly shootout in what the sheriff is calling an ambush. >> we have one deputy down inside the apartment. all of us have been hit at least once. >> reporter: deputies responded to a disturbance call to an apartment complex in a suburb outside denver. >> 20 gunshots, boom, boom, boom, boom. >> reporter: he opened fire at the officers after barricading himself in his bedroom. he shot seven, five deputies and two civilians, killing one deputy. >> all of them were shot very, very quickly. more of an ambush-type of attack on our officers. he knew we were coming. >> reporter: police warning residents to shelter in place

and stay away from walls and windows as deputies returned gunfire. the deputy killed, 29-year-old zachary parrish, father of who, to joined the department seven months ago. >> this is a sad day for the sheriff's office. >> reporter: visibly shaken. >> we are deeply saddened by the loss. when i sat with his wife and held her hand, i could see in her eyes, her life was over. >> reporter: residents and law enforcement showing support as parish was taken from the hospital to the morgue in a procession. all the injured deputies are in stable condition. among them, deputy jeff, recovering after emergency surgery. >> this is a tragic day, we will feel for a long time. >> reporter: mourning the loss of one of their own. five members of a new york

family are among 12 dead on a plane crashed in costa rica. ten americans were on the flight when it went down. it crashed in a mountainous area near the pacific coast, a popular tourist destination. photographs show burning wreckage of the plane. it was 140 miles we of san jose. the crew included an experienced pilot. the civil aviation director said the nature air charter was headed for san jose when it went down. the cause is under investigation. tensions between the u.s. and north korea escalate, kim jong-un says the united states should be aware the country and nuclear forces are a reality. he said the u.s. should know that the button to launch the num lar weapons is on his desk. he took the time to remind everyone the u.s. mainland is within striking distance. kelly is joining us live in

seoul this morning. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. there was that warning for the u.s. and also an ominous goal for 2018. kim jong-un not making a single mention of donald trump during the speech. he said the country would focus on mass producing warheads and ballistic missiles for operational deployment saying they would only use them if threatened. it is difficult to verify is they are now a nuclear power. the country was at a record pace with 15 ballistic missile launches and a sixth nuclear test, the strongest so far back in september. perhaps one of the most surprising parts about the speech was the overture to south korea, kim jong-un talking about the olympics to take place 60

miles south of the border, hopes they are a success and considering sending a delegation and wants to get together with the south koreans, quickly, to talk about that possibility. this morning, they said they welcome the proposal. back to you. >> thank you. check out this scene at niagara falls. parts of the falls have froze over. locals predict if the trinlg fr temperatures continue, the water fall could freeze over. that might happen. feels like it could. >> let's bring michelle grossman to tell us more about the civilized west coast. >> yeah, 70s. sunshine. >> there you go. beautiful. >> we would take that. >> beautiful. >> i lover seeing the picture. it tells the story with the temperatures seeing the falls freezing. we are looking at freezing temperatures, once again. this is days and days of this. windchill warnings and

advisories. 115 million people impacted. some windchills 50 below zero is what it feels like on people's skin. dangerous temperatures. arctic air from the south. we are seeing freezing temperatures as far south as texas this morning. four below zero in st. l what we were talking about earlier, milder. 65 degrees in fresno and 54 in love luck. looking really good there. we have another cold snap coming this weekend that may be colder than we are seeing now. >> just a warm up to the warm up to the freeze. >> get used to it. >> thank you. new year's eve is a night full of traditions. some rang in the new year like this couple, they got engaged as

the ball dropped. others watched all kind of things drop like this 800 pound peach in atlanta. a drag queen in a giant high heel in key west and a 400 pound potato in boise, idaho. >> stick with us, we have more to come. fred would do anything for his daughter. get in, fred! even if it means being the back half of a unicorn. fear not fred, the front half washed his shirt with gain flings! and that smell puts the giddy in giddy up. that's because one gain flings pac has more freshness than a whole bottle of the other guy. gain. seriously good scent. for 100 years, heritage and innovation have made gillette the #1 shave in america. now get gillette quality at lower prices --

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from latin artists. >> wow. in iran, protesters demonstrated against the government for a fourth day. people were killed at a rally in western iran. in a tweet, president trump cheered on the protesters, referring to iran as the number one state of terror. matt is following it all for us from london. good morning. >> good morning, philip. no signs of further protest today. according to the associated press, iranian state television announced ten people were killed overnight. in iran, the regime strikes back after four days of anti-government protests and just as many tweets from president trump supporting protesters for finally getting wise. the president, hasanni, broke his silence. he supported the right to protest, but took a swipe at

president trump. this man in america forgot he called iranians terrorists months ago. he has no right to sympathize with the iranians. the unrest, now deadly. two protesters were killed in a rally. officials blaming the deaths on foreign agents. an official warned protesters who cause disorder will pay the price. iranian security forces are facing protesters in the street, organizing pro-government protests and shutting down ichb stra gram and telegram. experts say president trump's tweets won't help iranians. >> his actions in terms of travel bans, visa bans, the nasty things he said about iranians. they have not earned him a great deal of good will in iran. >> reporter: this movement has taken on a life of its own. what started thursday as a burst of anger against soaring prices,

is largest since 2009. some activists chanting. a dangerous move in a country will politics are dominated by clerics with a history of crushing. the state news reports are true and the death toll has risen from two to ten, that could inflame anger on the streets of iran further and invite a vicious crackdown from the government. philip? >> thank you. still ahead, a big day in politics and football. plus, recreational marijuana is now legal in california. keep it right here. not living up to the hype? olay regenerist shatters the competition. big hype. big price. big deal. olay regenerist hydrates skin better than creams costing over $100, $200, and even $400 . for skin that looks younger than it should. fact check this ad in good housekeeping.

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fast forwarding into your new year's day. the re-elected mayors are set to hold their inauguration ceremonies today. each is expected to start their second term in office. swearing in walsh, joe biden and bernie sanders. pot is the law in california after an historic state law was pass zed last year. a big day in football with the playoffs kicking into high gear. oklahoma facing off against georgia and the rose bowl. >> from political storms to actual ones, hurricanes,

wildfires, earthquakes and more. never a dull moment in the news this year. >> with that in mind, our nbc crew went out to close 2017 by asking americans what stories had the biggest impact on them this year. here is what they had to say. >> the story from 2017 that affected me the most was -- >> all the storms that happened. we were affected badly. >> make it to the other side. >> going to puerto rico to see my family. thank gods they are okay. >> the shooting in las vegas. >> we have an active shooter! we have an active shooter inside the fairgrounds! >> i have friends that attended the concert. it was a sad time. >> honestly, inspiring to hear all these heroes that have stepped up and really showed love to strangers in need through all the tragedies. >> the story that affected me most in 2017 was definitely the

many too movement. >> we are here. we will not go away. >> this movement just really shines a light on how many people this affects and how many people are going through the same situation that i am. >> the only news story anybody would say is donald trump. >> trump. >> trump. >> trump. >> deeply affected a lot of people, how they think of the world, the u.s. and themselves. >> well, i think the concert stood out most to me. i was actually going to go there for my birthday. >> isis. >> the nfl protests. >> because of that, i have had a lot more free time since i have stopped watching nfl games. >> prince harry getting engaged because our bachelor prince is no longer a bachelor. >> the eclipse was a great thing that brought the country together for a little bit.

>> it was unbelievable. >> kind of made you feel how small we are, but how connected we are at the same time. >> i just want to say as a universal message, love outshines hate. seriously. we need to start loving each other. >> that can really be a reality for 2018. >> wise words. the arctic blast hitting much of the country continues. we'll tell you if a break is in the cards as "early today" rolls on in 2018. psoriasis does that. it was tough getting out there on stage. i wanted to be clear. i wanted it to last. so i kept on fighting. i found something that worked. and keeps on working. now? they see me. see me. see if cosentyx could make a difference for you- cosentyx is proven to help people with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis... ...find clear skin that can last. don't use if you're allergic to cosentyx. before starting cosentyx,

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welcome back to "early today." we are looking at a nation divided in terms of temperatures. take a look at the jet stream dipping to the south, that's allowing this cold, canadian air coming in coming in, opening the door to that arctic express. to the west, above normal temperatures, 10-15 above what is normal this time of year. looking across the country, cold air to the plains, mid-atlantic, new england, 6 degrees in chicago as we head toward the east. by tuesday, still cold. not quite as frigid. wednesday not quite as frigid. nashville, chilly, 27 and 21 in st. louis. so, the cold does continue, guys. >> thank you so much. stick around, we have much more ahead here on "early today." am. 40 million americans are waking up to a gillette shave. and at our factory in boston, 1,200 workers are starting their day

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2017 may have been one of the most turbulent years in history, but there was one clear place many of us went for refuge. late night comics. >> confronting the biggest political moments of the year, here is the year that was on late night. >> welcome, welcome, thank you. thank you. thank me. thank me and buckle up. i'm coming in hot. >> according to a recent article, chardonnay is making a comeback. >> and they said i wouldn't be able to create jobs. >> boo! >> i'll pretend those are mooches and not boos. >> you are charged with the job of going in front of the press

and saying that the inauguration crowd was the biggest crowd, i think ever, biggest audience. >> yes, i'm aware. >> yeah. >> "the tonight show" isn't a political show, it's my responsibility to stand-up against intolerance and extremism. >> they did an ek co-cardiogram, a sonogram of the heart and found billy was born with a heart disease. no parent should ever have to decide if they can afford to save their child's life. i am jimmy, this is billy. i was out last week because this guy had heart surgery. look, he's fine, everybody. >> the jury of your peers, the community, seeses this evidence and sees this is self-defense. that is truly depressing. what they are basically saying is, in america, it is officially reasonable to be afraid of a

person just because they are black. >> now, i don't want to belittle the beliefs of second amendment enthusiasts, we all know god wants us to have guns, he says it there in the nine commandments. that is not a substitute for action. all americans want action on this. >> this is a time i would like to reflect on all the good things i have done this year. it will only take a minute. >> before we begin, i know that myself and the press have gotten off to a rotton start. all right, all right, all right. >> i'm the attorney general of the whole united states. >> voters in alabama will never elect someone whose had relations with a minor. >> are you sure about that? >> no. >> it's not george dr. octopus. it's george papadopoulos. >> george? >> papadopoulos.

>> papa? >> papadopoulos. all right. >> let's keep the party going, i'm phillip me. >> hnaav mpletely impolite.

>> better late than never, two hour premier tonight on nbc. well, the seat of power. >> we'll have a great year. it will be a fantastic 2018. we are off to a very good start, as you know, with the great tax cuts, and anwr and getting rid of the individual mandate which was very unpopular as you know. >> president trump offering an optimistic view hitting into 2018 at a neefs black tie party at mar-a-lago. >> north korea