president's trip to survey the california wildfires, new details on the destruction, and almost a thousand people still unaccounted for. >> today we expect to learn more about the possible interaction between president trump and special counsel robert mueller in the form of written questions and answers. >> the cia concluded that saudi crown prince mohammed bin salman ordered the killing of journalist jamal khashoggi. then the president said this about the prince. >> i don't know, you know, who can really know? but i can say this. he's got many people now that say he had no knowledge. >> then to our own gabe gutierrez who takes us to tijuana, along the u.s. border where authorities are lined up to face the thousands of migrants headed their way.

>> then to airports, highways and trains, oh, my. over 54 million americans are b and the ugly as we kickoff a holiday shortened week. "early today" starts right now. good monday morning. i'm marlie hall. >> and i'm phillip mena. critics are raising a stink this morning over the president's latest insults. mr. trump targeted congressman adam schiff with either potty humor, or a typo after the california democrat criticized the acting attorney general. schiff, who is expected to head the house intelligence committee, said democrats will challenge the legality of the president's appointment of matthew whitaker who now oversees the mueller probe. in a tweet the president defended the move by saying the special counsel was not approved by the senate. he also referred to the lawmaker as little adam schiff, but replaced the fs with ts. >> the congressman clapped back tweeting, quote, wow, mr. president, that's a good one. was that like your answers to

mr. mueller's questions, or did you write this one yourself? schiff, referring to the late he felt news in the russia investigation. for more let's get to nbc's tracie potts in d.c. good morning, tracie. >> reporter: hi, marlie. good morning, everyone. the answers the president is giving in the russia investigation are written. he's talking about collusion, which he has repeatedly said never happened with russia and his campaign. but he is not answering questions about obstruction of justice. those questions, those responses should be on robert mueller's desk by thanksgiving. president trump, in a weekend interview with fox, said it was no big deal. he dictated. his lawyers took down the answers, but he does not to do a face-to-face interview. >> is that your final position, that there is going to be no sit-down interview and nothing written or in person on obstruction? >> i would say probably. probably. i mean, i can change my mind, but probably.

i think -- >> no -- >> i think we've wasted enough time on this witch-hunt and the answer is probably. we're finished. >> reporter: as for matt whitaker, the acting attorney general, questions here on capitol hill about whether he'll try to shutdown the investigation or whether he might try to keep that report, mueller's report private. >> all right, tracie, thank you. >> breaking news on the powerful and deadly wildfires causing chaos in northern california, the massive camp fire is now responsible for at least 77 congress firmed deaths in butte county. and searchers are desperately sifting through rubble and ash for more remains before expected rains can warn the bones away. heart wrenching footage from this vigil in chick owe, california, near the heavily hit town of paradise captures the sense of loss there. >> it is a difficult season, but we stand with you. we are here to support you in any way that we can. >> these burn zones are all

that's left for many survivors of the deadliest wildfire in california history with nowhere else to turn. as firefighters battle to put out the uncontrolled blaze, nbc's scott cohn reports from the ground in paradise. scott, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, phillip. this crisis is now moving into a new phase, and perhaps the most difficult. this is the evergreen mobile home park in paradise, california, or what's left of it. it was a five acre site with mobile homes and cabins. it's basically gone. you multiply this by thousands, some ten thousand structures destroyed in the town of paradise. that accounts for about 80% of the housing stock. this is a town of 26,000 people. mostly of those people displaced. some of them have gone to shelters, others, though, have gone to tent cities, and that's another problem because later in the week, the forecast calls for rain. rain is good for the fire fighting effort, not so much for anything else. rain can bring mud. it's difficult for the people who are now newly homeless.

so, the effort now is to get people to move indoors, to move into shelters. as people try and consider what will they do from here, this is not a wealthy community. a lot of people did not have adequate insurance, and so they are going to be dealing with this for sometime to come. over the weekend, some of the evacuation orders were finally lifted, allowing people to come home to what's left of what their home was to try and gather up whatever belongings there are. but at the same time, they are being told to watch out for human remains as they continue to tally up the death toll from this fire, the most destructive, the most deadly in california history. this effort to place people, to find homes for people who are newly homeless is going to go on for sometime. the rebuilding effort is going to go on for sometime. it could be years, though, before paradise, california, can live up to its name. scott cohn, nbc news, paradise, california. >> truly heart breaking. scott, thanks. >> a growing chorus of critics

is calling on the trump administration to take action this morning in the murder of saudi journalist jamal khashoggi. nbc news has confirmed the cia has concluded the crown prince himself ordered the hit. president trump has not yet said what he will do if that's true. for the latest in the investigation, let's get to nbc's sarah harman in london. sarah, the president says there will soon be a full report. >> reporter: hi, guys, good morning. president trump is promising a full report today or tomorrow, but as you say, the cia has already concluded the crown prince ordered the killing. and let's not forget there is also a tape of khashoggi's murder, a key piece of evidence that president trump says he's not going to listen to. >> we have the tape. i don't want to hear the tape. no reason for me to hear the tape. >> why don't you want to hear it, sir? >> because it's a suffering tape. it's a terrible tape. i've been fully briefed on it. there's no reason for me to hear it. in fact, i said to the people, should i? they said, you really shouldn't.

there's no reason. i know exactly -- i know everything that went on on the tape. >> what happened? >> it was violent, very vicious and terrible. >> turkey saying the saudis may have taken his dismembered corpse out of the country in luggage. trump clearly wants to maintain a close alliance with the saudis and the crown prince specifically. but evidence is mounting that he ordered the murder of an innocent journalist. marlie, phillip? >> sarah, thank you. >> this morning rising tensions on the u.s. border as the first wave of the migrant caravan arrives. thousands seeking a sigh rum in the u.s. faced offer with protesters in tijuana. amid fears that mexico is not prepared to handle the massive influx. meanwhile, their arrival is pushing president trump's key midterm message back to the forefront. nbc's gabe gutierrez is in tijuana where thousands of migrants are camped out there. gabe, good morning. >> reporter: phillip, good

morning. mexican police in riot gear have shown up here at the main makeshift shelter where thousands of migrants have shown up in tijuana, mexico. these arenter demonstrations that, by local residents, who want these migrants out. so far about 3,000 of the roughly 10 now people in multiple migrant caravans has already arrived here at the mexican border with the united states. tijuana's mayor has called this an avalanche, and says that the city is ill prepared to handle all these migrants. so what you're looking at now, straighters, local residents who say these migrants do not belong here and they want them to leave, essentially. now, president donald trump has tweeted saying that since tijuana is ill prepared for this so-called invasion, so is the united states. and he has largely dropped the issue since the midterm election, since he use it had to rally his base. he has tweeted about it in the last several days. the question is how long will these migrants be here in

mexico? the u.s. government tightened its restrictions for asylum seekers and said some of the migrants are deciding right now whether to stay here in mexico or try and continue their journey to the u.s. it would be months before they are processed. so far 6000 american troops have been deployed to the u.s. border at an estimated cost of $220 million. the big question right now is how long will the migrants who have flooded into tijuana, mexico, how long they will remain here and whether they will be able to be processed as they seek asylum in the u.s. phillip, back to you. >> gabe gutierrez, thank you. >> florida is suing the nation's two largest drugstore chains. attorney general pam bonxi announced she added walgreens and cvs to a state court lawsuit. it alleges the two companies played a role in creating the opioid crs the pharmacies failed to stop suspicious orders of opioids and dispensed unreasonable quantities of the

drugs. a cvs spokesman called the lawsuit without merit and walgreen said it does not comment on pending lawsuits. >> let's toss it over to bill karins. northern california has been hoping for some rain. >> we've been waiting and waiting. last week we said it looked like it is come thing week. it is. wednesday and thursday, look at this map from 11:00 p.m. on wednesday. the blue is the snow in the high elevations. green from just outside l.a. all the way through the pacific northwest. wednesday looks like another one comes in thursday into friday. significant rainfall. of course, it's double edged sword. you need the rain to finally end the dry season, but you also get the mud slietsz in the areas that did have the fires and burns. saturday it looks like 2 to 3 inches in mountainous areas. a little less than that in areas of southern california. it's california.

southern california's temperature will hold in the low 70s in most spots. of course, this is also a very busy travel week and we'll take a look at the entire country for anyone trying to move around the nation a little later. >> important forecast coming up. thanks, bill. forefast into monday, the colorado father who pleaded guilty to the murder of his wife and two young daughters will be sentenced today. he is facing three life terms in prison without the possibility of parole. >> accused mexican drug king pen is due in court for his trial today and tomorrow. the court will then be in recess until after the thanksgiving holiday. >> president trump and first lady melania will receive delivery of the white house christmas tree today. it is a 19-foot frazier fir from the mountains of north carolina. we'll be right back. chest. i had a pe blood clot in my lung.

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tpublicans triumphed in both the governor's race as well as the senate after a manual recount. and following weeks of criticism, broward county election chief brenda snipes officially resigned from her position. several top republicans accused her of fraud and she quickly became the face of florida's latest election woes. meanwhile, outgoing democratic senator bill nelson conceded to rick scott following their recount, and he took a parting shot at president trump. >> we have to move beyond a politics that aims, not just to defeat, but to destroy, where truth is treated as disposable, where falsehoods abound, and that the free press is assaulted as the enemy of the people. >> and in the governor's race, democrat andrew gillum exxon seeds -- concedes today republican rival and used his speech to call for unity in florida. >> game show host bob barker is

back in the hospital. he was taken to the hospital from his hollywood hills home on sunday. after suffering from severe back pain. the television great was also hospitalized on october 22nd for the same issue. according to tmz, barker's manager says he's doing better. the pain reportedly stems from a fall he had in his home last year. >> wishing bob the best. et cetera will' get to the nfl now. week 11, we begin with sunday night football. the bright lights of soldier field, bears and vikings, nfc north was all about defense. each team had three turnovers. none bigger than this one. pick 6. that's eddy jackson in for the score. the bears win their fourth straight game, 25-20 over the vikes. the big easy eagles ran into the buzz saw that is the new orleans saints. who that? that's 39-year-old drew brees having mvp season. he threw for 363 yards and four touchdowns. the saints annihilate philly 48-7. if you think the eagles had a

bad day, wait till you see what happened to poor alex smith. they will live in infamy in d.c. that sack was so gruesome, we had to blur it out. smith was carted off the field with a broken tibia a fibula evas hting injury was especially eary because on the same date in 1985, joe theismann was sacked by linebacker lawrence taylor. broke his tibia and fibula also on his right leg. ended theismann's career. hopefully very different outcome for alex smith. as for the game, the texans would go on to win this one 23-21. it was their 7th straight victory after starting the season 0-3. finally in southern california, the chargers haven't lost a game since september 23rd. did not do as much for his team as denver gets the game winning field goal. chargers lose to the broncos 23-22. >> just ahead, a former vice-president welcomes a new addition to the family.

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something clearly was deeply affected by what happened in paradise, california. what he saw there in paradise, california, is clearly something he will never forget. >> you don't see what's going on until you cre, but what we just saw, weusleft . what a name right now. >> paradise. >> paradise.

>> you have to remember the name. you were just there. >> that's uncomfortable. >> it's not like it's been in the news or anything, right? parrots, they are known to copy cat. this one in england took it a little too far. he mimicked a smoke alarm. listen closely. here's the real alarm. >> all right. now, this is jazz the parrot. [ beeping ] >> that second one sounded much more like the smoke alarm. it went off only once. jazz continued to just a false . >> that is a talented parrot. >> replace thepaot is going to mim sound. >> joe biden iselcoming a new addition p htos of the time with his new pup major. major is from a litter of german

shepherd puppies. the humane society said biden reached out immediately after they posted on facebook asking for help. the bidens fostered major before adopting him. now the new pup will join the other german shepherd named champ. they look like a good pair. >> how cute is that to start your monday off? don't be go anywhere because just ahead, extreme surfers take on a 50-foot wave in portugal. you're watching "early today." that's because your home is filled with soft surfaces that trap odors and release them back into the room. so, try febreze fabric refresher. febreze finds odors trapped in fabrics and cleans them away as it dries. use febreze every time you tidy up to keep your whole house smelling fresh air clean. to wear another day. new listerine® ready! tabs™ aren't gum, mints, or marbles. seriously, what is this? if you guessed they're tabs that turn into liquid as you chew, so you can swish and clean your whole mouth instantly,

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travel, right? at least we start that way. there is a little system going to kick through the northeast late tonight into tomorrow. shouldn't cause too many delays. our monday is looking okay here. in the west we watch the storm system moving in wednesday. tuesday is a fine day to travel anywhere in the west. it looks like wednesday the rain will be in central california, northern california, along the coast line into the pacific northwest. by t get to day, the first system moves to the rockies, another one comes in behind it. that's where all the active weather will be. planyo bill mentioned it is going to be a very busy travel week. some might even say historic. we'll have a live report for you coming up.

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get enough after their world surf league tournament was held on friday in portugal. they stayed behind just to catch the massive waves up to 50 feet high. usually during the winter, this time the athletes weren't competing against each other, but rather against mother nature. so with just their boards and their bravery, they rode waves as tall as buildings. you can barely see that surfer beneath that water. >> not many people will experience that. 54 million americans are expected to drive, fly or ride the rails this thanksgiving holiday week. the tsa is warning of unprecedented crowds at airports. we go now to nbc's wendy woolfolk live atl airport. wendow >> rgood morning again to you. things are picking up here at o'hare international. more people taking airfares and recent drop in gas prices. whether taking to the skies, or hitting the roads, more people will travel to celebrate

thanksgiving this year. >> so we are expecting it to be a very busy thanksgiving travel holiday. 54 million americans will be traveling more than 50 miles away from home. >> reporter: with the majority of travelers taking a road trip this holiday season, a 20 cent drop at the pump isetngo be thankful out. >> reporter: avoid rush hour in metropolitan areas between 3:00 and 5:00 p.m. >> it would probably be best for travelers to consider driving on the actual holiday. if you can hit the road early in the morning and till get to your destination in time for turkey, that will be a good plan. >> reporter: if your plans include using an airline ticket, you'll be one of the record 3.6 miion tuesday after thanksgiving. >> please give yourself some extra time. give yourself some time to park the car, to get into the airport terminal, and certainly to get through security. >> reporter: the transportation security administration has added staff and canine units at

airports nationwide. and there's new x-ray and conveyor belt technology to help move the lines more quickly. >> give yourself some time. it reduces your anxiety. it reduces our anxiety. >> reporter: stress reductioning always something needed during a busy holiday travel season. these are the biggest lines we've seen here since getting out here a little before 3:00 local time. the biggest hang up in these security lines, prohibited items. you have to make sure you dig deep in those purses and carry-esrere no water bottles that have the slightest bit of liquid because definitely that will cost you extra time, fbo other tr

thousands of volunteers are pouring into california to help the displaced residents left homeless by the raging wildfires.

can they rebuild as we head into thanksgiving? today may bring us one step closer to the actual details of the murder of saudi journalist jamal khashoggi along with recordings of the incident that president trump refuses to listen to. calling them very violent and very vicious. then to the home front the busiest thanksgiving travel week in a decade. with over 54 million americans or more home. some good news to bank on. to the budding new theme for couples