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 tying the knot. right after the i dosrk

up a fatty to their happy future. weed weddings are here and some say it's high time. breathe it in deep. "early today" starts mony morni. i am phillip mena. >> and i'm marlie hall. breaking news out of northern california this morning where the deadly camp fire continues to rip through butte county. complicating rains are on the way, and it's threatening thousands who have been forced to evacuate from the wall of flames. authorities say the camp fire has now spread to some 150,000 acres of land and more than 1,000 people remain unaccounted for. >> neighbors are joining together with their thoughts, prayers, and acts of kindness as the increased threat to a working-class community full of retirees continues throughout a victims of this wildfire as crews there worked toward containment. nbc's scott cohn reports from the town of paradise,fornia. >> reporter: good morning, phillip. this crisis is now moving into

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 10,000 structures destroyed in the town of paradise. thakts f that accounts for about 80% of the housing stock. this is a town of 26,000 people. most of those people displaced. some of them have gone to shelte shelters. others have gone to tent cities. zmaz another problem because later in the week the forecast calls for rain. rain is good for the firefighting 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 to consider what will they do from here? this is not a cmunity. a lot of people did not have adequate insurance. and so they are going to be dealing with this for some time

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, trying to gather up whatever belongings there are 37 but at the same time they're being told to watch out for human remains as they continue to tal lipp tly up the death to 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 some time. the rebuilding effort is going to go on for some time. it could be years, though, before paradise, california can live up to its name. scott cohn, nbc news, paradise, california. >> all right, scott. thank you. people from around the country are reaching out to help the california wildfire victims. more than 5,000 people have joined the paradise fire adopt a family facebook group, which allows volunteers to make personal connections with people in need of support. many helping hands have also flocked to the northern california area to hand out supplies and serve thousands of

meals a day. 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's expected to head the house intelligence committee, said the democrats will challenge the legality of the president's appointment of matthew whitaker. well, in a tweet the president defended the move by saying special counsel robert mueller was not approved by the senate. he also referred to the lawmaker as little adam schiff, but he replaced the fs with ts. the congressman clapped back tweeting "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 there referring to the major developments expected in the russia investigation. for more on all this let's go to nbc's tracie potts in d.c. tracie, the drama not on holiday just yet. the president expected to submit his written answers to the mueller team this week.

>> reporter: exactly, phillip. written answers. and they're supposed to be submitted before thanksgiving. the president answering about collusion, which he's repeatedly said there was none. but not answering questions about possible obstruction of justice. his lawyers would not allow that. now, the president in an interview on fox said that he's done, questions were -- that he dictated them, that it wasn't lots of meetings with lawyers as was reported but a pretty simple process. but as for a sit-down interview, a face-to-face interview, not likely to happen. >> is that your final position, that there's 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. >> no -- >> i think we've wasted enough time on this witch hunt. and the answer is probably. we're finished. >> reporter: the question now, will his new acting attorney general matt whitaker either try to shut down the investigation

or maybe keep the mueller report private after the investigation is done? it's been 18 months. phillip. >> and we felt every bit of it. tracie, thank you. 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 a full report is on its way. >> reporter: marlie, good morning. that's exactly right. that report is expected today or tomorrow. but as you say, the cia has already concluded the crown prince ord the killing. president trump called that finding very premature. and let's not forget, there's also a tape of khashoggi'saperes 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 r? >> 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 in the tape without -- >> and what happened? >> it was very violent, very vicious, and terrible. >> reporter: turkey is now saying the saudis may have taken khashoggi's dismembered corpse out of the country in luggage. and all of this is making it increasingly difficult for president trump. he clearly wants to maintain a close alliance with the saudis and the crown prince specifically. but evidence is mounting that he murdered an innocent "washington post" journalist in cold blood. marlie, phillip? >> disturbing details. sarah,nkicans 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 ida' latest election woes. nbc's ali vitale followed all the drama and has the latest on the aftermath of the contentious senate race. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, marlie. nearly two weeks after election day and we finally have a senator from the state of florida and for the first time since 2001 it's not senator bill nelson. he conceded yesterday to republican rick scott. people called that call gracious in its concession. but here are some interesting things he said in his concession speech. senator bill nelson says, "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 the free press is assaulted as the enemy of the people." he goes on to say, "there's been a gathering darkness in our politics in recent years." and it's hard not to see that as an indictment of donald trump, someone who has brought that

particular brand of politics to the fore in recent years. and it's interesting too because republicans in this state from the very beginning of this recount process have decried a process of rampant fraud. now, there's been no evidence of that when rick scott said it at the governor's mansion or when marco rubio and other members of the florida delegation picked up that baton and ran with it throughout the course of this machine recount and then hand recount. but the question here is that in all the chaos what can be done better in 2020 through all these legal fights? there are some new rules sure to come from florida's legislature all with an eye to keeping 2020 as unchaotic as possible. back to you. >> let's hope. ali vitali, thank you. >> we have started one of the busiest travel weeks of the year. bill, good morning. >> we'll talk snow once again. nothing like the big one we had last week. this one is going to be in central and southern portions of northern new england. today we watched a little bit of snow through ohio. by 5:00 p.m. just a little narrow band that little blue stripe there in northern pennsylvania, southern -- i don't expect a lost accumulation during the day but tonight as we go through the evening as that snow moves through, northern new

england and central new england, it will be actually snowing hard enough and cold enough to be sticking on the ground and the road. we'll be doing a little shoveling in areas of new hampshire and northern portion of massachusetts. that's it. it's not going to be horrible.c. you want to talk about cold, though, right behind this little storm frigid air in the northern plains. that's going to be the story of thanksgiving, is that cold, cold air coming down from the north. >> got other things to be thankful for then, right? all right, bill, thanks. when it comes to relationship goals, former first lady michelle obama husband are a top source of inspiration. take a look at this surprise appearance during mrs. obama's "becoming" book tour. president obama even came

bearing gifts. pink flowers. the 44th president compared his book tour cameo to jay-z coming on stage during a beyonce concert. president obama proudly prades his wife for her successful book tour. >> those shelves were empty everywhere i saw her book. just ahead, where weddings loft legal weed industry seeing green. we'll tell you more when we come back. hing a ride. hing a ride. i felt this awful pain in my chest. i had a pe blood clot in my lung. i was scared. i had a dvt blood clot. having one really puts you in danger of having another. my doctor and i chose xarelto®. xarelto®. to help keep me protected. xarelto® is a latest-generation blood thinner that's...dvt or pe blood clots from happening again. in clinical studies, almost 98% of patients on xarelto® did not experience another dvt or pe. xarelto® works differently.

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introducing the all-new corolla hatchback. toyota. let's go places. now to a new warning about a terrifying scam in which callers claim that someone you know has been kidnapped and is being held hostage in return for a ransom payment. it happened last week to the family of a famous olympic swimmer, and now the fbi has a warning to keep y victim. nbc's rehem aa nightmare. oc the three-time olympic >> we were just in a state of gold medal swimming champion and his wife got a call demanding money, claiming their daughter madison was kidnapped, it seemed terribly real. >> so it popped up her face and her number. >> reporter: but it was a man with a terrifying message. >> he started shouting expletives and that he was going to shoot our daughter. >> reporter: crowdy started

recording the call. what's worse, the whole family was being tricked. rowdy and judy in florida but scammers also had daughter madison on the phone thousands of miles away. they used technology to dupe the family into thinking they were communicating with one another. >> i heard my dad yell out "madison, madison. let me talk to my dad." >> and i questioned madison, are you okay? she said, i'm okay but i need help. >> repot involved and rowdy hung up the phone. it's an increasingly common racket. to protect yourself the fbi says hang up on threatening callers. never use a loved one's name. try to reach the immediately. safe. >> in the end that's all that and -- >> that's all that reall she was matters. >> reporter: relief and a lesson about how far some scammers will go. rehema ellis, nbc news. >> terrifying for those parents. >> let's see them try that an

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as you hit the road this thanksgiving, you'll be thankful to know that you'll be paying less at the pump. the average price for regular

gasoline has dropped 12 cents a gallon over the last two weeks. the national average is now $2.68. the average price is still 11 cents higher than it was a year ago. well, planning a wedding can be stressful with the flowers, cake, guest list and so much more. but now there's a new trend to think about. marijuana. hile still illegal on a federal where recreational use is allowed are adding pot to their parties, and it's a big gadi sc. >> it is why we are here today. to celebrate their love. >> reporter: to put it bluntly, this is not your typical wedding. >> you may now smoke with the bride. >> reporter: but jeff and serena beleja have always shared a love of weed. >> did you guys smoke on your first date? >> of course. >> love at first toke? >> exactly. love at first toke. >> reporter: now they've invited family to join in on their wedding day. >> we have like the most amazing setup. it's like having marijuana

sommeliers. it's like a luxury experience. >> reporter: legal weed means big money. a projected $23 billion american market by 2022. add that to a wedding industry worth more than $70 billion annually and marijuana marriages seem like a match made in, well, california and colorado and oregon and seven other states that allow recreational pot. >> and there's another bar over here. >> reporter: it's a whole new business model for those like jamie lee mccormick, a wedding planner who calls him the flower daddy. >> so it's not just that people smoke marijuana at a wedding like this. you're talking about decorating the wedding. >> absolutely. there's can-bit in the flowers and at the altar and there's flower in the bouquet and the groom's boutonniere. >> reporter: and it sparked up a whole host of weed wedding expos and catalogs for brides and grooms. take cannabis business owner jackie plummer. for her mainstream pot is a massive business opportunity. >> a lot of the times people think you're going to be stitting on the couch. it's really much more than that. >> what type of cannabis do you

guys like? >> reporter: her company provides a weed bar, bud tenders who serve weed to guests and even coordinates a ride home. an alternative jeff and serena see to alcohol. >> you see marijuana kind of as wine. ? yeah, of course. >> reporter: and some of their guests agree. >> i haven't had any alcohol yet. and i probably won't. >> reporter: and as more states look to legalize an industry worth billions, the chances of seei mgh. gadi schwartz, news, los angeles. >> i can't imagine what they're going to do for the honeymoon. >> people drink at weddings all the time. it's the way it is. just ahead, we will have the latest on robert mueller's investigation, plus a gruesome injury at the redskins-texans game. you are watching "sunday night football" highlights coming up next. stuffy? 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.

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sunday night football the bright lights of soldier field, bears-vikings. this was all about defense. each team forcing three turnovers. none bigger than this one. eddie jackson with the pick six off kirk cousins. the bears win their fourth straight game.-20 over the viki. to the big easy where the defending champ eagles ran into a buzz saw that is the new orleans saints. who dat?hat is 39-year-old drew brees. having an mvp season. threw for 363 yards and a bad day, wait until you see what happened to poor alex smith. the redskins quarterback commemorating a day that will live in infamy in d.c. in the

most painful way possible, so gruesome we had to blurt it out. he had to be carted off the field. he had a broken tibia and fibula of his right leg. his devastating injury especially eerie because it came on the same date in 1985 as joe theismann broke his tibia and fibula on his right leg. it ended theismann's career. hopefully a different outcome for alex smith. texans win the game 23-21. bill is up next whiz forecast. plus things don't go quite as planned at a prerace nascar show. you're watching "early today." introducing the all-new corolla hatchback. toyota. let's go places. do i use a toothpaste that whitens my teeth, or one that's good for my teeth?

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blew one of them off course and into that catch fence where he got all tangled up. fortunately, a safety crew arrived and released him before the race finally got started. it's thanksgiving week but the president has much more on his plate than just pardoning turkey. mr. trump is expected to submit his written answers to questions from special counsel robert mueller in the russia investigation. and president trump says he'll also get a full report on the murder of saudi journalist jamal khashoggi. nbc's geoff bennett has more on what to expect from the white house. geoff, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, marlie. we will soon see a major milestone in the mueller probe. the president's legal team says he will submit written answers to the special counsel team by thanksgiving. that's this thursday, according to a source familiar with the matter. the president also seems to be leaning toward ruling out a sit-down interview with robert mueller. i think it's worth noting that the president is refusing to answer any questions relating to obstruction of justice, which as you know is a critical part of

the special counsel investigation. and president trump says there will be a full report likely by tuesday on the cia's reported finding that saudi crown prince mohammed bin salman ordered the killing of "washington post" journalist jamal khashoggi. president trump so farpushed ba relationship as a result of khashoggi's death. l senior-level hing for departures from the trump white house. president trump says he's considering making a change to as many as five cabinet positions amid speculation that dhs secretary kirstjen nielsen and chief of staff john kelly are eyeing the exits. and that is just some of what they're tracking today at the white house. marlie? >> that's a lot. geoff, thank you. bill karins is back with us with a look at a big travel week forecast. >> and a lot of cold to be talking about too. and you a lot of rain for the west coast. here's how we're looking as we start our week. as we go throughout the day not a bad travel day.

a little bit of wintry mix over roads shouldn't be too bad. look at much of the country is nice and clear we like to see that for all our people traveling as we go through the beginning of this week. then by the time we get to wednesday little bit of snow squall sxavths snow showers and cold begins to arrive in the northeast, widespread rain on the west coast, much of the middle of the country looking fantastic thanksgiving doesn't look too bad either but it's going to be brutally cold. it's going to be the coldest thanksgiving ever for areas of the northeast. it's going to feel like january out there. and we're still watching it. the worst of the weather this week at the end of the week is all on the west coast. >> warming up with some turkey. thank you so much, bill. >> thanks, bill. thanks for watching "early today." i'm marlie hall. >> i'm phillip mena. >> i'm phillip mena. be sure to watch mucinex cold & flu all-in-one. fights... ...sore throat, fever, cough, sinus pressure, nasa all in one. did you really need the caps lock? get tough on cold and flu symptoms. mucineco

welcome to monday morning. hope you had a great weekend. live look outside, looking up at the s curve up in san rafael, north bay, this morning. the air still bad out there, but not as terrible as last week, making some progress in that

department this morning. lot to fill you in on, good morning and thanks for joining us. i'm laura garcia. >> and i'm marcus washington. let's get to meteorologist kari hall with a look at what we can expect today. >> it's still unhealthy as far as the air quality and we're still in our microclimate weather alert astomorrow. the smoke still incoming storm, so we have storm ranger, our mobile doppler radar. you can see the red scan assyst set to move in on wednesday. as of now, it's still on i