developing overnight, flash floods overtaking california neighborhoods where wildfires devastated the region just two weeks ago. this morning the fallout. >> facing world leaders front and center at the g20 in argentina, while back at home robert mueller's legal wagons are circling the white house. >> forget your passport and id. the future is now for a handful of travelers who only need to show their face to check in at airport security gates. >> the little girl whose letter to an nba star changed the way business is done. >> can you name dog breeds? buckle up. "early today" starts right now.

good friday morning. i'm phillip mena. >> i'm frances rivera. developing overnight, heavy rain-hit areas of california already scarred by wildfires. a water rescue team saved a man clinging to a tree in a rising l.a. river in southern california. that's where officials warn of flash flooding and power outages. the butte county sheriff's office issued evacuation areas for some areas of paradise california. that's the northern town recently devastated by the camp fire. the heavy rainfall increases the risk of mudslides like the one seen here which shutdown highway 38 in the san bernardino mountains. according to local reports, the occupants of the vehicles were not injured. >> let's get over to nbc meteorologist bill karins tracking the storms for us this morning. good morning. >> good morning. coast to coast, hitting california hard yesterday, today going into the southern plains, we have life-threatening weather that's going to head to us in arkansas, louisiana and also through mississippi, through the overnight hours, even into saturday this storm is going to cause problems with

life-threatening weather on the gulf coast. it's a multifaceted storm because we're still getting snow in the sierras. the snow and storm heads to the northern plains. blizzard conditions so coast to coast. >> lot to track. bill, thank you. more explosive developments to tell you about in the russia probe. former trump personal attorney michael cohen pleading guilty to lying to congress about a project to build a trump tower month moscow. cohen admitting he lied about exactly when discussions for that project ended to protect then candidate trump during his 2016 campaign. what's more, two u.s. law enforcement officials tell buzzfeed news cohen and a russian official discussed plans to give president vladimir putin a $50 million penthouse in that proposed tower. democratic members of the house intelligence committee tell buzzfeed they will investigate once the party takes control come january. cohen's guilty plea is the 7th to come out of robert mueller's investigation, and after the plea president trump said his former fixer is a, quote, weak person who is aiming for a

reduced sentence. nbc's pete williams starts off our coverage. >> reporter: michael cohen was back in federal court pleading guilty to an explosive new charge, saying that he lied to congress when he told house and senate investigators last year about discussions between the trump organization and the russian government over plans to build a trump tower in moscow. cohen said he lied when he told congress that the dealings with russia ended in january 2016, before the presidential campaign was heating up. in fact, he admitted they continued for at least another six months, and he briefed trump family members. he also lied to congress when he said he was not in touch with any russian officials about the project and had no plans to travel there. cohen now says he e-mailed dmitry peskov one of vladimir putin's closest aides trying to get the russian's help with the project and talked on the phone with one of peskov's aides for 20 minutes. cohen said he did talk to trump campaign officials about going to russia and even suggested

mr. trump could go there to pursue the project after becoming the republican party's nominee for president in mid july. cohen said the deal was abandoned june 14th, which is the same day the washington post reported that russians hacked into democratic computers. in court, cohen said he made these misstatements to be consistent with mr. trump's political messaging and out of loyalty to donald trump. in a court filing, special counsel robert mueller said cohen also lied to congress, quote, in hopes of limiting the ongoing russia investigations. >> obviously this is very significant plea and statement. it means that when the president was representing during the campaign that he had no business interests in russia, that that wasn't true. >> reporter: other than cohen's lies to congress, the charges don't allege any other illegal conduct. there was nothing illegal about the trump organization trying to get a project going in moscow. legal experts say the charges suggest that mueller wanted cohen's testimony in court to build a case against others in the trump orbit.

>> additional charges down the road, if any, could include lying to congress as mr. cohen admitted to, but it could be other charges as well. it could be people involved in transactions that in and of themselves were illegal. we don't know yet. >> reporter: mueller's team has now found there was at least some outreach by the trump organization to vladimir putin for business reasons. now the question, was that conduit used for anything else? pete williams, nbc news, washington. >> reporter: i'm kristin welker. president trump unleashing a new arsenal of attacks against michael cohen. >> he's a weak person and not a very smart person. what he's trying to do is end -- and it's very simple. he's got himself a big prison sentence and he's trying to get a much lesser prison sentence by making up this story. >> reporter: cohen has been a frequent target of the president since july when the former fixer, who once said he'd take a bullet for mr. trump, started cooperating with the special

counsel after pleading guilty to violating campaign finance laws, stemming from that hush money payment to stormy daniels. >> it turned out he wasn't a good lawyer. >> reporter: the president's attorney rudy giuliani telling nbc news president trump's written answers to mueller about plans to build a trump tower in russia were consistent with what cohen said. it all comes as the president has been intensifying his attacks against mueller. tweeting before the cohen news broke, the probe is an illegal joseph mccarthy-style witch-hunt, and asking, did you ever see an investigation more in search of a crime? still, the charges putting a new spotlight on mr. trump's business dealings with russia, which he dismissed during the campaign. >> i will tell you right now, zero, i have nothing to do with russia. >> reporter: including to lester last year. >> i have nothing to do with russia. i have no investments in russia. none whatsoever. i don't have property in russia. >> reporter: the president saying nothing's changed. >> i didn't do the project. i decided not to do the project. there would be nothing wrong if

i did do it. i was running my business while i was campaigning. there was a good chance that i wouldn't have won. in which case i would have gone back into the business and why should i lose lots of opportunities? >> reporter: and in yet another shot at mueller, giuliani today accused him of playing politics, saying he, quote, once again files a charge just as the president is leaving for a meeting with world leaders, saying mueller did the same thing before president apartments summit with putin in helsinki. phillip? >> kristen welker, thank you. >> reporter: president trump has arrived in buenos aires for the g20 summit. he was scheduled for eight bilateral meetings but canceled the sit-down with vladimir putin ahead of arriving. one leader who may be confronting putin on ukraine, british prime minister theresa may.

nbc's sarah harman has the latest from london. good morning. >> reporter: frances, good morning. it is shaping up to be a busy day in buenos aires. first who president trump meets with and who he avoids. as you said, he abruptly canceled his meeting with russian president putin over russia's seizure of ukrainian vessels and sailors. he is set to meet with chinese president xi jinping tomorrow to talk trade and north korea. two hot button issues. the u.s. and china are the world's two biggest economies 4r0kd in a trade war. the outcome of this has the potential to calm tensions or seriously spook global investors. the other thing to watch is how the saudi crown prince mohammed bin salman is received. his government has admitted to killing "washington post" journalist jamal khashoggi. and british prime minister theresa may said she'll confront the crown prince not only over khashoggi's brutal murder, but also over the saudi-led war in

yemen which has killed thousands of civilians and left 14 million people at risk of starvation. frances, phillip? >> sarah, thank you. >> breaking overnight, tragedy striking tucson after a u.s. marshal was shot and killed while serving a felony warrant outside a suspect's home. this is the first u.s. marshal to be killed in the line of duty in tucson in 66 years. right now authorities are not releasing the marshal's name, but the suspect was arrested after an hour standoff at his house. and after hearing the news, arizona govern doug ducey tweeted his condolences writing in part, my deepest condolences and prayers go out to the family and arizona law enforcement. >> breaking overnight, three people were killed and eight others injured when a truck crashed on the interstate near the mexican border. he would not yield for the border patrol and spike strips were used. >> shortly after the spike strip, the vehicle ended up going up an embankment, dirt rock embankment, very steep. the vehicle went probably 20, 25 feet up the embankment and

subsequently rolled over. >> the man behind the wheel who is believed to be a u.s. citizen is now in border patrol custody. >> just in time for the holiday travel rush we are getting a glimpse of what some call the next generation of air travel. an entire airport terminal in atlanta is the first to go biometric. it turns your face into your boarding pass. nbc's tom costello got a first look at this new travel tech. >> and your flight is one of the first departures using facial recognition technology from curb to gate. >> reporter: at the busiest airport in the world, terminal f check in is as simple as look, smile and click. delta's outbound international passengers no longer have to scan a ticket. you walk up to the computer, it recognizes your face from your passport photo already on file and checks you in. no need for a pass board or ticket. the camera recognizes your face again. by early next year, your face

will be your boarding pass. for tsa. same process for boarding the flight. facial recognition. and i'm on the plane. >> nobody wants to stand in line any extra time, so anything that's going to speed it up is going to be great. >> reporter: homeland security already uses the cameras for international passengers, scanning their faces. >> how far apart your eyes, your ears, your chin, your mouth. >> reporter: boasting 98% accuracy, now bell thdelta is b facial recognition to the entire process. >> you don't have to wait to fumble your i.d. it saves you wait time at the airport. >> reporter: maybe domestic flights within two years, but in atlanta -- >> super easy. >> reporter: the future is here. tom costello, nbc news, atlanta. >> i know we're talking about, what if you lose weight, what if you get work done. >> so many variables. anything to get us through those lines more quicker, we will embrace. good morning, ibm. >> speaking of airport, you could have delays in dallas with

the thunderstorms popping up this afternoon around 4:00 p.m. but the tornado threat, the worst of it, texarkana and shreveport, pay attention to your local nbc station this evening as we deal withhis afternoon. to the north of this, a significant snowstorm especially in areas of nebraska and south dakota. the rest of the weekend forecast, this storm is going coast to coast, gets to the east coast. by the weekend. >> everybody is getting something. bill, thank you. in today's quick hits, netflix axes another marvel show. they did say the character will live on in future projects for marvel. the company had already pulled the plug on luke cage and iron fist. >> the federal reserve is expected to raise interest rates in december according to the previous meeting. stocks spiked on wednesday after

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this icy water rescue will warm your heart. an ohio family's dog fell through a chilled pond thursday morning. a firefighter tied himself to a rope and swam out to pull the pooch to safety. how great is that? another dog also lucky to be alive in florida after it got stuck in a manhole. officers say the pooch broke loose from its walker, crossed the highway and jumped into the water. he made its way through a drainage pipe and the owner had to go down and lure him to safety. >> i thought it was a trainer. dogs are photo genetic.

a company searched different dogs and found french bulldogs are the most popular with 39.2 million posts. pugs came in second with 29.3 million posts. and then chihuahuas barked in at third with 27.6 million. i kind of agree with all that. the french bull b you will dodo. >> pugs and chihuahua, all the cute dogs, those? >> their scrunched up faces, i get it. >> it is not even december yet. it will be tomorrow, though. the holiday grinches are already out there hard at work. the last thing you want to see when you're waiting for those gifts that you ordersed to show up on your doorstep, yeah. check this out. so nbc's kristen dahlgren has the video here, the postal carrier who logged that package not once, but twice. >> reporter: the simon family couldn't believe it when they watched their christmas package delivered via air meal as an

under handed heave all caught on surveillance tape. >> i was angry, i was shock, in disbelief. >> reporter: not only does the carrier throw the package, she picks it up and a minute later throws it again, harder. inside the box, clearly marked handle with care. >> it was a hesse truck for our grandson. >> reporter: the simons say it's happened before. >> this is the third time. enough is enough. >> reporter: the post office is now investigating, adding, this is clearly unacceptable behavior that does not reflect the efforts of the thousands of professional dedicated carriers. the postal worker apparently claiming the dog and kids were outside, but the simons say that's not true. >> there was no dogs or kidney where. >> reporter: on the tape you can see mrs. simon giving a piece of her mind to that mail carrier who just might make santa's naughty list this year. kristen dahlgren, nbc news. >> she's not going to do the 6 feet. she's just not going to do it. >> there's lot of pressure on the postal workers to get your

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michael jackson's thriller was the first album to ever reach 30 times platinum, selling an estimated 66 million copies. and then you factor in the video, i mean, everybody gathering around to see that. that's amazing. >> iconic. >> yeah. >> one couple went wholesale when it came to their wedding. they tied the knot at a costco. they said, i do, at the store in mission valley. this is the same store where the couple shared their first date three years ago. they have a couple exchanged vows near the cash registers in front of an intimate gathering in front of friends and family. they got champagne and name tags as a gift. >> and the appetizers were served by the people who have the tastings. all you can eat, buffet for them. here's a gift idea. taco bell launched a holiday line of clothing, pjs, clothes. these hot sauce packet onesies, even at 78 bucks a pop, they are already sold out.

you have the fire is the favorite, you have hot and the mild. >> up next, how breweries are hopping in to help victims of the devastating california wildfire. tries to get in my way? watch me. ( ♪ ) mike: i've tried lots of things for my joint pain. now? watch me. ( ♪ ) joni: think i'd give up showing these guys how it's done? please. real people with active psoriatic arthritis are changing the way they fight it. they're moving forward with cosentyx. it's a different kind of targeted biologic. it's proven to help people find less joint pain and clearer skin. don't use if you are allergic to cosentyx. before starting cosentyx you should be checked for tuberculosis. an increased risk of infections and lowered ability to fight them may occur. tell your doctor if you have an infection or symptoms of an infection. or if you have received a vaccine, or plan to. if you have inflammatory bowel disease tell your doctor if symptoms develop or worsen. serious allergic reactions may occur. mitzi: with less joint pain,

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let's check in with willie geist to see what's coming up on "sunday today." willie, good morning. >> good morning, guys. this week on "sunday today," my guest is oscar nominated actor bennedict cumberbatch. we dig into the long list of iconic characters he's played, both real life and fictional. from sherlock holmes and stephen hawking to dr. strange and grinch. we get into his most recent hit show patrick melrose and why his actor parents tried and failed to dissuade him from getting into show business. our sunday sit down with bennedict cumberbatch, plus the latest news and politics this weekend on "sunday today." you can catch us in the morning or as always, set your dvr and watch us whenever you like. for now, i'll send it back to

you, frances and phillip and i'll see you sunday morning. >> thank you, willie. we'll be watching. >> a slam dunk for a young steph curry fan. a 9-year-old girl caught the basketball star's attention asking why his shoes aren't available in girls sizes. it didn't take lont for the warriors point guard to get back to her. nbc's almaguer has more. >> reporter: he's a three-time nba champ and two-time mvp. she is a 9-year-old with quick hands and a steady peck. when riley morrison learned her idol steph curry's shoes were only available in boy sizes, she wrote the nba superstar asking why. i know you support girl athletes because you have two daughters. >> obviously he did that -- >> reporter: curry, who has played second fiddle to the women in his life, knew this was one shot he couldn't miss. we are correcting this now. i want to make sure you can wear my kicks proudly. curry told us all the women in his life, including wife ayesha,

are the real mvps, making his shoes available in girls sizes a slam dunk. >> thanks, steph curry and under armour. >> reporter: miguel almaguer, nbc news. >> that right there is why steph curry is the most popular player among kids. >> he gets it, whatever boys have or do, girls can do better. >> all right. brewers are joining forces to support the victims of california's camp fire. more than a thousand breweries have signed on with the sierra nevada brewing company to make the resit yent ipa. they say all proceeds are going towards wildfire relief efforts. details about where to find the resilience ipa can be found at sierra nevada.com. >> cheers to that. a lot of birthdays to cheer as well. celebrating friday, all-star football and baseball player bo jackson is 56. this guy plays your ferret r favorite male model. blue steel because of him, actor director ben stiller turns 53. kelly kyoko is 33. hopefully he won't be dancing with himself. singer billy idol is 53.

chrissy tiegen was named host of this year's new year's eve special. >> and your twitter buddy this little home of mine, ♪ i'm gonna let it shine. ♪ it's energy saving time, ♪ i'm gonna reduce mine. ♪ californians all align ♪ to let our great state shine. ♪ let it shine, ♪ the power's ours to let it shine! ♪

welcome to friday morning. make it through the day threw the weekend, a live look outside, looks quiet in this shot. when i was driving in, there was a lot of traffic on 101. >> two people. >> there's two people. you count them out there. >> one. >> someone's awake. we are, someone. good morning to you. i'm laura garcia. >> and i'm marcus washington. let's get a check of what is going on with the weather with meteorologist kari hall. >> nice skies. we're done with the rain for a while. live look at palo alto the roads are drying out. staying on the cool side, upper 50s, w