investigation, a possible government shutdown, more unrest at the border, and the frantic search for a new chief of staff to manage it all. get ready for less clean water as the trump administration prepares to roll back obama-era clean water rules today. and guess who one of the beneficiaries are? golf course owners. anger in texas after a former fraternity president copped a plea deal with a judge over sexual assault and will serve no jail time. a pint-sized porch pirate. what kind of an adult would put this kid up to the task of stealing someone's holiday packages? and an a mom and her sick b that will kick off your tuesday in just the right way. "early today" starts right now. good to be with you thihiip. as presihief of

staff, jared kushner appeared on fox news saying this about trump's sear he'll choose somebody he's got great chemistry with, great relationship with, who will help him navigate the next couple of years through all of the good opportunities that emerge to keep pushing forward. >> kushner also thanked john kelly for his service to the administration. and today accused russian spy maria butina is poised to plead guilty to conspiring as a foreign agent. she must cooperate with federal, state, and local authorities in exchange for a shorter prison term or early release after being jailed for five months. a judge will decide on wednesday whether to accept the deal. and speaking of deals, republican lawmakers are sounding off against >> verydy else thinks he's an idiot. i think most americans think he's a sleazeoid grifter. i can't imagine basing any kind. >> as robert mueller continues peeling back the is who will

fill the position of chief of staff? here with more is nbc's hallie jackson. >> reporter: president trump under pressure legally and about to be understaffed internally now that john kelly is on his way out. >> john kelly will be leaving, retire -- i don't know if i can say retiring, but he's a great guy. >> reporter: the chief of staff's resignation has been rumored for months as his relationship with the president deteriorated. >> people leave. job. >> reporter: now the hunt's on for chief number three, a title typically among the most content nocking down the door. nick ayers, who works alongside the vice president, had been expected to take the job temporarily, but those talks fell apart. multiple sources familiar with the discussions say the scramble for a plan b includes candidates now like controversial acting attorney general matt whitaker, budget director mick mulvaney, and conservative meadows.

>> it's flattering. i'm not campaigning for the job. >> reporter: whoever it is will have to handle looming special counsel. the president has denied any wrongdoing, tweeting there's no smoking gun, no collusion. but james comey, the former fbi director fired by donald trump, now one of his critics, argues the president is tiptoeing towards becomg an unindicted co-conspirator over the hush the filing, that the crimes were dmcommitted his direction. >> reporter: keep in mind the next chief of staff will have to jug the not just the russia investigation questions but the 2020 re-election campaign as well, that means political strategy skills will be especially important for whoever the president picks. >> some job to take on. thank you. president trump is set to meet with democratic leaders this morning as the fight to

fund the border wall continues. trump will be sitting down with house democratic leader nancy pelosi and senate democratic leader chuck schumer as both sides try to hash out a deal to avoid a government shutdown. and the deadline is fast approaching. s latest from washington. >> reporter: good morning, everyone. that din week, one week from friday, december 21st. it was put off during the bush funeral here in washington, but now lawmakers and the white house are facing this question again. can they come to some agreement primarily on border security funding? if not, we could be looking at a partial shutdown four days before christmas. etween top democrats here and president trump to try to hammer out something democrats say what they agreed to was $1.6 billion for overall border security, not sold on this idea of the wall at all. president trump, as you know, is insisting on the wall, and he

wants more money, $5 billion as a down payment on that wall that he had said that mexico would pay for, but now it looks like congress is going to have to up front that money at least. and the wall, by the way, is going to cost at least five times that much. this is just a down payment. they're at odds on how much money to put into this budget for border security. if they can work that out, we could possibly avoid this partial government shutdown. if not, it could be a tough christmas for a lot o fed to th this morning. >> a lot to work their way through before the holiday. thanu,on agency plansba obama e guidelines as many unnerved. most of all, public. just the waterways will no longer be classified as restricted from harmful practices has regulators, business giants, and scientists discussing the future of america's streams and rivers. golf course owners, including president trump, are set to benefit from the epa changes. the epa has been working toward

a replacement of clean water regulations since the president took office. this morning, lots of questions still remain over a video showing police arresting a mother and ripping her child from her arms at a government office. nbc's stephanie gosk has more. >> you're hurting my son! >> reporter: the mother's screams filled theocial pull ja hendley's 1-year-old son out of her arms. the more aggressive they became. >> there was nowhere to sit so the lady, she sat on the officers asked her to leave, but she refused and created a disturbance. e not show what took place before the confrontation turned physical. hendley now faces four criminal charges including resisting arrest and endangering a child. while she remains in jail held on a separate arrest warrant shuffed in new jersey, her son is with his grandmother.

>> i honestly want them fired. >> reporter: the violent struggle clearly striking a nerve. >> we're better than this. and this is a blemish on our entire city. >> reporter: both the brooklyn d.a. and the nypd announced investigations, and both described the video the same way, troubling. stephani now to texas where the outrage after a former fraternity president who had was allowedand his accuser is s decision. nbc's kerry sanders has the story. >> reporter: outrage in texas. former baylor university fraternity president jacob anderson charged with four counts of sexual assault. in a no contest plea deal, the 23-year-old given what critics call a light sentence. three years probation and a $400 fine. under the terms of the deal, he will not have to register as a sex offender. his unname then

19-year-old soph foromore claim she had been raped two years ago, telling the uj j, i am devastated by your decision to let my rapist, jacob walter anderson, go free without any m. she also writes, she's angry that the prosecutor didn't show up in court. if i had the courage to come back rapist and testify, you could at least have had enough respect for me to show up today. assistant district attorney hillary le board in a statement says all of the facts must be considered, and there are many facts that the public does not have. anderson, who will serve no jail or prison time, will have to complete a mandatory sexual offender treatment program. kerry sanders, nbc news. at least 32 faith leaders from various religious groups were arrested while protesting at the u.s.-mexico border in s e together and marched two miles to the border to show support for migrants rights to seek

refuge in america. the event, called love kno no borders, was organized by a quaker group. sources say the detained protesters were tnto cu agents. at least one protesters was ass the search for five refueli five crew members and a fighter jet carrying two others crashed into the sea on thursday. the identities of the five marines now declared dead have not been made public, but the marines say their families have been notified. the crews were conducting a training mission when the accident happened. two men were initially rescued but captain jahmar resilard of florida was later pronounced dead at a hospital. firefighters rushed to the scene of a huge fire monday night at a baptist church in dallas, texas. witnesses captured video of the building up in flames and the billowing thick smoke. firefighters on the scene tell local media that they are not aware of any injuries and that the church was likely empty at the time. a few people at nearby

apartments chose to evacuate, t theire did not appear to spread. police are investigating the cause of that massive blaze. some thrill seekers in belarus took a plunge into icy water. this pool here is carved out of a frozen lake, and the tempaturs above freezing. you see the contestants there, young and old, competed in races from short sprints to 450 meter swims. the competition is the second stage of the international winter swimming association world cup. >> people who do that, i have to tell you, time and time again, every year, wow. >> heart attack central. just jump right in. i hear you. so polar bear plunge continues this morning in areas of virginia and north carolina after the big snowstorm. 26 degrees in richmond, currently. we went above freezing in many areas briefly and then got the refreeze. black ice is a problem. just about all of the snow and rain showers are almost over with. because of the black ice we do have slick roadways for the

morning. we do have winter weather advisories and a lot of schools that are going to have delays or cancellations. we're not going to see the temperatures going above freezing untildl of the country. no problems whatsoever in the northeast. it's a nice quiet day. good if you have any florida st is a chilly morning with highs today only in the 50s in jacksonville. we are going to see a little warm-up as we go throughout this week and a little rain too. >>ese on these porch piratesecoften. police in maryland are looking in broad daylight.he child to commit the crime.

>> and wearing a santa hat how do you explain that? >> that elf on the shelf is not going to be happy at her house. just ahead, post malone is back with another sure fire hit. could lead to way cleaner teeth. she said, get the one inspired by dentists, with a round brush head. go pro with oral-b. oral-b's gentle rounded brush head removes more plaque along the gum line. for cleaner teeth and healthier gums. and unlike sonicare, oral-b is the first electric toothbrush brand accepted by the ada for its effectiveness and safety. what an amazing clean! i'll only use an oral-b! oral-b. brush like a pro. st time. let's go. get free decorating tools inside nutella holiday jars.

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an increasingly desperate search in colorado for a young man who vanished without a trace on thanksgiving. she was last seen at a supermarket near her home but investigators say her cell phone was detected of miles away. nbc's gadi schwartz has the details. >> reporter: night after night, prayer vigils held for 29-year-old mother kelsey barrett last seen on thanksgiving near her colorado home. >> we've reviewed video from the local safeway grocery store and it showed kelsey shopping with her daughter on november 22nd. >> reporter: police saying the father of the 1-year-old has cooperated and reported last seeing histhanksgiving when he gave them their daughter. but barnt wasn't reported missing until december 2nd by her mother. >> she's not the kind that runs character. >> reporter: investigators say a few days after she was last seen, a text message from barrett's phone was sent to her work where she flew as a pilot, saying she wouldn't be in for the rest of the week.

then on november 25th, her cell phone gave a location 700 miles away in idaho. no cars missing. only her purse appears to be taken. for now police are treating this as a missing persons case while the family is hoping the young mother will be found soon. >> kelsey, we just want you home. call us if you can. we won't quit looking. >> reporter: gadi schwartz, nbc news. let's pivot to this pop quiz. can you nbig, epic songs here. think about that during the break. and can post malone strike pay dirt with his latest edition of the crocs? the crocs? you're watching "early today." more savings on car insurance!? they helped with homeowners, too! like a blanket! houston? you seeing this? geico. expect great savings and a whole lot more.

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t s see the story behind how it came together. post malone fans are artist. today at 2:00 p.m. eastern. ebay for available o course like a skull and a nearly $900. >> oh, my gosh. >> if you're not digging the whole crocs thing because you're like, no, that may do it. >> leave it up to a guy with face tattoos to make crocs cool. >> yeah. you know, skull, cross bones, barbed wire. maybe that will do it. just ahead, the good samaritan who did a first class favor for a mom and her baby. you're watching "early today."

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jackets needed evenn thegi degrees. richmond with that foot of snow over the weekend at ful onthhe . for today we'll warm up a little bit but temperatures still about five to ten degrees below average. it's not till we get towards the weekend that we start to warm things up. florida nearing the mid-70s. we're not going to complain too much. still to come, a fearless grandmother sets a new world record while raising awareness for a deadly disease. daddy diaper duty... i can't say it's the highlight of fatherhood. but i'd rather be here with my little man than not be here because of migraine. i have three words for migraine... "i am here." aimovig, a preventive treatment for migraine in adults, reduces the number of monthly migraine days. for some, that number can be cut in hal m the most common side effects are pain, redness or swelling at the injection site a c a lot will happen in your life.

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with baby a oxygen machine, it was a complicated balancing uned wonderful happened. >> i just noticed she had her arms full, and i jout. >> reporter: an american airlines flight attendant told kelsey a man had asked to switch seats with her. she was in economy, he in first class. kelsey sharing her gratitude on facebook. not able to hold back tears. i cried my way up the aisle while my daughter, lucy, laughed. she felt it in her bones too. real, pure goodness. but jason kunselman says it just felt like the right thing to do. >> it made me feel good that i made her a little more comfortable and happy. >> reporter: smiling with lucy in first class, kelsey promised to pay it forward, writing, we truly feel inspired by your generosity. and in this season of giving, so do we. rehemaye. everybody feels that little something extra to give. >> i love it. it's simple.

better place. ness is how she taking a turn now in today's se fire killed five children including 1-year-old twins in official officials say their a story window to escape. the other victims were 2, 3, and 9. the cause is under investigation. as the mueller investigation comes to a close, 44 former u.s. senators published an op-ed in "the washington post." it reads in part, we are at an inflection point in which our foundational principles of our democracy and our national security interests are at stake. and the rule of law and the ability of our institutions to function freely and independently must be upheld. 32 democrats, 10 republicans, and 2 independents urging senators not to meet the oldest daredevil >> wow. >> she became the world'sestest o'shea. look what she's doing. sky

skydivereshea's first sky memor daughter. that's the way to do it. >> that's amazing. we can all live like irene hope 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! ♪ and this is charlie still not coughing while trying his hardest not to wake zeus.

delsym 12-hour. morning. our photographer just shot this video from right now at 4:30. a soggy start to the tuesday morning. this video, you can barely see outside there. got to remind you to be careful as you head out there and hit the road this morning. a live look outside at san francisco. barely see anything there either. the fog hanging below the skyline. anksoudy start to the morning. or starting your morning with i'm coming in. just saying. good morning. how long will the fog stick around? >> a while. a fog advisory in effect and