credibility crisis. the latest nbc polls find that almost 2/3 of americans say they do not believe president trump is being truthful in the russia investigation. a wild coast to coast weather wallop over the weekend and our bill karins has your travel forecast for a busy preholiday week ahead. to an nbc news special report from the border, where democratic lawmakers are hoping to pressure the trumpe wake of california fires a group of people banded together to care for displaced pets and animals. and weekend box office. "early today" starts right now. good morning. i'm marlie hall. esident trump and the mueller

investigation. new numbers from an nbc news/"wall street journal" poll reveals a majority of americans now believe president trump is not telling the truth when it comes to the russia investigation and 6 in 10 americans say president donald trump has been untruthful about the topic, saying the investigation has given them doubts about the presidency. the poll comes after new developments in the russia probe including the sentencing of trump's former personal attorney michael cohen. nbc's kelly o'donnell has more. >> reporter: as holiday host the president looked beyond looming controversies. >> we're going to have an incredible new year for our country most importantly. >> reporter: but his spirit , convicted felon and cooperating witness michael cohen a rat with a capital r. as trump's current attorney airg to discredit cohen. >> you've got a serial liar who taped his own client and lied

about it and deceived him. >> reporter: cohen says candidate trump directed him to make illegal hush money payments to two women. but giuliani argues that was personal business and not a campaign finance violation. >> it's not a crime. it's not a crime. >> reporter: after 18 months of federal investigations with several figures in the trump orbit convicted, the president's credibility is eroding. according to a new nbc/"wall street journal" poll 62% say they do not consider the president truthful about the russia investigation, and republicans make up nearly a quarter of that group. a shift from august, when 56% said they doubted his honesty. giuliani said the president may be asked to provide more than the written answers submitted to the special counsel but colorfully downplayed odds for an in-person interview. >> over my dead body. but you know, i could be dead. >> reporter: incoming house intelligence chairman democrat

adam schiff says he intends to widen the probe to the president's business dealings. >> the president has wanted to draw a red line and say you can't look at my business. but if the president's business is trying to curry favor with the kremlin, we can't ignore that. >> reporter: a separate political crisis is coming to a boil this week. on sunday a senior adviser said the president is "absolutely prepared to shut down parts of the government if congress does not approve billions more to build his promised border wall." and democrats are opposed. so it's really unclear what steps, including a short-term extension, could pass by friday's midnight deadline to prevent furloughed workers and closed services right before christmas. phillip? >> kelly o'donnell, thank you. the "washington post" has obtained a draft of a new report prepared for the senate that shows the extent of russia's interference in our 2016 presidential election.

the report studied millions of social media posts provided by technology firms and found that russia used every major social media platform to help elect trump. on facebook alone the russian campaign reached 126 million people, and not instagram another 20 million. the report also revealing that all of moscow's messaging was intended to benefit the republican party, specifically donald trump. just last year facebook, google, and twitter revealed that they had identified russian meddling on their sites. the senate plans to release this report later on this week. millions of people along the east coast are recovering miserable weekend of wild weather, while along the west coast they're getting ready for a series of new storms expected this week. we go now to nbc's kathy park, who is following it all. >> reporter: a parade of storms pushing into the mid-atlantic. the potomac river raging after days ofwnpours, flooding roads,g up traffic, and leaving some

stranded. it got so bad in parts of northern virginia and maryland crews used rafts to rescue trapped drivers. even animals needed help. this llama pulled to safety from a flooded pasture. the rainfall also setting records. 2018 will be the wettest ever for wilmington, north carolina, baltimore, and washington, d.c. meanwhile, out west dangerous winds and waves have led to a high surf warning in northern california. >> we are asking the public to avoid the area altogether. >> reporter: even professional surfers staying out for now as organizers of the mavericks surf contest put safety over swells. >> i think they were more worried about the wind and the height. even the most experienced guys will tell you that's something they don't even want to do. >> reporter: this weekend just the preview as mother nature gets ready for a full show with five back-to-back storms this week headed for the west coast. kathy park, nbc news, los angeles.

in japan sunday evening more than 40 people were injured by an explosion at a busy restaurant, shaking an entire neighborhood. nbc's ali arouzi has details. >> reporter: a frightening explosion during the dinner-time rush. the incident at a restaurant in northern japan sent flames and black smoke swirling into the night sky as firefighters frantically searched for the injured. initial reports suggest the cause was a gas explosion. the blast ripped through a two-story building in the city of sapporo at 8:30 local time. so powerful it shook surrounding buildings to their core. this woman saying the blast felt like an earthquake. the building engulfed in flames, virtually demolished, debris and shattered glass littering the ground and covering surrounding cars. reinjured, most of them mildly, though one was in serious condition. emergency services warned people

in the neighborhood to evacuate as they continued working through the night to get the scene under control. ali arouzi, nbc news. after a 7-year-old guatemalan girl died in federal custody this past week, democratic lawmakers are headed to the u.s.-mexico border to pressure the trump administration to change its policies. their focus, a camp where thousands of young people are being held. nbc's cal perry is at the border with the latest. >> i am shocked and outraged by what i saw in there. >> reporter: congresswoman judy chu is part of a delegation of democratic lawmakers in tornillo, texas for a tour of a camp which currently holds some tornio down. >> reporter: congressman beto o'rourke is part of the delegation. what do these places say about the way america is treating migrant children? >> yesterday we were at casa de migrantee in ciudad juarez where people who try to petition for asylum are turned away with

a number in permanent marker written on their wrists. we're turning our backs not just on these people but our best traditions. >> reporter: the trump administration's policies forces migrants to way in mexico before their applications for asylum can be started. >> there's a number written on her wrist. >> reporter: officials say they'll likely wait at least a week before they take a short ride to the border, their long journey toward refuge in america remaining uncertain. cal perry, nbc news, tornillo, texas. in southern california a patient who stole an ambulance belonging to his paramedics during a transport led police on an hour and a halflong chase that topped speeds of up to 90 miles per hour. authorities say the man found a way to break out of his restraints before forcing the emts out of the vehicle. he eventually made a run for it on foot. he surreeddressed. no one was hurt during that wild ordeal. week 15 in the nfl. let's begin with football night in america. to the los angeles coliseum where the rams were huge

favorites over the eagles. todd gurley up the mide for the early touchdown. then the eagles backup nick foles hands off to josh adams for the score of the game. it would be tied at 13 at the half. second half the eagles would pull away. rams had one last chance to tie it but it is an overthrow by jared goff. the eagles upset the rams 30-23. now to pittsburgh where santa and one of his elves there trying to gift steelers a big gift ahead of christmas. big ben roethlisberger, he threw for two touchdowns as the steel curtain stopped brady not once but twice in the red zone during the fourth quarter. the steelers stopped their three-game skid with a 17-10 victory over the patriots. to chicago now where a banged-up mitch trubisky still passed for 235 yards and two touchdowns to help lead the bears to their first nfc north division title since 2010. the packers' aaron rodgers could not find the end zone. that was the pick that would seal it. the final from soldier field. 24-17. it was a back and forth

battle in santa clara. seattle is fighting for a playoff spot but the niners' richie james, look at that. impressive 97-yard kick return. russell wilson, you know he's never done. he comes up with this pass and an acrobatic catch. that is doug baldwin. nice little spin into the end zone. the game would go to overtime tied at 23, and this is robbie gould. this guy's money. san francisco upsetting the seahawks in overtime. all right. nbc meteorologist bill karins is here with -- >> good morning. >> -- a travel forecast for the week ahead. >> finally getting rid of this big storm in the east coast that caused a lot of travel delays on the roads and the airports. the week ahead forecast is going to feature the exiting storm in the northeast. notice how clear we are through much of the country. the theme this week is we start off nice but then by the end of the week it gets messy again. here we go on wednesday. there the rain returns to the gulf. this sound familiar? we've done the same scenario like three weeks in a row. then we're watching the rain. by the time we get to thursday and friday through the southeast. and friday looks like a soaking heavy rain event. once again for areas of the

appalachians all the way through the ohio ice to rain for the no there's not a lot of ice out there. in the southeast look at that mild beautiful day today. lunch outdoors. we'll take a look at the northeast storm a little closer when we come back. >> lunch outdoors sounds good. >> right? not here. in theaters this weekend sony's "spider-man: into the spider-verse" spun its way to huge success. it brought in nearly 35 1/2 million dollars putting this big screen animation in first place atoffice. in second place was clint eastwood's "the mule" which debuted with an estimated $17 million. and in third the remake of "dr. seuss: the grinch" which pulled in more than $11 million in its sixth week out. >> still make money.

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vicks sinex. breathe on. three weeks after the devastating camp fire in northern california was fully contained thousands of people are still dealing with the devastation and loss of life and property. the destruction left a large number of animals, family pets displaced. nbc's steve patterson tells us how they're being helped. >> reporter: the flames from california's deadliest and most destructive wildfire killed 86 people and destroyed more than 14,000 homes. and in so many cases separated families from their best friends. >> i don't have any idea where he could be. >> reporter: lonnie walker is still in a desperate search for his golden lab mix and maybe a way to ease some of the grief. >> i lost the most important thing in mylife, and that was my wife. the dogs mean something to me,

being able to find them. but i can't bring back really the most important thing in my life. >> reporter: at the height of the camp fire crisis more than 2,000 animals were displaced. about half are still in shelters. their owners with no homes of their own. >> it's incumbent on us, it's our duty to take care of them. >> reporter: norm ozine leads the north family animal disaster group. 300ol front lines of pet welfare going well beyond area shelters. navigating the fire zone, tending to animals left behind with food, water, and lots of love. >> they might have lost everything. they come back and they're just alive.and smiling because their >> it's mama, honey. >> reporter: diana harryman was finally allowed to return home after a month away, happy to find her thelma safe. >> i just wanted to get in here and touch her and pick her up and tell her it's okay.

>> reporter: it's gratifying work for this group of volunteers. >> you see a lot of hard things out here and you've just got to do your best and know you're trying to help. >> reporter: bringing hope in the furry form of unconditional love. steve patterson, nbc news, paradise, california. >> so glad someone is thinking about the pets. >> yeah. they're just like family. >> absolutely. well, just ahead, "a christmas story" is one of the most beloved holiday specials of all time. but how would you like to wake up in the very same house as ralphie? bunny costume optional. find out next. a lot will happen in your life. wrinkles just won't. neutrogena® rapid wrinkle repair's derm-proven retinol works so fast, it takes only one week to reveal younger looking skin. making wrinkles look so last week. rapid wrinkle repair® pair with new retinol oil for 2x the wrinkle fighting power.

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a new poll shows that the front-runner for the 2020 democratic nomination is beto o'rourke. [ cheers and applause ] yeah. followed by joe biden. then bernie sanders. then oprah. then lena dunham. then the porno lawyer. then a chai latte in a pantsuit. then a dvd box set of "the west wing." in a mustache. >> just got to find him a new birth certificate. he'll be all set to go. fans of the movie "a christmas story" can recreate some of their favorite scenes like this one. >> this is a lamp. >> it wasn't. >> what a great lamp. >> it is a great lamp. now, that house in cleveland is up for rent.

it even comes with that great leg lamp. the home's interior has been restored to resemble the christmas classic. reservations are fully booked for this year, but next year is open and you can shoot your eye out for about 395 bucks a night. not bad. >> not bad. and that house looks perfectly restored. very cool. >> yeah, it is. well, now to the uk where the royal couples released or revealed their christmas card photos. kensington palace released this family portrait of prince william, kate middleton and their three kids. the first christmas card from prince harry and meghan markle shares a new look at their private wedding meanwhile, animal lover meghan markle has reportedly asked harry not to take part in a boxing day hunting trip with his brother william. royal watchers fear this willsi the princes. but you know what they say. happy wife, happy life. >> that's the way it goes from here on out. still to come, we will meet some unexpected trendsetters who are winning big followings on social media.

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mountainous areas there is a little bit of snow and ice out there from overnight. this will be clearing out during the day today. snow and rain slow to exit maine. that's the one spot where the storm will continue to linger. it will be windy back behind the storm. notice about noon today everything is just about over with. just? snow squalls will be coming into northern new england and lake ontario. by 11:00 p.m. everything is just about gone. for all your travel needs we are perfect the whole southern half of the country. not bad. st. louis, denver, almost near 60 degrees. >> for being mid december that's mild. we'll take it. athks emotional it was a no-brainer. i switched to geico and saved hundreds. t it's not the only reason i switched. the geico app makes it easy to manage my policy. i can pay my bill, add a new driver, or even file a claim. woo, hey now! that's a win-win. thank you!

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tell that to an unlikely group of influencers now making their mark on social media. here's abc's katie beck on a new kind of senior moment. >> reporter: the style-setting fashion-forward celebs of instagram. glamorous, famous, and young. now sharing social space and likes with a new brand of swanky seniors. dashing divas undefined by that number we call age. >> i think you have to learn to love the skin that you're in today. >> reporter: 84-year-old dory jacobson. >> am i spiky? >> you are spiky. >> reporter: better known to her followers as senior style bible. is a former "playboy" bunny. finding her second shot as a fashion blogger on instagram. >> perfect. >> there is beauty at every age. we don't have an expiration date. >> reporter: dory says many women don't know what to wear after age 40 and often feel invisible. but not her. she's strapping on stilettos and

skinny jeans and calling on designers to stop branding stylish clothes only for the young. >> when people retire from their jobs, they are not retiring from life. it's a new chapter. >> gorgeous. >> reporter: it's a new lease on life for her and many other mature instagram influencers. they're winning hearts and ka k carving out new careers. >> it's a tremendous market that's being ignored. >> reporter: but it's a slow start. dory says marketers are missing an opportunity to connect more to older customers, with profit potential and social media experts agree. >> the older audience has more disposable income. you might think.me. >> there's a cute one. >> isn't that cute? >> reporter: for dory instagram provides the perfect platform for energizing her second act. >> it's taken your life in new directions. >> oh, absolutely. and it's a fun direction and it's something new every day and something to look forward to.

>> reporter: aging in style with eyes set on a fabulous future. katie beck, nbc news, las vegas, nevada. >> i love it when she said there is beauty at every age. >> truth in that. there was an opening like they said, and they took it. they filled that space. we leave you with a heartwarming holiday homecoming. thousands of sailors aboard the "uss harry truman" pulled into port in norfolk, virginia on sunday to a crowd of smiling friends and family. the ship had been deployed for eight months around the eastern mediterranean, arctic circle and the norwegian fjords. >> those homecomings get me every time. >> every time. >> thanks for waking up with us. i'm marlie hall. >> and i'm pllip hi

presidential predictions for

the year ahead. what's still to be done before christmas, and will negative polls on the president's trustworthiness put coal in his stocking? record rainfall in many parts of the u.s., this following a weekend of coast-to-coast storms. to america's infrastructure problems. bridges closed because there's no money to fix them. and worse, those not closed but n desperate need of repair. below 24,000 after a dismal week on wall street. cnbc's steve sedgwick will tell us what's ahead. and the latest on "snl" cast member pete davidson after a weekend scare over his well-being. "early today" starts right now. good monday