the decision to withdraw an american presence in syria is a colossal in my mind mistake, a great error. >> the trump doctrine on isis is said as the vice presiden struggles to explain the decision that even the secretary of defense isn't behind. we'll have major reaction this morning. the stock market continues getting hammered. with the dow and s&p both significantly down this year as the fed shows no signs of slowing down those interest rate hikes. >> shoppers have just five days before christmas but mother nature has some 68 million americans in the path of nasty weather ahead. here's one guy who has no

problem delivering some christmas cheer. can you guess who the secret santa is? we'll give you a clue. the number 44. from a floating barge, home town decorations take on a whole different approach. happy thursday before christmas i'm phillip mena. >> i'm frances rivera. with christmas less than a week away millions of americans may see major delays today and tomorrow as severe weather moving through the south strengthens. >> the national weather service says the storm is bringing heavy winds, hail and even possible tornadoes and it's expected to start affecting parts of the northeast tonight. nbc's gabe gutierrez has more. >> reporter: phillip and frances, good morning. the lines are running smoothly here in atlanta so far but that could change later today. wicked weather is on the move. near san antonio thick fog is being blamed for this massive pileup are. from texas through florida rain is slogging across the south as a storm system strengthens in

the gulf of mexico. already watching some heavy rainfall move in. this after high winds hit the west coast this week, stirring up powerful surf and even a rare devastating tornado outside seattle. >> and i saw the tornado like spinning and i thought i was going to get sucked up. >> reporter: it's bad news for anyone trying to get away this holiday on the roads, rails, and in the air aaa expects a record-breaking 112.5 million travelers this holiday season. what's the best game plan? >> okay. so if you have not booked your ticket yet but you still want to make it home for the holidays, fly out on christmas day. why? because nobody wants to fly on christmas day. so that's when you're going to get the cheapest ticket. >> reporter: the oliver family in atlanta chose to fly to florida to beat the rush. >> we felt like if we waited till the 21st or 22nd to travel it would just be chaos. >> reporter: on the roads the national weather service estimates that at least 67 million americans are at risk for flooding over the next few days. phillip and frances. >> all right, gabe, thank you.

let's bring in bill karins to tell us what's going on. >> it's almost like a spring setup. we're not talking about snow or ice at all. severe weather today, especially areas of central florida. enhanced risk area from tampa to sarasota to fort myers all the way back to atlanta. that's where we could see isolated storms to produce a few tornadoes. wind damage threat in areas from charleston to wilmington. then we mentioned all the people at risk of flooding from this storm. about one to three inches widespread. isolated totals up to four inches that goes from florida all the way to new england over the next 48 hours. then on top of that this could really be the problem with the airports. friday in the northeast the wind gusts could cause a lost issues. you get the heavy rain and the winds, 40 to 50 miles per hour and that's going to equal significant -- hopefully just delays. hopefully not too many cancellations but be prepared. >> fingers crossed. >> and people keep safe out there on the roads too. bill, thank you. just 24 hours left until a government shutdown. the senate throws a hail mary approving a short-term spending bill to keep the government open

through february. the stopgap bill provides a total of $1.6 billion to fund border security and other agencies until february of next year, when a new congress would be sworn in. what it doesn't include is the 5 billion for that border wall. so all eyes are on president trump. as the question becomes will he sign it and avert a christmas crisis? hallie jackson has the details. >> reporter: a christmas crisis pushed off to just before valentine's day it seems now that congress hammered out a short-term compromise. >> republicans will continue to fulfill our duty to governor. >> reporter: democrats on board but will the president sign it? republican senator john cornyn says he's pretty confident. >> my understanding is he's accepted the reality of it. >> reporter: the white house has signaled president trump would back the temporary fix. that's a reversal from the president's previous position. $5 billion or bust for his border wall. now that wall's stall is not sitting well with some conservatives who think the president is blowing his last

best chance before republicans lose control of the house. >> it is becoming clearer and clearer that all we're getting is words, words, words. >> people who voted for him and want the wall want to know why he seems to be softening his stance this morning. >> the president is not softening his stance. >> reporter: but how he talks about the wall has changed. >> who's going to pay for the wall? [ crowd answering "mexico" ] >> mexico will pay for the wall. i promise. >> in the end mexico's paying for the wall. >> reporter: based on the president's tweets now it's like who's going to pay for the artistically designed steel slats at the border? mexico indirectly. and frances, even if everybody signs off on this before the friday deadline keep in mind we could be right back here before the next deadline on february 8th. frances, back to you. >> hallie jackson for us. thank you. if the senate does not fund

president trump's border, while he may get that money from a very unlikely source, go fund me. a florida air force veteran, brian colvage started a campaign to help raise money for the president's border wall and in just three days it has already racked up well over $2 million. the campaign is called we the female will fund the wall. the goal is to raise $1 billion. he says if the 63 million people who voted for trump each pledged $80 we can build the wall. the only thing left to see is how high it will go. now to a major u.s. foreign policy shift. a withdrawal of u.s. troops from syria has. announced as president trump makes this declaration in a white house-produced video for twitter. >> we have won against isis. we've beaten them and we've beaten them badly. we've taken back the land. and now it's time for our troops to come back home. >> this announcement took many by surprise and has drawn swift and often harsh criticism from the media and even fellow republicans. for more on the reaction on capitol hill we turn to tracie potts. what are we hearing from senators about the decision?

>> reporter: some of them, even some of the president's closest allies, frances, are not thrilled about this decision. some calling it "an obama-like mistake. take a look. six lawmakers have sent the president a letter asking him to reconsider withdrawing these troops. they include four republicans, one democrat, and one independent. in that letter they argue that this is simply not a good idea. a quote from the letter here where they're asking the president to reconsider, saying that "we believe that such action at this time is a premature and costly mistake." and the concern is what if isis comes back? >> the decision to withdraw an american presence in syria is a colossal in my mind mistake, a grave error that's going to have significant repercussions in the years and months to come.

>> reporter: the president said he's bringing his troops home. he did not say when. the pentagon issuing a statement that said we are transitioning to a new phase in siz syria but did not give details about that. and what about our allies in that region? the kurds said a u.s. pullout they would consider an abandonment. frances? >> now critics call it a victory for isis. so tracie, thank you for the breakdown. another big slide on wall street wednesday. the dow finished down over 350 points to a new low for the year after the fed brurk aside objections from president trump raised interest rates for the fourth time this year. here's nbc's tom costello to tell us why and what those higher rates mean for you. >> reporter: amid compelling evidence of a strong economy the federal reserve ignored president trump's criticisms and raised interest rates again. the ninth rate hike since 2015. chairman jerome powell insisting the fed is independent and dedicated to prefrk a strong

economy. >> political considerations play no role whatsoever in our discussions. >> reporter: in recent weeks mr. trump has accused the fed of hurting the economy and stock market by raising rates. >> i think the rate's too high. i think we have much more of a fed problem than we have a problem with anyone else. >> reporter: the decision and talk of more rate hikes next year sent stocks into a nose dive. the dow up 300 points before the announcement did a nose dive closing down 352. down 5% for the year. in new jersey investor michael gibb ni is telling clients not to panic. >> we build clients' portfolios to weather storms like this. this is something that's not unexpected. >> reporter: the rate hike means higher interest rates for student loans, new mortgages, credit cards. those higher rates will show up on your credit card statements early next year just as the holiday gift bills come due. >> when reality sets in.

tom, thank you. now to a video from the children's national medical center in washington, d.c. showing former president barack obama bringing cheer to the young patients there. ♪ and a happy new year [ cheers and applause ] ♪ we wish you a merry christmas and a happy new year ♪ [ cheers and applause ] >> i just want to say thank you to all of you guys. i had a chance to talk to some of the wonderful kids and their families. at a time that obviously is tough for folks, and as the dad of two girls, you know, i can only imagine, in that situation, you know, to have nurses and staff and doctors and people who are caring for them and looking after them and listening to them and just there for them and

holding their hands, that's the most important thing there is. what a great reminder ever what the holiday spirit's supposed to be all about. >> it's hard to get a hospital to light up like that. >> this time of year that'll do it. he's out there. michelle obama's out there. around 30 rock surprising tourists too. >> putting smiles on people's faces. great this time of year. let's check back in with bill. ? no smiles here. unfortunately the rain from louisville to cincinnati all the way back to florida. we do have the flood watches for north florida. as we go throughout today. they should end by this evening. then flood watches for coastal south carolina, north carolina. huge area of the northeast. that's why we have 68 million total people under flood watches. a lot of that snow that fell in novembers melting i we go throu

the late afternoon. philadelphia into this evening, new york city until late. we'll take you through the complete holiday forecast coming up. it gets a lot better than this mess. five-time olympic champion missy franklin says she's retiring from competitive swimming at the age of 23, says she suffers from a chronic shoulder pain. it's affected her for years. >> we're getting our first look at will smith as the genie. he stars in disney's "aladdin." >> i thought aladdin was blue. and one florida family has more than just porch pirates to worry about. a doorbell cam captured a bear cup snooping around a family's front door and acting a little too much like the grinch. the furry friend appeared to sniff, taste, and knock down those holiday decorations. we'll be right back. moderate to severe plaque psoriasis. with tremfya®, you can get clearer. and stay clearer. in fact, most patients who saw 90%

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facebook just gave away all of your private information. isn't that nice? did you hear they were letting people like netflix read your private facebook messages. it explains why they ask are you still watching? they ask, are you and stacy going to work things out? >> jimmy fallon taking a shot at facebook after it revealed another privacy scandal. it allowed other tech giants to see users private messages. it says it only did so with users permission, but do you remember giving it? >> more and more people deciding facebook is not their friend. delete facebook trending on twitter. people fed up after the new york times reported facebook allowed 150 companies including microsoft, amazon, and netflix access to users personal data. some partnerships gave companies the ability to rewrite and delete private messages without

users knowledge or consent. >> what's the driving force behind these partnerships? >> growth at all costs. growth at all costs and selling your privacy to make money. >> facebook admitted they gave partners like spotify access to users private messages if they signed on to the sites using their facebook accounts but denied they did it whoitut user consent. spotify said it never accessed private messages. facebook under fire over privacy and access to users data for years. mark zuckerberg apologizing in the new yorker in 2009 for college text messages calling people dumb who trusted him with their information. just this year, allowing a political consulting firm to get users data without their permission. >> that was a big mistake, and it was my mistake, and i'm sorry. this time sorry may not be enough. ann thompson, nbc news new york. >> we'll see what the backlash is this time around.

>> maybe people leave. maybe not. probably not. >> we have the list of the most mispronounced words and names of the year, plus fans are flipping out as netflix announced they're bringing back one of tack one o watched and rewatched series of 2018. 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. neutrogena® i am not for just treating my symptoms... (ah-choo) i am for shortening colds when i'm sick. with zicam. zicam is completely different. unlike most other cold medicines... ...zicam is clinically proven to shorten colds. i am a zifan for zicam. oral or nasal.

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♪thisi'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! ♪ my most secret possessions. i have them when i have a crush so intense i don't know what else to do. >> that's a good watch.

netflix has announced that the hit summer movie based on the trilogy by jenny han "to all the boys i've loved before" is getting a sequel. the movie became one of the streaming service's most rewatched original movies of 2018. lead actress lana condor took to instagram to help make the announcement and express her excitement. netflix is doing something right when it comes to the teenie bopper rom comes. that's one of them and it's definitely worth a sequel. it's a fun one. >> i'm going to ride home and watch that. >> that one, "the kigs booth." all kinds of fun when you want to get that teeny bopper fix. which i apparently do. >> the language learning app babble and the u.s. captioning company they've chosen the ten most mispronounced words and names of 2018. let's see if you can get them. let's see if i can say them. beto o'rourke. he's the texas democrat who ran against ted cruz for senate this year. this one here is irish-american actress. >> this is tough. >> saoirse ronan. there you go. other words -- it gets harder.

other words that made the list. entomophagy. that means the consumption of insects. new super grain freekeh. that's not bad. and they saved the hardest for last here. here we go. halapoulivaati vaitai. there you go. he is a philadelphia eagles offensive tackle. he can't even go but his initials either because you don't want to be called hpv. >> i don't think he really likes that. hpv. zblur not going to mess with that guy. >> you hear tall the time from announcers in games. >> they wrote it phonetically right there on the prompter. that's my best shot at getting it right. >> neeltsen has released its list of social media tv stars based on engagement on social media during their show when it's going on. "america's got talent" host tyra banks is number one with 2,213 social engagements. she's followed by msnbc's host of au"all in" chris hayes. then cardi b. for hosting the american music awards.

sean hannity of fox news. >> still to come "avengers" actor mark ruffalo's christmas campaign to pay it forward. you're watching "early today." nn intense rush of vicks vapors. (acapella) ahhhhhhhhhhh! (vo) new dayquil severe with vicks vapocool. the daytime coughing, stuffy head, vaporize your cold, medicine. (host) here...at snowfest... (vo) for your worst sore throat pain try new vicks vapocool drops. it's not candy, it's powerful relief. (acapella) ahhhhhh! (vo) vaporize sore throat pain with new vicks vapocool drops. mopping robotthe from irobot. its precision jet spray and vibrating cleaning head loosen and scrub stains. all while navigating kitchens, bathrooms and those hard to reach places. you and braava jet from irobot. better together. only tylenol® rapid release gels have laser drilled holes.

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we're back with the mad rush. just five days until christmas. and a lot of people out there still looking for those last-minute gifts. here's nbc's kerry sanders. >> what is it that you want for christmas? >> reporter: days until christmas and like a hollywood movie the race is on for this year's top toy. >> i got last one. >> some of the hottest toys this holiday season include baby shark plush, the ryan's world giant mystery egg from bonkers toys, and fortnite figures and play sets. >> reporter: folks who waited too long now hitting stores. >> it's easier than trying to shop yoj right now for shipping. >> reporter: analysts crunching shipping numbers estimate 1.5 million people return gifts via

ups. why? more americans buying gifts early for themselves. shopping online to save money, we put that to the test. >> if i wanted to buy an item like this online, would you match the price? >> of course we would. >> i already looked online and it's $22.99. >> wow. that's pretty impressive because here we actually sell it for $7.99. >> reporter: and if you haven't started shopping, retailers have named the day just for you. panic saturday. >> ho, ho, ho. >> reporter: kerry sanders, nbc news, aventura, florida. >> panic saturday, though. >> designated panic saturday. a lot of people are going to be in on it. >> panic is monday night. that's panic. actor mark ruffalo picked up the starbucks tab for dozens of people. the avengers star nuanced on twitter he's fwifg back this holiday season with a free drink from starbucks. he tweeted this gift card so that his followers cone joy a free drink and then encouraged

them to pay it 235rd forward byg more money. i like that. everybody gets a chance. >> you know who likes it the most? starbucks. >> maybe throw some d and d, dunkin'. >> patrick mahomes, you may have heard about him. from the kansas city chiefs. but he's also famous for his love of ketchup on everything. heinz ketchup tweeted at mahomes promise to throw ketchup for life. but because the company's naming rights are with the pittsburgh steelers things didn't work out. so rival company hunt's jumped right in and released this new ad of mahomes squeezing ketchup onto a plate of mac and cheese. officially announcing their partnership with mahomes. he is a great quarterback but he is clearly a psychopath. who in their right mind puts ketchup on mac and cheese? >> there are people who do it. apparently we see it right there. we want to hear from you if that's the case, if that's something you do. i'm with him. >> i don't trust anybody who

does something like that. thanks for watching. i'm phillip mena. >> and i'm frances rivera. check out this festival of lights from new fort beach, california last night. california last night. their annualhristmas boat c (gasps) for real cold and flu protection. with lysol, you can help protect them from a real cold. lysol disinfectant spray kills the #1 cause of the cold and clorox wipes don't. lysol. what it takes to protect.

good thursday morning to you. as we look across the bay area and see the consistent thing, fog. fog, fog, fog, fog. that's pretty much san jose, san francisco and san rafael. thank you for starting your morning with us on "today in the bay." i'm marcus washington. >> that fog is the ground level kind. it makes it hard to drive in. >> it is. it's in patches. it was in the tri-valley, and mill pa milpitas. downtown san jose blanketed with some fog. we're down to about a quarter