a devastating tsunami slams indonesia without warning, leaving hundreds dead. the latest on the search for survivors amid groappe again. clearing out the cabinet. president trump sweeps his defense secretary out the door as he doubles down in the government shutdown fight. the chaotic start to the christmas week on capitol hill. a final launch into the final frontier. spacex ends an historic year with another major milestone. rudolph caught red-handed. colorado police nee burglar cau on camera in a festive mask. "early today" starts now. good morning. i'm marley hall. >> and i'm phillip mena. it is day three of the

governmenttdo end in sight. hundreds of thousands of federal employees are on furlough this morning as president trump digs in on his demands for border wall funding. he doubled down on twitter, writing late last night, "everyone knows you without a wa good-old-fashioned wall that works." nbc's geoff bennett has latest. >> reporter: the government shutdown drags on, no truce on the horizon in the funding of mr. trump's border wall. acting chief of staff mick mulvaney offering his prediction on how long it will last. >> i think that is -- it's very possible that the shutdown will go beyond the 28th and into the new congress. >> reporter: and who's on the hook to pay? >> none of that is mexico paying for the wall. let's just be clear. >> technically, you and i both know it cannot work exactly lik it for border security money, hoping democrats move up from their o. democrats say they're willing to negotiate on the price tag but

want a guarantee on what the money buys. >> democrats want to see for real border security, not some medieval wall. >> reporter: the department of homeland security estimates the entire $5 billion would be able to build or beef up 215 miles worth of barrier along the border. the administration says its top priority is adding about 100 miles of mostly new barrier in the rio grande valley, a hotspot for illegal crossings. with the rest of the money, the administration says it would build barriers near laredo, texas, partsona, and parts of eastern california. >> it's a spectacle, and candidly, it's juvenile. the whole thing is juvenile. >> reporter: it's government workers held hostage in the standoff. >> we're at their mercy at this point. so, it's going to be tough for people's budgets. when paychecks aren't coming in, you can't be making mortgage payments and other thing in d.c

morning as the jes mattis is heading out the door sooner than expected. president trump announced on twitter that mattis will leave two months earlier than previously announced. the decision possibly prompted by the defense chief's highly critical resignation letter. nbc's susan mcginnis joins us now from d.c. with the latest. susan, the president also named a replacement for mattis this weekend. >> yeah, quickly named a replacement. good morning, marley. we do know that general mattis did get a heads-up from secretary of state mike pompeo that he was going to be leaving two months earlier than he had planned, and that came in a resignation letter that mattis submitted to the president last thursday. now, evidently, reportshe presid dot realize just how critical mattis was in that resignation letter andtly w res protest, until he saw the tv news coverage, and that evidently enraged him, and that could explain the expedited departure date. but here's how the incoming white house chief of staff

characterizing all of this. >> i think the relationship between these two men had been fraying. i think the president no longer re deliver thedon't have to agree president on everything he asks me to do -- in fact, i don't think we're going to. i think he hires people who disagree because he like that input, but if i'm physically incapable of doing what he wants moe to do just because i don't believe it, i can't serve him well. >> reporter: the current deputy secretary of defense is going to become the acting secretary of defense. that is patrick shanahan. he is a veteran of boeing corporation for 30 years before joining the administration. the president tweeting he has a long list of accomplishments and he's going to do great. marley? >> a lot going on this holiday week. susan, thank you. the death toll continues to rise from a disastrous tsunami in indonesia. at least 281 people are dead and more than 1,000 injured as rescuers search for the the islands decimated after

undersea landslides from the anak krakatau volcano triggered historic waves. now the disaster management agency is warning of a possibility of another tsunami. we know that the cratsunami str about 9:30 p.m. local time saturday, hitting several loc n and sumatra during the peak of a local holiday and sent waves crashing into popular tourist resorts not far from the capital. nbc's lucy kafanov has the very latest. >> reporter: this indonesian pop band was performing on the beach in western java when the tsunami wave suddenly hit without warning. sweeping away the stage and audience. in an emotional video message, the lead singer says the bassist and manager both died. three other band members and his own wife still missing. the tsunami rushed ashore on saturday night. "i was sleeping," this woman says. "it hit us at the same time when my son closed the hotel door."

no warning, no time to get away because there was no earthquake. officials say the killer wave was triggered by undersea landslides after the anak krakatau volcano erupted. the volcano lies in the sunda strait between java and at the sumatra islands, linking the indian ocean and java sea. >> there's a warning with an earthquake. in this case, there was no earthquake as such, so there was little that could be done in this case. it's a tragic fact of nature. >> reporter: the scale of the devastation massive. hotels and beach resorts flattened, roads westeashed out vehicles tossed by waves. rescue teams scrambling to reach survivors, but for too many, it was too late. indonesia has been hit by a series of natural disasters. a powerful quake in september triggered a tsunami, killing more than 2,500 people. and 14 years ago, the day after christmas, the deadliest tsunami recorded in 230,000 lives lost.

hospitals are overwhelmed with victims, while officials fear the death toll could rise even more. lucy kafanov, nbc news. gatwick airport officials are offering around $63,000 for anyone with information about ng l to three ehind the dron days of chaos after the airport was shut down completely, leaving thousands stranded. investigators have recovered a damaged drone and are testing it for forensics. over the weekend, a couple was arrested and later released wioe the airport is back and operating on a full schedule as the investigation continues. police in west virginia have issued arrest warrants for four people who got trapped in the mines earlier this month. the four were reported missing and then found days later. authorities say the group was suspected of entering the mines to steal copper and now all four are facing charges for entering the mine. eddie williams jr. is also

charged with conspiracy and lying to police. election fraud has been a big topic in the last couple of years, from russian interference to allegations of voter suppression in additionally republican states, but in chicago, the stronghold of a democratic machine, a controversy has triggered a federal investigation. as nbc's ron mott reports, it involves a young democrat taking on another democrat with powerful backers. >> hey, how are you? >> reporter: 19-year-old college freshman david krupa d chicago' >> i'd appreciate it if you'd come out and support me. >> reporter: he collected signatures from about 1,700 people, nearly four times the number needed, and filed paperwork to become the first challenger to get on in his hom setting up a face-off against incumbent democrat marty quinn. >> they told me if i get on the ballot, they would vote for me, and there were a lot of those people. >> reporter: quinn is backed by one of the state's most powerful political figures, illinois house speaker mike madigan, who also lives in the 13th ward, so

when the petition signatures were contested it was to be expected. what wasn't? his lawyer found out the party machine had submitted 2,800 sworn affidavits from residents who wanted to withdraw their support of krupa. that's 1,000 more signatures than he submitted. >> this is a case where it went way past rough-and-tumble politics and crossed the line into criminal behavior. this was a clown car of felonies. >> reporter: the attorney says only 187 of the signatures matched, meaning 2,600 affidavits filed with the election board may prove fraudulent, a potential felony. do you think you've got them a little rattled? >> well, i think we've proved it. i think we've proved that we've got them rattled. >> reporter: the discovery of what may have been instances of election fraud sent ripples through political circles. the election board referring the matter to the u.s. attorney. the quinn campaign withdrew its push to shove krupa out of the race. neither quinn nor madigan returned our calls. >> politics -- >> reporter: veteran tv journalist carol marine covers politics here. >> the democratic organization in chicago would swat a fly with

a sledgehammerthat's just how t. >> reporter: so, are you getting recognizmoso. >> reporter: with the ballot hurdle cleared, krupa can now focus on converting his sudden name recognition into actual votes for the february election, furnishing an office, building his message. >> i wanted to make a point of making the ballot to show that we can challenge the machine and make our local democracy function as it was intended to function. >> reporter: an unlikely candidate in a very public political fight waged against the machine. ron mott, nbc news, chicago. >> we'll let you know what happens with that. all right, let's get our christmas eve forecast. good morning, bonnie. >> good morning, phillip and he lie storm syssleet, troublesome fore driving. across the southeast, we'll look for rain and snow, mainly i'd say towards areas further to the south. generally speaking, though, the snow will be working its way northward. so as we look towards later on in the week, a lot of these cities that will be dealing with

a beautiful white christmas will get even more snow as a second storm will come into the forecast on wednesday and thursday. that's a look at the and southern california today with highs in the 60s. so, a white christmas for parts of our areas to the west and a little bit in the northeast and great lakes. most of the country not experiencing that this year. >> thanks so much, bonnie. >> sure. well, colorado police are out looking for a woman who disguised herself as one of santa's reindeer during a burglary. the woman allegedly broke into a business early in the morning and stuffed several items into a shopping bag. police said in a facebook post her to stice, they will tell santa of her naughty deeds. she is getting coal, for sure.

>> if anybody sees a reindeer that looks like the dropout bear from the kanye albums, call police. just ahead, spacex blast into the history books and a brawl breaks out at the bears game. we'll have highlights of a wild day of football. but my hygienisg electric 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. electric toothbrushre, oral-b 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. unpredictable crohmptoms f? itmoderately to severely active crohn's disease, stelara® works differently. studies showed relief and remission, with dosing every 8 weeks. stelara® may lower your ability to fight infections and may increase your risk of infections and cancer. some serious infections require hospitalization. before treatment, get tested for tb.

tell your doctor if you have an infection or flu-like symptoms or sores, have had cancer, or develop new skin growths, or if anyone in your house needs or recently had a vaccine. alert your doctor of new or worsening problems, including headaches, seizures, confusion and vision problems. these may be signs of a rare, potentially fatal brain condition. some serious allergic reactions and lung inflammation can occur. talk to your doctor today, and learn how janssen can help you explore cost support options. remission can start with stelara®. explore cost support options. sometimes we forget what is ilike baseball? like you! diagnosed with an aggressive cancer, johan came to st. jude children's research hospital. our discoveries have helped to increase the overall childhood cancer survival from 20% to 80%. and we won't stop until every child survives. how big is 80%? this big! visit stjude.org or shop wherever you see the st. jude logo. this is charlie not coughing because he took delsym 12-hour.

and this is charlie still not coughing while trying his hardest not to wake zeus. delsym 12-hour. nothing lasts longer for powerful cough relief. ignition. lift-off. >> there it goes. in florida, a historic launch of a spacex falcon rocket. after several days, the rocket blasted off from cape canaveral sunday carrying a new gps satell f on a coming a bit more into focus this morning. let's look at some highlights. the seahawks, they punched their ticket in. they got a stunning win over the chiefs at home. patrick mahomes threw for three touchdowns, but it wasn't enough to keep up with russell wilson and saeattle's ground game. the final 38-31. high stakes and high drama in the superdome. the steelers were facing a must-win against the saints to stay in the playoff picture. new orleans took the early lead,

but big ben and the steelers would muscle their way back. down four here, drew brees would connect with michael thomas. the refs had to look at it a couple times. looked like he was falling back into the field of play, but nope, that is a touchdown and er one seed in the nfc. . in philadelphia, a thriller. the texans were fighting to clinch the afc south. darren sproles breaks loose on this 37-yard catch-and-run to give the eagles the lead. but the texans came. that is some magic there from quarterback deshaun watson. check out this bomb here from vincent smith. what a perfect catch-and-pass on third and 11. but in the end, the difference was that field goal there, 35 yards to win it. philly still alive. another big game in big "d." the cowboys were looking to clinch the nfc east, and dallas leapt out to an early lead. they were up 14-3. that is jalen smith with that scoop there. look at that. he's got some wheels on the defensive side! that was a fumble jameis

winston that made that happen. another turnover in the third. the cowboys would capitalize on it. 27-13 at that point. and that was enough. the boys cement their spot in the playoffs. out to the bay now, where the chicago bears were out hunting for home field advantage in the nfc. they were feeling good a little early. and then their quarterback, mitch trubisky, he gets som wora little pushing and shoving. three people get ejected out of that. bears win, though, 14-9. coming up, prime time as hollywood finally tunes in. tunes in. and we'll shine a light on a this music is supposed to relax me, though. ♪ maybe you'd mellow out a bit if you got geico to help you ♪ oh, geico helps with renters insurance? good to know. yeah, and they could save you a lot of money. wow, suddenly i feel so relieved. you guys are fired.

get to know geico and see how much you could save on renters insurance. 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. huseventy five percent off andthnd pick up in sto. the entire store is on sale, with up to seventy fivpe the entire store is on sale, new listerine® ready! tabs™ aren't gum, mints, or marbles. seriously, what is this? if you guessed they're tabs that turn into liquid as you chew, so you can swish and clean your whole mouth instantly, then you were correct. and that was a really good guess. nice job. alice loves the smell of gain so much, she wished it came in a fabric softener too. [throat clears]r, alice. oh and look they got gain scent beads and dryer sheets too!

buckingham palace released this photo ahead of queen elizabeth's annual christmas message which airs tomorrow. in it, the queen wishes her subjects a very merry christmas and decrees the golden rule of respect and kindness. the longest reigning british monarch says understanding and respect have been a personal comfort to her. now to a tradition that celebrates what so many consider to be the most important element of the holiday season, a time for reflection and hope. churches across the country are making a special effort to embrace that idea with what they call a blue christmas service. nbc's kristen dahlgexsome, the holidays can be more "silent night" than "joy to the world." as decorations go up and stores open their doors, so many get lost in the christmas chaos, especially if they're spending the season alone. so, churches across the nation are addressing the extra need for reflection, holding special

nondenominational services for those needing a break from all the h nustle york's fifth avenu presbyterian church, pastor kate dunn has held the blue christmas service for the last 14 years. >> we see a lot of grief this time of year, and we see hardships that people face do not stop. >> reporter: at the end of the service, they light candles. so, what do the blue candles symbolize? >> we invite people forward to light a candle in remembrance of someone they've loved and lost, in honor of somebody who they are thinking about who may be going through a hard time. >> reporter: reg mcquay has been a member of the church for the last seven years. while he loves the season, he also needs time for solace. >> i find it a time to reflect on those individuals that have been important in my life, and they're no longer here. >> reporter: a vital pause for a moment of peace. kristen dahlgren, nbc news, new york. i was on the fence about changing from a manual to an electric toothbrush.

but my hygienist said going electric could lead to way cleaner teeth. she said, get the one inspired by dentist 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. mucinex cold & flu all-in-one. fights... ...sore throat, fever, cough, sinus pressure, chest congestion, headache, nasal congestion, body pain... all in one. did you really need the caps lock? get tough on cold and flu symptoms. mucinex cold and flu all-in-one. you'll make my morning, buty the price ruin my day.ou? complicated relationship with milk? pour on the lactaid, 100% real milk, just without that annoying lactose. mmm, that's good.

and everyone i've ever opioids has taken everything everything. i blew my ankle out and i got prescribed pain pills by my doctor. if making my detox public is gonna help somebody i'm all for it. you said you'd rather sniff than clean the bathroom? that's nuts! with scrubbing bubbles cleaning doesn't have to stink. it gets rid of tough soap scum and it smells amazing. it's cleaning reinvented. sc johnson. (vo) ovewhelming air fresheners can send you running. so try febreze one. with no aerosols and no heavy perfumes.

well, santa is already quite busy this christmas eve. he is now entering new zealand. 500 million households to go for santa. you can track santa live on this christmas eve at noradsanta.org. very exciting and very, very busy time of year. let's talk about christmas and what we can expect for christmas eve. snow in the rockies. the rest of the country doing okay, which is good news. but for christmas day, we'll see cooler temperatures behind this clipper system and more snow for the rockies, sunshine for the south. generally speaking, next two days look good. travel troubles ahead for wednesday and thursday. >> all right. that's after the fact. all right.

thank you, bonnie. when we come podcasts become wildly popular, hollywood's getting in on it. sy lifting during the week. but on this day dad makes flapjacks dripping with hot, melting california butter. and somehow dad's the mvp? most valuable parent. it's just not fair. love ya, mom! return to real food. dairy products made with california milk. from our family farms to your table. return to real. look for the seal. huseventy five percent off andthe entire store, with last minute gifts from three, four, and five dollars! you still have time for last minute gifts! buy online and pick up in store. the entire store is on sale, with up to seventy five percent off, only at old navy. there it is the coffee ring, it's been sitting there all week. and just like that, it's shining. look at you.

beautify it with pledge. podcasts have become big business with tens of millions of us downloading and listening to them every month, myself included. and now as nbc's joe fryer reports, hollywood is paying attention as well. >> shall we get started? >> reporter: the amazon tv show "homecoming," starring julia roberts, is a different kind of adaptation transformed not from a book but from a podcast. why does the "hecoming" television for your ears. >> reporter: matt lieber founde like "homecoming" andrimetown," divisif s devoted into turning podcasts

into movies and tv series. >> some of these podcasts are generating millions of listens, so there's already this base of people that are interested in the subject matter. >> reporter: with more than a quarter of the u.s. population listening monthly, hollywood is desperate to cash in. >> what an amazing idea, to have your own special on hbo. >> this is what our ancestors fought for. >> reporter: the comedy podcast "2 dope queens" became an hbo special series, along with the politically themed "pad save america." >> does this scare you? >> reporter: and now on our sister network bravo, you can watch the series "dirty john." it's based a wildly popular podcast hosted and reported by "l.a. times" journalist christopher goffer. >> he was smart and charming and articulate. >> reporter: "dirty john" tells the real-life story of a con man -- >> he's very good at lying. >> reporter: played on television by eric bana. what was your reactionfirst lis? >> disbelief. but i guess as an actor, you're

always looking for and fascinated by human behavior. >> reporter: the show's executive producer says he's already looking for other podcasts to adapt. >> is it a great story? is it a compelling story? is it a dramatic story? that really ultimately is a litmus test, and it doesn't matter which format that it origination in. >> reporter: these podcast-inspired shows have even earned golden globe nominations, one for doirty john," three for "homecoming." >> julia roberts, "homecoming." >> critically acclaimed for stories written for the ear, now getting an audience for the eye. joe fryer, nbc news, los angeles. >> goes to show, wherever a good story is, that's where people want to be. >> absolutely, yeah. tom hanks, he is getting into the spirit of giving. check out this in-n-out burger here in southern california. there he is, taking selfies! he's an oscar-winner! grabbing lunch with his wife, rita wilson. he then surprised people at the drive-thru. >> that's for the next three cars. >> thank you!

>> hey! >> thank you so much! >> have a good christmas! >> good everybody! >> what a guy. he wished everybody a merry christmas on the way out. and we do as well, from everyone here at "early today." merry christmas.

struck without warning. a massive tsunami catches indonesia off guard, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake. the new fears this morning as the death toll continues to climb. chaos on capitol hill. president trump wages war on his outgoing defense secretary as the shutdown showdown drags into the christmas week. the height of luxury hits new lows. china digs in underground skyscraper. speaking of going deep -- >> heaves one to the end zone. it isl season with a call to