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 deep with an underground skyscraper. speaking of going deep -- >> heaves one to the end zone. it is caught! >> one of the most epic plays

you'll see all football season with a call to match. "early today" starts right now. good morning. i'm marlie hall. >> and i'm phillip mena. more drama in d.c. this morning as the cabinet shake-up continues. defense secretary james mattis is heading out the door sooner than expected. president trump announced on twitter that mattis will leave on the first of the new year, two months earlier than previously announced. the decision possibly prompted by the defense chief's highly critical resignation letter. nbc's susan mcguinness joining us from d.c. with the very latest on this. susan, good morning. i hear the president has already named a replacement for mattis this weekend. >> that's right. that happened pretty quickly as well, phillip. but yeah, the president announcing in a tweet on sunday defense secretary james mattis will be departing his post much earlier than expected, two months earlier. this follows mattis's resignation last week that was in protest over the president's decision to withdraw troops from syria and later from afghanistan as well against the advice of

the pentagon and many, many others. the president initially praised mattis after he made his announcement but reportedly became furious following that. evidently, reports that he didn't raeld the letter, didn't realize this was all in protest and became very angry after seeing the news coverage. but here's how the incoming white house chief of staff mick mulvaney characterizes the decision. >> i think the relationship between these two men had been fraying. i think the president no longer relied on mattis to be able to deliver the president's vision. the president has to know, i don't have to agree with the president on everything he asks me to do. in fact, we're not going to. i think he hires people who disagree with him because he likes that different input. but if i'm physically incapable, completely incapable of doing what he wants me to do just because i don't believe it, i cannot serve him well. >> reporter: and the president named a new acting secretary of defense that is patrick shanahan. he worked for boeing for some 30 years. the president tweeting that shanahan has a long list of accomplishments and he will be great. phillip and marlie? >> all right.

so the delayed reaction was because he did not read the resignation letter immediately. all right, susan, thank you. it's day three of the government shutdown and still no 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 can't have border security without a wall." earlier he wrote, "it is only a good old-fashioned wall that works." nbc's geoff bennett has the latest. >> reporter: the government shutdown drags on. no truce on the horizon in the battle over funding mr. trump's border wall. acting white house chief of staff mick mulvaney offering his prediction on how long it will last. >> i think that is -- it's very possible that this 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 -- >> technically, you and i both know that it cannot work exactly like that. >> reporter: mulvaney says the white house has dropped down

from its $5 billion demand for border security money, hoping democrats move up from their $1.3 billion counteroffer. democrats say they're willing to negotiate on the price tag but want a guarantee on what the money buys. >> the 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 hot spot for illegal crossings. with the rest of the money the administration says it would build barriers near laredo, texas, parts of new mexico, in yuma, arizona 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, can't be making mortgage payments and other things like that. >> that was geoff bennett reporting. overseas the death toll is rising from a powerful and deadly tsunami that struck off the coast of indonesia without any warning. the catastrophic event killed more than 280 people with thousands more injured. officials say an eruption from the anak krakatoa volcano set off the tsunami. this sent walls of water into the area between the islands of sumatra and java swallowing everything in that path. the tsunami rushed ashore about 9:30 local time on saturday night. it was a local holiday weekend in indonesia. resorts and hotels along the coast in western java would have been packed with people. this morning aid organizations are rushing surprise to the region. the devastation is massive. entire roads toss add way, vehicles tossed by waves and hospitals are overwhelmed. officials expect the number of victims to rise as the recovery effort 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, then found days later. authorities say the group was suspected of entering the mine to steal copper. all four are facing charges for entering the mine. eddie williams jr. is also charged with conspiracy and lying to police. now to the controversy over what some see as an unfair and potentially racist choice forced on a high school athlete last week. it happened in new jersey, where a wrestler was told to cut his locks or he couldn't compete. nbc's kathy park has more. >> reporter: the crowd at wednesday's wrestling match watched andrew johnson's dreadlocks drop to the ground. the new jersey high school wrestler reportedly had to choose, trim the hair or forfeit the match. a decision handed down by referee alan maloney, who said the athlete's hair length and head gear broke the rules. johnson won the match, but response was swift. some calling the haircut a case

of racism. >> wrong. flat out wrong. >> it's very disrespectful, and it's discrimination. >> reporter: social media quickly lit up as well. civil rights activist shawn king called it disgusting and heartbreaking. the editor of new jersey wrote no student should have to choose between his or her identity and playing sports. the referee alan maloney grabbed headlines before. in 2016 the "courier post" reported he was accuse of using a racial slur against another referee at a private gathering. maloney later apologized. wrestling champion and olympic gold medalist jordan burrows shared his response to johnson's ordeal. >> in high school as you're growing and you're developing, you're establishing who you are, you're creating an identity, i know as a young black man how much my hair meant to me. >> reporter: buena high school administrators issued a statement saying the assigned referee will no longer be permitted to officiate any more school sporting events for its athletes. the association that regulates new jersey athletics adding the

ref will stay on the sidelines as state authorities complete their investigation. kathy park, nbc news. >> hard to watch him getting his hair chopped off like that. >> yeah. i think we know why, though. we saw a picture of the ref. >> there you go. well, in florida a historic launch of a spatecex falcon rocket. >> ignition, lift-off. >> after several delays the rocket blasted off from cape canaveral sunday carrying a new gps satellite for the air force. it's the first time a spacex rocket has been launched on a national security mission. >> amazing. it is christmas eve, as we all know. let's toss it over to meteorologist bonnie schneider. good morning. how's it look out there? >> good plorn morning, phillip and marlie. it's looking nice. maybe not as much snow as you hoped for but we do have some lake effect snow that's working its way into parts of the great lakes and the northeast. the travel weather, where we'd have trouble spots i'd say out west. otherwise, most of the country enjoying a very pleasant

christmas eve and a nice warmi texas to florida, the carolinas. everybody's enjoying some nice conditions. so a white christmas where we have an inch of snow on the ground christmas morning, you may see it in some of the cities here, but generally speaking i think most of us will not be seeing a white christmas. >> all right, bonnie, thanks so much. would you be willing to stay overnight in an abandoned quarry? people in china are paying over 600 u.s. dollars a night to stay in this luxury hotel which provides a view of a giant pit. with two floors above ground and 17 floors below ground, this quarry hotel is the world's lowest skyscraper, or more precisely it's an quaerth skrea.

looks interesting. >> it's in a beautiful setting for sure. just ahead a dangerous virus sweeps across the university of maryland crisis. and still buzzing from the drone scare. the latest on the suspects that shut the airport down. 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. unpredictable crohn's symptoms following you? for adults with moderately 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,

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delsym 12-hour. nothing lasts longer for powerful cough relief. looking for a last-minute christmas gift idea? you could give the chance to win hundreds of millions of dollars. no big winner in friday's mega millions. the next drawing will happen christmas night. the jackpot now stands about $321 million. meanwhile wednesday's powerball jackpot has climbed to an estimated 294 million bucks. >> that would be a nice gift. >> unless they win. >> right. well, leading the news, gatwick airport officials are offering 50,000 pounds, about $63,000, to anyone with information on the suspects behind last week's drone scare. a drone sighting led to three days of chaos after the airport shut down completely, leaving thousands of passengers stranded. investigators have recovered a damaged drone and are testing it for forensics. over the weeks a couple was arrested and later released with

no connection to the incident. the airport is back and operating on a full schedule as the investigation continues. the university of maryland is working during this holiday break to contain a virus that has led to the death of one student and made dozens of others sick. nbc's matt bradley looks at what the virus does and what they're doing to stop it. >> she is just -- she's just a free spirited kind girl. >> reporter: it's been more than a month since ian perigal's 18-year-old daughter olivia died. >> we watched her just get weaker and weaker and that's the worst experience you can possibly have as a parent. >> pierre: olivia developed complications related to the adenovirus during her freshman year at the university of maryland where the number of infected students now stands at 40, leaving an entire campus on edge. >> there'sball one case of fatal -- being fatal. and it's kind of worrying that more people are getting it. >> reporter: another outbreak last month killed 11 children in a pediatric center in new

jersey. the virus itself is common but it rarely leads to death. the admonth virus can cause the common cold, bronchitis, pinkeye, and for those with weak immune systems deadly pneumonia. >> for the majority of us it's not a problem. we get over it because we have immunity to, it because we've been exposed as children. >> reporter: olivia's family says she's been taking medicine for crohn's disease which may have weakened her immune system. the doctor says the best thing is to take precautions like washing hands and cleaning surfaces. and the university of maryland says it will begin deep cleaning dorms next month while students are away, hoping to prevent another tragedy. matt bradley, nbc news, new york. up next, look mcfly for less. nike brings back its self-lacing shoes with a major perk. and a miracle on the gridiron. the play of the year gets the call of the year. you're watching "early today." hey. i heard you're moving into a new apartment. yeah, it's pretty stressful. this music is supposed to relax me, though.

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a deep one for the end zone. it is caught! touchdown! >> touchdown! touchdown! >> oh, baby! >> wow. that's what texas football's all about. north shore high school won the state title on that hail mary pass. like something from "friday night lights." as you heard the announcers.

the call from the booth was one for the ages. >> yeah, that was an exciting play. >> i want to hear the version in spanish now because that one's always even more exciting. >> there you go. well, tom hanks got into the smeert of giving at an in-n-out burger in southern california. the oscar winner took selfies with fans and grabbed lunch with wife rita wilson. hanks then surprised people at the drive-thru. >> that's for the next cars. >> thank you so much. >> have a gd christmas. >> well, fans say he wished them a merry christmas on his way out. that's pretty cool. >> it is. and it's the only thing that will justify walking to the drive-thru. you know, a lot of people. they won't let you in. they won't let you pay or get -- that's very cool. >> he's tom hanks. >> that's right. we want to show you some shoes now. remember these, the self-lacing shoes from "back to the future

2"? nike made them a reality but only if you had 720 bucks to spend on them. now nike ceo mike parker has announced the base price will be cut in half, more than half. $350 now. that will be available in the spring. the cheaper version of the shoe will mark the line's move into the performance basketball arena. instead of marty mcfly you're going to see them on a basketball court, maybe an nba court. >> why does anyone really need self-lacing shoes? >> because they're cool. why does anyone need any of these shoes? you can buy some jordans for 350. maybe because since you were a kid you watched that movie. now those kids have money to spends. just ahead the nfl playoff picture takes shape. which teams punched their ticket to the postseason? uld lead to w. 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.

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championship time for fantasy football this week. also nfl playoff picture's going to start to come into focus after this week. the seahawks punching their ticket. they got a stunning win over the chiefs. patrick mahomes, he did his thing. as always, he threw for three touchdowns but it was not enough to keep one russell wilson and seattle's ground game. they lead the league, and they beat the chiefs at home 38-p 1. high stakes and high drama in the superdome. the steelers facing a must win against the saints, had to win to get into the playoffs or it was going to be really, really tough. the saints took an early lead on a tough run there, but the steelers as always muscled their way back. this was a perfect throw and catch here. and then drew brees right back.

that is a connection to michael thomas. was it a touchdown or not? the refs had to go back and look at it. it was. that was the winner. saints secure the number one seed with that win in the nfc. the texans were fighting to clin cht afc south. darren sproles is pretty old but it doesn't matter. you cannot tell. look how fast he is. that was not slowed down at all. eagles, they get win after desean watson, he would throw this perfect pass. still didn't matter. the eagles would get the win on this field goal. there it is. 35 yards in the final seconds. another big game in big d. the cowboys looking to clinch the nfc east. dallas leapt out to an early lead. up 14-3. then jalen smith scooped up this fumble by jameis winston and took it to the house. another huge turnover in the third. the cowboys capitalized. they take a 27-13 lead. it was enough for the boys to cement their spot in the playoffs. finally out in the bay the bears were hunting for home field advantage in the nfc. i don't know about that dance,

though. that is not what had everybody talking. it was this hit right here and what happened after. mitch trubisky, the quarterback for the bears, everybody started fighting, they put some people in time out, three people got ejected. the niners lose 14-9. all right. well, bonnie is back with a holiday look at our forecast. what can we expect? >> marlie, phillip, we're looking for a white christmas and we'll see it out west across the rockies. that's where it's more likely. and in the northeast not so much with some exceptions. lake effect snow coming in and that may give you a white christmas in places in upstate new york. a wet christmas that's possible across parts of the south. lots of rain likely to accumulate but this is straight through friday. we'll be looking at a wet week ahead. something to keep a watch on as we look forward to this christmas eve tonight. phillip, marlie? >> all right, bonnie, thank you. just ahead, love has no borders. we want to show you this story, how a man in the u.s. made a young girl in mexico her christmas wishes come true. it's a great story. stay with us. welcome to saturday. sure, mom does all the heavy lifting during the week.

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in today's quick hits a spokesman says justice ruth bader ginsburg is up and working as she recovers from cancer surgery in a new york city hospital. ginsburg had two malignant growths removed from her left lung on friday. an early christmas gift for travelers. according to the latest lundberg survey gas prices dropped eight cents over the past two weeks. the national average is now $2.43 a gallon. down more than 54 cents since early october. norad is still planning to track santa's christmas eve journey despite a partial government shutdown. officials tweeted in a statement saying 1500 volunteers are helping to make this program possible. as we've talked about the

southern border so much of it has been about controversy but this morning a sweet story about a little girl's unusual christmas message that floated north from mexico. and the nan who came across it. here's nbc's kaeths park on a special delivery from santa. >> reporter: 8-year-old dayami natalie watched her christmas wish list fly away tied to a bright red balloon hoping it would get from nogales, mexico to the north pole. the note didn't make it to santa but to randy heiss. >> i noticed there was something red in the grass up ahead and i thought it was trash but when i got closer i could see the ribbon and a balloon and i knew it was note. >> reporter: the wind carried her wish about 20 miles away across the cy-mexico border to patagonia, arizona where randy was hiking. >>s it wa obvious it was a christmas list. the child let the balloon loose with faith someone would find it. if you happen to find thank you don't turn away from an opportunity like that. >> reporter: with clues from the handwritten message he traced

the letter to nogales and asked a popular radio station there to help. dayami was located within an hour. >> love has no borders. that wall melt add way for the day. >> randy and his wife marcela played santa's helpers, driving to mexico to buy the clothes, drawing supplies and slime on dayami's list, then making the special delivery. this christmas connection a gift for the couple who lost their only son years ago. >> it gave me such healing joy of seeing their little faces light up. >> reporter: now finding joy again through a child. who brought them together with a balloon from beyond the border. kathy park, nbc news. >> that is what the holiday season is all about. i love that story. >> yeah, randy and his wife they saw an opportunity and stepped up to fulfill the santa wishes.

santas everywhere. fulfilling those holiday wishes. >> thanks for waking up with us. i'm marlie hall. >> i'm phillip mena. don't forget to check us out on social media. we have news updates all throughout the morning. don't go anywhere. the news continues rightad lib

and good monday morning to you, december 24th, christmas eve. there you have a christmas tree from christmas in the park in san jose. wow, santa is quickly approaching. >> santa is in the air somewhere around the world. hopefully the kids are really straightening it up. i i'm kris sanchez in for laura garcia. >> and i'm marcus washington. >> it's wet for the bay area. we are starting out with getting ready to work or travel, you're looking good for the next few hours. i'm also tracking some rain starting to move into n