ncedin1. pow. is today the first day of president trump's real challenges now that democrats led by nancy pelosi take over the house? plus the government shutdown hits the wall on day 13 as the funding fight drags on with more late night tweets from the president. >> a miracle rescue. hear how a woman trapped in her overturned car while in water was able to lead rescuers to her just in time. why the tsa is rethinking th use. pointy-eared dogs are out in favor of floppy ears. find out why. plus the streaming thriller that quickly became one of the most talked about movies of the year. "early today" starts right now. good morning. i'm marlie hall.

>> great being with you on this thursday. i'm frances rivera in just hours, democrats will retake control of the house for the first time since 2011 as the 116th congress officially convenes. minority leader nancy pelosi is poised to regain the gavel. she would be the first lawmaker to retake the speakership since 1955. the party plans to use their newfound power to present bills that would end the government shutdown. they could hit a wall in the senate. nbc's tracie potts joins us from d.c. with the latest. tracie, what else is on the democrats' agenda? >> reporter: well, they want to investigate a number of things, of course russia, the idea of collusion, and also protecting the job of special counsel robert mueller. but there's some other things as well. they've put in document requests that haven't been responded -- they've gotte n from the trump administration. that is something they want to follow up on. now, the democrats are in charge of these investigative committees. family separation, voting rights, hate crimes agenda, not to mention the trump

tax returns. but nancy pelosi, who you see here, as house speaker, is also looking forward to the 2020 election. here's what she told the "today" show about that. >> do you think in this day and iej, the democrats need to nominate someone who is a street fighter like a trump, somebody who can go jab for jab? >> i think that there are eno h enough -- in the democratic party. i do think our candidate for president has to be strategic but also unifying. >> reporter: now, pelosi is set to become speaker later today, but republicans have an agenda too. they want to push through some of president trump's judicial nominees that have been on the back burner, four cabinet nominees, and they're also looking at making tax cuts permanent. frances? >> tracie, thank you. you can catch congresswoman pelosi's full interview with savannah later this morning on "today." nearly two weeks into the

government shutdown, a deal seems further away than ever. president trump hosted democratic and republican congressional leaders at the white house for a briefing on border security, but neither side emerged any closer to an agreement. the president dug in his heels on twitter, saying overnight, sadly, there can be no real border security without the wall. caught in the middle of the impasse is hundreds of thousands of furloughed federal workers. nbc's hallie jackson has the latest. >> reporter: a situation room briefing on the border that went nowhere. >> the president asked us to come back on friday. >> reporter: neither side is budging. >> we would hope that they would reconsider. >> reporter: the president's reiterating he wants more than $5 billion for a wall. >> the $5.6 billion is such a small number. literally it's a month -- it's one month in afghanistan. we're tal cu a security. >> rte nancy pelosi with savannah guthrie. >> if you and the democrats don't meet halfway, if you don't

thecoro why isn't the shutdown partially your respond? >> it has nothing to do with us. it has the president saying, i will hold six agencies of government hostage to my campaign promise that i was going to build a wall, and that mexico was going to pay for it. that is so ridiculous, a. mexico is not paying for it, a. and, b, we have better use of funds to protect our border. >> reporter: if this standoff keeps going, so will the partial shutdown. >> as long as it takes. i mean, look, i'm prepared. i think the people of the country think i'm right. >> reporter: but hundreds of thousands of federal workers won't see a paycheck until the government reopens, like this air traffic controller in north carolina. he has a savings account, but -- >> it's almost depleted. it was my rainy day fund a foce border where this week u.s. officials teargassed a group of

migrants. customs and border protection said agents aimed at people throwing rocks at them, not at migrants trying to cross into the u.s. multiple sources tell us democrats made clear to the president at the white house that they will make a move to reopen government today when democrats take control of the house. but the senate plans to reject that. so at this moment, we are left with not much progress and not much consolation for federal workers left in limbo. marlie, back to you. >> hallie, thank you. we are only three days into 2019 but democrats have already had their eyes on 2020. the pool of potential challengers is growing quickly. one of the first big names to emerge in the race, senator elizabeth warren. she sat down with msnbc's rachel maddow for her first interview since announcing plans to explore a white house bid. >> we are buildingross this tr2. look at all the people w sideli. lo the people who said -- look at all the women

who said, never thought i was going to be called on to do this. but they stood up, and they said, i'm part of this. this is my country, my voice will be heard. and my government will reflect my values. that's what i believe, and i think the best place to fight that is right the presidency of the united states of america. >> warren also accused president trump of pushing policy for billionaires and vowed to fight for the middle class. prosecutors in arizona are considering criminal charges over shocking videos that appear to show migrant children being abused at a facility tasked with helping them. nbc's miguel almaguer has the disturbing tapes. >> reporter: the video of migrant children appearing to be dragged, shoved and manhandled is now in the hands of prosecutors. the incidents could lead to criminal charges. it happened at the youngtown has yen den del sol shelter ran by nonprofit southwest key, which

unaccompanied immigrant recorded in september, the video was recently released by state health officials who blurred some of the images. the federal shelters for migrant children, suspended operations at the youngtown facility in october. southwest key tells nbc news it fired several employees, adding they do not in any way condone the behavior and have taken appropriate action in response. but this video is in the hands of prosecutors. miguel almaguer, nbc news. nasa is redefining what a distant outer space object could mean for people here on earth, and it's accomplishing what has eluded mankind for decades. on wednesday, the space agency released the first high resolution images of an object nicknamed ultima thule. that's about 4 billion miles from earth. it turns out the dark object is formed by two spheres which fuse together to create this odd 20

horizons mission is revealing details of a new kind of world. china has gone to the dark side of the moon that is. according to state media, a chinese spacecraft has made the first ever landing on the far side of the moon. that side has been relatively unexplored until now. vincent mcvinnyoins us with re fro london. good morning, vincent. >> reporter: good morning, marlie. that's right. china is going where know man or in this case robot has gone before. four weeks after blasting off their unmanned chang e 4 probe touched down in the south pole basin, roughly six hours ago. now, the probe's carrying instruments to analyze the unexplored region's geology. it's actually in one of the biggest impact craters in the whole of our solar system. chinese scientists are hoping that by exploring this rugged terrain, we'll have new information on the formation of now, the probe also has a

biosphere in it with potato and plant seeds as well as silkworm eggs for some biological experiments. it has already started sending back the first pictures from the surface of the far side. you can see those on your screen. because it's permanently turned away from earth, direct communications aren' china's al relay satellite into lunar orbit. now, this landing is being seen as a major space exploration milestone, and it has huge propaganda value with chinese media carefully managing it and not actually announcing it until after it had successfully landed. nasa has congratulated them, and they're calling it an impressive accomplishment. marlie, frances, back to you guys. >> vincent, crews were busy in jackson, mississippi, after a greyhound bus overturns. the accident happened on an entry ramp to i-55. responders say all the passengers were safely evacuated with no serious injuries.

and 22 people were taken to hospitals. the cause of the accident is under investigation. now to a rare event for southern arizona. residents woke up wednesday morning to several inches of snow. it's been several years since the area saw that much snow. the overnight low for phoenix dropped to 30 degrees for the first time in five years. while the kids may be having fun, drivers face dangerous conditions and traffic delays. the department of public safety said troopers were kept busy with crashes and vehicles sliding off the roads. >> that was in vail, arizona. there's some other spots, texas and oklahoma getting some snow as well. >> i'm sure there will be a lot of school delays and cancellati cancellations. winter weather advisories and winter storm warnings in oklahoma and central texas. this narrow band of heavy snow is still going to fall during the day today in twen oklahoma city. then those flash flood watches

and this evening, especially central louisiana right through the southeast. ll in the 80s. 84 in orlando. we'll talk about the weekend forecast coming up. all this mess has to go through the east eventually. >> thanks, bill. you may see more labradors next time you're at the airport. the tsa is employ more floppy eared dogs for airport screenings because th r canines with pointy ears scare children. they'r andera golden retrievers because they're viewed as less intimidated. however they will not be

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ts. two scoops meet real banana slices. all-in-one cold symptom relief from tylenol®, three celebrity passings to tell you about this morning. actor bob einstein, the funny man from curb your enthusiasm, has died of cancer at the age of 76. einstein was also known for his character super dave, who made so many laugh over the years with his own show and late night appearances. friend and curb your enthusiasm co-star larry david released a statement that said in part, there was no one like him, as he told us again and again. sad news for pro-wrestling fans, gene okerlund, the wwe's backstage interviewer and announcer has died at the age of 76. nicknamed mean gene okerlund held his hone beside some of wrestling's biggest personalities. vince mcmahon tweeting, it was impossible not to crack a smile room. r mean gene okerlund and daryl dragon, one-half

of the musical duo the captain and tennille, has died. he teamed up with his then wife toni tennille for 70s hits like love will keep us together andnc rescue after a woman became trapped in a car overturned in a watery ditch in florida. nbc's kerryrs hde her harrowing 911 call. >> reporter: a moment of crisis. >> there's water getting in the car, and i can't get out. >> reporter: 20-year-old amanda antonio on the phone. her car flipped over in a watery ditch. >> i'm freezing. >> okay. how deep of water are you in? >> well, now it's up to my chest. >> reporter: fearful her 911 call might end at any moment. >> i'm so >> reporter: her getting deeper. >> it's getting deeper? >> .location. >> is someone >> they're gettingealizes >> i can't kick the i can look they may not reach her in time.

>> reporter: she gives that information to the operator. my google maps. >> hello! >> reporter: 16 minutes after the call began -- >> i can hear you. can you hear me? >> reporter: rescuers find her. >> i didn't think i was going to make it out. >> reporter: antonio credits the dispatcher with helping her stay calm. >> i definitely did not want to be the last person that she was able to talk to. >> reporter: she's safe with her family and grateful. kerry sanders, nbc news. >> wow, are you so surprised how shockingly calm she was for most of that call? >> she really was, yeah. that call gave me chills. just ahead, coachella strikes a chord with its 2019 lineup. and sending a 400 mile long message. the incredible statement on gender equality in india, next. at walgreens, we want you, to keep doing you...

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the coachella valley music and arts festival in indio, california, is known for its nomadic style and star-studded performances. now in its 20th year, thennounc lineup for 2019. over 150 artists will perform ranging in genre from hip-hop to country. ariana grande, childish gambino, and psychedelic rock band tame impala will headline. some others include sew lauj noelds and bad bunny. coachella takes place april 12th and 19th.

tickets go on sale tomorrow, january 4th. >> time to get our instagram flooded with crocheted outfits and fringe. school buses were used to send a powerful message in georgia. six dozen school buses lines the streets of atlanta to raise awareness of child sex trafficking. the nonprofit street grace partnered with the georgia attorn the issue. 72 buses represented a total of 3,600 children in georgia who are sold into sex slavery each year. the fight for women's equality halfway around the globe. female protesters in india reported to be as many as 5 million formed a human chain extending across nearly 400 miles. they successfully fought to allow two women entrance into one of the largest hindu pilgrimage sites following a centuries old gender ban. this major moment builds on growing opposition to a recent ruling from india's top court. still ahead, the best diets of 2019. plus sightseers are treated

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>> that's pretty cool. waterspouts are gorgeous because they're not hurting anyone. they just sit there over the water. let's get into the weekend forecast. on friday, that storm and flood risk will go from areas from nashville all the way through atlanta. the heavier rain through charlotte and raleigh. by the time we get through saturday, we're taking that rain from philadelphia, new york city, southern portions of new england. the reward is sunday. sunday looks mild and nice all of the eastern half of the country. >> bill, thank you. when we come back, the streaming alexander's mom calls him "the most perfect boy in the world". she's right. i love your confidence. when diagnosed with cancer, alexander went to st. jude children's research hospital. no family pays st. jude for anything... because all a family should worry about is helping their child live. now i'm perfectly cancer free. perfect proof... moms are always right. visit stjude.org or shop wherever you see the st. jude logo.

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starring sandra bullock that has taken over social media feeds, driving millions to watch. here's stephanie gosk on what's behind the new phenomenon. to be a blockbuster. >> if you look, you will die. >> sandra bullock, imminent death, the end of bullock? netflix released the movien dec. a week later the company said it was breaking records. suddenly "bird box" was all over social media. >> look at me. >> reporter: there's even a blindfold challenge now. netflix recommends not trying it for safety reasons. so when kim kardashian posted, i really like it. who's seen it? she got this reply. everyone, kim. literally the only thing people have been talking about. >> reporter: all of you have seen it? what did you think? >> um -- >> reporter: mixed reviews. there are disagreements over whether or not it's any good. but let's be honest. what does that really matter

now? stephanie gosk, nbc news, new york. i literally can't get through my social media feeds without seeing somebody blindfolded. >> it is everywhere. we apparently are very late to this party. i think i'm going to wait abit. i've heard mixed things. >> i'm curious. s best overall diet evamp your01 according to u.s. world report. studies have linked this lifestyle to lower risks in heart disease and diabetes. second to mediterranean is the dash diet which prevents hypertension and the flexitarian diet, a flexible vegetarian meal plan. >> intermittent fasting all so 2018, right? >> exactly. we are tracking a new relocation trend that's sending more americans trekking west and south. a study found that more residents moved out of new jersey more than any other state in 2018. that's followed by illinois, connecticut, new york, and kansas. meanwhile, states in the mountain and pacific west

continue to have more inbound moves. several southern states also have experienced high inbound migrations. top reasons include job change and retirement. >> i bet a lot are moving to warmer climates as well. the american kennel club's pack of recognized breeds has gotten beeter. the azawaok is the 193rd dog to join the roster. they are part of the hound group that originated in west africa and were introduced to the u.s. in the mid-80s. they are now eligible for many 2019 competitions but will have to wait until 2020 to join the westminster kennel club show. well, thanks for waking up with us. i'm mare hall. lianother cold morning out ther

ad lib live pic a good thursday morning to you, january 3rd. it's cold outside. a beautiful sight for you, san francisco, to start your morning. thank you for starting your day

with us on "today in the bay." >> that's you, laura's voice. laur l >> laura, don't go outside, it's too cold for you. it's too cold for a lot of people. if you do have to go outside, this is what you'll be