weather woes kick off the holiday travel season. causing a 69-vehicle pileup that left dozens injured and snarled traffic on a busy virginia highway. what to expect if you're heading out today. a shocki case in a case of a texas murdered woman her close friend trying to steal her 3-week-old baby. the senate impeachment trial hangs in limbo over the holiday break new emails emerge what happened in the minutes after the president's critical call with the ukrainian leader. christmas is two days away but there is still time for procrastinators to pick up that perfect present. a dancer defying thes.

the newcracker ballerina with an inspiring season for the holiday. "early today" starts right now good morning i'm phillip mena >> i'm dara brown. holiday travel rush was brought to a scary halt on virginia roads after a nearly 70-car pileup shut down interstate 68 in both directions near williamsburg. at least 51 people were injured. despite potentially dangerous weather more than 100 million americans are choosing to drive to their holiday destinations. at least 4 million people are under flash flood watches across the southeast where there is a storm system expected to dump heavy rain and bring with it gusty winds. nbc meteorologist janessa webb is here with our latest forecast good morning i'll get that out. >> good morning. this is a very impressive and messy system that is impacting the southeast and now portions

of the mid-atlantic. south carolina, charleston, to north carolina, you're on our radar, along with atlanta. so we are going to see these major hubs like atlanta, jacksonville, florida, deal with the possible delays today, as this system continues to make its way through. we are talking about wind gusts up to 35 to 40 miles per hour across coastal areas of the carolinas into atlanta as well so make sure you're packing your patience as this system continues to make its way through. it should push offshore by tuesday. also pacific northwest, l.a.x. to san diego, watching another storm system as well >> sounds good thank you. capitol hill is quiet amid the holiday break but the buzz around impeachment is still building there is new information about the now infamous day last july when president trump called ukraine's leader asking for a favor. a trove of previously unreleased emails have shed new light on

the aid to ukraine democrats kept up their attack with a flurry of tweets claiming their case is dead scott is joining us with the latest what did we learn from those emails >> reporter: we learned a pentagon official or budget official told the pentagon to put a hold on military aid to the ukraine as the president was having a discussion with the ukrainian president about military aid and a potential favor, including a possible investigation of vice president biden. that budget official saying michael duffey is one of four white house officials at the center of this roaring debate over an impeachment trial. should those four officials be called to testify in an impeachment trial? that is what the democrats want. republicans say they want a quick trial. that is the wish list right now but no answering that wish list

right. congress in break and president is in florida and the debate will likely continue today >> the charges are pretty thin and gruel. i don't see anything impeachable in that. >> if he really believes it's thin, it's thin because president of the united states ordered his top people who were in the room who know how firsthand knowledge not to testify. he ordered documents not to be turned over. >> reporter: no public schedule for president trump today. he did tweet throughout the weekend several times last night, including one saying their case is dead the poll number are horrendous a reference to the democrats as the impeachment trial debate roars on this morning here in washington live in washington, i'm scott mcfarlane. now back to you. >> no rest even during this hold season scott, thank you so much. overseas now to fiscal year. we have new evidence the country could be getting ready to test more nuclear weapons

satellite photos sew krefhow in activity there molly hunter reports. >> reporter: the reconclusive strong man kim jong-un meeting with his top military officials. u.s. officials tracking north korea's action hour-by-hour ready for a test of a long-range missile capable of reaching the u.s. >> today, we have very high levels of readiness in the model of the u.s. fight tonight. >> reporter: new evidence that test is emmeant. >> commercial satellite photos are showing improvements to a facility associated in the past with ballistic missiles, including a temporary structure that could accommodate a launcher arm. >> reporter: reason diplomatic talks have faltered and earlier this month, kim jong-un mounted a white horse climbing the country's tallest mountain signaling he was making an important decision president trump has hailed this

as his signature foreign policy achievement and experts say a test now could signal the final breakdown of diplomatic talks. molly hunter, nbc news, london two carnival cruise ships are back in port after colliding with each other in mexico. carnival glory was maneuvering to dark when it crashed into carnival legend submarining out windows and bending railings at least six people were injured. an investigation is under way into how it happened the cruise line told passengers it may have been caused by wind gusts and strong currents. now to a case that made headlines across the country new details in the murder of texas mom heidi bruioussard. people who know her believe she tried to steal brousard. >> on the phone for probably 45 minutes. >> reporter: tim miller is a

family spokesperson who specialized in missing persons cases and he talked to the suspect all last week. >> she had me convinced when i talked to her and after i hung up talking with her, that was the last person in the world i expected that could possibly have anything to do with it. so, yeah, she fooled us all. >> reporter: last thursday, investigators uncovered brousard's body in the trunk of car on the property and her -week-old baby found alive in the houston home a spokesperson tells nbc news the baby is in foster care as they await dna testing to confirm its her and who the father is. is it her boyfriend or someone else now she stood in the delivery room when heidi gave birth and putting out baby registry the same due date as heidi's and struck her close friends as odd. do you believe the suspect was ever pregnant?

if she did lie about her pregnancy, why would someone lie about a pregnancy? >> because she wanted the baby she wanted the baby. >> reporter: nbc news reached out to humphries' court-appointed attorney on sunday and we haven't heard back so far this as the family prepares for a vigil. sam brock, nbc news, austin. a chicago man has been arrested in connection with a shooting that left 13 people wounded. people say it happened after an argument broke out after a house ae party. the victims range in age from 16 to 48. authorities say 37-year-old marciano white has been taken under custody. the party was held as a memorial for a man killed earlier this year the shooting marks another grim milestone. more people were wounded in this

incident than any other single shooting in the city since 2013. a new state of emergency is declared in new south wales as firefighters are battling what are called catastrophic fire conditions they are battling 100 wildfires raging across several states two firefighters last week southwest of sydney. authorities fear the dozens of home may have been lost. officials say the flames have been aided by extreme wind conditions and high temperatures drivers on a michigan highway got quite the surprise when a mysterious greenish yellow slime oozed allow a retaining wall and on to the roadway. according to officials, the substance is contaminated ground water following a dlencleanup aa nearby business. owner of that business is currently serving one year in federal prison after he pleaded guilty with storing hazardous waste without a permit

lanes will remain closed until they can clean up that incident. prince phil was admitted to the hospital due to a preexisting condition but palace officials have not provided an update on his current condition. it isn't clear with the prince will be released to join the rest of the royal family for christmas at the queen's castle estate in norfolk. let's check in once again with meteorologist janessa webb. what you got going on on there >> a storm system in the southeast that is gnth continoi continue to pull away and gusty winds for atlanta and south carolina this afternoon as it make its wayoff sho offshore. great news a most of the country not see a white christmas across the country with day time highs welll texas, san antonio a

high of 69 across south florida, in the mid-70s. important week we will take a look at this christmas forecast coming up >> thank you very much. the national menorah is officially lit to celebrate the first day of hanukkah, hundreds gathered in washington, d.c. on sunday and faith leaders will illuminate one candle per night for the celebration of the eight-night holiday. menorah display is one of the largest in the world and happy hanukkah to all of those who celebrate. >> that looked dangerous to light those up top. a nutcracker who is the inspiration of the holiday season. >> one week left in the nfl regular season but the pyolaffs aren't set yet big sunday upsets next what'd we decide on the flyers again?

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there is just one week left in the regular season and the nfl playoff picture is nearly complete the chiefs, they are a lock already. they cruised to an easy win over the bears on "sunday night football." that is reigning mvp patrick mahomes rushing for a touchdown there and he put up two more in the air. kc's defense stifled chicago all night and they only allowed a single kick through the uprights chiefs win 26-3. cowboys on the outside looking in after a crushing loss to the eagles. head coach jason garrett was already in the hot seat and is practically on fire now. philly took the early lead and never looked back. they win the ball game 17-9. if carson wentz and eagles beat the giants next week eagles are heading to the playoffs. ravens win over the browns

cleveland on the board first but lamar jackson getting to work. baltimore's quarterback making yet another case for mvp he threw for three touchdowns and he ran for over 100 yards. the ravens win it 31-15. a stunner up in seattle. the cardinals, the arizona cardinals beat the playoff-bound seahawks that is kenyon drake with an 80-yard run in the first quarter. the cards never let off the gas. they win it by two touchdowns. another record for the new orleans saints this time it was receiver michael thomas who broke the single season record for most receptions with 145 catches. he finished the game against the titans with 136 yards and a touchdown and that cool haircut. new orleans wins it 38-28. >> i like how you got that haircut in there. >> it's different. ahead, celebrating the solstice. >> no need to rush through the aisles sweating all the way. where procrastinators can still grab a present online next

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♪ ♪ there are rising reports of a zombie outbreak across the area. the national guard- sometimes you just want to stay in. enjoy the great taste of dunkin' at home. staying cool in the crowd in the cold rather. a crowd of people gathered to watch the sunrise after the winter solstice. their spirits shined bright through the longest night of the year as they took pictures, enjoyed the view, and played instruments until dawn. did you wait until the last minute again to shop for christmas? well, just one day left, some

retailers are promising they can still get your gifts delivered on time. but after a lot of delays this season, can you really count on it nbc kathy park joins us now with more. >> reporter: good morning. time is running out to mail out those last-minute gifts but some options are still available. behind the scenes, teams are working around the clock to ensure an on-time delivery let the holiday shipping scramble begin fedex, u.p.s., and postal servic eds. overdrive to get deliveries at your door before christmas. >> we have a much shorter holiday shopping season so i think that is what is causing this last-minute shopping bottleneck. >> reporter: retailers like best buy are offering next day shipping on certain items for those who wait until today to buy. the good news for carriers, more customers are shipping, up 21% this holiday season over last year the bad news for shoppers their track record of dloiverg elivern

time is getting worse down 12% this season according to a software convey. are you confident all of these packages will make it on tamime? >> the stuff in new york definitely but outside of the city it's a different story. >> like any business we face challenges as far as weather is concerned, as far as any other natural kind of occurring circumstance we try to work with our customers as soon as possible. >> reporter: 86% for the postal service shipments are arriving on time. u.p.s. eighty. fedex is worse only 68% on time meaning if you ship ten gifts with fedex, three are likely to arrive late. this week, amazon told its third-party retailers to stop using fedex because of these issues what is to blame bad weather in early december and rare one-off events like this one, a fire on a fedex truck in southern california, some christmas gifts torched

now if you're really procrastinating, fedex offers same day delivery on christmas day but it can get pricey, depending on where your package is going in the meantime, here in the usps distribution in mid-town manhattan, hundreds of seasonal workers have been brought in to ensure that your packages make it on time phillip, back to you. >> kathy, thank you. if by a chance it doesn't get there, you can use it as an excuse it was on that fedex truck that caught fire? you didn't hear about it it was on that truck. santa better watch closely janessa will have the christmas forecast. an incredible stroore of determination. one dancer's inspiring story of a comeback ♪ all my favorite colors we come from every walk of life. we're proud of who we are and what we believe. we are among the 200,000 people who work for bank of america.

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♪upbeat music luckily there's febreze plug. it cleans away odors and freshens for 1200 hours. [deep inhale] breathe happy with febreze plug. good morning, everyone let's look at this all-important forecast for your christmas eve. winter warm will continue to build but still the blustery winds for parts of the mid-atlantic but look at all of this sunshine that is beaming from the south aull the way int the northeast. now let's take a look here white christmas, who has had more white christmases st. louis or boston? >> i go st. louis only because i think it's a trick question. i think it's a trick question. ah >> st. louis one more for you let's go chicago or new york >> chicago. >> chicago >> can't get them all. we will be right back.

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we are back with a story about never giving up. a little girl who was told she might not walk dared to imagine she could shine on stage now she is the star ballerina in a beloved classic. here is kate snow. >> reporter: the role of marie in the "nutcracker" is a demanding physical performance requiring soaring leaps and dizzying picture ining pirouets she makes it look effortless. >> it's exhill rating and it's special. especially seeing where i have come from. >> reporter: this is where she

came from immobilized as a child in a full body cast. at age 4 she was diagnosed with stage four, a spinal condition that causes the vertebrae to slip out of place and putting her at risk of paralysis and she couldn't move for months. >> i think of the night terror she had while in that cast. >> reporter: she had successful surgery. >> from there i was in a body cast for three months and then a brace and i had to learn to walk again. >> reporter: but she didn't just walk she leapt, taking up ballet and pushing her recovery and herself to the limits. >> oh, my gosh her tenacity, her hard work, she -- >> she inherited it, she got a good healthy dose of perfectionism from both of us. >> reporter: emily is dancing professionally six years but this is her biggest role yet the lead in the atlanta's ballet "nutcracker", a gruesome schedule rehearsing by day and on stage at nightly and always

on her toes, literally the physical pain from her childhood disorder still lingers. >> i find it painful but i honestly i live with it and it's my norm. >> reporter: this weekend, as she glided gracefully across the stage as a grown upmarie, only two people in the audience who knew exactly how much this performance defieded odds -- her parents. >> you won't find a harder worker anywhere and she is working hard with her body that was not supposed to be able to do this. she is a christmas miracle. >> reporter: dazzling the audiences night after night and living her dream. >> i feel very lucky to be where i am i am in love with ballet, more than ever. >> just like marie found her prince in "the nutcracker" emily found her dancing. she is engaged to be married

>> we wish them the best >> thank you for waking up with us i'm phillip mena. >> i'm dara brown. coming up on the third mike bloomberg's never been afraid of tough fights, the ones that make a true difference in people's lives. and mike's won them, which is important right this minute, because if he could beat america's biggest gun lobby, helping pass background check laws and defeat nra backed politicians across this country, beat big coal, helping shut down hundreds of polluting plants and beat big tobacco, helping pass laws to save the next generation from addiction. all against big odds you can beat him. i'm mike bloomberg and i approve this message.

right now at 4:30, breaking news, a robbery turned deadly in:can cloud cover county. the exclusive surveillance video overnight showing a veteran fighting back against two suspects. but first, a live look outside in san francisco, take a look at that, what's going to greet you for this monday morning, holiday week. all here for you, "today in the bay" begins right now. >> even carl. >> carl the fog, exactly, with my poofy hair. good morning to you. thanks for joining us. i'm laura garcia. >> and i'm kira klapper in for marcus washington. we're all here, including carl, except for marcus. and kari and mike are here with weather and traffic. kari, how is it looking? >> it's looking good in most of the bay