breaking overnight, another person has died in the texas church shooting. officials speak out on the late press conference we've got the latest this morning, we have more information on the man suspected of stabbing five people inside a rabbi's home local officials are calling the attack an act of domestic terror. a legendary civil rights activist and georgia congressman reveals a major health scare and how it will impact his future in the house. a florida grandmother is tased by police after they descend on her home looking for her grandson what prompted the action that left the 73-year-old shaken and angry. making dreams come true. the boy who got a christmas gift

that will change his life. and the playoffs are set as the dolphins ruined the patriots' postseason plans and the niners show seattle who rules the west it's monday. "early today" starpts right now good morning i'm cori coffin. >> good to be with you i'm frances rivera. >> we begin with breaking news just days after christmas, panic and fear at a texas church service. a shooting near fort worth leaves two parishioners dead chur churchgoers returned fire killing the gunman dan sheneman has details. >> reporter: the shooting again at the west freeway church of christ a live stream shows a masked gunman holding a long gun and firing twice >> he got up from that position, pulled out a shotgun and fired it at a parishioner. >> reporter: the church's security detail then confronted

the gunman, fired and took him down two parishioners and the gunman were killed. >> the heroism today is unparalleled >> we lost two great men today but it could have been a lot worse. >> reporter: the shooter was known to authorities, but few details have been released >> the shooter is -- was in the area today, clearly has been in the area from what we can gather in the investigation, he's relatively transient but has roots to this area. >> reporter: the investigation will go on while the church's leadership asks for prayers. >> we'd like to say we're a place you and your family can call home. and today our home was invaded by evil. >> reporter: the threat is over, a church's grieving has just gp. dan sheneman, nbc news. >> the jewish community is in mourning this morning after five people were hurt during an anti-semitic attack.

it happened during a hanukkah celebration at a rabbi's home in new york police a 37-year-old man walked in -- allegedly walked into the home and started stabbing people he has been arrested and has since pleaded not guilty new york's governor is calling the act an act of domestic terrorism. this just weeks after six people died during another anti-semitic attack in nearby jersey city nbc's jennifer johnson has the latest >> reporter: terror on the seventh night of hanukkah. witnesses say the suspect, his faced covered with a scarf, walked into a rabbi's home and began attacking victims with a large knife. chaos erupted as dozens of people including children and elderly ran for their lives. >> started swinging a knife, i don't know what it was, back and forth, hitting people. >> reporter: the suspect was arrested in harlem after glock saw his license plate number. >> do you feel bad at all? >> reporter: new york's governor visited the crime scene. >> this is an act of terrorism i think these are domestic

terrorists they are trying to inflict fear, they're motivated by hate. >> reporter: new york's mayor condemning the attack. >> we cannot let that be the new normal we will not let that be the new normal in this city. >> reporter: this incident part of a wave of anti-semitic attacks targeting jewish people in new york city during hanukkah week, including this one caught on video where a group of men punched a 56-year-old jewish man in the back of the head december 24th earlier this month, in nearby jersey city, three civilians died in a kosher grocery store attack. >> at this point we are in an epidemic of new york city of all places for the jewish community, and the community is in shock. there's a lot of fear and anxiety. >> reporter: new york police are now deploying more officers to jewish houses of worship in various communities as they warn team people to stay on high alert jennifer johnson, nbc news, washington. the u.s. unleashing a major show of force against an

iranian-backed militia in iraq and syria. the pentagon says they hit five locations -- f-15 es targeting weapons and munitions depots linked to iran the strikes coming in retaliation to a deadly rocket barrage that killed an american last week. pentagon officials say the militia is behind 11 rocket attacks on coalition bases in iraq over the last two months. defense secretary mark esper says he briefed president trump on saturday about the response, which required presidential approval a difficult and personal announcement from congressman john lewis sunday. the civil rights leader and longtime democratic congressman said he will undergo treatment for stage iv pancreatic cancer the 79-year-old from georgia says he will fight the disease, and while he may miss a few votes during this period, he hopes to be back on the front lines soon former president obama offered his support tweeting, quote, if there's one thing i love about

john lewis it's his incomparable will to fight. i know he's got a lot more left of that in him former president bill clinton tweeting, if there is anyone with the strength and courage to fight this, it's you, john a massive winter storm continues to slowly churn across the country this morning blizzard conditions bringing the midwest to a standstill, shutting down roads as many people try to continue their holiday travels. this video is from north dakota where many areas are expected to wake up this morning to a foot of snow. meanwhile, in the south dangers thunderstorms are causing chaos. there have been reports of at least three tornados across mississippi where there are downed trees and power outages across the state and the danger today for the northeast is rain and ice. many of the roads already freezing over in minnesota, but some people just like that have been able to make the most out of being stuck at home and having some fun along with it. >> i feel like adults out there just feel like getting through the holiday season in general. >> pretty much, too.

now they got the weather to deal with. >> exactly bill karins, good morning to you. >> good morning. we still have some issues. a lot of it is going to be mostly rural areas outside the big cities where it's colder that's where we've got the ice accumulating and some of the sort snow. all the yellow and the green that's the rain. where we see the pink is the ice. the blue is the snow there's a lot of blowing snow left in the areas of the central plains blizzard warnings expiring this morning. overnight the ice storm has been through the berkshires, the cwel are going to get additional icing amounts. if they're below freezing it's going to stay ice andy and we could get some significant power outages in areas, especially con

minnesota. eventually some of the rain will switch over to snow in michigan and wisconsin as we go throughout the day today pretty wild weather map. when it's 75 degrees in virginia and in the 20s in northern new england. >> all over the place. all over the map >> good job. >> all right thank you. let's talk football now. the nfl playoff picture is finally snapping into focus this morning. the regular season finale and plenty of fireworks with 49ers and seahawks duking it out for the division title beast mode brought that old magic back marshawn lynch punched across the pile to bring seattle within striking defense, but the niners' defense came up big on the last play of the game stopping seattle at the goal line with just inches. look at that to spare. >> wow. >> san francisco wins 26-21. clinches the top seed in the nfc. now to the biggest shocker of the day

patriots/dolphins. tom brady threw his 541st touchdown to pass peyton manning for second place on the all-time list, but that was the only bright spot for new england. miami won 27-24. so the pats, they drop to the third seed and will not get a first round bye for the first time since 2009. all right. now let's head over to metlife where the eagles toppled the giants, clinching the afc east to clinch a playoff spot new york kept to close until the third quarter. the bird flew away with it, though, 37-17. it could possibly cost head coach jason garrett his job. the team is widely expected to let his contract expire. dallas ends the season with a bit of a bright spot it was a blowout against the redskins even if it didn't mean much the lions fighting to end an eight-game skid against the packers. green bay had other plans, though, narrowly escaping with

the 23-20 victory. now, that win means that the first round bye in the playoffs will go to them. >> the playoffs pick up saturday afternoon. here's the rundown the bills and the texans, then titans and patriots. vikings/saints play sunday then it is seahawks and eagles right here on nbc at 4:40 p.m. eastern time. >> that will be a good one. all right. just ahead, the presidential seal of approval former president obama reveals his top movies and tv shows for 2019. and a grandmother shot with a stun gun on her 70th birthday. what she says happened next. oh, i... i didn't know. you didn't see the sign? that... that wasn't there when i was here earlier. (whimper) really? you know, in italy, they let you park anywhere. have a good day, sir. with geico, the savings keep on going. just like this sequel. 15 minutes could save you 15% or more on car insurance. (glass shattering) (frustrated yell) (car horn blast) (yelp)

[baby crying] pampers is the first and only diaper with air dry channels they stay up to 3 times drier, so babies can sleep soundly...all night. pampers. whether your beauty routine is 3or 57,... make nature's bounty hair skin and nails step one. it's the number one brand uniquely formulated for silky hair, glowing skin and healthy nails. look for our coupon in sunday's paper. i've tried the $200 creams, the $400 creams olay regenerist microsculpting cream makes my skin feel so hydrated. i can face anything with my olay. and my latest beauty secret... for bright, smooth skin... olay regenerist cream cleanser. male voice: grrr, feed me. come on! she won't mind! she won't mind at a... woman: richard? hey, sheila. silence your growl. just one bowl of frosted mini wheats and you're good till lunch.

just one bowl of frosted mini wheats sleep this amazing? that's a zzzquil pure zzzs sleep. our liquid has a unique botanical blend, while an optimal melatonin level means no next-day grogginess. zzzquil pure zzzs. naturally superior sleep. leading the news, a florida grandmother is speaking out this morning after a shocking, literally a shocking encounter with police. the 70-year-old woman says she was tased by officers on her birthday after she wouldn't let them into her home police say they were trying to serve an arrest warrant for her grandson here from our affiliate wfla. >> reporter: 7:30 in the morning, the day after

christmas, barbara pinckney has unexpected visitors. >> and we heard a knock at the door i think they kicked the door it was bam, bam at the door. >> reporter: the sheriff's deputies say they came to serve an arrest warrant to tevin turner, pinckney's grandson on violation of probation for carrying a concealed weapon. >> when he was on probation, he gave this as his address, but he's not -- wasn't living here. >> reporter: that's not what deputies thought as they came to pinckney's house wanting to get in video shot by her grandson's wife shows her refusing and trying to close the door it shows a deputy grabbed the 70-year-old woman's wrist as she pulled back. she was then tased and taken to the ground. >> i was just hot and i was scared i didn't know what else to do. i was just hollering. >> reporter: the probable cause affidavit shows pinckney was hit three times with a stun gun. in her left arm, her back and her upper back and was held to the ground with a deputy's knee.

visible injuries still seen on her body >> she's bleeding. >> reporter: on her birthday was arrested for obstruction and resisting an officer. >> it's not something you see every day or something you expect to happen, even if she wasn't my grandmother. it's like something like, dang, this is a 70-year-old woman. >> now the woman who says she's never had any problems with law enforcement is traumatized and can't sleep at night >> whenever i see the police, i'm just going to -- i try not to even look at them still ahead, a heartwarming holiday wish come true for a young boy. and from a government shutdown showdown to historic impeachment. a look back at president trump's turbulent year 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 retinol oil for 2x the wrinkle fighting power. neutrogena® ♪when you have nausea, heartburn, indigestion,♪ ♪upset stomach, diarrhea. try pepto liquicaps for fast relief and ultra-coating. ♪nausea, heartburn, indigestion, upset stomach, diarrhea.♪ get powerful relief with pepto bismol liquicaps. ♪ for the irresistible taste of temptations™ treats. what are you doing? oh hey, check this out. temptations ™. all it takes is a shake™. all i am not for ignoring the first sign of a cold. i am for shortening my cold, 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. stop struggling to clean tough messes with sprays. try clean freak! it has three times the cleaning power to dissolve kitchen grease on contact. it works great on bathtubs. and even stainless steel. try clean freak from mr. clean.

♪ it is fairies? >> santa claus >> no, mr. lawrence sent it. >> "little women" had quite a strong opening at the box office this weekend, but also added another impressive distinguicti. it landed on barack obama's favorite movie list. and if you're wondering what his favorite tv shows are they include "fleabag season 2" and "watchmen. all right. meanwhile, 2019 has been a busy year for the nation's current

president. nbc's hallie jackson takes us through this year's highlights >> reporter: 2019 started with fireworks over the longest government shutdown in history >> are you still proud to own this shutdown? >> i'm very proud of doing what i'm doing. i don't call it a shutdown. >> reporter: after 35 days of fighting over funding for the border wall, a presidential retreat that re-opened the federal government and a state of the union delayed but delivered. >> it's called the state of the union. it's in the constitution >> reporter: a week later -- >> i just want to get it done faster, that's all. >> reporter: a declaration of a national emergency at the border infuriating democrats and instantly setting off a court fight that even continues today. overseas, a spring summit suddenly scrapped early with president trump leaving vietnam and his meeting with north korea's kim jong-un without a deal on denuclearization that relationship repaired enough by the summer for a surprise visit to the dmz with

donald trump stepping where no president has before. >> it's a great honor to be here. >> reporter: back home the investigation that loomed over the white house for two years coming to a close. robert mueller concluding russia did interfere with the 2016 election, but the special counsel did not find sufficient evidence the trump campaign coordinated or conspired with the kremlin. in his 448-page report, mueller describes instances in which the president could have obstructed justice without explicitly exonerating him. >> it is not a witch hunt. >> reporter: the president insistent. >> we went through the greatest witch hunt in political history. >> reporter: airing his grievances as he kicked off his 2020 election campaign but it was a different rally where this chant erupted "send her back" after the president's racist tweets slamming the so-called squad, four freshmen lawmakers, all women of color and u.s. citizens the summer saw the west wings arevolving door swing again with

press secretary sarah sanders stepping down. and two devastating shootings stunned the country. >> we are waking up again this morning to a pair of tragedies in america brought on by men with guns. >> reporter: and sparked calls for changes to gun control laws, but despite the talk -- >> we have to have meaningful background checks. >> reporter: little action. >> if you look at background checks, it wouldn't have stopped any of the last few years' worth of these mass shootings. >> reporter: in the fall foreign policy in focus as president trump announced he was pulling u.s. troops from syria. >> i'm not going to get involved in a war between turkey and syria. >> reporter: that same month another announcement, one of the most significant in the trump era. the president in extraordinary detail describing the death of the world's most-wanted terrorist, abu bakr al baghdadi. >> we understand from multiple sources that the president personally approved this operation. >> he died like a dog.

he died like a coward. >> reporter: later on the south lawn a photo-op with the hero k-9 who helped commandos in the raid, but by then a shadow was hanging over the white house, impeachment, as democrats accused the president of abusing his power by asking ukraine for investigations that could help him politically into the bidens and the 2016 election. >> there was no crime. >> the danger persists the risk is real >> reporter: the white house choosing not to cooperate with the house proceedings and on december 18th donald trump became only the third ever impeached president of the united states. >> with today's illegal, unconstitutional and partisan impeachment -- >> reporter: his white house choosing to focus on several political wins like an agreement on the first phase of a trade deal with china to ramp down the trade war that roiled markets this year and the year-end passage of a funding bill that includes the space force the president wants and approval of the usmca, a revised version of nafta.

still, impeachment looms over 2020 with a trial on the way and donald trump hoping to make history again by becoming the first impeached president ever re-elected ithoaconnbne, e th whe use. 's not getting in my wa. joint pain, swelling, tenderness... ...much better. my psoriasis, clearer... cosentyx works on all of this. four years and counting. so watch out. i got this! watch me. real people with active psoriatic arthritis are feeling real relief with cosentyx. cosentyx is a different kind of targeted biologic. it treats the multiple symptoms of psoriatic arthritis to help you look and feel better. it even helps stop further joint damage. don't use if you're allergic to cosentyx. before starting, get checked for tuberculosis. an increased risk of infections and lowered ability... ...to fight them may occur. tell your doctor about an infection or symptoms, if your inflammatory bowel disease symptoms develop or worsen... ...or if you've had a vaccine, or plan to. serious allergic reactions may occur.

i just look and feel better. i got real relief with cosentyx. watch me! feel real relief. ask your rheumatologist about cosentyx. i don't have to worry about that, do i? harmful bacteria lurk just below the gum line. crest gum detoxify, voted product of the year. it works below the gum line to neutralize harmful plaque bacteria and help reverse early gum damage. gum detoxify, from crest. and ah mother nature sure doesn't cut any corners when she paints a morning like that. and we know there is no shortcut to quality. and that's why we use nothing but the very best sausage that money can buy. paint yourself a beautiful morning. ( ♪ ) only tylenol® rapid release gels have laser drilled holes. they release medicine fast, for fast pain relief. tylenol®. for fast pain relief. but in my mind i'm still 25. that's why i take osteo bi-flex,

to keep me moving the way i was made to. it nourishes and strengthens my joints for the long term. osteo bi-flex. find our coupon in sunday's paper. male voice: grrr, feed me. come on! she won't mind! she won't mind at a... woman: richard? hey, sheila. silence your growl. just one bowl of frosted mini wheats and you're good till lunch. nyquifor your worst cold andrful relieflu symptoms, just one bowl of frosted mini wheats on sunday night and every night. nyquil severe. the nightime, sniffling, sneezing, coughing, aching, stuffy head, best sleep with a cold, medicine. welcome back looking at new year's eve. it looks mild across much of the country. the only cold spot the northern plains and the storm will slowly be exiting northern new england. for new year's eve in new york city watching the show in times square looks perfect, 38 degrees

and mild we'll be right back with more news (vo) align helps to soothe your occasional digestive upsets 24/7 with a strain of bacteria you can't get anywhere else. (woman) you could say align puts the "pro" in probiotic. so where you go, the pro goes. (vo) go with align. the pros in digestive health. and try align gummies. with prebiotics and probiotics to help support digestive health. ♪ for the irresistible taste of temptations™ treats. what are you doing? oh hey, check this out. temptations ™. all it takes is a shake™. all it takes does scrubbing grease feel like a workout? scrub less with dawn ultra. it's superior grease-cleaning formula gets to work faster. making easy work of tough messes. dawn takes care of tough grease, wherever it shows up. scrub less, save more... with dawn.

we are back with a story of a little boy in tennessee who just wanted one thing for christmas. and thanks to his mom, his community and a whole lot of love, he got his wish. it is a "lif"life" changing gifa year in the making nbc's kristen welker has details. >> reporter: when 11-year-old gavin sumner wrote his christmas list last year. >> santa, i don't ask for a lot -- >> reporter: one wish stood out. >> 3d hands. >> reporter: gavin was born without fully formed hands doctors telling his mom corey it was a miracle he survived. >> it just really set me back, but when i realized, you know, it's not going to matter anyway because i'm going to love him

regardless. >> reporter: but gavin never let his challenges get in his way. >> i've had some kids just being kids, but i've always been grateful and always embraced my disability >> reporter: that's why when he asked for 3-d hands corey knew it really mattered to him. >> it kind of just lit a fire in me to figure out a way to make this work. >> reporter: corey posted gavin's christmas list to facebook and through the magic of social media was connected with local engineer anthony acanomos he had never designed prosthetics but, but after meeting gavin, anthony was up to the task it took 11 months and four different designs, but finally gavin's new hands were ready just in time for a christmas surprise >> i have a little present for you. >> reporter: with a little help from the mayor >> it couldn't have happened in a better way >> reporter: gavin speechless that his wish came true.

>> what is it? >> are they mine really >> it just made my heart melt. >> reporter: an emotional moment for anthony, too >> thank you so much >> reporter: a room filled with family and friends cheering gavin on >> it just overwhelmed me with joy. someone could have charged thousands and thousands of dollars for these, but someone named anthony worked for almost a year nonstop for no price. there is kindness in this world. and this is a good example of it. >> reporter: gavin receiving the best gift of all, now rewriefting his letter to santa. >> dear santa, i have everything i could ask for. i hope you have a safe and merry christmas. gavin sumner >> all right that was kristen welker

reporting. gasp gavin's birthday is in two weeks. he's asking instead of gifts his friends and family donate to charity because he has everything he wants. >> we thank you for watching "earlyoday." i'm fran tce

tens of millions as we close out 2019 white-out conditions shut down highways across parts of the midwest. and travel delays expected at airports. >> two vicious attacks first, in texas where a gunman opened fire inside a chuh, killing two, before a churchgoer guns him down. and then the home of a rabbi celebrating hanukkah, where five were stabbed we'll have t we'll latest. >> why prescription drugs that combine two cheap existing medications are suddenly 100 times more expensive. >> t