it's monday, december 26th the dangerous holiday storm plunged temperatures into a deep freeze in dozens of states feet of snow was dumped in many areas, and the number of fatalities continues to rise a major warning for parents of small children and what could be lurking around that christmas tree in the post holiday cleanup. and we'll take you to florida, where our kerry sanders takes a look at how hard-hit towns are managing to rebuild muches after hurricane ian king charles royal christmas

message not delivered by his mother since 1957. and she won more professional golf tournaments than tiger woods and jack nicklaus this morning we'll remember kathy whitworth. and who was naughty and nice in the nfl in week 16 as the play-offs starting to take shape. let's get started. "early today" begins right now good morning hope you had a good holiday. i'm phillip mena. >> and i'm brie jackson. we hope that you and your families had an enjoyable christmas and hanukkah, as today begins kwanzaa for many. mother nature has been anything but kind over the past few days and we begin with the brutal winter weather hammering large parts of the country at least 46 people have died across 12 states since the storm began. not just from exposure, but also from traffic accidents blamed on the icy road conditions. the area around buffalo and upstate new york was hit especially hard this weekend with at least 16 deaths reported so far in erie county. the governor of new york state has deployed 400 national guard

members to help what she calls the most devastating storm to ever hit the region. >> this is a war with mother nature, and she has been hitting us with everything she has >> buffalo police are performing welfare checks to reduce future fatalities, but the death toll is expected to rise. the entire east coast is still 10 to 25 degrees below the december average, and the weather isn't letting up quite yet. millions of people in the northwest are now bracing for more rain, ice and snow today. the extreme weather has also wreaked havoc on americans' travel plans this holiday weekend. passengers were stranded at airports across the country as more than 3,000 flights were canceled on sunday, and another 1200 are already canceled for today. that is according to the online tracker flightaware. it was a rough holiday weekend for the residents of jackson, mississippi, who did not have lean drinking water again. the city had to issue a boil water notice after the powerful

winter storm caused lines to burst. officials are trying to repair it as quickly as possible. jackson's been dealing with an ongoing water crisis for decades. back in august, 150,000 residents lost water in the wake of the pearl river floods. just a few months ago, fort myers, florida faced utter devastation for the wrath of hurricane ian. now the community is rebuilding and celebrating the holiday the best way it can. here is kerry sanders. >> reporter: sheriff carmine marsina landed on fort myers beach. >> a lot of progress. >> reporter: where three months ago hurricane ian destroyed much of the community we landed in a helicopter one hour after the storm, and you couldn't walk one foot without woking over debris. >> reporter: the beachfront usually packed with snowbirds empty. >> it's tough to get holiday spirit when you look around, yards away from here, we're looking at

debris but the christmas spirit is here >> reporter: the yucatan bar and grill, like a majority of the businesses on the strip is gutted a makeshift kitchen in the parking lot working for now. >> it's going to be different. but we are alive and we are very thankful this is my boy. >> you should bring him to headquarters. >> reporter: where they had a surprise for sebastian and his mom. >> this is all for you, buddy. >> to see the residents come together at every level and everybody helping, that leaves me speechless. ♪ >> reporter: neighbors like sonya rodriguez turning her home into santa's workshop through facebook dconnections and countless donations. she is bringing joy to 30 families >> they lost everything. so i've got everything from bicycles, $500 worth of gift cards. this is the end result of fort myers.

this is fort myers. this is for you, mama. >> reporter: the martinez family, beyond grateful for support for mama sonya and her family >> i love you. we are going to rebuild. we got this. >> reporter: kerry sanders, nbc news. and pope francis used his annual christmas blessing to call for an end to the war on ukraine. speak at the vatican, francis asked that god, quote, enlightened the minds of those who have the power to silence the weapons and put an immediate end to the war the pontiff spoke a day after russian shelling killed at least ten in kherson according to ukrainian officials. now to great britain, where king charles delivered his first christmas address to the nation as he marks the first christmas without his mother, queen elizabeth. >> christmas is a particularly poignant time for all of us who have lost loved ones we feel their absence at every familiar turn of the season and

remember them in each cherished addition >> the king offered his sympathy to people struggling with anxiety and hardship as he praised those who were giving time and donations helping people in need and holiday weekend of football ended with a come-from-behind win >> throws the shot, can he get there? yes, touchdown >> the buccaneers found themselves down 10 late against the cardinals, but tom brady did what tom brady does. he had a few gifts left to give. tampa forced overtime and brady threw a perfect 6 for 6 in ot. and ryansuccop's field goal. the eagles are still flying high atop the conference, even after a loss to the cowboys on saturday and while the defending champion rams are eliminated from

contention, they put on a show on christmas >> the coaching staff, right >> there is the pass to an open target looking for a second touchdown in six days, he's got it >> the broncos defense must have been on the naughty list, because los angeles handed them coal on almost every possession. they found the end zone three times as the rams for denver out of town 51-14. and the packers put up 16 on the dolphins to take the lead late and green bay's d came up big in the clutch, picking off to tua tagovailoa to seal the victory the packers win, 26-20 even in defeat, the dolphins are clinging on to the final wild card spot. with the titans loss, the jaguars hold the 4 seed and a home play-off game

atop all that football, the nba had its annual five-game slate. denver rallied in the fourth quarter. we're able to force overtime against phoenix and in the extra period, aaron gordon with the pair of rim rocking dunks. the nuggets offense pushed them to a come-from-behind win 128-125. jayson tatum's presence on the court was his friend to celtics fans he scored 41 on the bucks. the nba's best team ran away with the win, 139-118. before the mavericks beat the laker, dallas unveiled this statue of dirk nowitzki. the 24-foot tall monument designed to honor the signature fadeaway jump shot she had more wins than tiger woods and jack nicklaus, and now the world remembers kathy whitworth, wracking up 88 victories on tour between 1962 and 1985 whitworth was the first woman in george floyd to earn $1 million

in her career. her accomplishments landed her in the world golf hall of fame in 1982. and the statement the commissioner of the lpga said whitworth was one of the most incredible women in golf, calling her a champion in the truest sense of the word kathy whitworth was 83 years old. let's turn now to the big story running up to christmas. the bitter cold that's causing havoc across this nation angie lassman has been tracking all that for us. good morning >> good morning, guys. it was a busy day as far as christmas is concerned we talked all about how much that weather had delayed travel for a lot of folks and it looks a whole lot quieter right now to be honest there are a couple of locations that are downwind of the lakes that are still dealing with lake-effect snow right now buffalo is one of those places, which already picked up 4 feet of snow. and we do have a clipper system that has moved out of canada and will bring a little bit of snow. some flurries to folks in places like the tennessee valley and parts of the midwest not going to do a whole lot

else, except bring our temperature downs more and keep that arctic air in place as we continue through the rest of the day today. notice how much warmer it is in places like utah 50 degrees for salt lake city today. 62 for denver. that's a big temperature jump. but on the east, we continue pl. temperatures still into single digits for sioux falls and bismarck comes in at 19 degrees. eventually everybody, even the east will see temperatures warming up we'll finally thaw out and get warmer air and it will feel better in the coming days. >> what an eventful way to end the year thanks even in the bitter cold, lottery fever is starting to heat up again. the mega millions jackpot is now estimated at $565 million. that's the sixth largest price

in the game's history, and no one has won the grand prize since october. the powerball is up to $201 million ahead of tonight's draw. that's a combined $766 million up for grabs if you didn't get the gift under the tree, this might be a good time to get a tickcket >> we haveve a very imimportant story y when we cocome back. bye, bye cough. later r chest congngestion. bye, bye cough. hello 1212 hours of f relie. 12 houours!! hmmm, , ok. not cougughing at yoyoga? antitiquing not t coughing?? not coughihing at the e mov! hashtatag still nonot coughin! aaaaah. oww! hashtatag still nonot coughin! mucinenex dm giveses you 12 h hours of rerelief frfrom chest c congestionn anand any typepe of cough,, daday or nightht. it's notot cough seaeason. it's alwlways comebaback sea. ready to s shine frfrom the insnside out? say y “yes” to naturere's bouy advanceded gummies and jelllly beans. the nunumber one b brand for r hair, skinin and nail. withth two timeses more biotn to bringng out moree of youour inner bebeauty.

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one, and it nearly cost her life valerie goslar has the story >> reporter: baby kennedy now eating and smiling, but last month she had a near death experience, undergoing several surgeries to clear a blockage in her intestine, all because she accidentally swallowed a small toy. >> it was really scary it was the hardest time in my life to be there for my child, but not be able to physically help her. >> reporter: her mom felicia mitchell saying it was a water bead, part of an activity kit given to an older sibling. >> she's on a ventilator and a lot of different medicines. >> reporter: documenting the horrifying ordeal on social media, updating her daughter's milestones and setbacks. >> today is three weeks that we've been here. and i'm just very discouraged because i don't even have the privilege of doing the most basic thing for her, which is feeding her.

>> reporter: what were they telling you about her chance of survival >> there were a couple of times that her chance of survival was 50-50. that couldn't tell me that she was going to be okay or that she would make it. >> reporter: after five surgeries and countless long nights, kennedy and her mom are back home. >> she has three older brothers. and they all missed her a lot. it's been great to just have us together as a family again. >> reporter: according to the national poison control center, swallowing a water bead can cause life-threatening intestinal damage since it can expand up to 200 times its initial size when it absorbs water. after 10's story went viral in november, target pulled the toy that included water beads from their shelves. target telling nbc news the item was removed while they address these concerns with the vendor, and we are treating this situation very seriously and send our heart fell thoughts to this family.

there is a warning label on the box saying it's a choking hazard and meant for ages 4 and up. but mitchell doesn't think that goes far enough. >> i don't think they're an appropriate toy. >> reporter: for now, mitchell is happy to have her baby back in her arms. >> it's a long recovery still for her. but i'm always going to be here for her. and i just feel incredibly lucky to have her. >> appreciate the warning. our thanks to valerie for that report still to come, rapper meek mill is helping to reunite philadelphia fils amiethis holiday season and a christstmas s concert tuturns into a a one-m-man show. you dodon't want t the miss thts peperformance.e. to helelp take youou fromom 9 to nonene. for max-ststrength nighttttime reliefef, nyquil sevevere. my mododerate to s severe plaqueue psoriasisis... ththe burning,g, itching.. the painin. emerge t tremfyant®®. withth tremfya®®, most p peoplew 90% clearer r skin at 1616 wee. emerge t tremfyant®®. the majojority of pepeople saw % clearer skskin even atat 5 ye.

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♪ ♪ all the answers to, there is no world in which i am good for you ♪ >> country artist zack brian released a surprise live album titled "all my homies hate

ticketmaster" after expressing his frustration with high ticket prices for live shows. he issued a statement on christmas eve saying in part i believe working class people should still be able to afford tickets the shows. he is pledging lower ticket prices for his yum coming tours. that's what everybody wants. less of a hassle >> all my home easts hate ticketmaster. >> about right a second grader in california stole the show at a holiday performance when he busted out some pretty sweet, incredible dance moves 8-year-old jaden told our bay area kntv is in his blood the video has gotten hundreds of thousands of likes on social media, earning jaden shout-outs from viola davis and his favorite football team the 49ers. >> normally i would just be

happy a kid is showing that much confidence and nato too cool but he had legit moves he had a reason for that swag. rapper meek mill has made the holiday season a little brighter for some families in philadelphia the philly native paid bail for 20 women so they can spend this time at home mill is a advocate for criminal justice and launched a nonprofit. according to the group, mills' donation helped release five women on christmas eve and 15 more will go home this week. and on top of that, each woman will also get a gift card to help pay for groceries and gifts. fantastic move especially this time of year. >> great story coming up next, angie's s g your mononday foforecast > plusus, from t the end z o your holiday hitis y lt,t,ou're goining to w want ththe jinglele way to thihis christmamas album. it feels l like it's bararely there.e. look a at how muchch it hohold, and it stitill stays t thin! i'i've looked d at myselff inin the mirroror and i i can't see e it at all!! that's t the protectction we d deserve! and i i can't see e it at all!!

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>> i'm not sure ovi wanted to shoot it either. >> there it is alex ovechkin has overtaken mr. hockey >> history over the holiday weekend for alex ovechkin. the washington capitals star scored two goals on friday, passing the legendary gordie howe for second most in nhl history. ovechkin skates with 208 career goals, 92 behind the great wayne gretzky for the most all time. >> we're back with angie and a look at heavy weather hitting the west today hey there, angie. >> hey there that's exactly what we're going the see today. plenty of issues as we look towards the pacific northwest. even northern california stretching down into central california where we have rain and snow, potential for flooding over the coming days otherwise, much warmer for parts of the central portions of the country and out west, if you're looking at what's going on for the midwest, it's light slow snowe as w we have a clipper system wororking through a upup ocolelef nicece f flurri.

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okay so youou've heard d of a white christmas, but what about a green n one? these phphiladelphiaia e eagle s are tataking theheir t talents e fifield d and d into the recordg studio with a christmas melody you'll need to hear. jose diaz-balart has the story ♪ >> reporter: inside this susuburban philaladelphia rerec ststudio, thesese nfl players s their summmmer on n a missioion. >> it's 9898 degreeses, , and w recording g a christmamas s alb. ♪ t they're singing deck the halls ♪

♪ it not like christmas at all ♪ ♪ i remember when you were here ♪ > the idea wawas drdreamed u philadelphia eagles center jason kelce. >> right arounund d the toy dri last year. so it let's do an album, raise money for kids arounund christm. >> reporter: joining h his mix, lane j johnson andnd jordan mam. ♪ i'm dreamaming of a w white christmas s ♪ > reporter:r: jordan amazazi everyoyone when n he started singing. ♪ >> sit down. that was s so good >> what's your favorite rereindeer >> and when otother teammates s heheard about t it, they wantedo hehelp o out too >> dasheher, prancer, blitzen, donner, cupid. >> how can you not remember your plays but that >> a philly special christmas

proceeds now helpiping fund tht annual t toy d drive for a n not calleded c children's crisisis trtreatment center. >> kind of snowballed into what we have now. into a full-blown-up vinyl record. >> it was really fun we kind of thought it was a joke until we had to go into a recording studio >> so far the guys have raised a quarter million for the organization >> i was very excited about this idea o of comiming in and havive eagles involved d with us wiwith someththing like this, particularly the individual l plplayers. these are pretty specicial g gu who o are e part of us these guys have big namemes and peoplele love them in n the tow >> bigig nameses, but eveven bi heartsts for a specicial cause christmamas seasonon ♪ s santa clausus is comingng t town ♪ >> merry christmas, philadelphia. >> and a happy new year. >> they had some good sing

voices our thanks to jose for that. >> santa claus and maybe some super bowl ring coming to town this christmas certainly brought cheer and merriment to many, but to our producer ricardo canalis, so much more, an

continues to grip much of the east after a weekend that saw dozens of weather-related deaths, thousands of canceled flights, and a goonch warning people to stay off the roads. keep the faith that's a message as part of his christmas address as the pope marks the holy day with a call to peace. holiday gatherings by the millions over the past few days, the concer