president biden and president-elect trump set to meet face-to-face for the first time since the election as the transition officially gets under way. what they're expected to discuss. plus, the top candidates for key positions in the new cabinet. "the washington post" reporting over night mr. trump has talked to president vladimir putin regarding his message on the war in ukraine. wildfires raging on both coasts. firefighters gaining ground on the inferno that scorched homes in california, while the fire in new jersey claimed the life of a park worker. the latest on the fight to contain the flames. a "wicked" mistake. mattel forced to pull toys after a blush-worthy error linked to an adult website. and on veterans day, a michigan community embarks on a mission to make sure a group of

veterans receive their final honor. it's monday, november 11th. "early today" starts right now. good morning. thanks for being with me on this holiday. i'm frances rivera. president-elect donald trump is expected to make his first return to the white house this wednesday. president biden extended an invitation for an oval office meeting as the transition process gets under way. mr. trump's election win was further solidified this weekend. nbc news projects that he has won the state of arizona, meaning he won back all of the swing states that president biden flipped blue in 2020. republicans also flipped control of the house with a net gain of at least three seats with two races to be called. and we're still waiting to see which party will control the lower chamber. there are still 17 house races to be called. for more on the transition, here is nbc's aaron gilchrist. >> reporter: america's transition of power begins.

the white house announcing an oval office meeting between president biden and president-elect trump. >> i'm going to see -- >> reporter: biden following through on his promise. >> on january 20th, we'll have a peaceful transfer of power here in america. >> reporter: trump and biden spoke by phone on wednesday. the president-elect describing the call to nbc's kristen welker as very respectful both ways. the invitation a return to tradition that trump bucked, never inviting biden to the white house after he won the 2020 election. trump only agreeing to an orderly and peaceful transfer of power back then after a violent mob of his supporters stormed the capitol on january 6th. in 2016, then president obama sat with trump in the oval office, extending an olive branch after hillary clinton's defeat. >> we now are going to want to do everything we can to help you succeed, because if you succeed, this the country succeeds. >> reporter: that meeting following decades of, reagan to

bush and carter to reagan. >> this was i believe the greatest political movement of all time. >> reporter: meanwhile, trump is working out of his mar-a-lago home in florida, focusing on building his new administration. the president-elect already choosing his campaign manager susie wiles as his new white house chief of staff, the first woman to ever serve in that role. trump also favoring cabinet candidates who come from outside washington and have been experience over members of congress. that's according to two sources familiar with the process. >> our thanks to aaron for that report. president-elect dump is said to have called russian president vladimir putin lastweek and advised him not to escalate the war in ukraine, according to a "washington post" exclusive. several sources familiar with the call spoke to the post, but trump's team would not confirm nor deny trump's alleged message to putin. and nbc has not yet verified the call which is said to have

happened thursday from trump's florida resort. for more, let's turn to nbc's matt bodner. good morning, matt. >> frances, good morning. according to "the washington post," president-elect trump spoke to putin last thursday. and that marks the first time that the two have spoken since he won reelection last week. we still don't have a full picture of what these two discussed, be the post reported that trump warned putin not to escalate the war in ukraine. trump of course boasted during the campaign that he could end this war in as little as 24 hours. trump reportedly also reminded putin on this call of the u.s. military's significant presence in europe. now trump's communications director told reuters on sunday that they do not comment on private calls with other world leaders. nbc news has reached out to the trump team to comment, but has not confirmed the call directly. this reporting on trump's conversation with putin follows a call with ukrainian president volodymyr zelenskyy. that took place on wednesday. a source familiar with the matter told nbc news that elon

musk was present with trump during that phone call with zelenskyy, and he even took the phone to speak with the ukrainian leader himself. it's not yet entirely clear what the incoming administration plans to do with the war in ukraine, though many critics have expressed concerns that trump will push ukraine to accept major territorial losses to end the war with russia. this is an outcome that ukrainian officials have explicitlyrejected. also unclear is musk's role in this process. t"the wall street journal" reports at times the u.s. tech mogul has openly criticized support for ukraine. biden is expected to make an appeal to the president-elect to maintain america's support for ukraine. >> matt bodner, thank you. one fern killed and 16 injured at a shooting in tuskegee university in alabama over the weekend.

dramatic cell phone video shows people sheltering behind a car during the shooting. a 25-year-old man was later arrested and charged with possession of a machine gun. police say they are looking for additional suspects. authorities say they're still gathering information on what led up to the shooting. the victim was an 18-year-old who was not affiliated with the university, according to the tuskegee official. a young state park employee has died in new york fighting a wildfire. the 18-year-old was killed when a tree fell on him. the jennings creek wildfire has burned 3,000 acres and is only 10% contained. the fire department says there are currently 25 structures threatin'ed by the flames. it comesamid a record dry period in the tri-state area. health advisories were issued for new york city and northeastern jersey because of the smoke. and in california, firefighters have been battling the mountain fire. it's currently 31% contained with more than 20,000 acres burned. crews are working to mop up hot

spots before winds are expected to kick up again tonight. here is amber frias with nbc news los angeles. >> reporter: rebecca viejo rushed to her mother-in-law's home thursday just one day after the start of the fire, only to find the place reduced to ashes and memories. >> you know, you see this stuff on tv for other people and you feel for them. and you go oh, i'm so sorry. when we walked up, i was like oh, my gosh, it's gone. >> reporter: viejo's mother-in-law had been living in the house with a caretaker, but the memory of her father-in-law and other loved ones who had once called it home still lingered there. >> i think what hit hardest was my dog passed away and my grand pa passed away. this is like the last memory we had of both of them. so losing that was kind of like wow. >> reporter: photographs, family heirlooms and personal treasures all redoused to rubble. >> i had an art room here, my husband's artwork was always --

my husband's artwork was here. and his -- now i'm crying. >> reporter: and the family's matriarch left without a place to call home. yet amid the overwhelming loss, help has started to emerge. >> it comes from the heart. it comes firsthand from our firefighters. our firefighters are here putting out the fire, and we're helping with that next step. >> reporter: the california fire foundation is providing firefighters with $250 gift cards to give families affected by property loss. >> to get maybe a hotel room or some food, or to go maybe get gas, to meet up with other family members. just to get them by the additional emergency. >> reporter: temporary shelter is also available at the padre parish in camarillo. viejo's grandmother is currently staying at a hotel. but the family is hoping to find her a more permanent place. >> we kind of have nothing left but our family. it really makes you think is it all worth it, keeping a bunch of

things, or is it more staying in contact with family and just being there for each other. >> reporter: for families like the viejos, the road to rebuilding will be a long one. but together they are beginning to take the first step. >> our thanks to amber frias for that report. in the northeast got some much needed rain, but storms are already moving out. let's check in with nbc meteorologist michelle grossman who has a look at the weather for the week ahead. good morning, michelle. >> good morning, frances. we're going see the cold front moving offshore. the showers ending in the northeast. much needed rain. we do need additional rain. we'll see some showers lingering along the great lakes, the carolinas, the gulf coast states as well. otherwise, we're looking above average temperatures for most the country. today, tomorrow, wednesday. and then a big story this week will be a series of cold fronts, atmospheric river that will move in the pacific northwest. also some heavy snow throughout the pacific northwest into the rockies. by wednesday, still staying very active in the pacific northwest. you can see all the colors

there, those brighter colors showing us where. we're expecting heavy rain, and the lighter blues where we're expecting the heavy snow. now as we go towards wednesday from the midwest to parts of the gulf coast states, we're looking at a chance for rain. a cold front stretching there. could see heavier rain in portions of louisiana into mississippi. and then by friday, we're going clear it out there. november highs closer to normal in some spots. we're looking at that wintry impa stillct . looking for a chance for storms and heavy rain in dallas, oklahoma city, and shreveport. all right. that's your monday forecast. >> okay, appreciate it. thanks, michelle. >> sure. the best place in america to find a turnover sunday night was at houston's nrg stadium. the lions and texans combined

for seven interceptions with jared goff throws five himself. despite the the mistakes, detroit managed to dig themselves out of theral early hole, storing 16 unanswered points. all tied up, the lions placed their fate in the leg of rookie kicker jake bates. >> 52 for the win, it is just good! >> made it happen. the houston native bates just barely threaded that 52-yarder to give detroit the gutsy win, 26-23. coming up, bitcoin breaks $80,000 for the first time. what's driving that rally? but first, we're back in a minute with a twist in the investigation into a missing san antonio mom. r sbrd crg ain sgast hehuand. my skin was no longer mine. my active psoriatic arthritis joint symptoms held me back. don't let symptoms define you... emerge as you, with clearer skin. with tremfya®, most people saw 100% clear skin...

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not been seen since october. nbc's valerie castro has the latest from the investigation. >> reporter: more than a month after san antonio mom suzanne simpsonvanished, texas police have charged her husband, brad simpson with her murder. >> we realize that this doesn't bring closure to suzanne's family, but we hope it will allow them to enter the next phase of their grieving process with more clarity. >> reporter: the mother of four and local realtor -- >> i'm suzanne. i've been in real estate for 13 years. >> reporter: last seen in early october when a neighbor told investigators they saw her husband of more than 20 years fighting with her, grabbing her outside the couple's home. their daughter making a stunning allegation in a social media post obtained by our san antonio affiliate, writing "my father took my mother's life in a state of rage and control as my mother's daughter, he will tell her story over and over again with every breath. i will make sure you remember her name." >> i just don't understand.

i don't understand ecowhy it happened. >> reporter: police first arrested brad on charges of assault and family violence. they now say they have enough evidence to charge him with murder, though they have not shared specific details and suzanne's body has not been found. >> the search for suzanne is still ongoing. >> reporter: brad simpson's friend and long-time business partner james cotter is out on bail after he was arrested and charged with evidence tampering. according to police, kotter allegedly hit an ak-47 belonging to brad behind a wall two days after his wife disappeared. neither mr. simpson nor mr. potter's attorneys have responded to nbc news' request for comment. suzanne's family is making this emotional appeal to her alleged killer to help locate her remain. >> it is our sincere hope and prayer that brad will find the compassion and courage to end his family's suffering by cooperating with the authorities to help us find his wife. >> reporter: but until suzanne's

body is found, her family saying the charge has at least started to bring closure. >> this helps us come to terms with the reality that suzanne is no longer with us, allowing us to continue the difficult process of grieving and focus on rebuilding our lives for the sake of the children and our extended family. . >> thanks to valerie for that report. from blue ivy to the ivy league, yale students are about to get a course in black issues through the eyes of beyonce. more on the queen bey cur curriculum, right after this. you should use it every wash, otherwise the flakes will come back. he's right, you know. is that tiny troy? the ingredients in head & shoulders keep the microbes that cause flakes at bay. microbes, really? they're always on your scalp... but good news, there's no itchiness, dryness or flakes down here. i love tiny troy. and his tiny gorgeous hair.

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♪ ♪ my freedom, rot in hell, hey, i'm a keep a running because a winner don't quit on themselves ♪ >> so the bulldogs may run yale, but they're about to be lessoned by the icon that runs the world.

beginning next semester, the ivy league will offer students a class titled beyonce makes history. the course will use the music of the queen bey, most recently crowned the most grammy nominated artist of all time. students will examine black history, intellectual thought and activism. bey follows in the footsteps of taylor swift and lady gaga who have also had college courses dedicated to their work. and when you are a phenomenon, artistically, socially, culturally, like these women, they are something that you got to study. >> the students are getting a's because they're actually interested in the subject. >> and probably really well before the class. >> 100%. now to a gap that's making one toy company turn green. nbc news has confirmed that the packaging for mattel's line of dolls based on the upcoming "wicked" lists a different website than the one for the movie. the site that's listed "wicked".com directs users to the home of wicked pictures and

quotes, a company that makes adult films. they're aware of the error and advises parents to discard the packaging. can you imagine? and more "wicked" news. jon chu was a no show at the premiere saturday. chu explained on video telling attendees he was at the hospital awaiting the birth of his fifth child that is better "wicked" news. >> a toss-up. you have your fifth child, sixth child is "wicked" the movie. >> that's so true. when we come back, bitcoin is making crypto history, and the monkey business ntueincoins south carolina as police work to round up escapees. called tardive dyskinesia, or td. so his doctor prescribed austedo xr— a once-daily, extended-release td treatment for adults. ♪ as you go with austedo ♪ austedo xr significantly reduced dan's td movements. some people saw a response as early as 2 weeks. with austedo xr, dan can stay on his mental health meds—

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of butter sold at costco to a class two meaning it could cause temporary adverse health issues. the packages sold in texas may be missing a contained milk allergen label. on sunday, another 24 of the 43 monkeys that escaped a south carolina research center were captured. police say the remaining 18 are believed to be along the fence line around the facility. the last dance held strong for the third weekend at the box office, raking in another $16.2 million. the best christmas pageant ever narrowly beat out heretic for second place bringing in 11.1 million and 11 million respectively. "early today" will be right back. ♪ like a relentless weed, moderate to severe ulcerative colitis symptoms can keep coming back. start to break away from uc with tremfya... with rapid relief at 4 weeks. tremfya blocks a key source of inflammation. at one year, many people experienced remission...

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today is veterans day, a day we honor those who serve their country. over the weekend, a michigan community helped make sure seven veterans received their final honors and were laid to rest. josh sanchez from our nbc affiliate in grand rapids, michigan was there. ♪ >> reporter: pfc, united states army. sergeant lana shafer, united states air force. lance corporal jerry robinson, united states marine corps. james morris, united states navy. >> heroes -- >> veterans, police, fire, and active duty service members are joined by people from the

community to make sure seven unaccompanied veterans are not forgotten. >> pfc sheri shawley, united states army. >> chief investigative officer at the medical examiner at university of michigan health sparrow says starting from the moment of death, staff are working diligently to find surviving family members or next of kin cannot take care of final arrangements, the office works the department of defense. >> we are doing the right thing. we wait and do this once a year. we want the make sure we lay everybody to rest at the same time because we'd like to do a large ceremony. we want to give them everything that they deserve. >> specialist douglas harris, united states army. >> a long-standing tradition between the office and the fort custard national cemetery. >> it's a wonderful gift to be able to give them. they served our country. they gave us the freedoms that we have. and to be able to give become to that and give become to them and to be able to lay them to rest in a place with their brothers

and sisters. >> for reasons we may never fully understand, these veterans were separated from their families. >> reporter: retired colonel knows what that bond is like after 40 years in the air force and air national guard. he says it's important to put together event likes these to remember them. >> these seven veterans that we intern today are part of our family. and we don't let a family leave the world without being recognized and let them know the love that we have for them when they were with us on this earthly world. >> reporter: sergeant frank bursic, united states air force. >> the colonel says service doesn't end after retirement. for him service focuses on taking care of service members and showing appreciation. >> for our gold star family member, every day is memorial day. we might celebrate veterans day on 11 november, but in my world, every single day is veterans day.