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the president-elect's new cabinet is snapping into focus. donald trump's flurry of appointments reportedly in the works, including names like senator marco rubio and former congressman lee zeldin. a second plane hit with gunfire in haiti. jetblue revealing overnight one of its aircraft was hit with a bullet just hours after a spirit plane was hit, injuring a flight attendant. we're live with the new details. a guilty verdict is in for the delphi murders, nearly eight years after two teenaged girls were murdered during a hike. richard allen convicted in a case that shocked the nation. what to expect from sentencing next month. a record drought fueling wildfires on both coasts. a deadly blaze burning near new york city, while a fire in california has destroyed dozens of homes. the latest from the race to get the flames under control. bitcoin boom. the crypto currency soaring to nearly $90,000 overnight. what's fueling the latest crypto craze. and an honor 160 years in

the making. why maryland is awarding legendary abolitionist harriet tubman the rank of general. it's tuesday, november 12th. "early today" starts right now. good morning. glad to be with you. i'm frances rivera. in just ten weeks, donald trump will retake the white house as the 47th president of the united states. and late last night we learned more about what his cabinet could look like. three sources tell nbc news that marco rubio will be selected as the new secretary of state. nbc's brie jackson joins me now from d.c. good morning, brie. what more do we know about the transition of power? >> reporter: good morning, frances. nbc news spoke with three sources familiar with this election process who said rubio is expected to lead the state department. rubio has become more aligned with president-elect trump ever since running against him back in 2016. our sources did caution that mr. trump could still change also

mind. four sources also tell nbc news that florida congressman mike waltz has been chosen for national security adviser. he's an outspoken opponent of china and has agreed with trump's criticism of the nato alliance. while the president-elect has not announced those choices yet, he did reveal that he will name new york congresswoman elise stefanik as ambassador to the united nations and former congressman lee zeldin as epa administrator. mr. trump also named former acting i.c.e. director thomas homan as his border czar. homan spoke on fox news about mass deportations. >> some of these democratic governors say they're going to stand in the way and make it hard for us. if you're not going to help us, get the hell out of the way so we can do it. if we're not going to get assistance from new york city, we may have to double the number of agents we send to new york city, because we're going to do

the job. >> reporter: and several people familiar with the matter tell nbc news that fbi director christopher wray is preparing for a possible forced exit when president trump takes office. he was appointed in 2017 by trump for a ten-year term. one person being considered is fierce trump ally, kash patel. donald trump will be back here in washington, d.c. tomorrow to meet with president biden at the white house. and our sources say he's also expected to meet with house speaker mike johnson as well as new senate majority leader. the vote on the new leader, that is scheduled for tomorrow morning. frances? >> new landscape taking shape. okay, brie, thank you. gunfire closed down haiti's main airport on monday after a spirit airlines flight from ft. lauderdale to port-au-prince was hundreds of feet from landing when it appears gangs shot at the plane, injuring one flight attendant. this comes the same day haiti

swore in a new prime minister who promised to restore peace after violent political turmoil. let's bring in matt bodner for more. >> reporter: frances, good morning. dramatic images coming off that spirit airlines flight. the plane appears to have taken a number of hits, and photos show multiple bullets damaged the exterior. the flight aborted its landing in port-au-prince, diverting to the dominican republic. the incident has forced other u.s. airlines to cancel flights to haiti. one jetblue flight that took off from port-au-prince yesterday was later to have discovered to have taken fire. the statement issued by the airline says that the operating crew initially thought all was fine. but after inspecting the aircraft in jfk they saw that they had been instruct by a

bullet. this is the latest in weeks of another round of political chaos in haiti. yesterday, a transitional council fired the sitting prime minister replacing him with a local businessman and former senator. the united nations is estimating that a coalition of armed gangs currently controls up to 85% of the capital. of course port-au-prince. in these incidents with commercial aircraft may be part of what the u.s. embassy is warning is an effort by the gangs to prevent anyone from getting in or out of the city. efforts to bring an end to the political turmoil in haiti have so far failed. but the new prime minister says his priority is to restore peace and hope and ultimately hold elections to move the country forward. frances? >> matt, thank you. this morning, there is a sense of justice in the small town of delphi, indiana after a man was found guilty of the brutal 2017 murder of two teenaged girls. the jury found that 52-year-old richard allen kidnapped abbey

williams and her friend libby german and slit their throats. it shocked the town and the nation. >> reporter: do you think this case will stick with this town, is sticking with this town. >> oh, absolutely, if not just because of the court case, it's because of two little girls that died here. that's just awful. that will always be in our hearts. >> allen made several confessions behind bars. his defense later tried to claim he was sufferering fing from ps, something the jury rejected police say nicolas wayne hamlin was arrested in south carolina. he is accused of killing a man last month in tennessee, calling the police and reporting a bear attack and then stealing the victim's identity. the victim was identified as 34-year-old steven lloyd, who police say hamlet befriended

over the summer. it's not clear if hamlet has entered a plea or retained a lawyer. authorities in green lake, wisconsin believed a missing kayaker faked his own death and is now in europe. he is a married father of two and vanished on august 12th. crews found a capsized kayak but no body. officials later discovered his passport was checked by canadian authorities on august 13th, the day after he disappeared. investigators searched his laptop and found photos of passports, information about moving funds to banks and a relationship with someone from uzbekistan. he took out a life insurance policy in january and purchased an airline gift card. the fbi and department of homeland security are assisting in the investigation. wildfires are wreaking havoc coast-to-coast, destroying almost 200 homes in california

and burning through parts of new york and new jersey. all of it made worse by a nationwide drought. here's emilie ikeda. >> reporter: wildfires wreaking havoc coast-to-coast. firefighters up against dangerous conditions in new york and new jersey, working to dowse the jennings creek fire. >> we're getting tired. we're getting tired. so don't create any new fires. >> reporter: this photo showing the last moments before 18-year-old firefighter darriel vasquez was killed by a fallen tree while fighting the fire, fueled by whipping winds and bone dry conditions. steven lee can smell smoke from his cranberry farm in new jersey, where there are more signs of the unrelenting drought. so we shouldn't be able to be standing here right now? >> no, we're standing well below a normal water level. >> reporter: a first for the five-generation farm that typically uses this reservoir to flood its colorful cranberry

bogs every fall for harvesting. >> we had to run the pump 24/7 to do our harvest. that required roughly $800 a day of diesel fuel over a three-week period, so another $20,000 for just harvest water. >> reporter: parts of new jersey have seen less than a quarter inch of rain since september, 5% of its average precipitation. and the garden state is not alone. more than half the continental u.s. is experiencing moderate drought. thousands of people evacuating near reno, nevada where billowing sneak can be stein for miles. while in southern california. nearly 200 homes have been destroyed and officials are bracing for another round of santa ana winds. dana griffin is on the ground. >> it's like trying to put a blowtorch out with a squirt gun. >> reporter: now on track to set a record high for a second year in a row, leaving farmers like lee fearing for the future of their businesses. >> it's a concern.

we're all concerned. we need rain for a lot of reasons, not just to flood cranberry bogs. >> reporter: burn scars like this were typically seen in the west coast. but firefighters have responded to 530 wildfires since october, about 500 more than what's typical for this time of year. and to make matters worst, red flag warnings were just issued for parts of the northeast. now let's get a closer look at the drought conditions with nbc meteorologist angie lassman. any storms, any rain? any kind of precipitation we could look forward to? >> yeah, frances, you know we need it so desperately across this region. it doesn't look like we have a whole lot of substantial rain in the future. maybe a bit of rain for the northeast on thursday. notice those fire alerts that are still up. you heard emily mention these 35 million people from boston stretching to georgetown, included in these. with those really gusty winds expected yet again today, the low humidity, dry conditions thanks to lack of rain.

here's where we're expecting winds to peak. 34 mile-per-hour pfor boston. up to 40 mile-per-hour winds are possible. meanwhile, out west, a bit of a different story. we're ramping up for a couple days of substantial rain and snow and potentially wind. can you see the next system is on deck for parts of the pacific northwest. we'll see the cascades and northern sierra pick up heavy snow. and that heavy rainfall amount, that could reach up to 8 inches. that's a look at the weather across t r new orleans and mobil. and that's a look at your forecast, frances, back to you.

>> thanks so much, angie. this veterans day, harriet tubman was posthumously honored as general. it was a reminder of the state's complex history tubman escaped from slavery and returned many times to guide others along the underground railroad. she also volunteered with the u.s. army, gathering intelligence for a raid that freed 700 enslaved people. coming up, a first look at the final reckoning for mission impossible. but first the bitcoin boom. why the election is pushing the crypto currency to new heights. s want to get the most out of one sheet? . grab bounty. (♪♪) bounty is made to be stronger... ...and more absorbent. so, while ordinary brands can't hold up, one sheet of bounty keeps working, even when wet. (♪♪) now that's the sound of value.

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the crypto boom. good morning, charlotte. >> indeed, bitcoin hitting a record again, extending gains from the past week. and other crypto currencies have been trading higher. that's because donald trump has embraced digital assets during his presidential campaign, vowing friendlier regulation in the policy shift from the democratic administration. now trump said they wanted to make the united states the crypto capital of the planet, and to accumulate a national stockpile in bitcoin. now the crypto industry for its part also poured millions of dollars into the congressional and presidential election, backing pro-crypto candidates. now bitcoin has risen more than 30% since the election on november 5th. now to different news. the seafood chain red lobster is having a makeover to try and attract younger customers. noo himself, just 35 years old, joined the company at

the end of august, said he wants to make the restaurant more fun and energetic. now red lobster recently closed about 100 of its 640 restaurants and exited bankruptcy. now they're launching their new strategy and a new menu, also bringing back some old favorites, like hush puppies. frances? >> thank you. still to come. ben stiller returns for happy gilmore two and a look at the last mission impossible should you choose to accept it. u oo to accept it. ate to severe plaque psoriasis 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... ...that stayed clear, even at 5 years. tremfya® is proven to significantly reduce joint pain, stiffness, and swelling. serious allergic reactions and increased risk of infections may occur. before treatment, your doctor should check you

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neither should you. >> running, fighting and hanging off of airplanes, just another day for ethan hunt in the first trailer for mission impossible, the final reckoning. the eighth installment in the iconic franchise runs into theaters in may. this may be the last one. so i can imagine both fans and tom cruise going through some withdrawals when it comes to all this action, especially the stunts that he does on his own. >> you know who will be happy when it's over? probably his friends and family who love him and know that he does these stunts on his own. >> happy gilmore will have his hands full with another familiar face. >> could i trouble you for a glass of warm milk? it helps put me to sleep. >> you could trouble me for a warm glass of shut the hell up. now you will go to sleep or i will put you to sleep. >> ben stiller is set to return as the orderly hal in the

upcoming happy gilmore two. spotted on the long-awaited sequel sporting the mustache and nametag. lots of excitement around this. he looks a little different. he's an iconic character, though. >> i hope these comedy geniuses keep this streak going. i would love to see another zoo lander. up next, why u.s. regulators are investigating over a million vehicles. and krispy kreme is sweetening the season with pie-flavored doughnuts. with pie-flavored doughnuts. so her doctor prescribed austedo xr— a once-daily, extended-release td treatment for adults. ♪ as you go with austedo ♪ austedo xr significantly reduced kate's td movements. some people saw a response as early as 2 weeks. with austedo xr, kate can stay on her mental health meds— (kate) aww! hi buddy!

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odyssey and acura tlx. the ridge line is also included. only one owner has reported a crash with no injuries. burger king is saying thanks a million to royal perks members. they are selling a million whoppers for one dollar through the burger king app. krispy kreme is launching four new pie-flavored doughnuts. they are chocolate silk pie, lemon cream pie, blueberry crisp and apple crumble. the sweet treats are available now through thanksgiving. "early today" will be right back. e right back. mr. clean magic eraser... wow - where has this been my entire life? having to clean with multiple products is a hassle. trying to figure out okay - what am i going to use on the shower, what am i going to use on the bathtub? i don't have to think about that. with magic eraser... i use it on everyday messes. i even use it on things that i think are impossible to clean. you just add water, and then i'm good to go. i can go from the countertop, to the stove, to the microwave, and just use one magic eraser. if you're a mom,

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monday to honor our heros for veterans day. communities across the country saluting those who served in unique ways. rehema ellis looks at some of the events. ♪ ♪ >> reporter: across the country, a salute to service. >> their response from the community, it's heartwarming. it really is. >> reporter: at connecticut's st. veterans cemetery, volunteers placing 13,000 american flags, one for each grave stone. one of the youngest volunteers just 6 years old, taking pride in his work. >> i don't really know, but it felt like happy. >> reporter: and in wisconsin, a retirement community going all out for their veterans. ♪ ♪ bringing in a high school band and even arranging for a flyover. >> i'm really grateful that i work at a place that does something like that. >> it means an awful lot that

they care. and they should care. a lot of lives given up. ♪ ♪ >> reporter: and at michigan's fort custer national cemetery. a ceremony honoring seven service mens who did not have surviving family members to arrange their burials. >> these seven veterans that we interred today are part of our family. and we don't let a family leave this world without being recognized and let them know the love that we had for them when they were with us on this earthly world. >> reporter: retired colonel frank walker among those in attendance. he says his work now focuses on taking care of others. >> you know, we might celebrate veterans day on 11 november, but, in my world, every single day is veterans day.

♪ ♪ >> and our thanks to rahema hellis ellis for that. coming up, tips for how you can earn money on holiday purchases, and here's al roker with a look at what else is ahead today. >> this morning on the third hour of "today", gifts for everybody on our holiday list. and, bonnie hunt! live, talking about her new santa action movie. and we're going to bake up some sweet treats in "today" food. all that and more coming up this morning on the third hour of "today". >> thanks so much for being up i'm barbara and i'm from st. joseph, michigan. i'm a retired school librarian. i'm also a library board trustee, a mother of two, and a grandmother of two.

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