the holiday travel rush is already under way, but as the record number of americans are

expected to hit the road, coast-to-coast storms threaten to snarl the week. the menendez brothers expected back in court today for the first time in decades. what they may say as they fight for resentencing, after being convicted of killing their parents in 1989. protect donald trump selects who he wants for his cabinet, along with picks for several other high-ranking posts, but can all of them get confirmed? our team has the latest in the confirmation battles already emerging. and as one of trump's picks is set to target fluoride, the state of florida moves to stop the practice all together. and, it's wicked opening weekend. did wicked or gladiator two take the top spot at the box office? it's monday, november 25th. "early today" starts now.

good morning, glad you're with me. i'm frances rivera. it is officially thanksgiving week, which means holiday travel is in full swing. numbers are expected to pass pre-pandemic levels. 71 million people will drive 50 miles or more to their destination with more than 6 million people who will fly. the tsa is planning on-screening 18 million passengers during the long holiday weekend. this week's weather may dampen travel plans for most of the country. let's check in with michelle grossman with the latest. what are you watching most, michelle? >> we're working two storm systems systems systems that are evolving today. let's look at wednesday. we're looking at snowshowers in the west, throughout the rockies into the west coast, because we're look at some rain there, looking at that higher elevation snow still. really unsettled on wednesday in some parts of the west.

then we're going to see travel issues throughout the midwest with rain falling. and then thanksgiving day we're looking at impacts along the east coast. airport delays in terms of wednesday, could see slowdowns in san francisco, los angeles, st. louis, detroit. that's where you're seeing the orange color. and major impacts in chicago, salt lake city into denver. that's because we're looking at heavy snow, strong winds. that's tough travel in the air, also on the roadways throughout those interstates. as we look at thanksgiving day, look at the east coast from new england to the southeast. we are watching an east coast storm that's going to certainly impact travel if you're traveling thanksgiving morning, especially in portions of northern new england where we're going to see some snow. we'll talk more about this in a few minutes. today the menendez brothers will appear in court or the first time together in more than 30 years.

it could be their first step towards freedom. their attorney planning on showing new evidence that potentially boosts claims their father sexually abused the brothers. last month, the outgoing d.a. recommended resentencing for the brothers, but now a new d.a. is set to take office next week. >> social media campaigns and documentaries can affect what an elected d.a. thinks about a case and might lead to freedom. >> only 16 seats will be available to the public in today's hearing. anticipation is so high, the court is holding a lottery to fill them. the president-elect has named another cabinet, another candidate for his cabinet, choosing brooke rollins for agriculture secretary.

matt gaetz says he will not be returning to congress. he was selling video messages for $550. tulsi gabbard is the next candidate set to meet with senators. here's karen gilchrist. >> president-elect trump with dozens of picks, including the heads of all 15 federal departments who will now move on to the confirmation process. >> the american public has voted to see change. >> i want to make a decision on each one of them on the merits, and i can't do that without the background checks. >> reporter: pete hegseth expected to face tough questions after nbc news obtained a california police report, detailing a woman's sexual assault allegation. >> the matter was fully investigated, and i was completely cleared. >> reporter: police didn't charge hegseth but also never said he was cleared.

hegseth will also likely be grilled for saying women shouldn't serve in combat roles. >> we would have an ineffective military if we were to pull out all the women and say you cannot be in combat. >> we need to get back to business, and i think pete is just the person to do it. >> reporter: tulsi gabbard will have to defend her denial of amplifying russian propaganda and meeting with yria's president. >> it calls her judgment deeply into question. >> she met with bashir al-assad. we want to know what the purpose was. >> reporter: meanwhile, the president-elect discussing concerns with nato's secretary general. mike waltz with a meeting after meeting with his outgoing counterpart, jake sullivan. >> for our adversaries out there who think this is an opportunity that they can play one administration off the other, they're wrong. we are one team with the united states in this transition.

>> and our thanks to aaron for that report. authorities in the united arab emirates say they've arrested three people for the murder of a rabbi in the country. he was found dead after going missing on thursday. the israeli government in a statement called the murder a, quote, criminal anti-semitic terrorist event. meanwhile, hezbollah fired around 250 rockets into israel yesterday. the barrage wounded seven people, rescue services say. it was apparent retaliation for an earlier israeli strike in beirut that killed at least 29. israeli attacks have killed more than 3,500 people in lebanon. while hezbollah attacks have killed nearly 50 israeli civilians. later today, a bankruptcy judge in texas will review the auction process after the satirical site, the onion

obtained alex jones' website. the company that runs his online supplement store says the trustee had colluded with sandy hook families. he is forced to sell-off his assets after saying the massacre did not saying. an infant has died and ten adults sickened due to a four-state listeria outbreak connected to ready-to-eat meat products. dana griffin has more. >> reporter: the latest brand in a deadly food bacteria outbreak, this time listeria. twin infants have died, only the cdc can connect one death linked to the outbreak linked to ready-to-eat meet. ooh-zheng food saying we immediately took corrective actions, adding they regretted what happened. the usda announcing a recall of

27,000 pounds of u zheng meat that were packed in four states, california, new york, new york and new jersey. this store in los angeles showing nbc news where those ready-to-eat bags have since been removered from refrigerators, packed away with a sign saying recall, don't put on shelves. this follows other high-profile cases. ten people died this summer from a listeria outbreak linked to tainted boar's head deli meat. then slivered onions on mcdonald's hamburgers. and this month, nor than a dozen states reported e. coli cases after one person died from eating organic carrots produced by grimway farms. should we be concerned about our food quality safety in this country? >> we should be concerned. we should always be vigilant. but certainly, don't panic. sanitation is very key to controlling listeria. and, so when you have these

series of outbreaks, it really raises a lot of questions about how these facilities are maintaining their sanitation. >> and our thanks to dana for that report. a winter blast could cause headaches for the holiday week. michelle grossman is back with the details. >> we're watching two systems that will bring some rain, some snow to spots. one in the west and one in the east. starting out in the east, we are looking at a long line of rain from texas to the great lakes. there's that cold front. but on the northern part of this on the u.p. of michigan we're going to see snow. that's where it's targeting. as we go throughout tomorrow, heavy rain. it is good news, but a chance for localized flash flooding. we're looking at the next storm system approaching the west. we're going to see unsettled conditions,

then a nice day in the carolinas into the southeast. lots of sunshine from charleston to orlando. all right, that's your monday forecast. >> thanks so much, michelle. turning now to sunday night football where saquon barkley had a run so nice he had to do it twice. >> saquon barkley is the running back. big opening, barkley lets loose! saquon will take it the distance, touchdown! >> the eagles' star running back made history against the rams. barkley set a personal and franchise record with 255 rushing yards, the most in a nfl game since 2009. he book ended his performance with those two massive touchdown runs that went for 70 and 72 yards respectively. the eagles win their seventh

straight, 37-20. "early today" is back in a moment with a battle over bibles in texas classrooms. and could florida shwa away fluoride from its water supply? the new recommendation from the state's top health official. 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... and some saw 100% visible healing of their intestinal lining. serious allergic reactions and increased risk of infections may occur. before treatment, your doctor should check you for infections and tb. tell your doctor if you have an infection, flu-like symptoms or if you need a vaccine. healing is possible with tremfya. ask your doctor about tremfya today. ♪ (♪♪)

refresh your senses with a wave of tropical lime flavor. mountain dew baja blast in stores now. leading the news, the texas board of education has voted to allow teaching the bible in the state's elementary schools. a democratic board member who voted against lesson plan says she believes it will be challenged in court. greg abbott has voiced support for the measure. the measure passed 8-7. florida's surgeon general is telling communities not to add fluoride to their water. for decades, it's been credited with keeping americans' teeth healthy. now are starting to question whether it's necessary or even harmful. here's marissa parra. >> reporter: florida pulling the

plug on backing fluoride. the state's top health official calling fluoridation malpractice. >> we are issuing guidance to every community, every municipality, every county in florida to stopped n stopped ai fluoride. >> reporter: the new guidance comes weeks after rfk announcement. a decades-long debate over fluoride started in the 1940s, that's when the naturally-occurring mineral, shown to prevent cavities began to be added to water supplies across the country.

the cdc, ada and american academy of pediatrics say it reduces tooth decay. >> there's a 25% reduction in children and adult decay for people who are in community fluoridated water. >> reporter: some argue that fluoride in toothpaste enough isn't enough for dental health. but those opposed to fluoridation point to two controversial studies. from 2019 and this summer, the link higher than recommended levels of fluoride with lower iq levels in children. they say the epa must take action to lower fluoride levels. in buffalo, it's back after residents seeking damages from the cost of dental surgeries. >> there's many stories of young children who have, you know, ended up in children's hospital needing emergency dental

surgery. >> our thanks to marissa for this report. coming up, this weekend, did you get glicked? ad ♪♪ ♪♪ lean on me when times are bad ♪♪ ♪♪ when the day comes and you are down ♪♪ ♪♪ in a river of trouble and about to drown ♪♪ ♪♪ just hold on, i'm comin' ♪♪ ♪♪ hold on, i'm comin' ♪♪ [background chatter and laughter] inez, let me ask you, you're using head & shoulders, right? only when i see flakes. then i switch back to my regular shampoo. 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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this is war! real war! >> you can do >> you can do ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ >> the box office duel between wicked and warriors, wicked arrived on top. taking in $114 million. that was the third biggest debut of 2024 and the best-ever opening for a broadway adaptation. and while it couldn't compare to elphaba and glinda, gladiator

two opened with a $55 million haul. they combined and couldn't reach the heights of barbenheimer which combined for 311 million in the july opening. but still, over the top. if you've got a chance to see it, which we both did. >> it was so good. i would see it again and again. >> same, same. and here's something you've got to do to fully appreciate it is to watch all the behind-the-scenes stuff. it is just remarkable. i don't want to ruin the story, but the cinematography. >> it was amazing. the singing was live. just so amazing. my 11-year-old to my mom, it was like their favorite movie. >> i think it's going to be, people going back again and again. can't get enough. we're still in the wicked spell at home. when we come back on "early today," good news for thanksgiving travelers.

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>> here's what's making headlines this morning. hyundai and kia are recalling 208,000 electric vehicles over an issue that can cause a loss of drive power, increasing the risk of a crash. it involves more than 145,000 hyundai and genesis cars and 63,000 kia ev 6 vehicles made from 2022 through 2024. sugar foods is recalling its tortilla chip salad toppers in 20 states. the fresh gourmet tortilla strips have a best-buy date of june 20, 2025. new data from the department of labor found that in 2022, families spent between $6,000 and $15,000 on day care. and good news for those hitting the road for thanksgiving. gas prices are continuing to fall.

according to aaa, the national average is now $3.06 a gallon, 21 cents cheaper than the same time last year. and two lucky turkeys, peach and blossom, will receive their white house pardon today. president biden will officially pardon them in tradition that started in 1947. these 17-week old turkeys were raised in minnesota and currently staying at the willard hotel. after the ceremony, they'll return to a farm to live as ambassadors r e fothnational turkey federation. we'll be right 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 for infections and tb. tell your doctor if you have an infection,

flu-like symptoms or if you need a vaccine. emerge as you with clear skin. ask your doctor about tremfya®. ♪♪ (♪♪) refresh your senses with a wave of tropical lime flavor. mountain dew baja blast in stores now. with a wave of tropical lime flavor. now to a few stories sure to make you smile. from the ultimate birthday bash to an eye-opening celebration,

jose diaz balart has the good news to kick off your week. >> reporter: it was a sight to behold at barber prep academy in highland park, michigan. dozens of kids so thrilled to finally get new eyeglasses, trying them on one after another. the school turned it into a celebration of sight. bringing in the detroit pistons' cheer squad. this was the overwhelming show of support for first responders in greenwood lake, new york. hundreds of people lining the streets, saying thanks to the firefighters, ems, police and others for putting their lives on the line, battling recent

wildfires in the area. for fire chief alexander nicolas and his team, it's a morale boost that meant so much. >> it's heartwarming that so many people could come together. we don't do this for the thanks or the pat on the back. it was very, very emotional. ♪ happy birthday ♪ ♪ happy birthday to you ♪ >>reporter: in pennsylvania, here's a bash folks are calling the surprise of the century. it's a 100th birthday party for chuck hoyt. >> we lovely. >> reporter: who started volunteering at upmc hospital when he was a youngster of just 79 years old. chuck, a world war ii navy vet says service to the country and community are what makes life worth living. what's the biggest message about helping others?

>> seeing people have a smile and just being there for somebody. >> reporter: what's helped you for all these years to remain as young and as vibrant as you are? >> i think mind your own business and do something good for people. >> we should all follow that example. our thanks to jose diaz balart for sharing those stories. coming up on "today", a behind the scenes look at the "holiday touchdown", a chiefs love story. and tom costello shows us what happens to a plane when the last passenger steps off at night. something you don't want to miss. thanks for starting your wk ee

right now at five. another round of wet weather. our team issuing a microclimate weather alert as rain moves across the bay area ahead. we have live t