ews on the way. the fallout continues after president biden issued a sweeping pardon of his son

hunter. criticism coming from both sides of the aisle. what republican and democratic lawmakers are saying. and even more scrutiny on donald trump's pick for secretary of defense. a new report raising allegations of alcohol abuse. how the latest allegations could affect pete hegseth's confirmation chances. fragile cease-fire in jeopardy between israel and hezbollah. both sides firing on each other and trading accusations of cease-fire violations. why you might want to think twice before signing up for store credit cards. and why more and more new parents are seeing huge bills after births, even with insurance. "early today" starts right now. good morning. glad to be with you. i'm frances rivera. the fallout continues from president biden's decision to pardon his son hunter.

the unconditional pardon is for all past defenses and anything else he might have done effectively shielding him from any government investigations. mr. biden had previously ruled oua pardon. it is drawing criticism from republicans and democrats. alice barr starts us off this morning. >> reporter: bipartisan push back from president biden's decision to issue his son hunter a sweeping pardon for any offenses he, quote, has committed or may have committed or taken part in over the past 11 years, including, but not limited to, all offenses charged or prosecuted. it comes just before hunter biden was due to be sentenced this month in both the federal gun case he was convicted of and the tax evasion charges he pled guilty to. the president not answering reporters' questions. in a statement, he r reference republican attacks on his son, writing that while he believes in the justice system, he also

believes raw politics infected the process and led to a miscarriage of justice. the first lady offering her support. but, it's a sharp reversal from what president biden had said for months. >> and have you ruled out a pardon for your son? >> yes. i will not pardon him. >> reporter: republicans slamming the president's decision, president-elect trump calling it abuse and miscarriage of justice. some democrats speaking out, including senator michael bennet, writing, quote, president biden's decision put personal interest ahead of duty and further erodes americans' faith that the justice system is fair and equal for all. as the incoming trump administration prepares to take the reins at the department of justice, the white house press secretary who also repeatedly denied a pardon was coming offered this context. >> it didn't seem like his political opponents would let go of it. it didn't seem like they would move on. >> reporter: president biden

made the announcement after a family thanksgiving, an intensely personal choice with deep political pitfalls. in washington, alice barr, nbc news. for pete hegseth, keep mouounti president-elect trump's pick for defense secretary. an article in the new yorker details a whistle-blower report alleging public drunkenness and sexual harassment by hegseth, alleged to have happened when he was president of the non-profit concerned veterans for america. garrett haake reports. >> reporter: donald trump's embattled selection for secretary of defense, pete hegseth on capitol hill, following shocking new reports about his personal conduct. hegseth ignoring questions as he met with republican senators. >> appreciate the opportunity to talk to the senators today. it's a great process. >> reporter: a new article from the new yorker, revealing the contents of a previously undisclosed report written by employees of a veterans association hegseth ran, alleging he was repeatedly

intoxicated, quote, to the point of needing to be carried out of events. "the new yorker" writing he was eventually forced to step down. >> that article suggests you have an alcohol problem. >> reporter: nbc news has not verified the report. in a statement to the new yorker, an advisor said the claims were outlandish and came from a disgruntled associate. meanwhile, the "new york times" is reporting hegseth's mother sent him an e-mail in 2018 during his second divorce, calling him, quote, an abuser of women, penelope hegseth writing i have no respect for any man who lies, cheats, sleeps around and uses women for his own power and ego. nbc news has not independently obtained the e-mail, but mrs. hegseth says she apologized almost immediately and disavowed the first note. >> he's very, very smart.

>> reporter: and on saturday, president-elect trump naming kash patel as his choice to take over the fbi. patel, a fierce trump ally and outspoken critic of the bureau. >> i'd shut down the fbi hoover building on day one and reopening it the next day as a museum of the deep state. >> reporter: patel would replace trump appointee christopher wray who would have to be fired or resign to clear the way for patel, a former public defender, prosecutor and trump national security official. >> he's experienced in not only putting criminals behind bars but also can understand what happens when government overreaches. >> reporter: patel has little management experience and has promoted lies that the 2020 election was stolen. >> we will follow the facts and the law and go to courts of law and correct these justices and lawyers who have been prosecuting these cases based on politics. >> reporter: the combative trump loyalist is also the author of a children's book, "the plot against the king", in which a

wizard-like kash supports king donald. >> you have the office of offip office and you go after your adversaries. that's abuse of power that you have. >> our thanks to garrett for that report. president-elect donald trump announced he is against a proposed acquisition of u.s. steel by japanese company nippon steel. yesterday trump wrote on truth social, quote, as president i will block this deal from happening, buyer beware. president biden and vice president kamala harris have also indicated they oppose nippon's $14.9 billion bid. according to , they are hoping to close the deal before trump takes office. hezbollah fired into a disputed border zone held by israel for the first time since the cease-fire began. hezbollah calling it a warning

shot, after what they say are repeated truce violations by israel. israel's military carrying out its biggest wave of strikes, killing multiple people, according to lebanon's health industry, this, as we learn the fates of two american-israeli hostages. more on that in a bit. after an epic winter wallop over the holiday weekend, the great lakes are bracing for round two this morning. millions are still digging out from the snow. it has made for trcherous conditions on the road. whiteout conditions led to a 17-vehicle pileup. let's get to michelle grossman. >> we are looking at a clipper system that will move through,

bringing additional snow to portions of the upper midwest and great lakes, and eventually into the interior northeast. this morning, 5 million people waking up once again to winter alerts. we have lake effect warnings in the blueish color. downwind of lake erie, lake ontario, lake erie. then we are looking at winter storm warnings, also winter weather advisories. clipper system is not as robust. but chilly winds over warm waters, leading to more snow near lake erie and lake ontario. we could see upwards of 12 inches downwind of lake erie. by tomorrow, the snow moving to the interior northeast. enhanced snowfall bringing the bands to the great lakes. by thursday, we'll see it moving to portions of new england. it's going to be a tough travel day on thursday. in terms of lake-effect snow and how much we are expecting, once

again looking at pinks and purples, that's where we're expecting the most snow. in new england, the higher elevations of new hampshire, vermont, maine, we're going to see quite a bit of snow, and in the u.p. of michigan. we're looking at freeze warnings. we're looking at frost advisories, freeze watch in the purple there. so places like douglas, brunswick, jacksonville, gainesville, albany. a chilly start. right around the freezing mark or at the freezing mark in gainesville, tallahassee. 37 in waycross. 36 in atlanta. and we are looking at split temperatures. if you look to the west, you notice temperatures five to 15 degrees above normal for this time of year. dodge city, 55 degrees. that seven degrees above normal. but that jet stream is so far to the south in portions of the east. so we are cold once again.

well below normal for this time of year. midwest. 28 28 degrees in great bay. 50 in oklahoma city. that's your tuesday forecast. >> lots to cover. thanks michelle. coming up, a tough health update for elton john after a battle with an eye infection. battle with an eye infection. we're back in 60 seconds. ♪♪ 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] jen loved her gain hibiscus hula flings. until brad moved in and brought along a few new exciting additions. and they discovered that whenhey mixed their scents. ♪♪ they were more than just soulmates. ♪♪ they were scentmates. ♪♪ ♪♪ mix match more happy with gain. we are back with a growing problem for new parents, even for many families who have insurance. more parents are taking on enormous debt after giving birth. maggie vespa has our report.

>> reporter: at nearly 2, jessica hurley's twin boys are as old as the debt that accompanied their birth. the springfield, illinois toddlers arrived two months early. one naturally and one via emergency c-section, only to begin a harrowing weeks-long stay in the neo-natal intensive care unit. >> they would turn blue in my arms. their hearts were essentially stopping. >> reporter: your babies are in the nicu. you're dealing with the trauma. and you start getting the bills. >> mm-hm. they kept coming. >> reporter: a dental hygienist and career laborer, she and her husband have insurance through his union. these are all your bills. >> yes. >> reporter: this is for $5200, this is for $2200. >> reporter: but their plan caps out of pocket costs at $28,500

per year. the cap was reset on january 1st and left the couple on the hook to meet it twice. their r account balance topping $80,000 after insurance. >> i do find that this comes as a surprise for patients. >> reporter: she says the hurleys were swept into a growing trend among middle c cls american families, who make too much money to qualify for medicaid, relying on private, often employer-provided insurance, with increasingly high deductibles. and while most americans with insurance pay around $3600 out of pocket for childbirth related coarses, data shows for about a quarter of those americans, childbirth costs $5,000 or more. >> this is how private health insurance works for everybody. it's just that low and middle

income families are the ones who bear the brunt of it. >> reporter: her advice? check your plan beforehand and consider switching to options with lower deductibles, even if the monthly premium is higher, and, if you get hit with big bills, don't ignore them. negotiate. jessica did. and nearly two years later managed to whittle her family's debt down to roughly $11,500, more than a quarter of which they've paid. >> a quiet old lady who was whispering, hush. >> reporter: the debt prompting jessica not to seek treatment for postpartum depression. the cost of living hitting this family hard right from the start. maggie vespa, nbc news, springfield, illinois. a voluntary recall has been issued on american cucumbers after a potential salmonella

contamination. they were sold between october 12 through november 26 and distributed across 26 states and parts of canada. according to the cdc, 68 people have gotten sick in connection to the salmonella outbreak, and no deaths have been reported. consumers are urged to throw out the product. still to come, the homecoming that has already begun for snl's 50th birthday celebration. find out which stars are coming find out which stars are coming backter, so you wake up ready to go. uhh, hank! try mucinex nightshift anfeel the difference. are you tired of your hair breaking after the year. new pantene with more pro-vitamins, plus biotin & collagen. repairs as well as the leading luxury bonding brand. stronger, healthier hair, without the $60 price tag. if you know, you know it's pantene. ♪♪ [laughters] mom. ♪♪

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thank you, spirit! thank you for showing me the way. ah, ah, oh, oh, i'm as light as a feather. i'm as giddy as a drunken man, and i will change! i swear to it, i will change! i just hope it's not too late. >> another christmas present for "saturday night live" fans. snl is closing out the 2024 season with two iconic alums.

martin short will return for the last show of the year along with musical guest hosier. chris rock returns home for his stint as guest. the run kicks off this weekend with paul mescal making his debut along with shaboozey. when martin short comes, steve martin's got to be there with him, right? >> they go together like commercials, shows. >> and gracie abrams is dating paul mescal, but they didn't book him for the same show, right? a little insider info there. >> so, so true. sir elton john says he lost his eyesight. over the weekend i appeared at a musical version of the devil wears prada, which he wrote the musical for. he said due to his failing eyesight he wasn't able to watch the performance but enjoyed

listening to it. he lost his vision while dealing with an eye infection. that's got to be so tough. >> he said it was really bad, it was just in one eye. he was hopeful he would get his vision back, but now he's saying he's lost his vision completely. he didn't specify if it was permanent. up next, jaguar's all new electric car has a bold pink twist. kerry washington received her star on the hollywood walk of fame.

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cutting-edge tech. the chief creative officer called it the foundation for a new family of jaguars unlike anything you've ever seen. actress kerry washington received the star on the walk of fame. she thanked her parents, fans and supporters for their part in her journey. and mcrib returns to select locations today. ♪ because we got him on the spot ♪ ♪ welcome back ♪ ♪ welcome back ♪ ♪ welcome back, welcome back ♪s. and packaged with 45% less plastic. giving you outstanding dandruff protection. and leaving hair beautiful and moisturized. major dandruff protection, minimal ingredients. job done. head & shoulders bare. hank used to suffer from what felt like

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this think twice before opening an account. priya sridhar has the story. >> reporter: the deals come at you fast, often as you're clerking out. open a credit card and get 10% or 20% or even 30% off. >> stay away from these cards. >> reporter: but those store brand credit card discounts come at a hefty price. >> they're not as selective about credit quality. that's when the banks tell you that they charge high interest rates. >> reporter: but this year those high rates are even higher. >> we're talking extraordinarily high. this is generally about as high as they go. >> reporter: a new bank rate study of some of the country's biggest retailers found yearly interest rates as high as almost 36%. >> yep. $30,000 into credit card debt. it's nauseating to say out loud. >> reporter: those high rates hit new hampshire resident meg locker hard. she had almost $30,000 of credit card debt from around a dozen credit cards. many of them from big retail stores. >> after six months of spending,

you've spent more on interest than you have on any savings that you would have received from the store itself. >> reporter: the retailer whose raise rates the most this year include big lots, old navy and petco. and big lot also one of the highest overall at 36% per year. high interest rates are partly to blame, but as interest rates went down -- >> instead of allow ing that to impact the profit margin they've raised rates. >> reporter: there are historical federal rate increases, rising credit losses and regulatory pressures. experts say if you do sign up for a card because you want that discount -- >> pay it off as soon as you get a charge. hong kong is about to turn into a sea of pandas with giant sculptures showcased as part of

the panda go-fest exhibition. 2500 panda statues will be displayed in popular areas, including ocean park. it is home to two real-life panda clubs who've made a big splash since their birth. the display aims to boost tourism in hong kong's economy. coming up on "today", we are decking the halls here at rockefeller center. kaylee hartung will take us behind the scenes with the team that creates the festive decorations. something you don't want to miss. keep it right here. thanks so much for being with me early for "early today." i'm frances rivera. hope you have a great tuesday. for now, your news continues on nbc and your nbc stations. see you tomorrow.

a man goes missing from a cruise ship. the investigation now underway as the coast guard continues its search. what officials believe y