breaking overnight. another escalation in the case of the suspect in the killing of unitedhealthcare ceo. why federal prosecutors are considering charges for luigi mangne. the government teetering on the edge of a shutdown. congress scrambling for a plan b after president-elect trump and elon musk came out against the funding bill. we're live in d.c. where lawmakers have less than 48 hours to keep the government open through the holidays. >> reporter: a deadly plane crash caught on camera in hawaii. the investigation into what went wrong. a free fall on wall street. how the fed sparked a massive selloff that sent the dow plummeting more than a thousand points, amid its worst losing streak in half a century. breaking news, amazon bracing for a major strike. why teamsters are set to walk off the job at several key

facilities. and santa claus is coming to town in a big way. we'll take a holiday road trip on this thursday, december 19th. "early today" starts right now. good morning, i'm frances rivera. we begin with breaking news overnight in the ceo murder case. federal prosecutors are looking into charges against mangione. they say if federal charges are filed, the charged filed by manhattan district attorney's office would have priority. mangione was indicted tuesday on first degree murder in furtherance of terrorism, plus counts of second degree murder and more. a spokesperson for the u.s. attorney's office for the southern district of new york and federal prosecutors in manhattan declined to comment. also breaking, the fbi has detained a man in san diego in connection with a suspected shooter at a madison, wisconsin school. according to a protective order filed by local police, the fbi

stopped a man after learning he and the alleged shooter spoke online about a gun and bomb b atck and on an unspecified government building. the judge has since ordered the man to give up his weapons and ammunition. it is unclear what charges he might be facing or whether he is currently custody. the fbi declined to comment. meanwhile, police in wisconsin are looking into whether bullying may have played a role in the school shooting. police say 15-year-old natalie rupnow shot and killed a teacher and student monday before turning the gun on herself. two students are still hospitalized in life-threatening condition. there is chaos on the hill a day after congressional leaders had agreed on a bipartisan short-term deal to fund the government. president-elect trump has thrown a wrench in the works by pupublicly coming out against i. let's turn to brie jackson. >> reporter: in a joint statement by president-elect trump and vice president-elect

vance, it said if the democrats threaten to shut down the government go we don't give them everything they want, call their bluff. mr. trump later threatened republicans, saying anyone who votes for the bill will face a primary challenge. house majority leader steve scalise confirmed that the bipartisan bill is now dead. house speaker johnson's office failed to share a path forward. he and vice president-elect vance met, vance told reporters they had a productive conversation. now trump said that any bill should include an increase in the debt ceiling. he has now thrown the problem into the democrats' court. democrats offered a fiery rebuke of the president-elect's maneuvering. >> house republicans have been

ordered to shut down the government and hurt every day americans all across this country. house republicans will now own any harm that is visited upon the american people that results from a government shutdown or worse. >> reporter: and without action from congress, the shutdown will happen one minute past midnight on saturday. meanwhile, the house ethics committee has voted to publicly release a report of the investigation into former florida congressman matt gaetz. that's according to two sources familiar with this matter. the report might now come out as early as this week. gaetz has been accused of hiring a prostitute, having sex with a minor and sex trafficking. he has always deni any criminal wrongdoing and has, and was never charged.

but the accusations in part led to him dropping his bid to become attorney general in the next trump administration. frances? >> brie, thank you. breaking overnight, in just a few hours, the teamsters will launch what they are calling the largest amazon strike in u.s. history. thousands of workers will walk off the job across the u.s. after union officials say the online retailer refused to come to the bargaining table. amazon has not responded to request for comment. and a new health alert this morning. california governor newsom has declared a state of emergency over bird flu. there are 34 cases of bird flu in california, the highest of any other state currently. the cdc confirming the first severe bird flu case in humans was discovered in louisiana. the agency believes the patient was exposed to sick or dying rds. officials say the risk to the public remains low. the mother of a u.s. journalist, austin tice, who went missing in syria in 2012

has sent russian president putin a letter asking for help finding her son, citing putin's profound connections with the syrian government. for more, let's turn to claudio lavanga. >> reporter: good morning frances, the mother of austin tice is also telling vladimir putin that they are ready to travel anywhere in the world where he still may be, including moscow, so they can embrace him and bring him back home. another place where she believes that he may still be is this secret prison under a museum in damascus, she's hoping that he's been hidden there in one of those tunnels, underground tunnels that have not yet been explored since the rebels took over the capital, and of course the country. and that is the reason why the israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu assured her that israel will not carry out airstrikes around or near that prison. now, in other news, russian authorities say they arrested a

29-year-old man from uzbekistan in connection with the killing of the general in charge of russia's nuclear and chemical forces who was killed when an electrical device hidden in a scooter went off on tuesday. now, the russian authorities say that the suspect was recruited by the ukrainian special services who promised him $100,000 in exchange of him killing the general, frances. >> claudio, thank you. turning to hawaii where the ntsb is investigating why a plane crashed into a building shortly after takeoff, killing the pilots. the whole thing was caught on camera. liz kreutz has the details. >> reporter: the ntsb investigating what caused this small cargo plane in hawaii to spiral out of control in hawaii before crashing into a building

near the honolulu airport. >> all of a sudden, heard a big boom. >> reporter: this dash cam video showing the horrifying final moments of the flight. >> you're turning right, right? >> we have, we are out of control here. >> reporter: the cessna 208 slamming into an abandoned building, killing the two people on board, who were conducting a training flight, according to the airline. >> i'm sitting at my desk. and all of a sudden i see a small plane fly past my office window. it started banking and turning back towards the airport. and then i heard a loud bang. >> reporter: the crash causing ththis msive plume of smoke and flames seen for miles. >> fortunately, the building was abandoned building. it was the best-case scenario. no one else was involved. >> reporter: the victims identified by family as young pilots in their 20s. officials are praising the men,

saying they avoided populated areas and a fuel farm. the building they crashed into was empty and set to be demolished. a close call on an icy massachusetts pond. five people are lucky to be alive after falling through thin ice. one person fell through and others tried to help and found themselves struggling in the water as well. all went to the hospital and are said to be okay. if you are dreaming of a white christmas, you might just be in luck. angie lassman is tracking this arctic front. >> we've got snow on the way for parts of the great lakes and northern plains. eventually the upper midwest. minneapolis, you're going to wake up to a little bit of slick conditions. that stretches back to north dakota. and 12 million people at this time are under these alertes. this system will be on the move. here's how it plays out.

night minneapolis, green bay, parts of michigan see the snow working in through today. this will be light to moderate snow before it quickly moves into parts of the great lakes and the northeast and parts of new england. notice the wintry mix that we're going to see along the i-95 corridor tomorrow. that means difficult conditions when it comes to road travel. heads up, i know it's a busy couple days coming up for holiday travel. this isn't going to make it any better. the highest amounts across michigan, minneapolis and new york as well. big picture look for the weekend ahead. notice all the sunshine elsewhere. we've got nice, warm conditions out west. we do start to gear up for rainy and windy conditions on saturday for parts of the pacific northwest again. this will be one spot that we'll watch for difficulty when it comes to travel. then we head into suay. nd

degrees. new orleans heads to the mid-60s. birmingham in the upper 50s and 80 degrees with full sunshine in phoenix today. and that's a look at your forecast, frances, back to you. up next, the supreme court fast tracks tiktok's ban case. and a historic selloff on wall street. when you really need to sleep. you reach for the really good stuff. zzzquil ultra helps you sleep better and longer when you need it most. its non-habit forming and powered by the makers of nyquil. home is a warm and fuzzy feeling. experience the comfort of home wherever you go with the familiar, long-lasting freshness and cuddly softness of snuggle. snuggle. the comfort of home. mom's gonna love this!

alright kids come on. it's time for bed! ( ♪♪ ) good morning, mr. snuggles. make breakfast special with the cocoa and hazelnutty goodness of nutella. ( ♪♪ ) hank used to suffer from what felt like a cold & flu medicine hangover in the morning. ha ha. haha! then he switched to mucinex nightshift. mucinex is uniquely formulated to leave your system faster, so you wake up ready to go. uhh, hank! try mucinex nightshift and feel the difference. stock futures are flat this morning after the fed sparked a massive selloff yesterday. the dow plummeting 1100 points amid its longest losing streak in 50 years. the nasdaq sunk over 700 points, while the s&p was down 3%. at the center of it all is the fed's fight against inflation. karen gilchrist is here with the details, hi, karen, good

morning. >> good morning, frances. yes, the federal reserve cut interest rates by a quarter percentage point on wednesday, as expected. but it did raise its inflation forecast and signaled fewer rate cuts to come. chair jerome powell said inflation had been moving sideways and that the outlook was changing for 2025. it's now seeing two rate cuts next year, down from the four that he had signaled in september. and markets sold off, as you said, on these comments. now we'll be looking ahead this trading session to see how markets respond going forward. but certainly lower in asia and europe overnight. now elsewhere, do you feel like you're getting a raw deal from your credit card? well, the consumer watchdog says you might be. the consumer protection bureau says some credit card companies could be breaking the law by disguising in their fine print otherwise promotional content or

devaluing points and other items. it's unclear what impact this will have with trump set to install a new head of the bureau when he takes office next year. we're not quite sure how this will play out for consumers, but some are feeling the impact of these credit cards and not seeing the rewards they were hoping for. >> that's a list of everything we're going to watch. the supreme court has agreed to hear a challenge to the upcoming tiktok ban. the court, however, will not block the ban in the meantime. it is set to go into effect on january 19th. oral arguments are happening on january 10th, only after that will justices decide whether to put the ban on hold. a bipartisan law requires the app's chinese owner, bytedance, to sell to an american company or be banned. tiktok says the law violates free speech rights under the first amendment. did you know that snl stands

for short's naughty list? litis s 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... 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. ♪ travel can make you smell kinda funky. but aluminum-free secret whole body deodorant gives me 72 hour whole body freshness. for long layovers. surprise gate changes. and heavy luggage. and it's totally middle-seat approved. secret. no sweat.

mom's gonna love this! alright kids come on. it's time for bed! ( ♪♪ ) good morning, mr. snuggles. make breakfast special with the cocoa and hazelnutty goodness of nutella. ( ♪♪ ) (♪♪) when life spells heartburn... how do you spell relief? r-o-l-a-i-d-s rolaids' dual-active formula begins to neutralize acid on contact. r-o-l-a-i-d-s spells relief. —sounds like you need to vaporize that cold. dayquil vapocool? it's dayquil plus a rush of vicks vapors. ♪vapocooooool♪ woah. dayquil vapocool. the vaporizing daytime, coughing, aching, stuffy head, power through your day, medine.

mine's empty. >> m mine, too. >> mine's empty. >> and that something special is a job wrapping all my presents for all my famous friends, which of course, you three aren't. come on over here. this suntan lotion is for steve martin. it's spf infinite. because let's face it. steve is whiter than a coldplay meet and greet. >> i love the zingers that they have back and forth for each other. is it the thought that counts? martin short reveals what he got his pals for the holidays in the first promo for this weekend's snl. the legendary performer returns to host snl with musicaluest hosier. i will be shocked if steve martin doesn't show up.

>> they're so funny together. most importantly. i think their banter is iconic. we're manifesting it now. now to the movie that wastes no time welcoming our new robot overlord. >> stop fighting, because the war was wrong. >> you want to go get your brother back? i'll go with you. >> chris pratt, millie bobby brown and bots of every size and shape take on the latest trailer. the adaptation comes from the rousseau brothers, and it hits netflix on march 14th. i'm sure it is going to have tons of action. visually, it looks really cool. thank goodness, they spent $320 million on it. >> a huge price tag.

i'd love to see it on the big screen in theaters, but it's going straight to netflix for all of us to take in. >> easier for all of us to see. coming up, murder hornets buzz off once and for all. fluee hangover in the morning. ha ha. haha! then he switched to mucinex nightshift. mucinex is uniquely formulated to leave your system faster, so you wake up ready to go. uhh, hank! try mucinex nightshift and feel the difference. herbal essences is a force of nature. made with supercharged botanical blends, our sulfate-free formulas deeply penetrate to boost hair health. without the salon naturals price tag. herbal essences. (vo) struggling with moderate to severe crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis? without the salon naturals price tag. talk to your doctor about #1 prescribed entyvio, offering two maintenance options, including the entyvio pen. infusion and serious allergic reactions can happen during or after treatment. entyvio may increase risk of infection, which can be serious. pml, a rare, potentially fatal brain infection

cannot be ruled out. tell your doctor if you have an infection, flu-like symptoms, sores, or are prone to infections. liver problems can occur. entyvio. relief. remission. for real. ♪entyvio, entyvio, entyvio♪ have you tried these new febreze car vent clips? the new intensity dial gives you total control. i can turn it up... that smells good! or turn it down... hmm. nice and light. enjoy 40 days of freshness, your way. ♪ lalalalala ♪ home is a warm and fuzzy feeling. experience the comfort of home wherever you go with the familiar, long-lasting freshness and cuddly softness of snuggle. snuggle. the comfort of home. did you know, sweat from stress is actually smellier than other kinds of sweat? that's why i use secret clinical antiperspirant. it works on sweat from: stress, heat and activity. it provides 3x stress sweat protection. secret works. [♪♪] molly leaving was one thing. but then i thought mom's osteoporosis

might keep us stuck on the couch. no way. ♪♪ if you have postmenopausal osteoporosis, and are at high risk for fracture, you can do more than just slow bone loss. you can build new bone in 12 months with evenity®. evenity® is proven to significantly reduce spine fracture risk. she said the evenity® she's taking builds new bone. builds new bone! evenity® can increase risk of heart attack, stroke, or death from a heart problem. tell your doctor if you have had a heart attack or stroke. do not take evenity® if you have low blood calcium or are allergic to it, as serious events have occurred with evenity®. signs include rash, hives, swelling of the face or throat, which may cause difficulty in swallowing or breathing, muscle spasms or cramps, numbness, or tingling. tell your doctor about severe jaw bone problems, as they have been reported with evenity®. report hip, groin, or thigh pain. unusual thigh bone fractures have occurred with evenity®. building bone? we dig it. want stronger bones? ask your doctor about evenity ® .

here's what's making headlines this morning. the justice epartment is suing cvs, accusing the company of filling unlawful prescriptions, including for excessive quantities of opioids, and that they billed federal health programs for these prescriptions of the company has cooperated with the investigation and strongly disagrees with the allegations. if found liable, they could face civil penalties for each unlawful prescription filled. an officer got quite the surprise after switching his plan. his bill ran over $6200, slightly more than the usually

260 bucks. after days of calls and visits, at&t finally fixed it when he contacted their president's office. they reduced his bill to zero and gave him a $250 credit. iowa will honor caitlin clark by retiring her number 22 jersey on february 2nd during a game against usc. she holds the record for the most points in college basketball history. she led iowa to championships and was the first pick in the 2024 wnba draft. and the oldest stone tablet of theen commandments sold for $5 million in the u.s. it was found in israel and dates back to 500 to 800 a.d. complet. like when it becomes her favorite place to cuddle. downy is more than just a fabric softener. it breathes life into your laundry.

—sounds like you need to vaporize that cold. dayquil vapocool? it's dayquil plus a rush of vicks vapors. ♪vapocooooool♪ woah. dayquil vapocool. the vaporizing daytime, coughing, aching, stuffy head, power through your day, medicine.

according to u.s. officials, the so-called murder hornets have been eradicated five years after the invasive species was first identified in washington state. the hornets could have posed a significant threat to honey bees and other pollinators, noting it has the capability to kill an entire honey beehive in 90 minutes. santa claus is coming to town, but for some neighborhoods, he's already there in a big way. emilie ikeda has the story. >> reporter: the holiday spirit is in the air. >> it's going. >> reporter: this season, larger than life. way larger than life. house after house after house. in atwood, illinois, about 50 giant inflatable santas moving in. >> look at all of his santa friends. >> reporter: after teacher

samantha binion got her whole neighborhood on board. >> i actually just sent a message out to all my neighbors probably three weeks ago. now it's just grown, and there are now so many santas in town. >> reporter: cheesy, maybe? cheerful, absolutely. are you surprised to the degree your neighbors have embraced this idea? >> i'm surprised. every day a new santa pops up in town. it brings me so much joy that everyone decided to participate and thought it would be fun to bring joy to our community. >> reporter: binion was inspired by videos of total santa takeovers in canada. the holiday trend now ballooning across the u.s. from illinois to new jersey and even out west. >> i love it. it is the happiest thing we've done. >> reporter: perhaps the real magic of st. nick is what he and all 12 feet of him stand for. >> santa just brings a little fun. imagination to christmas.

>> reporter: people of all ages. >> yes. >> reporter: emilie ikeda, nbc news, santa claus lane. >> that is so much fun. hope they keep it up and add even more santas and more neighborhoods. can you imagine next year? it's going to be so fun. the clock is still ticking down to mark the end of the year, but 2025 has arrived in times square. the numerals arrived in manhattan yesterday. we're getting ready. coming up, the tips on holiday tipping. who you should consider tipping along with how much and what's appropriate. and, here's al roker with what else is ahead. >> this morning on the third hour of "today", our holiday gift guide for foodies. plus a delicious behind the brand. we're going to meet the family serving up dumplings at a hot new york spot. and looking back at the top entertainment stories of 2024. all that and more coming up this ."rning on the third hour of "tayod