the man accused in a ceo's killing appears in a new york courtroom pleading not guilty to

murder and terrorism charges. what his attorney is calling an utterly political perp walk. and matt gaetz may have violated laws on illicit drug use. our continuing coverage of the shadowy world of the body parts trade. how one man didn't find out his brher was even dead until reporting by nbc news. just ahead of christmas, all aboard the travel nightmare as delays on the roads and rails in parts of the country are getting ready for yet another round of snow and rain. meteorologist michelle grossman is tracking it all. santa pays a visit to some very tiny newborns. it's christmas eve. "early today" starts right now. good morning. it's great to have you with us. i'm jessica layton. we begin this tuesday morning

with accused killer luigi mangione pleading not guilty to state murder and terror charges in a manhattan courtroom. mangione is accused of murdering brian thompson. stephanie gosk has the latest. >> reporter: luigi mangione entered new york state court for the first time. >> guilty or not guilty? >> not guilty. >> reporter: the 26-year-old faces 11 charges in the killing of unitedhealthcare ceo brian thompson, including first degree murder in the furtherance of terrorism. mangione already pleaded not guilty to four federal criminal charges. outside, dozens of protesters voiced anger with the health insurance industry. >> the healthcare system is corrupt. we need to fix it. >> reporter: while in court, mangione's attorney took issue with an utterly political perp walk last week. >> they are literally treating him like some sort of political

fodder. >> reporter: attorney karen agnifilo taking aim at eric adams over these comments. >> i want to look him in the eye and state that you carried out this terrorist act in my city. >> reporter: accusing the mayor of possibly tainting the jury pool. >> those are the people that elected him that he is talking to and calling this man a terrorist. >> reporter: a spokesperson for the mayor says adams' priority is public safety and the goal was no send a message that violence and vitriol have no place in the city. >> terrorism charges themselves are unique. and then given the circumstances of this case, it's very unique. >> reporter: and potentially more of a challenge. >> not only does the prosecutor have to prove that this was an intentional crime, but they also have to show that there was an intent to cause terror. >> reporter: stephanie gosk, nbc news, new york. federaofficials say the man charged with setting a woman on fire on a new york subway was

in the u.s. illegally and had been previously deported. sebastian zepeda was detained after the alleged attack that left a woman dead, according to i.c.e. officials say he was living in brooklyn after previously entering the country through arizona back in 2018. he was sent back to guatemala six days later. we do not know when or how he re-entered the u.s. he has been charged with murder and arson. let's turn now to the bombshell report released on capitol hill. the house ethics committee releasing the findings from theiyears-long investigation into former congressman matt gaetz. the committee says gaetz may have violated several florida laws, involving paying for sex and illicit drug use. chris pollone joins us live from d.c. if this is true, some of it is frankly just gross. what evidence does the committee have? >> reporter: yeah, jessica, good morning. the committee has dozens of

pages of chat logs and financial transactions. the report details payments made to 12 different women, totaling more than $90,000. that that investigators believe was used to pay for sex and illicit drugs. prostitution is illegal in the state of florida. a woman in the report called victim a testified she had just finished her junior year of high school when she had sex with gaetz at a party. she said she was under the influence of drugs and that she did not tell gaetz she was 17. the committee so notes there's no evidence gaetz knew the wan was underage. several women testified that their encounters were consensual, but one said drugs may have impaired her ability to fully consent. gaetz withdrew his bid for attorney general after details were reported, even though gaetz had resigned from congress. a majority of the committee felt it was in the public interest to

release the report. he has repeatedly denied breaking any laws, saying his past is embarrassing but not criminal. he also points to an investigation by the department of justice that prosecutors decided to close without charges. nbc news h has repeatedly asked the doj for a reason why, but we have not gotten a response. the decision not to charge is not the same, however, as an exoneration. the house ethics committee believes there could be enough evidence that he violated state laws. one of president biden's final acts in office will be sparing the lives of dozens of inmates on death row, commuting the sentences of 37 men on death row. president biden said he condemns the murderers, and he grieves for their victims, but that he cannot stand back and let the executions resume.

a spokesperson for president-elect donald trump called this decision a slap in the face to the victims and their families. three men do remain on federal death row, including the boston marathon bomber, the killer of nine people at the mother emmanuel ame church and the mass shooter at the tree of life spin going. former president bill clinton is in the hospital with a fever. he was admitted to medstar georgetown university hospital for testing and observation but is in good spirits and grateful for the care that he is getting. a source close to the 42nd president said the situation is, quote, not urgent and that clinton is awake and alert. let's turn now to that last-minute sprint to reach your holiday destinations. a record number of people have been hitting the roads and boarding flights while train delays continue to cause a lot of pain for passengers. here's sam brock with more. >> reporter: on christmas eve.

>> nervous for sure. quite nervous. >> reporter: a two-day slow down of amtrak trains up and down the east coast is still grinding on. >> a day's delay can mean that we don't end up home for christmas. >> reporter: and it's not just delays. some trains to d.c. and boston canceled. lucy smith was at 90 minutes and counting. >> delays happen. there's nothing you can do. it's sort of out of our hands. >> reporter: while on the roadways. >> we're moving pretty slowly. hopefully it picks up. >> reporter: a record number of drivers, like richard otto, are taking their best shot behind the while with lower gas prices. >> if you're still traveling home, have a safe trip. >> reporter: and for those taking to the skies, wintry weather contributing to backlog. delays approaching 28,000. though conditions and flights were smoother.

we got first-hand look at how they sort 100,000 bags a day at dfw. about a third of bags touch dfw on a given day, which explains why there are literally thousands of people on the front lines making sure your bags get where they need to go. it's an industryide effort to keep plans and luggage on track. united airlines now allowing air tag information to be shared. >> we get real time information on the bag like you're seeing. once the bag is reunited with the customer the link goes away. so it's shared privately and securely. >> reporter: the sometimes bumpy process of getting home providing huge dividends for those enjoying the presence of each other. >> will the travel trouble continue this christmas eve? meteorologist michelle grossman is here with a look at the forecast. good morning. >> good morning, jess.

we do have problems this morning. we're going to see slippery condition throughout new england and the northeast. we have a quick-moving system bringing snow and ice in spots. toward the west, rain falling, mountain snow as well. that's going to continue over the next several days. radar showing us that we have heavy rain throughout the south central states. that's going to be the theme throughout the day. we have the chance for showers and thunderstorms throughout the south central states. heavy rain and mountain snow from washington to california. that slick morning travel throughout new england, also the northeast. could see icy spots in the northeast. do be careful this morning. possible delays in l.a., boston, new york city. that's going to slow us down. the roadways could be tricky, to in o, icy conditions.

and then down south a little bit warmer. we're looking at temperatures in the 50s and 70s and the chance for showers and storms. all right, that's your christmas eve forecast. >> okay, michelle, thank you. coming up on "early today." the man who became famous from the serial podcast is asking for a new sentence. but first, how one man discovered his brother was dead after nbc's reporting on the shadowy world of the body trade. coming up in 60 seconds. eans ber with one simple touch. oral-b's dentist inspired round brush head hugs em, cleans em, and gets in between em, for 100% cleaner teeth. your perfect clean starts with oral-b. for more than a decade farxiga has been trusted again and again, and again. ♪far-xi-ga♪ ♪faxi-ga♪ ask your doctor about farxiga.

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>> we're home, settled in. and we turn the news on. >> reporter: for tim leggett, it was the most unexpected way to find out his brother dale had died. >> we like to get home in time to see lester, and the story comes on about dealing with the dead. >> reporter: on nightly news that night, our investigation into a local medical school, the university of north texas health science center and how it made millions in part by taking in unclaimed bodies from dallas and tarrant counties and leasing out those bodies for research. as their own families search for them. >> it has been a little while since i've seen dale. and i know he lives by himself. i know he's very much a loner. >> reporter: he went to the website. and there was his brother's name. denzel dale leggett. >> i had a moment of crying and tears, because that's how i found out about my brother's death.

>> right. >> reporter: eventually, tim learned that his brother died of respiratory failure here in ft. worth, about 30 minutes from tim's home. he says it's still unclear what efforts if anywhere taken to reach him or his relatives before his body was deemed unclaimed. >> reporter: tim is among at least 11 families who have learned the grisly details of what happened to their relative from nbc news and six who found their missing relatives' name on the list we published of unclaimed bodies, including the mother of a murder victim who was killed in a road rage shooting outside dallas. despite documents showing authorities in texas had her family's phone number in venezuela, there's no evidence they attempted to call before her body went to the center for medical training. her body parts assigned prices, $900 for her torso, $703 for her

legs. her mother saying she still can't accept it. for tim, after he reached out to the center seeking answers, officials sent him a letter saying his brother's body was used to train anesthesiologists, admitting it was sent to a for-profit medical education facility if kentucky. how does it make you feel to know that somebody was making money off your brother's body parts? >> that's the highest level of being disgusted that i could possibly be. >> reporter: he also received a box containing what he was told were his brother's remains. do you believe that those are indeed your brother's ashes? >> i'm not positive. but emotionally, psychologically, i'm going to pretend they really are. because there's somebody in that box. and whoever's in that box needs to be, in my mind, set free. so i, i set them free. >> reporter: the center suspended its body donation program and fired the officials who ran it. the center declined to comment on dale's case but said in a recent statement in part, it

will take necessary actions to address any additional failures and that it continues to extend deepest apologies to the families impacted. >> my brother never hurt anybody. he was a unique personality. but he never hurt anybody. >> reporter: and he never would have wanted -- >> and he never would have wanted what happened to his body happen to his body. >> reporter: liz kreutz, nbc news, justin, texas. still to come, the wish for a win that won't come true. the saints can't even catch a break at christmas. green bay plays ghost of christmas present and tches a rare shutout. the thousands of real people who go undiagnosed. people whose psoriasis can n look verdifferent depending on their skin tone. as the makers of tremfya®, we understand that everybody's moderate to severe

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people miss. and now touchdown jacobs. >> what's worse than finding coal under the tree on christmas morning? how about being the first team in the nfl to get shut out this season or one of their fans? jordan love and the packers were near perfect on monday night football, dropping four touchdowns on a saints squad that has been plagued by injury. green bay gets a gift of this own in the 34-point drubbing, their fifth trip to the playoffs in six seasons. adnan syed whose case was made famous in the podcast serial is requesting a sentence reduction. after serving nearly 24 years in prison, he had his conviction overturned in 2022. the maryland supreme court then reinstated the ruling last year. syed's legal team said the request was filed under a maryland law that allows people imprisoned for at least 20 years when they were minors to ask for reductions. they are still trying to

overturn that conviction. now to an airport carry on, that, to say the least, did not adhere to federal regulations. the tsa stopped a traveler at l.a.x. on december 15th, who was preparing to fly to philadelphia with a surprising number of prohibited items, according to the tsa. the bag had more than 80 consumer-grade fireworks in it, plus three knives and a can of pepper spray. not clear whether this person was arrested or barred from boarding the flight. when we come back on "early today," a honda-nissan merger could be in the works. and if you love chicken tenders and you love sauce, kfc's new venture could be for you. veterans and their families with life-changing programs and services. i reized i could be successful in a civilian career. we stand by warriors and advocate for their needs going forward. they were by my side in the hospital, and they're still with me today. through our programs, community and advocacy,

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a tradition that goes back nearly 30 years. here's travis cummings. >> there you go. >> reporter: it's probably one of the best gifts you can ever receive. >> she'll be two months on christmas day. >> reporter: kelly's newborn gracie is one of many lives being unwrapped at mercy. >> we struggled with infertility. after eight years we were able to finally get our christmas miracle this year. >> congratulations. >> reporter: the nicu is always one of old st. nick's stops. >> getting pictures with these beautiful children, these wonderful children spending their first christmas in the hospital. it brings me great joy. and it brings joy to the gift of life. the gift of life is a beautiful thing. >> reporter: father christmas has been lighting up the lives of families and the hospital staff who serve them during birth for decades. >> you've been here for, like, 30 years? and it's every year. everyone's, like, i want to work on the santa day.

just to have him create memories for these families that are going through this, not ideal time, it means the world to us. >> reporter: through his visits, he's left a legacy of love. >> there was a mom that we took a picture of her little baby. she had another baby here eight years ago. took a picture with santa. she's eight years old now. >> reporter: these bundles of joy, the best gifts everyone here could ever wish for. >> we're not able to celebrate christmas at home. so it's very special to have santa here and get some normalcy while in the hospital. >> our thanks to travis cummings for that story. just in time for the holidays, the winner of the $1.1 billion mega millions jackpot has come forward months after buying the ticket in new jersey. the winner, who is staying anonymous chose a cash payment of $537 million before taxes. the jackpot was the fifth

highest in nearly 30 years of mega millions. coming up on "today". keir simmons is in paris where the notre dame cathedral just reopened. he brings us the heartwarming festivities. and now here's al roker. >> this morning, dylan's going to conquer her fear of heights at trapeze school. and dennis quaid getting personal about his life and career. and walker hayes performing his fun christmas hit. all that and more coming up this morning on the third hour of "today". >> and we thank you for watching "early today." i'm jessica layton. have a great christmas eve. we'll see you tomorrow. "

i'm tom llamas in new york. stay right there, there's more news on the way. news on the way. the house ethics committee releasing