breaking overnight. the u.s. treasury targeted by hackers. the department saying a chinese threat actor was able to tap into employee computers. what information may have been compromised. a final farewell to the nation's 39th president. we're live with plans for the state funeral of jimmy carter,

as tributes continue to pour in for the beloved leader. breaking overnight, a pentagon appeals panel puts plea deals back on the table for the accused mastermind of the september 11th attacks. and two others. what it could mean for their case years in the making. ensuring the 2024 has a safe sendoff. the major security measures in place for tonight's new year's eve bash in times square. and it's the jeans gambit. why denim is dividing the chess world after the world's number one player stormed out of the tournament. it's the last day of the year. "early today" starts right now. . glad you're with me. good morning. i'm frances rivera. the united states treasury is investigating what they are calling a major cyber security incident. in a letter seen by nbc news, members of the senate were alerted that chinese hackers accessed workstations and unclassified documents after compromising a third party

service provider called beyond trust. the agency says it is working with the fbi and other investigators to determine the overall impact. the letter did not say what sort of documents the hackers may have obtained, but, in a statement to nbc news, the treasury spokesperson says the beyond trust service has been taken offline. and there is no evidence the threat actor still has access to information. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ we are learning new details this morning about how the nation will pause to remember jimmy carter. a memorial outside the carter center in georgia is already growing, as americans pay their respects to our 39th president, who died after a long life of service at the age of 100 years old. nbc's chris pollone joins me now. good morning, chris. it is fitting that the memorial service will begin and end in georgia. >> reporter: yeah, that's right, frances. good morning to you.

president jimmy carter of course spent nearly his entire life in plains, georgia. and so there will be a procession on saturday through plains, and then on to the carter center in atlanta, where mourners have been gathering. >> he was a, just a great humanitarian. president. he was just, he was out there for the people. and, you know, we don't find that so much anymore, which is so much frustration in our society now. >> what he did in his last couple decades, last four decades or so is remarkable. >> his whole life was a life of service. so unusual. you know, especially among politicians. >> reporter: so here's what we know about the funeral plans. on saturday, there will be the procession through plains and atlanta. then the former president will lie in repose at the carter center. on january 7, president carter had make his final trip here to washington, d.c. where he will lie in state at the capitol. a state funeral will be held on

thursday, january 9 with president biden delivering the eulogy. later that day, president carter will have a private burial in plains, georgia, next to his wife of 77 years. the family is inviting those who want to pay their respects to line the streets of the motorcade routes in d.c. they have also set up a condolence book that people can sign if they can't get to one of the commemorations. >> thank you. president-elect donald trump is putting his full support behind the house speaker, speaker mike johnson faces a formal vote on friday to determine whether he will hold onto the gavel. mr. trump wrote on social media that johnson has his complete and total endorsement. johnson has faced some criticism within his own party lately. he can only afford a few defections on friday, because republicans hold a slim majority in the house. investigators have recovered black boxes from the horrific jeju airplane crash in south korea that killed 179 people

sunday. the plane skidded on the runway and slammed into a wall, bursting into flames. our steve patterson is in south korea with the latest. >> reporter: investigators digging through the remnants of that crashed jeju air jet, now recovering both black boxes. that boeing 737-800 skidding down the runway, slamming into a wall, bursting into flames. 175 passengers and four crew members dead. miraculously, two crew members survived, including a 33-year-old flight attendant who reportedly asked doctors what happened and why am i here. the flight was traveling from bangkok, thailand to muan when south korean authorities say the pilots were warned of a potential bird strike. but aviation experts are questioning why the aircraft's flaps were likely never deployed to slow down the plane or the landing gear itself. >> bird strikes don't bring down airplanes like this. nor do they prevent landing gear

from extending. >> reporter: this, while officials confirm monday a second jeju air flight where the pilot reported a landing gear problem and it was forced to push back. this is right inside the departures terminal. people are sleeping. you can see these makeshift shelters set up all over here. people do not want to leave their family members. this is part of this agonizing identification process that could take the next few days, weeks, even months. >> reporter: this man's aunt and uncle are among the dead. telling us he thinks the government should be focussed on quickly working to identify his family. an act of grief marred by an exercise in frustration. both black boxes now recovered. those are treasure troves of information, the flight data, voice recordings, that will be parsed through, sorted through. but that will take some time, at least the next couple of weeks until even the next few months or so. meanwhile, investigators on scene here say they are making

progress with the primary mission, identifying the dead for these families. they now say they've identified about 164 out of 179. and that is all since sunday. back to you. >> steve, thank you. new this morning, a pentagon appeals court has upheld plea deals related to the september 11th attacks. the accused mastermind of the terror attacks, khalid sheikh mohamed and two others are expected to enter pleas next week at guantanamo bay, this would take the death penalty off the table and give them life sentences. lloyd austin had attempted to cancel the appeals. the son of north dakota senator kevin cramer was sentenced to 28 years in prison yesterday in connection with the deaths of a sheriff's deputy during a chase last year. ian kramer previously pleaded guilty to nine charges, including homicide, while

fleeing a police officer, tied to a pursuit that ended in a crash that killed a 53-year-old deputy. senator kramer has previously said his 43-year-old son struggles with mental illness. a spokesperson for the senator did not respond to nbc's requests for comment. the countdown is on to the countdown. times square is teeming with excitement as work crews and police prepare for hundreds of thousands of people who will converge tonight at the crossroads to ring in 2025. from our new york ation, marc santia has more. >> two, one. happy new year! >> reporter: with a flip of the switch, the world famous crystal ball made a dry run before its big moment. >> really cool. this is my first time being here. >> probably a once in a lifetime thing, right? there's millions of people, but still not a lot of people who can say i was on the street in times square.

>> it is super exciting. we always come to new york but never for the ball drop. >> reporter: the cobb family maid the trip from washington, d.c. >> hopefully we can get close to the stage and see some of the performances. >> tourism is one of the most important aspects of our economy. >> reporter: the mayor stressing the importance for the city in a year when tourism is booming. >> we hit record numbers of tourism this year. second-highest number of tourists in new york city's history. 65 million visitors to this city. >> reporter: and the nypd says they have a security plan in place to keep everyone safe. >> the public can expect to see a tremendous amount of police resources deployed throughout the area and across the city. >> and our thanks to marc santia for that report. another blow for hurricane-battered north carolina. a massive rainstorm battered avery county. the region has been struggling to rebuild after hurricane

helene devastated infrastructure in september. more than 3 inches of rain swept away foot bridges that volunteers built to provide emergency access to residents after helelene. officials say this means first responders are currently unable to reach more than 20 residents. it will be a snowy end of the year for parts of the country. nbc meteorologist angie lassman is here with your new year's over forecast. good morning, angie. >> good morning, frances, rounding out this last day of the year with a little bit of rain and snow that you mentioned for a couple parts of country, specifically across the ohio valley and working into the northeast. the rest of the country looks great. dry skies out west in parts of the southeast, and even right now most of the east remains dry. that system will be on the move as the day goes on. rain and snow possible from the ohio valley to the northeast. this means air travel, places like chicago, cincinnati, pittsburgh, buffalo, all could be impacted. we could potentially see delays in those locations. as we get into the evening hours, the rain works closer to the east. we'll see a couple isolated

thunderstorms closer to the coast. and starting off 2025 with lingering snowshowers across parts of the interior new england as well as near the great lakes. big picture look for new year's eve, most of the heavy rain will be ending, but we'll see a couple lingering showers there. temperatures will remain mild with a temperature right around ball drop of 51 degrees. so not bad when it comes to the high of just 37 degrees. 37 with mostly sunny skies in kansas city today. and that's a look at your forecast, frances. back to you. thank you. up next, the new charges in the death of one direction star liam payne, and the fbi's warning after a rash of break-ins targeting superstar athletes. in targeting superstar athletes.

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five people have been charged in liam payne's death after argentinian prosecutors said the one direction singer was incapacitated, by, quote, a consumption of various substances and could not maintain h his balance in a hot lobby before needlessly falling to his death. now four employees at the hotel and a friend of payne's face criminal charges in connection to the fatal fall at that hotel in buenos aires. the hotel manager, head of reception and payne's companion are accused of negligent homicide, while two more hotel employees are accused of selling the singer cocaine. it's happened again. yet another break-in at the home of a pro athlete since the 6th of october. our sam brock has the latest, plus a new warning from the fbi. >> reporter: a bevy of break-ins targeting sports stars has fanned out with dallas

mavericks' luka doncic the latest to fall prey, while his team played in phoenix friday. this video showing boarded-up windows at the maverick guard peace home. and pd responded to a burglary call on a block lining up with the star's address. according to an internal police report, thieves snatched some $30,000 worth of jewelry. it comes only weeks after some of the bgest names in sports, from cincinnati bengals quarterback joe burrow. to patrick mahomes and travis kelce, they've seen this homes robbed. >> when somebody posts your house online, that everybody now has your address. >> reporter: the morning news even reporting the fiance of cowboys' quarterback dak prescott had thousands of dollars of items stolen from her car on the day after christmas. but police have not confirmed that to nbc news. the fbi sending a memo to sports leagues, cautioning them about what appears to be a pattern,

likely driven by south american theft groups and involving significant surveillance. >> pro athletes are being targeted, because they have money. and you can easily tell from social media if they have things that you could easily steal, like watches or jewelry. and everybody knows their line of work. just a week after giving us the first shutout of the season, monday night football closed out 2024 with a bang. >> gauff, here's a little ladder onto williams, and he's down the sideline. and gone for a touchdown. >> in a rematch of last season's nfc championship game, the lions and niners combined for ten touchdowns and zero punts. that's the first time it's happened since 1937. but that undermanned san fran squad was no match for the lions' defensive machine. they got revenge and scored every time they got the ball in

the 40-34 epic. they'll face the vikings to determine the top seed in the nfc right hire next sunday. still to come, find out which former hero is returning to the dc unerse. and buddy the elf, what's your favorite cocktail? will ferrell hits the town as the iconic character. the town a the iconic character. ♪ rinse it out ♪ ♪ every now and then ♪ ♪ i get a little bit tired of the stinks ♪ ♪ that just will never come out ♪ ♪ pour downy in the rinse, jade ♪ ♪ every now and then i rinse it out! ♪ fights odor in just one wash.

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you know that buddy the elf is a huge kings fan, but we've never, ever seen him like this. i stopped by just to check in on him. he's smoking a cigarette rink side, got a 5:00 shadow. he said it was a tough holiday season. >> a side of buddy the elf we've ever seen came out of the l.a. kings game. he was sitting rink side as the kings took on the flyers, clad in his costume from the holiday classic but looking like he had

one too many glasses of eggnog. they won 5-4. i think he's starting a thing right there. he should come back for all of his iconic roles, like ron burgundy, all of his snl roles, night at the roxbury and the cheerleader character. >> i just love how his, i believe that's his wife and son that he's sitting in between, and they are just so unfazed. i think that's what happens when you share a household with will ferrell. you're used to his antics. a familiar face is returning to the dc universe as a dry-type hero. jason momoa has been cast in the upcoming super girl movie. super girl is scheduled for release in 2026. good cast there. jason momoa always delivers, especially when it comes to dc.

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here's what's making headlines this morning. victims of bernie madoff's ponzi scheme are getting their final payment. in total, $4.3 billion were returned to 40,000 victims, covering about 94% of losses. madoff was sentenced to 150 years in prison. he died in 2021. the quality of medals won by the athletes at the paris olympics is being called into question. a french swimmer became the latest olympian to draw attention to the issue. he posted a picture of his bronze medal on x, jokingly asking whether it was from 2024 or 1924. generation beta starts tomorrow and will include kids

born until 2039. these kids will grow up using technology and a.i. even more than kids today. they'll face big challenges like climate change and will likely use smart devices to help solve problems. preparations are in full swing in pasadena, california for the rose parade on new year's day. they'll be lined up for the five-mile parade. ined up for th five-mile parade. ♪♪ these sulfate-free formulas deeply penetrate and replenish nutrients. ♪♪ to boost hair health in just one wash. ♪♪ all without the salon naturals price tag. ♪♪ ♪♪ it's supercharged herbal essences. ♪♪ can neuriva support your brain health? mary. janet. hey! eddie. no! fraser. frank. frank. fred. how are you? support up to seven brain health indicators, including memory. when you need to remember, remember neuriva.

my life is full of questions... how do i clean an aioli stain? use tide. do i need to pretreat guacamole? not with tide. why do we even buy napkins? thankfully, tide's the answer to almost all of them. —do crabs have eyebrows? —except that one. for all of life's laundry questions... it's got to be tide. a stalemate broken in a chess controversy this morning. the top-ranked layer in the world briefly walking out of a championship tournament after he was asked to change out of his jeans. the incident sparking conversations about traditions. dana griffin explains.

>> reporter: chess grandmaster, magnus carlsen returning to the arena with a power move that has nothing to do with pawns or queens. >> magnus is showing up fashionably late, probably some national jeans as well. >> reporter: the best chess player in the world rejoining the championship in jeans, historically, a dress code violation. that fashion choice comes after a dispute over denim on friday when carlsen abruptly quit the championship in new york after organizers asked him to change his pants. >> i think this situation was badly mishandled. >> reporter: the federation saying the dress code, which explicitly prohibits denim, is designed to ensure professionalism and fairness for all participants. >> i didn't agree with it. i didn't want to comply. and i stand by that. >> reporter: with the federation now loosening its regulations in the wake of their top dog's rebellion, saying elegant minor deviations are now allowed. >> if you love him, then you

think he's a god send and the g.o.a.t. of chess, and he should be able to do whatever he wants. if you don't, you think maybe he's a bad boy and just a spoiled brat. >> reporter: this isn't the first time carlsen has made headlines. in 2022,' accused his rival, hans neiman of cheating, after his opponent's opening move. >> what? >> reporter: neiman admitting to cheating earlier in life but denied carlsen's specific allegations. >> i was 16 years old. >> reporter: neiman hit carlsen and others with a lawsuit which alleged slander and libel. the tradition of sophistication inhe chess world. >> the series now moves to leningrad. >> reporter: made more formal in the age of corporate sponsorships. popularized in the queen's

gambit. carlsen looking to relax strict dress code guidelines. >> i know not every player has the same means for clothes and so on, but i think if, i think it's good that they're making at least some sort of, some sort of effort. >> reporter: a checkmate for players wanting focus on the game, not their clothes. dana griffin, nbc news. maybe if he wears a canadian tuxedo, it will be okay. thanks so much for ending the year with "early today." i'm

breaking overnight. the u.s. treasury targeted by hackers. the department saying a chinese threat actor was able to tap into employee computers. what information may have been compromised? honoring the nation's 39th president. the new plans for the state funeral of jimmy carter,