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, as

tributes continue to pour in for former president. a new wave of charges in connection to the death of one direction star liam yne. the five people facing legal trouble, including a friend of the pop star. the tools of the trade. why more members of gen z are turning to wrenches and blowtorches. buddy the elf steals the show with a grumpy new look at an l.a. kings game. it's the last day of 2024. "early today" starts right now. 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, a treasury spokesperson says the beyond trust service has been taken offline and that there is no evidence the threat actor still has access to information. ♪ ♪ we are learning new details about how the nation will honor former president jimmy carter. memorials are already starting to grow in his home state of georgia where funeral proceedings will begin before the 39th president makes one final trip to washington, d.c. to lie in state. kelly o'donnell has more. >> reporter: his century of life will be honored by days of events into the new year. to remember a modest man who defied expectations. >> my name is jimmy carter, and i'm running for president. >> reporter: tributes beginning

in his beloved hometown of plains, georgia. on saturday, his final journey back to his boyhood home. then on to the carter center in atlanta, where he will lie in repose, open to mourners to pay their respects. >> compassion, kindness, decency. >> jimmy carter was just a great humanitarian. >> reporter: signs of respect from washington, d.c. to the united kingdom and united nations. january 7 the late president will return to the capitol rotunda to lie in state until the national funeral january 9th. >> jimmy carter stands as a model of what it means to live a life of meaning and purpose. >> reporter: at the 2013 obama inaugural, he recalled his own. did a moment like this evoke memories of your own time? >> it did. the difference was it was 6 degrees, and the wind was blowing when i was inaugurated.

but it seemed warmer that day than it did today. >> reporter: from that rural boyhood to a career as naval officer. later running the family peanut business, led to local office and a long-shot run for the white house as the outsider who loved god and southern rock 'n roll. when the country was weary after watergate and the vietnam war. >> had it not been for america's dissatisfaction with washington and things that happened here, i would not have been elected. >> reporter: carter strided into the presidency in 1977. rosalynn always by his side. together, promising change. >> we want to be proud again. we just want the truth again. it's time for the people to run the government and not the other way around! >> reporter: his presidency both consequential and complicated. crises from inflation to americans held hostage in iran. defeat denied him a second term. >> so i can't stand here and say it doesn't hurt. >> reporter: but out of that

disappointment, an unparalleled chapter of service, using his influence and his bare hands. around the world, his work to defend democracy and helped eradicate disease, leading to a nobel prize for peace. >> we can choose to alleviate suffering. we can choose to work together for peace. we can make these changes. and we must. >> reporter: the carter family is inviting those who want to pay their respects to line the streets of the motorcade route or attend visitation in atlanta and at the u.s. capitol. there is also a public condolence book that can be found online. president carter's final resting place will be back in plains, buried next to rosalynn, his wife of 77 years. >> here in new york, a legal defeat for president-elect trump. a federal appeals court is

upholding a $5 million jury verdict against mr. trump for the case in which jury found him liable for sexual abuse and defamation against the writer e. jean carroll. mr. trump denies the immigrations. he called it a hoax and planned to appeal the latest decision. investigators have recovered black boxes from the tragic jeju crash in south korea that killed 179 people. two crew members survived. one, a 33-year-old flight attendant who reportedly asked doctors what hpened, and where am i? the flight was traveling from bangkok, thailand to muan when they warned of a bird strike. but experts are questioning why the airplane'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. >> this, as officials confirm monday a second jeju air flight landed safely after turning back for a reported landing gear problem. five people have been charged in liam payne's death after argentinean prosecutors said the one direction singer was incapacitated, quote, by consumption of various substances and couldn't maintain his balance in a hotel lobby before needlessly falling to his death. now four hotel employees and a friend of payne face charges. officials say the hotel's 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. the countdown is on to the countdown. times square is teeming with excitement as police and crews prepare for hundreds of thousands of people who will converge tonight at a crossroads

to ring in 2025. c santia has more. >> two, one, happy new year! >> reporter: with the flip of the switch, the world famous crystal ball made a dry run. >> this is my first me being here. >> probably a once in a lifetime thing, right? there are not a lot of people who say i was on the street when the ball dropped. >> we always come to n york during winter vacation, but we've never stayed for the ball drop. this is the first. >> reporter: the cobb family made the trip up from washington, d.c. >> the crowd, the energy. 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 financial importance of new year's eve for the city in a year when tourism is booming. >> we hit record numbers of tourism this year, second highist highest number of tourists in

new york city's history. 65 million visitors to the 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. a family in texas is devastated after a tornado destroyed their home saturday killing 48-year-old jamie brown. brown's wife said she and her mother took cover in a small house on this property, but her wife had gone to the main house to grab some food when the tornado struck. she described the moments when it hit. >> been on a rollercoaster with no seat belts. it just throws you up. you go down with it, you fly, you flop, and everything you can do. >> the national weather service confirmed that an ef-2 tornado tore through more than eight miles of the area, damaging ten

homes and injuring several others. some parts of the country will ring in the new year with snow. snow along with confetti for some people. >> and a little bit of rain for folks that may be spending new year's eve in times square tonight. here's what we've got going on. a little wintry mix. rain working into the midwest and ohio valley. this is the kind of spot we're going to see trouble for travel or any afternoon plans here as we get through the day today. the rest of the country looks pretty g good. it's really just going to be the air travel along the ohio valley and parts of the northeast that i would watch for specifically, chicago. it will leave us with the potential for rain across that region. that unfortunately comes in time for the ball drop. i think the rain will start to, at least the heaviest will start to wrap up around midnight. temperatures remain mild. we'll still be in the low 50s as we hit midnight and beyond.

and we'll see temperatures remain mild over the next couple daysys. 50s for the northeast, 70s for the southeast. even tomorrow, low 50s for the first day and des moines. 37 with rain in chicago. mostly sunny skies n denver with a high of 36 degrees. >> thanks, angie. just a week after giving us the first shutout of the season, monday night football closed out 2024 with a bang. >> gauff, and he's down the sideline. and gone for a touchdown! >> in a rematch of last season's nfc championship game, the lions and the niners combined for ten touchdowns and zero punts.

that's the first time it's happen since 1937. the lions got revenge and scored every time they got the ball. they will face the vikings right here on nbc next sunday. coming up, the scare on the runway for the gonzaga basketball team. or the gonzaga basketball team. (whispered) vanilla and shea. 24/7 moisturization with vitamin b3. (knock on the door) are you using all the old spice? oops. ♪ (old spice mnemonic) ♪ always dry scoop before you run. listen to me, the hot dog diet got me shredded. it's time we listen to science. one a day is formulated with key nutrients to support whole body health. one a day. science that matters. when your clothes come out looking newer, longer... you get to take them for a spin. again... ...and again...

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>> reporter: at wisconsin school of technologies and trades at madison college, recent high school grads are filling classes and wait lists in construction, electric, plumbing and welding. nationwide, the number of 20-24-year-olds entering the trades is soaring, doubling among plumbers. these two had bothth been accepd to four-year schools but changed course. >> i just decided i want to work. i don't want to be in debt. >> reporter: you don't want to be in debt. instructors say that's a driving force, with more than half of american college students today graduating with debt, close to $29,000 on average. >> i like the salary to debt ratio between me and people my age. we can have what they owe.

>> reporter: we can have what they owe. >> yeah. >> reporter: building program director, tony study says this is an easy sell. >> you want to make $6,000? >> reporter: you see the eyes light up. what do the parents say? >> that's more than i make. >> reporter: that reality drawing more women and people of color. many on social media where trades influencers showcase a hands-on career more alluring than classroom learning to even top students. >> historically, there's been a stigma attached to jobs in the trades. maybe kids who were getting into trouble or didn't have a good academic record. >> reporter: an old path made new again by a generation forging their own future. maggie vespa, nbc news, madison, wisconsin. okay, hold on tight. there's a new generation on the

horizon, generation beta will start tomorrow. so these kids born until 2039 will grow up even more connected to technology and artificial intelligence than the current generation alpha. experts say generation beta will have to deal with big issues like climate change and sustainability. they'll grow up in a world shaped by the pandemic. and many will use smart devices to help solve their problems and basically live their life. still to come, the week before christmas and new years claims another victim. buddy the elf goes to a hockey game looking like he walked through the lincoln tunnel. alke through the lincoln tunnel.

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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. he looks a little disgruntled. said it was a tough holiday season, you guys. >> a side of buddy the elf we

have never seen came out at sunday's l.a. kings game. will ferrell was sitting ring side, clad in his costume. looking like he had maybe one too many glasses of eggnog. they won the game 5-4. i can just imagine all the parents who had to explain to their kids why buddy the elf is ring side with a cigarette and a drink. >> because it's will ferrell. he does whatever he wants to do. and it's always funny. a familiar face is returning to the dc universe. jason momoa confirmed he has been cast as the alien bounty hunter in woman of tomorrow. he has played aqua man in the previous iteration of the series. super girl is scheduled for release in 2026. so lots more to come from jason

momoa, just different version. >> and with the multi-verse, they keep cranking them out. it's so hard to keep track. we've got to stay right on top of it. when we come back, details on a dangerous choice call. us c. ♪♪ did you take your vitamin today? that's my job. ♪♪ nature made. made with quality ingredients. (glasses clink) made to care for you, every day. ♪♪ from nature made, the #1 pharmacist recommended vitamin and supplement brand. with cascade platinum plus, i have upped my dish game auntie, in that dishwasher? watch me platinum plus gives you the highest standard of clean, even in your machine. clean enough for you? yeah! scrape. load. done. cascade platinum plus.

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here's what's making headlines this morning. defaults on u.s. credit card loans have soared to the highest level in 14 years. according to bank rate data, lenders wrote off $46 billion in seriously-delinquent loan balances in the first nine months of 2024, up 50% from the same period last year. the faa's investigating after a private jet carrying the gonzaga university men's basketball team nearly collided on the runway with a flight taking off at l.a.x. air traffic controllers ordered the plane, operated by key lime air to stop, as the delta aircraft took off. no one was injured.

the international chess federation allowed world champion magnus carlsen to wear jeans monday at the world blitz championship in new york. it comes after carlsen quit friday's championship after refusing to change. the northern lights could dazzle residents across parts of the northern u.s. tonight. partsf the northern u.s. tonight. our shampoos and conditioners are made with supercharged botanicals. ♪♪ 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. whether they are still up in your living room or already packed away, there are more ways to get rid of your trees than you'd think, whether they are artificial or real. caroline lacorps from our main affiliate has more. >> reporter: christmas tree, oh, christmas tree.

it's time to trash your branches. whether it's a week or a month from now. >> well, we have an artificial one. it usually, it's already down. >> reporter: there are more options than you'd think to dispose of your holiday decorations. at iron leaf farm m inin litchf. owner david seaver says they will feed hungry goats. >> they will strip off the needles and bark and you're left with this. >> reporter: and they're not alone. farms and animal rescues can make good use of trees by feeding them to alpacas or even chickens. >> whatever compounds in the bark on needles can act as a natural wormer for goats. >> reporter: if you have an artificial tree. >> knowing it's not going to get thrown away and end up in a

landfill -- >> reporter: morgan seewall says this is a busy time. many donate decorations and unwanted items to start fresh for the new year. >> we're looking to take things that we can give a new home and that people are going to be able to appreciate, and it's a great, when you shop at goodwill, you're looking at a steal on some items and giving back to the community by shopping there. >> reporter: those donations helping fund the workforce which helps with careers and skills. >> finding out that trees are alpaca and goat food. four bald eagles were released back into the wild wisconsin thanks to the help of raptor education group. they rescue birds who are found hurt from incidents ranging from exposure to toxins to gun wounds. two were kettle box released.

they say 98% of the injuries they see in birds are human caused. a reminder to protect natural habitats and the birds when you see them in the wild. coming up, we are sending off 2024 in style with a night of fun, laughter and excitement. a toast to 2024 starts tonight at 9:00 p.m. eastern time. thanks so much for ending the year with "early today." i'm frances rivera

right now at five. across the world, many countries are already ringing in the new year, including new zealand. here's a live look in australia, where celebrations are underway in the bay area, we a