"top story" tonight. our continuing coverage of the wildfires starts right now. s st.

the devastating wildfires in southern california turning deadly. at least five people have been killed as fast-moving flames from multiple fires engulf the los angeles areas forcing more than 100,000 to evacuate. our team is in the fire zone with the latest. those fires fueled by strong winds and dry conditions. meteorologist angie lassman is here tracking when there might be some relief. president-elect donald trump now appealing to the supreme court to block his hush money sentencing. this, as u.s. attorney general merrick garland says he will release parts of the special counsel jack smith's final report. the final farewell for president jimmy carter. a national funeral service is set for later this morning with a eulogy from president joe biden expected. plus president biden and his wife jill welcome a special new addition to their family. it's thursday, january 9. "early today" starts right now. good morning.

i'm frances rivera. we begin this morning as an apocalyptic scene continues to unfold across southern california. multiple wildfires fueled by punishing winds and extremely dry conditions are spreading at an alarming rate. at least five people havbeen killed and more than 100,000 have been forced to evacuate. the palisades fire exploded to more than 15,000 acres. it has decimated more than 1,000 structures so far making it the most destructive fire in los angeles history. a boil water night has been issued for the pacific palisades neighborhood and some surrounding areas. the eaton fire near pasadena has devoured more than 10,000 acres and has damaged or destroyed as many as 500 homes or buildings. both blades are still uncontained. and the hurst fire near sylmar has overtaken more than 800 acres and is 10% contained. residents are being urged to heed warnings from officials.

>> all of us must be vigilant. so, if you receive an evacuation order, please leave immediately. if you receive a warning, get ready. protect yourself and protect each other. >> overnight, the sunset fire broke out in the hollywood hills, spreading some 50 acres and prompting more evacuations. luckily, slightly lower wind speeds have allowed fire crews to fight the blaze from the air. many schools across the los angeles area remain closed today. and nearly 400,000 customers are without power across southern california. fema administrator deanne criswell says she will visit the region friday to assess the damage, calling the fires a very dynamic and dangerous situation. let's turn now to jennifer bjorklund reporting from the hard-hit pacific palisades. >> reporter: night number two of heavy winds here in southern california after a difficult day of firefighting. a difficult night last night and

a very rough day the day before, when these winds started blowing and blasting fire down the hill here in pacific palisades. you can tell fire still burning behind my as the flames continue to go up the hill with vegetation and be blown back down the hill by the winds, which is unusu fire behavior for this extended amount of time. here in southern california, we are used to fires. we were prepared for this fire with teams coming in from all around the state. because we knew we had this weather system coming. but the behavior of this fire was so intense that it completely got out of control and flattened the neighborhoods in pacific palisades overnight. and continued to eat its way through neighborhoods in the surrounding areas as well. fire crews are spread thin across southern california, with two other major fires that were

burning nearby since yesterday. but now a new fire in the hollywood hills called the sunset fire, is threatening residents all along the hollywood hills, runyon canyon, and even as far as west hollywood and beverly hills on either side. so a lot of concern tonight. the wind is still blowing very strong. very erratically. and we don't expect to get any real relief as far as firefighters are concerned until the weekend. i'm jennifer bjorklund in pacific palisades, california. now back to you. >> let's get more on that and check in with nbc meteorologist angie lassman who is monitoring those winds fueling the flames. and a very small glimmer of good news on that front. >> we've got the potential for weakening winds as we get through the day today. notice that doesn't mean the winds completely dissipate. we're still going to deal with 40-50 mile-per-hour winds out of the north-northeast. but look what happens by friday. we see an uptick in that. this is the swing of things.

in the meantime we've got 17 million people under red flag warnings across this region. you can see where we're watching. we're talking 10, 15, 20-mile-per-hour wind speeds. on the hills and mountains, we'll see those elevated winds. notice as we get into the evening hours, 40-50 mile-per-hour winds in some spots. we're not completely done with this kind of situation yet. we'll see the peak risk soon. as flames continue to engulf neighborhoods, desperate residents are racing to try to save their homes with water hoses. this map shows how widespread the fires are and a small glimpse of the path of devastation. gadi schwartz is on the ground in the fire zone. >> reporter: this area of altadena has become an absolute

wasteland. you've got rows and rows of homes that have burned. some homes are still standing, but it's just a matter of time. this was the moment the sun rose over the fire raging above pasadena, but you'd never know it, because the dawn disappeared in the smoke. again, you hear those explosions. so many of these homes, there is no hope. but against the odds and mother nature, some stayed doing everything they could to fight back. there are people still here trying to fight this fire with garden hoses. there is still water in this area. but with this much destruction, it almost seems, it almost seems futile. you were here fighting by yourself, right? >> yes. >> reporter: how long have you been out here? i've been out here since 4:00 a.m. >> reporter: trying to protect your home. you have a full contingent of

firefighters here. they saved this home for now. a scene that blew up across so many areas from the foothills to the palisades. they're trying to make entrance. they're smashing down that door. they've got to go inside. they've got to make sure no one is here. homeowners on rooftops trying to wet down everything. >> here they come! they're going to help us! >> reporter: it's hard to show the scope of what's going on. the loss was worse than any fire we've ever seen. this looks like the apocalypse here. way too often, firefighters left without water as hydrants were dry. >> they were not designed to fight wildfires. a firefight with multiple fire hydrants drawing water from the system for several hours is unsustainable. >> water! >> reporter: officials say they weren't able to fill tanks fast enough, which would have helped with the water pressure,

something morgan chesky saw first hand. out of every fire hydrant you've seen what have you found? >> most of them are down or low pressure. >> reporter: if you had a hydrant for this building. >> if we had a hydrant for this building, we may have been able to save the back half. >> reporter: the apartment complex is untouched for now. but you can see how close those flames are. firefighters are making their way up. again, they're having to ignore massive structures like this huge apartment complex that looks like it's going to go up imminently, because they are just overwhelmed. there isn't enough water up here. the winds also grounding that critical support from the sky for most of the day. when firefighters were able to make a stand and save a home. there was no victory. just a brief reprieve from the helplessness of fighting fire against the wind. >> our thanks to gadi schwartz.

aids for the president are optimistic for a cease-fire in gaza. the goal is to have a cease-fire in place before donald trump takes office. >> reporter: nbc news has been told by a senior official that the deal on the table is the same as the one president biden outlined back in mayay the deal includes 34 hostages, though it's unclear how many are still alive. this is according to another administration official. several biden and israeli officials have also acknowledged that all parties involved here have gotten more serious about the talks since president-elect trump said that there will be, quote, hell to pay if the hostages are not released by the time he is back in office. inauguration day is 11 days away now. we're also old by u.s. officials that they'll know by the end of the week if a deal is

likely. over the course of the past eight months, both sides have accused each other of being the main obstacle. meanwhile, the israeli military are now confirming they found the body of another hostage in a tunnel in rafah, a 53-year-old. the idf saying there are serious concerns for the life of his son hamza. this, as more than 50 people were killed by israeli airstrikes across the gaza strip. that's it for now. a dockworkers union has reached a tentative agreement. the new proposed six-year contract still needs to be ratified by members of the international longshoremen's association. the biggest sticking point was on automation which the union fears could replace dockworkers. the union says details of the agreement will not be released until its members have reviewed it. california battles fires.

much of the country is bracing for more snow and ice. angie lassman is back now with an update on that forecast. good morning again. >> good morning, frances. we've got a winter storm on the move. more than 50 million people are included in these alerts. we have rain, snow and ice over the southern plains today. we're going to see likely lots of travel issues when it comes to dallas to little rock. it stretches into the ohio valley and tennessee valley for tomorrow. slick roads, places like atlanta are going to be difficult on the roadways, but really stretching into cleveland you'll likely see travel troubles across that entire region. that eventually moves into the mid atlantic and northeast. light to mod lahoma city and lit.

dallas heads to just 34 degrees for the high today. 53 and mostly cloudy in new orleans. and that's a look at your forecast, frances, back to you. coming up, some good news for anyone looking to buy a used car. and we're back in a moment with president-elect trump's new supreme court bid to block his sentencing scheduled for tomorrow. encing scheduled for tomorrow. nearly 1 million people 65 and older. so if someone you love is older, talk with them about vaccines. i forgot to wash my work shirt. just wear it again! i added unstopables with odor blocker and it keeps our clothes fresh all day! [sniff] ooo, imma be feelin it at work today. she smells so good i'm actually paying attention! smell unstopable. this charmin ultra softmooth tear has wavy edges. it's no ordinary squar charmin ultra soft smooth tear has wavy perforations

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showdown with the president-elect asking the supreme court to block sentencing set for friday in his new york hush money case. he addressed his legal battles. >> i did nothing wrong. absolutely nothing wrong. >> reporter: in a new filing, the trump legal team pressing for a stay, quote, to prevent grave injustice and harm to the institution of the presidency and operations of the federal government, arguing the president-elect is protected by the supreme court's recent ruling on presidential immunity. a jury convicted mr. trump in may of falsifying business records to cover up an alleged affair with a porn star. all allegations the president-elect fiercely denies. after an initial sentencing delay, the trial judge juan does not have immunity until his january 20th swearing in. in a statement, a trump spokesman again labeling the case, quote, political weaponization of our justice system. it all comes as special counsel jack smith has wrapped up final

reports in the two trump federal cases, that stymied in appeals, never made it to trial. merrick garland plans to publicly release the report on the attempt to overturn the 2020 election. but not in the documents case involving two co-defendants. a scramble to tie up loose ends in the final days before president-elect trump's inauguration. alice barr, nbc news. ♪ ♪ presidident joe biden declad today a national day of mourning for former president jimmy carter. a national state funeral will take place just hours from now. and president biden is preparing to deliver a eulogy for the humble leader who he considered to be a dear friend. every living former president is expected to attend the service today, including president-elect trump. savannah guthrie and lester holt

will anchor special coverage today on nbc, starting at 9:00 a.m. eastern. still to come, the 21st century, taylor's version. billboard crowns a top icon as the top artist of the last 25 years. e top artist of the last years. arghh! [elosion] ugh! here we go again. wait there's a red hulk now? excuse me... what do i do about this? we use tide oxi boost. it's a lifesaver. the most powerful clean in any universe. lookin good. thank you. see captain america: brave new world. can neuriva support your brain health? mary. janet. hey! eddie. no! fraser. frank.

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♪ it would have been you ♪ ♪ in my defense ♪ ♪ i haven't done ♪ ♪ never leaving well enough alone ♪ ♪ but it would have been fine ♪ ♪ ♪ >> if billboard has anything to say about it, she is the one. on wednesday, the music mag named taylor swift their top artist of the 21st century with 14 number one albums, drake was named first runner-up. so this is, seems to be the start of taylor's year. 2024 was. but it comes after taylor came

in second when it comes to billboard's list of the greatest pop stars of the 21st century, beyonce took number one. >> i don't think anyone's surprised by this, right? she's been doing it all. we'll see what happens for the rest of the years to come. now to a sitcom icon remembering a time when a friend was there for her. lisa kudrow reminisced about matthew perry. he givefted her the iconic cook jar. she found a note that he had left for her in that prop. it is an iconic part of the scene. and what a special memory she has with the late actor. up next, why used car dealers may snag a better deal. and chips ahoy baked bites. and ips ahoy baked bites. hee on the finance guy, will it make him softer? bounce can't do it all but for better laundry, ♪ put a sheet on it with bounce. ♪

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kansas city is bracing for round two this morning, after this week's historic blizzard. now volunteers are banding together to help folks dig out from the snow and handle other unexpected costs. from our kansas city affiliate, we're introduced to the snow squad. >> reporter: one of the things this severe winter weather has really racked up is all the unexpected costs. whether it's a last-minute trip to the grocery store, servicing your car or shoveling the driveway. if you ask these two sisters here in shawnee, it's about people helping people. >> getting the ice out. >> reporter: snow cleanup can cost an arm and a leg. you're looking at between $30 to $100 per hour. >> i'm on a fixed income, and i don't get a lot on my social security. >> reporter: so with robin raymond's tight budget, she welcomes the helping hand. >> if they didn't come out and

help me, i'd have to do it myself. i can't afford to hire someone else to do it. >> we lived in michigan for a long time. i'm used to snow. >> reporter: they are part of the snow squad. i call them the sister squad. >> she's older. [ laughter ] >> you were quick to point that out. >> reporter: the snow squad helps shawnee residents who are 65 and up or have a disability plus an income lower than about 60 grand. robin knows this helping hand goes both ways. turning neighbors into friends. . >> wonderful. i appreciate everything you're doing for me. i really do. >> reporter: and joe and sharon know there's no better friend. >> it's nice to be able to spend time with her. i did think about throwing snowballs at her, but i didn't do it. >> our thanks for that report. president joe biden has a new title. great-grandfather.

the first lady shared the news and this photo taken at a los angeles hospital introducing the world to their new great grandson. william is the son of the bidens' granddaughter naomi and the grandson of hunter biden. >> reporter: coming up, craig melvin is in washington, d.c. with jimmy carter's funeral and president biden's eulogy. here's al roker with a look at what else is ahead. >> this morning on the third hour of "today", a superstar duo. jamie foxx and cameron diaz, live. that's not a mistake. plus, products to give your skin a booster in these winter months, and the hottest new books to read this month as well. all that coming up this morning all that coming up this morning on the third hour of dupixent helps people with asthma breathe better ins little as 2 weeks. so this is better. that too. dupixent is an add-on treatment for specific types of moderate-to-severe asthma.

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