tragedy growing in california. now at least 24 deaths linked to the wind-fed wildfires sweeping through the area. over 100,000 under evacuation orders, as the governor predicts this could be the worst national disaster in u.s. history. also growing frustration among residents. some waiting for hours to see if they can return home to find what's left. authorities warning it's still too dangerous in some areas to let residents back in. donald trump's pick for top government and cabinet positions prepare for the hot seat, as confirmation hearings kick off this week, starting with the president-elect's pick for defee secretary, pete hegseth. the nfl playoffs kicked off with the wildcard round this weekend. who goes on?

>> "early today" starts now. good morning. i'm frances rivera. we begin in southern california where the wildfire-related death toll has risen to at least 24. this includes 16 killed in the eaton fire, which could make it the fifth iest blaze in the state's history. they need to reconcile numbers before reporting them. firefighters have made some progress due to calmer winds over the weekend, reaching 27% containment on the eaton fire and 95% on the hurst fire. but the massive palisades fire, which has devoured more than 23,000 acres is just 13% contained. entire neighborhoods have been leveled with 12,000 structures

destroyed. governor newsom has issued an executive order to help people impacted by the catastrophic fires rebuild homes and businesses. he spoke with nbc's jacob soboroff. >> in your opinion, is this, or will it be the worst national disaster in the history of the united states? >> i think it will be in terms of the cost associated with it, in terms of the scale and scope. >> according to the governor as office, more than 15,000 personnel have been mobilized, including firefighters, national guard, highway patrol and transportation teams. evacuation orders are in effect for 105,000 l.a. residents and 87,000 are in evacuation warning zones. officials are warning residents to be vigilant about scams circulating, particularly around short-term rentals and gofundme pages. los angeles county has issued a public health emergency, warning that smoke and particulate matter could pose immediate and long-term threats.

health officials are urging people to stay indoors, replace air filters often and wear n95 respirators outside. ellison barber spoke with residents. >> do i just wait here or what? >> you can, if you like. >> reporter: growing frustration outside the pacific palisades. massive lines of cars with residents waiting for hours, anxious to see what, if anything, remains in their homes. >> this is criminal dereliction of duty. >> we do care. we want to get you back into your homes. >> reporter: los angeles county sheriff robert luna warning about criminal activity. >> people that do not belong in these disaster zones need to stay out, or they're going to get arrested. >> reporter: on saturday, two people were detained near vice president kamala harris' home, according to officials.

l.a. fire chief kristin crowley adding that it is too dangerous for many residents to go home. >> there's still active fires burning within the palisades area, making it extremely, tremely dangerous for the public. there's no power. there's no water. there's broken gas lines. and we have unstable structures. we met shannon de-grooms when she walked up to talk to police. >> we're waiting a couple minutes to grab some things and get out of town. >> reporter: she was with her fiance shea burn trying to get back to their pacific palisades home. >> we don't have any answers, and there's a lot of different information, which is why i'm posted up here. >> reporter: shannon couldn't get in. she told us about something she forgot to take. >> my aunt passed away recently, and she left me a small diamond. and i was saving to be able to afford to make it into a new ring.

>> reporter: i asked for her address, hoping that if we passed it while reporting we might be able to help. a couple hours later we saw it. amazingly, it's still standing. if you look around across the street, their neighbors not nearly as lucky. they told us the door was unlocked because they had to evacuate so quickly. can you smell it smells of smoke. i texted if she wanted us to get stuff. she told us medicine for judy and things they left behind. we couldn't find the diamond ring but found the medical supplies. >> i saw these. and i know you didn't ask for these, but i saw these. >> oh, my god. >> reporter: i showed them videos of their home. >> were the windows closed? >> yes. i was right! >> reporter: in the middle of chaos, a moment to help a family still looking at an uncertain tomorrow. >> our thanks to ellison for

that report. former fox news' pete hegseth will be in the hot seat as hearings kick off. this comes can as a special counsel report could soon be released to the public. >> the resignation of special counsel jack smith made public over the weekend. but, before he quit his post, he left behind a detailed report, including the finding the of his investigation into president trump's alleged interference in the 2020 election. that report now in the hands of attorney general merrick garland to intends to release it. it includes interviews with hundreds of witnesses, including former ve president mike pence. the clock is ticking for the report's release. the president-elect questioning why smith should be able to issue a report at all. meanwhile, team trump preparing to head to capitol hill with more than a dozen of his cabinet picks set to begin confirmation hearings this week, including marco rubio for secretary of state.

john ratcliffe for cia director and pete hegseth for defense secretary. >> there is not a job more critical to our security than secretary of defense. and we need a qualified individual in that job. and he just does not seem to have the qualifications. >> reporter: mark kelly critical of hegseth ahead of his tuesday morning confirmation hearing, wanting to see his fbi background report. some democrats on the committee concerned the fbi report may not be thorough enough for a cabinet pick facing controversy and negative allegations. >> it is bipartisan, like a, you know, cross the aisle, folks want to see the fbi background check. i think we should get an opportunity to take a look at it. >> reporter: senate majority whip john barazo coming to his defense.

he says tulsi gabbard's hearing this week is being delayed because of a paperwork problem with the office of government ethics. the former congresswoman and veteran will likely face tough questions next week. back to you. >> okay, aaron, thank you. today begins president biden's last week in office, which will include two major speeches. this afternoon, president biden will deliver a foreign policy address from the state department. the white house says this speech will discuss the work of the administration to strengthen america and leadhe world. and, on wednesday, president biden will deliver a farewell address to the nation. sources familiar tell nbc news this speech will touch on mr. biden's entire political career, and he will have a message about the country's future. president biden and israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu spoke on the phone about the possibility for a cease-fire in gaza. a white house statement said mr. biden, quote, stressed the immediate need for a cease-fire in gaza and return of the hostages with a surge in humanitarian aid enabled by a

stoppage in the fighting. an israeli delegation is currently in doha for mediated talks. president biden's national security advisor jake sullivan told cnn that the parties are, quote, very, very close to a deal. in yemen, at least 15 people were killed and dozens more injured in a gas station explosion and fire. that's according to the health ministry run by the houthi rebels. 40 of the injured are in serious condition. it happened on saturday in the center of the country. authorities say rescue teams are searching for people reported missing. it wasn't immediately clear what caused the explosion. the santa ana winds fueling the california wildfires are set to pick up this week. nbc meteorologist michelle grossman is tracking the latest there. good morning. we were hoping they were die down. >> i know, frances. we will see the winds ramping up tuesday and wednesday.

red flag warnings from santa clarita down to temecula, escondido. where you see the red is where we're looking at fire warnings. we do have a critical fire risk once again where you see the darker red. calabasas, temecula, we'll see the winds ramping up. and it's so bone dry with relative humidities under 10% in some spots. we're watching the eaton fire and palisades fire. we're going to see the winds ramping up throughout the later part of this monday, tuesday, and also wednesday. stop this clock around 2:00. the winds are picking up, right near the fire. this is going to be another dangerous week as we head to monday, tuesday, the later part of today to tuesday and wednesday. as we go throughout the overnight hos ur

just 6 degrees in minneapolis. and we're a looking at rain in jacksonville. montgomery could see clouds as well, 50 degrees. that's your monday forecast. >> okay. thanks so much, michelle. >> sure. president biden awarded pope francis with a presidential medal of honor with distinction. the first time the president has bestowed that honor as president. he called francis the people's post, a light of faith, hope and love that shines brightly across the world. it is the first medal of freedom awarded with distinction since president biden awarded one to then-vice president biden. coming up, today's new but familiar face. [explosion] ugh! here we go again wait there's a red hulk now? i know he's red. he seems very angry. why he's so mad? sorry to interrupt...

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off the upright, and it is in! >> it was the only way. a back and forth showdown on wildcard weekend. the washington commanders doinked their way to their first playoff victory since 2006. earlier, the broncos looked to pull a similar shocker in buffalo. but an early denver touchdown delayed the inevitable fireworks from josh allen. the superstar qb threw two touchdowns, including a reality-defying 24 yarder on the fourth down, as the bills rode all over the broncos, 31-7. and green bay is packing it up after failing to replicate last year's playoff magic. jordan love and the pack were stifled by the eagles' defense, while the birds did just enough on the other side of the ball to escape with a 22-10 one. the california wildfires have upended every aspect of life for l.a. residents, including the nfl, as they scramble to find a new stadium

to hold tonight's playoff game. jesse kirsch has the latest on how they pulled it off. >> reporter: with wildfires raging in los angeles. >> the nfl family is heartbroken. >> reporter: the city is being embraced on one of the sports worlds' biggest stages. >> we support the first responders and every day heroes who continue to support their neighbors. >> reporter: the start of the nfl playoffs. and, before the l.a. chargers played the texans saturday, a moment of silence in the stadium. chargers' quarterback justin herbert giving a tip of his cap to the l.a. fire department. the chargers lost, ending their season. l.a.'s other football team, the rams, takes on the minnesota vikings. that game was supposed to be in california. but the wildcard matchup was moved to arizona. the cardinals pitching in, sending planes to fly in the

team, their families and even some pets while letting the rams use their stadium for the game. >> our hearts and minds and everything, thoughts and prayers go out to everybody who's been affected. >> reporter: the cardinals' home field and locker room transforming with rams yellow and blue as the nfl announces a combined $5 million being donated to help california's fire-starved communities heal. jesse kirsch, nbc news. still to come. host and musical guest? he really is. timothee chalamet returns to studio 8h for something that hasn't been done in three decades.

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heist went off without a hitch. den of thieves 2 debuted at number one, taking in $15.5 million. mufasa, the lion king and sonic the hedgehehog camin two and three adding $13 million. some people were headed to the movies, let's knock out these films. >> i'm so behind. i want to see all of them. but we have not been in so long. we need to get there. now to an oscar nominee finding that his true calling may be something else. ♪ ♪ ♪ there is my tiny horse ♪ ♪ he's going away ♪ >> timothee chalamet is set to return as host of snl's january 25th episode, but his third go round comes with a twist. he'll be pulling double duty as he hosts and is the musical guest. the first time in years that a

non-professional singer gets the honor. >> the singing, especially after the bob dylan biopic. he's on his way to the five timers club. when we come back, tesla is issuing a recall over backup cameras. and earth is breaking major heat records. 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.

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after the week-long farewell for hoda kotb, today introduces its new co-anchor this morning. but the new face next to savannah guthrie is also a very familiar one. mark barger traces the career path that brought craig melvin to studio 1a. >> one thing has been constant. it's hoda kotb. >> reporter: among the myriad of signs last week for "today"'s departing host, there was one for the guy coming in. >> how sweet is that? >> you neeto save this one for monday. >> reporter: that's when craig melvin slides in as co-anchor. >> if you're going to lose your sister, it's great the replacement is your brother. >> reporter: his ascent began in columbia, south carolina.

and from that nbc station. a move to the one in washington, d.c., changed his life. it's where melvin met and married colleague lindsey. and they've had two children. delano and cybill. >> there was a bit of a paradigm shift. >> reporter: melvin's work in d.c. was also pivotal professionally, earning him a spot with the network in 2011 and one with the "today" family in 2018. >> the iconic spire collapsing in a fiery tangle. >> reporter: he's covered major stories across the globe. >> how long is it going to take to rebuild notre dame? >> reporter: but brought a small-town perspective to his reporting. >> folks in this area also, largely cut off. >> reporter: combined with his personal charms in the studio, melvin was an easy choice for his new role. >> you are literally made for this job. >> reporter: heartily endorsed by his colleagues. >> this is one of the most

popular decisions nbc news has ever made. >> reporter: now craig melvin's ready. >> outside of getting married and having my children, this is probably the most excited i've ever been. >> reporter: mark barger, nbc news. >> it was just the natural choice. in addition to craig's debut, it's a new day for the fourth hour as will with the debut of jenna and friends. taraji p. henson joins jenna bush hager. >> this morning, a look at how artificial intelligence is used to improve the healthcare industry. and it's motivation at monday, and we're talking about the benefits of shadow work. and sam hughen is live in studio >>.