the flames consuming parts of los angeles. we have team coverage with the latest on the ground. breaking overnight. jack smith's report is publicly released. what the special counsel says about the investigation into alleged 2020 election interference. by now, president-elect donald trump just days before he returns to office. pete hegseth in the hot seat today to face a confirmation hearing. the types of questions senators may ask him. new hopes for a cease-fire deal in gaza. president biden saying a deal is on the brink of fruition. we have a live report on the latest progress in the negotiations. and we i introduce you to a texas group helping make sure pets and shelter animals are safely evacuated from the los angeles fires. it's tuesday, january 14th. "early today" starts right now.

glad you're with me. i'm frances rivera. it has now been a week since the catastrophic wildfires broke out across southern california and dangerous winds have returned, threatening to fuel more flames. at least 24 people have died and at least 23 are missing. the fires have decimate more than 12,000 structures. 92,000 remain under evacuation orders. it is still just 14% contained. federal arson investigators were in the pacific palisades monday investigating the cause of the mammoth inferno. some progress has been made in the eaton fire, which score offed more than 14,000 acres. it's now 33% contained. a civil lawsuit has been filed against southern california edison, alleging that the

utility failed to de-energize power equipment. president biden was briefed on the fires monday. >> i want to be clear. we're not waiting until those fires are over to start helping the victims. we're getting them help right now as you all know. >> overnight, the auto fire broke out in a dry river bed in ventura, rapidly torching 56 acres. approximately 75 firefighters are on the scene. nbc's jennifer bjorklund starts off our coverage. >> reporter: containment lines grew over the weekend. but so do concerns that the winds will kick up and ignite these fires again. they are still smoldering here in pacific palisades. and you can see behind us is a school that is burned to the ground. where will the kids go to school? where will the people live? well, that's a question for another day. for now, help is coming in from all directions. that drone-damaged super scooper from canada will be back on the

front lines fighting this fire first thing tuesday morning. and we also had help from mexico. the mexican army troops and some firefighters were trained over the weekend at march air reserve base and were here at the palisades firefighting that fire on the front lines along with everyone that came from all over california and parts of the southwest as well to help work on this fire. again, the big concern, those winds expected to keck up again overnight and last all the way through wednesday. i'm jennifer bjorklund i pacific palisades, california. now back to you. >> jennifer, thank you. and with the winds bringing the possibility of new fires, some homeowners plan to take matters into their own hands once again. gadi schwartz has their stories. >> they're going to help us! >> reporter: for days, so many across los angeles faced off against apocalyptic wildfires. some homeowners defying the evacuation orders, choosing to

protect their properties amid the hell scape. >> we need a water drop. >> we need a water drop. >> reporter: sprinklers, hoses, generators, pumps. some are preparing for round two. in wealthy enclaves, water trucks standing at the ready. right here we see one, two, three, four, five, five different water trucks. there's another three down the way. those in the evacuation zones to lived to tell the tale of how they saved their streets said they did what they could with high-pressured hoses. >> so we were in all of our neighbors' back yards and lugging our hoses around. >> reporter: in altadena, he saved two houses on his street with a garden hose. >> i caught on fire a couple times. >> reporter: you caught on fire? >> yes. so every once in a while i would just spray myself with the garden hose. just soak myself with the garden hose and continue to fight. >> reporter: fire officials say those who stayed to fight the fire are putting their lives at

risk. 66-year-old victor shaw died in the eaton fire, his remains found holding a garden hose. right along coast owners of this row of homes had their own hoses ready with some ready to risk their lives. >> there's another hot spot that just started up. we are getting the fire hoses again. >> reporter: clayton colbert and his friends stood their ground, tapping into the hydrant and saving six homes. do you have any firefighting experience? >> i do now. >> reporter: yeah. what do you think would have happened if you and your neighbors weren't here? >> my house would be gone in a matter of minutes. >> reporter: steve foster's home is still standing, but most of the surrounding community is gone. >> it's been difficult, but we're getting through it. >> reporter: would you leave? >> i'm not leaving. i've been here the whole time. i have no intentions of leaving until my neighbors are back. >> reporter: technically here in the state of california it is a misdemeanor not to evacuate. but that's not always enforced

in all the chaos. firefighters say bottom line, every moment they're in a firefight is precious, and if they have to be pulled off a fire line to save somebody who's not supposed to be there, it not only jeopardizes their lives but puts the whole community at risk, back to you. the grammys will be held as planned in los angeles on february 2nd with the telecast raising money for wildfire relief. in a letter to members, the ceo said, this city is o our hom and we mourn the loss of life and destruction. several major companies are pledging money. nbcuniversal has pledged 10 million. and warner bros. discovery will give a $15 million donation. if you want to help, can you scan this qr code and find a number of organizations accepting donations to support wildfire relief efforts.

the cease-fire and hostage release deal in hamas is on the brink of coming to fruition. those were the words of president biden. it comes as multiple officials say negotiators made significant progress this weekend. two u.s. officials close to the negotiations tell nbc news the deal may be just days away. nbc's claudio lavanga is in rome with the latest. good morning, claudio. >> reporter: good morning, frances. well, that's right. this breakthrough is seen as the result of the pressure that president biden has placed on the israeli prime minister, benjamin netanyahu. especially in the last few days, to close these cease-fe and hostage release deal in gaza before donald trump returns to the white house on january 20th. but, at least according to a senior diplomat who is involved directly in those talks, another person who really played a critical role in advancing those talks is also donald trump's own

middle east envoy, steve witkoff. it was done from two sides, both from president biden and president-elect dona trump. now two u.s. officials told nbc news that under the current proposal, the one that we expect to be approved, israel will withdraw the troops from populated areas in gaza back to the israeli border, and then or at the same time, hamas will start releasing the first set of hostages who are still in gaza as soon as the cease-fire is announced and is in place. first a u.s. official told nbc news they would release those who are in very bad shape. then they would release the rest. including of course the american citizens still held hostage in gaza. >> claudio, thank you. now to breaking news. shortly after midnight, the justice department released a report from special counsel jack smith. in it, smith says that if the election had not stopped the case from moving forward, there

was enough evidence to convict president-elect donald trump. the report says that not only was mr. trump's voter fraud narrative objectively false, he knew it was false and inspired his supporters to commit acts of physical violence. president-elect trump responding earlier this morning on social media saying, quote, deranged jack smith is a lame-brained prosecutor and that the voters have spoken. in a letter with his report, jack smith says to all who know him well, claims that he was influenced or directed by political actors is, in a word, laughable. le's turn now to capitol hill where senate confirmation hearings are about to begin. the focus will be on president-elect trump's embattled pick for defense secretary pete hegseth. senators must decide if he has

what it takes to run the pentagon. here's garrett haake. >> reporter: a visit by president-elect trump to california's devastated wildfire zone is under active discussion inside the trump transition. sources tell nbc news. as the trump team also preps for 13 high-stakes confirmation hearings this week for trump's cabinet picks. with smooth confirmations expected for marco rubio as secretary of state, pam bondi as attorney general and scott bessant as treasury secretary. then there's embattled pentagon pick pete hegseth. >> he can expect his hearing to be tough but respectful. candid but fair. >> reporter: hegseth, a former fox news host and decorated combat veteran is likely to be pressed about allegations of sexual assault and excess ever drinking, allegations he denies. if all democrats vote against him, hegseth can only afford three republican defections. what are you hoping to hear from

him? >> well, i think he's got a lot of questions to be answered. >> reporter: as the vice president-elect is detailing an inauguration blitz of executive orders. >> dozens of executive orders coming from the trump administration, coming from us on day one that send a message to customs and border patrol, you guys are allowed to do your job again, and to illegal immigrants all over the world, you are not welcome into this country illegally. >> reporter: advance saying those who protested nonviolently on january 6 should be pardoned while those convicted of violent crimes should not. let's turnrn to angie lassm who is tracking the fire threat in california. >> we've got the red flag warnings up, particularly dangerous situation is what it is expected today with those critical fire weather conditions lasting at least through the middle of the workweek. we're going to see this high risk across this region for really large fires and explosive

condition in some of those same regions. as far as later this morning goes, that's where we'll see the highest ones. 50-75 miles per hour. humidity levels will stay low. but we do see a bit of a weakening with those winds as we get into this afternoon and evening hours. overnight tonight the offshore winds increase a little bit. 30, 40, 50, even close to 65 miles per hour. then we start to see that winding down as we get into the later parts of tomorrow. so those conditions will be fluctuating. no surprise, though, that critical risk extends all the way to the border. and we also s in the picture fo cleveland and detroit. we head to the low 30s for new york city and boston. and that's a look at your forecast, frances, back to you. >> thanks so much, angie.

coming up, a new warning from federal authorities in the wake of the new orleans terror attack. and the texas man now fang charges for allegedly stalking wnba star itlin clark. ter a big? try pepto bismol. unlike some products, pepto coats and soothes your digestive system, to provide fast 5-symptom relief. stock up on pepto today. do i smell okay? [sniff] mhm. why are you shimmying? oh! unstopables has odor blocker so i'll feel fresh all day, even after a red eye. we all use unstopables. looks like he does too! smell unstopable. 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. officials from the fbi and dhs are concerned about possible threats of copycat attacks similar to that in new orleans that took the lives of 14 people. the public service announcement warned of the appeal of vehicle ramming as a tactic used by violent extremists. the agencies are urging the public to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activity. a texas man is accused of stalking caitlin clark. michael thomas lewis is accused of sending vulgar and sexual online mentions to 22-year-old clark. lewis was arrested in indianapolis, while prosecutors say he'd traveled to be close to

clark who played for the indianapolis fever. it's not clear if he has hired or been assigned an attorney yet. representatives for clark and her team could not be reached for comment. texas is suing insurance company allstate for allegedly collecting data on drivers without their consent. the state attorney general accuses allstate of paying software developers to build location trackers in obile apps. it would create a database of drivers' behavior that would be used to justify increasing premiums. according to the suit, around 45 million drivers could have been tracked nationwide. allstate has not yet responded to nbc news' request for comment. still to come, the closest you can get to having a backstage drink with lneor michaels. the snl celebration continues with a way for fans to live out their late-night dreams. premier protein, my ride or die. boom! if you know, you know. let's go. this stuff changed my life.

so good. high protein. check. one gram of sugar. oh, yeah. and a flavor for every vibe. (♪♪) (♪♪) premier protein. sweeten the journey. jen loved her gain flings. then brad showed up with, gain rinse and beads. when they mixed their scents. they discovered, they were scentmates. smells like it's gonna last. mix match more happy with gain. (♪♪) see you later. mr. lee! hi zoe. how can i help you today? do you know if there's a less expensive option for my new medicare prescription? medicare? really? i might have to see some i.d. mr. lee. here, let me check on that for you. okay, so i will give your doctor's office a call... this is not just help with a medicare prescription. thank you zoe. anytime. bye! this is the human kind of help.

this charmin ultra soft smooth tear has wavy edges. it's no ordinary square. charmin ultra soft smooth tear has wavy perforations that tear so much better, with more cushiony softness. enjoy the go, with charmin. long after guests leave, viruses and bacteria linger. air fresheners add a scent. but only lysol air sanitizer helps erase the trace, eliminating odor and killing 99.9% of viruses and bacteria in the air. scent can't sanitize. lysol can. what's up, you seem kinda sluggish today. things aren't really movin'. you could use some metamucil. metamucil's psyllium fiber helps keep your digestive system moving. so you can feel lighter and more energetic. metamucil keeps you movin'. and try the 2 week challenge at metamucil.com

gold bond believes touch says everything. it says... i see you. i feel you. and...i know you. gold bond. get in touch with irresistibly touchable skin. hey, guys, i'm right below

rockefeller center with bad bunny. ♪ ♪ [singing in a global language] ♪ ♪ >> nyc commuters got hit with a blast of reggae from one of the biggest stars on the planet. bad bunny did some busting with jimmy fallon ahead of his stint as co-host. he made historic news, announcing his first residency in his hometown of puerto rico from july to august. and i love every time jimmy fallon takes over the subway. you saw him in disguise. they sang "i want it that way" by the backstreet boys. >> always good when jimmy fallon does these things. here something for anyone who's ever dreamed of sitting at the weekend update desk.

nbc announced live from new york, an event just in time for the show's 50th anniversary. it will let fans find out what it's like to serve as host, to telling jokes just like colin jost and michael che. it runs for only a few days, january 30-february 2nd. get there. who knows when something like this will come back. it's so cool. going into that studio. there's nothing like it. >> the vibes in there are electric. so, yeah. they're only turning 50 once. >> exactly. >> it's time to jump in on that. when we come back, check the freezer, aldi announcing a > an.l >>d a cheesy blast from the past. a fan-favorite cheeto returns to shelves. eddie. no! fraser. frank. frank. fred. how are you? support up to seven brain health indicators, including memory. when whoa! how'd you getr, your teeth so white?

you gotta use the right toothpaste! dr. c?! ♪♪ not all toothpastes whiten the same. crest 3d white removes 100% more stains for a noticeably whiter smile. new personal best. crest. downy does more to make clothes softer, fresher, and better. because your jacket does more than keep you warm. like when it smells like home... ...even far away from home. downy is more than just a fabric softener. it breathes life into your laundry. i got this wow skin from olay body wash. it's new super serum: sink into my skin with 5 powerful ingredients. 5 benefits in 1! look at this olay difference. so luminous! olay super serum body wash. swiffer sweeper dry* traps 2x more dust and hair for a clean even mom approves of. nice reach! brooms can just push stuff around, but swiffer grabs dirt and even traps the hair. swiffer. the mother of all cleans. love it or your money back! if you're frustrated with occasional bloating or gas,

your body's giving you signs. it's time to try align. align probiotic was specifically designed by gastroenterologists to help relieve your occasional bloating and gas. when you feel the signs, it's time to try align. unlike those other messy whole body deodorants, to help relieve your occnative whole body deogas. dries on contact, doesn't leave white residue on clothes, and fights odor for 72 hours. for your pits, privates, chest, thighs, and feet! how do they do it? get native. herbal essences is a force of nature. made with supercharged botanical blends, our sulfate-free formulas deeply penetrate to boost hair health. without the salon naturals price tag. herbal essences. i love that my daughter still needs me. but sometimes i can't help due to burning

and stabbing pain in my hands, so i use nervive. nervive's clinical dose of ala reduces nerve discomfort in as little as seven days. now i can help again feel the difference with nervive. jordan's sore nose let out a fiery sneeze, so dad grabbed puffs plus lotion to soothe her with ease. puffs plus lotion is gentle on sensitive skin and locks in moisture to provide soothing relief. a nose in need deserves puffs indeed. s #1 lotion tissue.need ♪♪ every parent knows when it's time to go into... (splash) protect mode. adding lysol disinfectant spray to your cleaning routine is 3 times more effective at stopping the spread of germs. ♪♪ here's what's making headlines this morning. aldi is recalling taquitos after metal pieces were found in the

food. the recall affects packages with best-buy dates of september 25, 2025. an app allows people to share lifestyle content. starbucks is reversing its open door policy. the coffee giant says people are now required to make a purchase if they want to hang out or use the restroom. and cheese pizza cheetos puffs are making a comeback. it doesn't overwhelm like: it's campfire leather musk overload. because downy light is gentle and balanced. it's a nature inspired scent, to breathe life into your laundry. 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. staying healthy can be hard, but this. this is a party. premier protein, my ride or die. boom! if you know, you know. let's go. this stuff changed my life. so good. high protein. check. one gram of sugar. oh, yeah. and a flavor for every vibe. (♪♪) (♪♪) premier protein. sweeten the journey.

help in california as north texas firefighters and non-profits provide aid as the wildfires continue to burn. from our dfw station. >> the skies were lit up with the fire. and my heart just sunk, my eyes started watering thinking about all these people who have been devastated by this wildfire. >> reporter: cassie davidson describes flying into los angeles, california on friday as surreal. she's with the humane society of north texas and wings of rescue, which, in partnership with best friends animal society are relocating animals from l.a. shelters who are waiting to be adopted. >> we're going to pull them to create room and create empty kennel space so the evacuees' pets can come in and be reunited with their pets. >> reporter: over the weekend, more than a hundred cats and dogs were flown to shelters in oregon.

>> they will be flown to dallas-ft. worth. >> reporter: more than 150 animals will call north texas home. >> we need people to step up and take pets into their homes, whether it's a few days or a few weeks. and we need donations. we need to be able to pay for the care. those are the two primary needs right now. >> reporter: as the fires continue to burn through the los angeles area, the need for aid grows. >> and unfortunately, this is going to be a very, very long recovery in the southern california area. >> reporter: the dfw non-profit texans on a mission is always on the front lines to help during a disaster, and this is no different. >> should they say we need a shower-laundry team, that's ready to go. should they say, we need a mobile kitchen, we're ready to send it. >> reporter: a team deployed to southern california to work with churches and assess needs. >> even if it's something as small as, hey, can we give you a

gift card? a lunch, a meal? can we watch over your children so you can have a moment to breathe? >> reporter: meanwhile, locals are on the way to help after governor abbott announced we'd send resources. one fire department sent a crew, from plano, mckinney and greenville fire departments. whether it's people -- >> god as blessed us. >> reporter: or pets. >> we're creating hope on both ends. to me, i think it's just what compassion looks like in action. >> reporter: in times like these when humanity shines. >> and our thanks to sophia for that report. and thanks to you for watching. i'm frances rivera. e u moowreat tue sd. ayse