new details this morning surrounding president-elect donald trump's transition team and potential cabinet members that's making more than a few people very nervous. president obama opens up about his successor as he tries to settle nerves ahead of his final european trip. will enough jobs return to the u.s. to satisfy those who elected trump in the first place? >> what happens when politics turns ugly over accusations of a kremlin connection. saying good-bye to a trail blazing journalist of the highest quality, "early today" starts right now. >> good morning, everyone, i'm ayman mohyeldin. >> i'm frances rivera. this morning, the furor continues to grow over president-elect trump's choice

media mogul as his senior strategist. democrats are carrying out a coordinated attack on his appointment. meanwhile, republicans warn to ease concerns over bannon's past. >> that's not the steve bannon i know, and i've spent a lot of time with him. he's harvard business school, london school of economics, ten year naval officers. >> i find him to be a very, very decent, very good smart man and a loyal, patriotic american, and sometimes in politics you get labeled a certain way or another way, but i think people will find in him a real asset to the country. >> despite democrat's efforts to bash bannon, president obama in his first press conference since the election is refusing to attack trump for the hiring decision. >> it would not appropriate for me to comment on every appointment the president-elect starts making.

donald trump will be the next president, the 45th president of the united states. and it will be up to him to set up a team that he thinks will serve him well and reflect his policies. >> president obama even went so far as to vouch for trump's own foreign policy positions, saying while trump campaigned hard against nato, the relationship with the organization would continue. the president's olive branch inside trump's transition team has rudy giuliani as the top contender for secretary of state. >> news reports have giuliani and john bolton as the leading contenders to become the country's top diplomat. however, whispers from within the transition team coupled with giuliani's flat-out refusal of the department of justice position put him squarely in the lead for that job. while speaking at a "wall street journal" conference, he continues to veer the

giuliani also called for a resit in diplomatic relations with russia, and it may have gotten a kick start after president-elect trump spoke with vladimir putin by phone. putin telling trump he's ready for a dialogue and hopes for a nonintervention into each country's internal affairs. all of that as we learn the trump transition team is openly inquiring to get top secret security clearances for the older children as well as son-in-law jared kur. however, come inauguration day, president-elect trump would be at his leisure to grant the clearance to whoever he chooses. >> while trump may be adding his children even in an unofficial capacity, it is president obama who is trying to bring the country together. he's asking the public to give trump a chance while implicitly hitting hillary clinton for her failed campaign. and rea mitchell has more.

about his successor and the first meeting in the oval office. >> we had a very cordial conversation. >> with protests nationwide, revealing his advice to the president-elect. >> i said to him it's really important to try to send some signals of unity. and to reach out to minority groups or women. >> when asked if he still thinks donald trump is unqualified, he dodged. >> he successfully mobilized a big chunk of the he has won. i don't think he is ideological. i think ultimately, he's pragmatic in that way. and that can serve him well as long as he's got good people around him. >> with trump hitting 133 battleground stops in the last 100 days, versus hillary clinton's 87, many democrats, nbc news has learned, including

clinton didn't reach out enough to white working class voters. president obama agrees. >> we have to compete everywhere. we have to show up everywhere. we have to work at a grass roots level, something that's been a running thread in my career. you know, i won iowa not because the demographics dictated that i would win iowa. it was because i spent 87 days going to every small town and fair and fish fry. >> other democrats are also agreeing with president obama, there's a mad scramble to take over the democratic national committee coming into full swing with keith ellison, the first muslim congressman formally announcing his bid. here's what he told chris hayes about his run. >> i believe you got to return that focus right back to the working man and woman in this country, affirm the idea of better wages, affirm the idea of the right to bargain

affirm the idea of having a clean environment. these are the things that our core values and that's where i want to take the democratic party. >> this morning, we are getting new reaction from bernie sanders. he says democrats need to change. >> the democrats cannot continue to be run -- the democratic party, by what i call a liberal elite. the party has got to transform itself to be a party, which first of all, opens the pain of working class people. of the middle class, of low income people, of young people. brings people into the party on virtually every issue. >> now, wildfires are raging across the country with more than 70 still burning overnight. air quality alerts are in place from charlotte, north carolina, to atlanta and even nashville, tennessee. a view from nasa of the southeast united states reveals the extent of the smoke.

as far away as alaska and california to combat the fires. >> authorities expect arson as the cause of some of these fires. several already have been made. >> the man accused of killing his young toddler son knows his feat. justin ross harris has been convicted of murder and other felonies related to the death of his 22-month-old son. cooper died in june of 2014 after he was left in his prosecutors argued harris planned to kill his son to escape family responsibilities, while he pursued sex with prostitutes and women he met online. those charges are backed up by sexually explicit texts and photos he sent to an underaged girl. the defense said while he may have been a bad husband, his son's death was an accident and his actions were not criminal. his ex-wife testified on his behalf, saying he loved his son.

he faces life in prison without parole. >> a fascinating survey of burglars, thieves, and the mates serving time. they offer key advice to keep your home from getting ripped off. >> bill karins with a soggy northwest and possible snow? >> it could be a significant snowfall, but first, we get through the setup. this is the yara of rain through the pacific northwest, and a piece into northern around mt. shasta, and eventually, this is going to spread slowly through the rockies and by friday, head out to the plains. a lot of this snow on thursday could be significant snow in areas of wyoming and how about minnesota, a potential for a foot, foot in a half with a blizzard by friday.

northern california all the way through areas of western washington and oregon. a little bit of snow, and we also have great weather in southern california. not everyone is going to be dealing with bad weather. >> good news for those of us excited about ski season. thank you very much. >> just ahead, fists were flying along with offensive accusations. find out what set off these ukrainian plus, donald trump promises jobs for american workers but can he deliver on his promise. >> put your money where your mouth is. it's as simple as that. thanks for giving victor the energy to be the rowdiest fan. and joseph, the ability to see monsters. when you choose walgreens, you choose to make a difference... like how every vitamin and flu shot you get at walgreens

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it's the first bio-based detergent... with the cleaning power of tide. so you can actually clean your clothes and still... ...do your part. new tide purclean. the first bio-based detergent with the cleaning power of tide. if it's got to be clean, it's got to be tide. it may seem like politics in america couldn't be more divisive, especially after the campaign season but things came to a head literally in ukraine in a session of parliament. the leader of the radical party accused the leader of the opposition party of having ties with the russian kremlin.

wasn't going to take that sitting down. several stepped in to end the melee, but they continued with the accusations and a second round of fisticuffs ensued. sometimes we should be counting our lucky stripes we don't have that violence in congress. >> seeing it now, but speaking of hot topics, the president-elect promised jobs to voters, but can he deliver? there's a fascinating report ahead, but first, apple may have the next big thing up their sleeves. what's happening with apple, landon. >> the dow has been up for six days in a row, and begins the trading day at a fresh record high, 18,868. so now wall street is watching to see if the post-trump victory rally continues, and if the dow might top 19,000. it's only 132 points away. the nasdaq starts in negative territory, way down by worries about the tech second sector under a trump administration.

one big focus for investors. that is retail. the government is expected to report that retail sales grew last month by more than half a percent, pretty encouraging, and as for earnings, we'll hear from big retailers like home depot and tjx. and looking for the next big thing with apple. maybe we found it. the company is reported to be working on a pair of smart glasses. the project is said to be in the thought to be advanced enough to involve suppliers already. the plan is to introduce the glasses steve jobs style, no doubt, in 2018 at the earliest. and amazon is ditching its customary blue and gold christmas wrapping paper in the u.s., mexico, and canada this year. it's guiding north star is minimizing packaging and wrapping paper has no value. it will be replaced by velvet gift bags in five sizes and

>> all right, for a nice fancy wrapping there, too. landon, thank you. >> one of the cornerstones of the trump campaign was a vow to bring back jobs to america. and now it's time to put his money where his mouth is. kevin tibbles talks to workers who voted for donald trump because of his jobs promise. >> when carrier air conditioning told its 1400 employees it was shutting down. >> to move production from our facility in indianapolis to mexico. >> it became a focal point for donald trump in the election. >> we're bringing jobs back to our country. we're not going to let carrier leave. >> many at carrier are now counting on him to keep his promise. >> put your money where your mouth is. that's as simple as that. >> across from the plant, sully's bar and grille, where workers after their shift say they have high expectations for the president-elect. >> we want you to do what you say you're going to do.

accountable. >> carrier says it's trying to ease the workers' transition, providing three years advance notice of the move and funding education and retraining programs. some carrier workers see politics at play. >> they say whatever needs to be said to get people's vote, especially in a time like this where we're losing our jobs. >> if he could come here and save these 1400 jobs here tomorrow, i'll gladly vote for him again. >> many of these american workers say they took a gamble on trumpnd payoff means winning back their jobs. kevin tibbles, nbc news, indianapolis. >> from the focus of the president-elect to the first daughter elect, just ahead, is ivanka trump's jewelry line trying to cash in on her 60 minutes appearance? you're watching "early today." ." geico has a long history of great savings and great service. over seventy-five years.

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fast forwarding today. some north dakota pipeline across the country. the army corps of engineers says it will delay its decision on the pipe line as it looks for more information from tribes. >> president obama has arrived in athens, greece, and then he will head to germany and peru. the last foreign policy trip of his presidency. >> and tomorrow, hillary clinton will speak for the first time since conceding the race.

>> leading the news, ivanka trump is under scrutiny after what some call an attempt to make money off a recent interview she did. her company's vp of sales sent oun an e-mail to journalists alertic them to the bracelet she wore in her 60 minutes interview. the bracelet comes in at $11,000. it's not the first time she's gotten into trouble mixing politics the rnc urging people to shop ivanka's look. >> many experts don't believe trump would actually follow through on his comments about killing the families of terrorists, there is speculation he could easily rescind obama's policy of limiting nonwar zone drone strikes. >> everybody has had kind of a rough couple weeks when it comes to politics here, but there is a

that should make you smile. former president george w. bush and laura bush adopting a new puppy, freddy. it's a rescue dog they met in dallas. the president and mrs. bush showed the picture on social media. so the family cats are reportedly getting along with the new pup whose charm is described as, quote, futile to resist. any time you see a family growing especially when it's a first family and a puppy. >> just ahead, tracking your again. plus, saying good-bye to a television news trailblazer.

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as we remember trailblazing journalist gwen ifill, anchor of the news hour and washington week on pbs. she died after a long battle with cancer at the age of 61. nbc's pete williams reports. >> good evening. i'm gwen ifill. >> she was one of the most successful african-american women in journalism. co-anchor of the pbs news hour and moderator of washington week. >> their greater vulnerability was on things like the tax return. >> she started as a newspaper reporter in boston where she faced racism on the job. she moved on to the baltimore evening sun, the "washington post," and "new york times" before becoming a television correspondent, joining nbc news in 1994 to cover congress and politics. >> involving the president, the

supporters. >> then came the switch to pbs in 1999. >> washington week. >> for what became washington week with gwen ifill. >> as we welcome governor palin and senator biden. >> widely respected for her reporting, she moderated the vice presidential debates in 2004 and 2008. president obama, one of the rising black figures she wrote about in her west selling 2009 book, praised her. >> she was an especially women and girls. >> her clear-eyed reporting brought dozens of awards, but she was proudest of the women and minorities she inspired. pete williams, nbc news, washington. >> gwen ifill was 61 years old. you're watching "early today." we'll be right back.

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i tell you what, this doesn't -- if i didn't know where it was from, i wouldn't think it was real. three cows stranded in new zealand after a powerful earthquake struck monday, causing landslides all around them, 360 degrees. it's like they're on a pedestal or a thankfully, farmers were able to rescue the cows earlier today. can you believe that? as far as today's forecast, the truvl trouble spots, new england, airport delays with rain and wind, and the pacific northwest with occasional rain. a dose of that right now in the seattle area southwards down to olympia. the middle of the country looks just fine, and into tomorrow, we clear the northwest out and we start to watch the storm move to the rockies. those pictures of those cows, that's --

seen. i know you're talking about travel delays and a lot of groans out there, but maybe one less reason for headache out there when you travel this holiday season, and that's because you don't have to worry about losing your leggage. delta installed a $50 million tracking system to minimize baggage losses. the airline is now embedding microchips and antennas into luggage tags. once you check in a suitcase, it transmits a gps location so any ec to your final destination. you can even check the location on your phone. in 2015, nearly 2 million bags were mishandled. they're hoping they can cut the number way down. impressive, that technology. >> it's costing them $50 million, but they're saving $3 billion. >> don't stop drinking, that's what runchers are saying. cleeming it's good for your heart. according to a study from penn

actually preserves good cholesterol levels. in fact, researchers recommend two pienlts for men and one for women. they say controlled consumption reaps more rewards than excess drinking and even abston nls, believe it or not, but only healthy chinese adults were examined. further study is needed to see if it applies to other groups. >> if you ever wanted to get inside a criminal mind, our affiliate in portland, serving time for burglary. when they asked what time of day they prefer to break in, most said 12:30 and 2:30 p.m. to avoid lunch breaks and kids. also, looking for hidden valuables, everywhere, from the stove, the freezer, the fish tank, even your toilet. the best advice, leave a tv or radio on, or leave an extra car

watching "early today." we'll see you right back here tomorrow. >> kim: we have breaking news. met strow investigating its latest police shooting in our community. we're taking you to the scene for live team coverage ahead. >> dana: president obama arrived in greece just hours ago for his final trip overseas as president. the reason he will likely talk about his coming up. >> kim: we have a mom arrested. that woman on your screen is from texas and she was caught here in southern nevada with animals she's not supposed to have. wait until you hear this developing story. we have it for you this morning.

thanks giving is coming up next week. >> kim: anyone else getting excited? we know the moon is still above the horizon. not as super as noticed it more than i have in the past. >> kelly: incredible sight. you can get out and see it this morning. not as impressive but still amazing to see. temperatures will feel more like thanksgiving in the coming days too. if you are having a hard time coming to terms with how the holidays are right around the corner, it's going to feel like it in a couple of days. today the last of the sunny,