nation. wait until you see the familiar faces. and then protecting the leader of the free world. a secret service review recommending sweeping changes to the agency. will the organization listen and act? christmas comes early for investors. a marge surge with gains not seven in seven years. will the dow break 18,000? this is "way too early." hey, everybody good morning. i'm thomas roberts. the friday before christmas. can you believe that? welcome to "way too early." the show not invited to sing backup for colbert. we're tone deaf. what a great farewell colbert had. we'll show you that star-studded conversation that came out. we want to get the latest.

about the massive sony data breach as federal officials may give word as early as today who the source of the cyber attack. the white house is calling this suspected attack a serious national security matter. u.s. officials say it may have become months ago and ran through series of servers to disguise the origigiorigin. senior official told nbc news that the u.s. concluded that north korea was responsible, administration officials did not say so in public on thursday. the obama administration is considering now how to respond but it said the attackers may be sophisticated and just inching for a reaction. the white house press secretary josh ernst confirmed that sony previously sought freedback from the administration and officials about the movie "the interview." >> administration officials were consulted prior to the release at the request of officials from the company producing the movie. >> but i'm saying you had an

involvement months ago in this. did the administration under estimate the impact it was going to have? >> no. we wouldn't have been in a position dictating an outcome or dictating changes to a film. we did so at the request of the company. so, again, you had this private company that had come to the administration officials seeking their input, and that was presumably that input was shared. as for the interview, sony could lose up to $75 million on the film including $30 million in marketing costs. there was a lot of temporary confusion when a new trailer for the interview was published on sony's youtube page on sunday. that was quickly pulled down. and paramount, banned theaters intending to show team america world police instead of the interview. right. they're not going to show the movie now. george clooney said he's

troubled that someone caved to the headachers commands. he tried to get major hollywood figures to sign the letter of support for sony but no one signed on because of how scarred the industry is about what has currently happened to sony could they be next? there's the scathing new report out about the u.s. secret service following a string of embarrassing breaches. the executive summary states that the secret service is, quote, starved for leadership. and the panel is recommending some major changes for the agency. warning that even a single miscue quote could have disastrous consequences for the nation and the world. so the changes include at least a fence four to five feet taller. a much larger force, including 85 new agencys and 200 new uniformed officers. also, more training time. uniformed officers were trained about 25 minutes each in 2010. to oversee the changes the a

shakeup at the top including a director at the top removed from personal relationships. jay johnson ordered the review after a man jumped the fence and made it inside the first family's home. president obama's plan to restore relations with cuba may s set up the big foreign policy battle. the president could take executive actions to lift restrictions against cuba as early as next month. white house officials telling any action the president takes on his own would be the scope of the embargo. but republicans on capitol hill are reportedly already brainstorming ways to thwart the changes. according to politico they could include blocking funds to reopen the havana embassy, voting down a bill that ease travel restrictions, or simply ignoring white house request to lift the embargo. rand paul come out in support of the president's plan to allow more trade with cuba.

breaking with his party and potential 2016 primary opponents including jeb bush, marco rubio, and scott walker. >> a 50 year with cuba hasn't worked. if the goal was regime change, it doesn't cement to be working. if there's open trade, i think the people will see what it's like to all the things we produce under capitalism. in the end, i think probably oepg up cuba is a good idea. it's my understanding that some of the embargo was done by executive order. he may be able to undo it by executive order. >> pretty interesting reaction there. top u.s. military officials confirming three isis leaders were killed since the middle of november. they are mid to high level leaders including the top military commander and the man who controlled isis in iraq. one official said that the deaths, quote, serious blow to isis command and control. however, the official cautions that the islamic state has many individuals willing to replace them. someone to step right in.

kurdish forces say they have broken the islamic state siege in mount sinjar. it comes after chuck hagel approved the deployment of hundreds of u.s. troops to iraq to train iraqi forces. accused boston bomber app r appeared in court on thursday. a federal judge in south boston held the final hearing to discuss any last-minute issues before the trial begins coming up next year on january 5th. the judge didn't make any ruling saying he would decide later on a defense request to move the proceedings out of boston. tensions ran high throughout including at one point the mother-in-law shouted out her support for the defendant. he faces 30 federal charges. he could get the death penalty

if convicted again. the trial is supposed to begin coming up on january 5th. elizabeth warren has been the talk of the democratic party since her attempt last week to disrupt the spending bill comprise because of concessions to wall street. now the talk is only getting louder. a liberalliberal advocacy group a committee in iowa. partnering with move on in trying to persuade her to run for presidency. as 2016 nears impossible challenges to emerge, many wonder if hillary clinton learned from the mistakes made from her past. from specifically 2008. an article highlights the missteps emphasizing strength and experience. coming across as calculated and misusing her husband during the campaign. today the times reports clinton is taking steps that suggest she's learned from the mistakes.

now clinton highlight her, quote, grandmother glow mingling at events over podiums, and rope lines, and keeps close over her husband. as we shift gears and look at the markets where the dow had the biggest day in three years. thursday soaring more than 400 points. the surge e tected a market rally that hikes, interest rates aren't on the immediate horizon. but oil prices they continue to drop. crude dropped below $60 a barrel. can you believe that? shooting up over 400 points. will the dow break the 18,000 number? we'll see. car service uber currently valued at $40,000 and operating in 53 countries is revamping the safety and security measures after serious allegations that some of the drivers are not doing enough to protect their

customers and some are performing illegal activity. >> sophia was in a san francisco crosswalk when the 7-year-old was hit and killed by the car. the driver was working for uber. >> i feel i want to die, too. >> uber denied responsibility because the driver who had a previous reckless driver. this month in boston, a uber driver was charged of raping and kidnapping a young female passenger. that driver passed a background check. there are two incidents that have some questioning whether a ride in an uber car is a safe one. uber screening doesn't check the fbi's criminal data base and many taxi companies do. uber outsources the background checks. san francisco is suing uber. district attorney saying the screenings are inadequate because they don't include

fingerprinting. >> if you read their website there's language about how they're striving to make this a safe experience for the rider and then when you read the small print you see basically uber is completely walking away from any liability. >> it's uber aggressive in fighting stronger background checks. the company defended the screening but on wednesday uber promised to improve saying it has more work to do and we will do it. pledging to build tools for enhanced driver screening and giving customers the instant ability to commune candidate with uber. in the case of sophia the driver has been charged with vehicular manslaughter. riders say it's easy to use. if safety becomes an issue, that convenience will take a backseat. >> an interesting report. still ahead on "way too early." which nfl team is already named their playoff captains before

clenching their spot in the playoffs. being called the most significant challenge to colorado's legal pot law to date. what two neighbors states are doing. he'll on the job white the feat is laying before the u.s. senate [ narrator ] mama sherman and the legion of super fans.

wow! [ narrator ] on a mission to get richard to his campbell's chunky soup. it's new chunky beer-n-cheese with beef and bacon soup. i love it. and mama loves you. ♪

and mama loves you. you don't need to think about the energy that makes our lives possible. because we do. we're exxonmobil and powering the world responsibly is our job. because boiling an egg... isn't as simple as just boiling an egg. life takes energy. energy lives here.

the start of sneeze season.. and the wind-blown watery eyes. that's why puffs plus lotion is gentle on sensitive skin. so you can always put your best face forward. a face in need deserves puffs indeed. and try puffs softpack today. looking for one of these? yoplait. smooth, creamy, and craved by the whole family. . it's time for sports.

yeah. we begin with the nba. golden state hosting the thunder. >> i want to know the three people. >> i know. me too. we'll talk about that in a second. a huge game. already scored a season high of 30 points by the end of the second quarter. before halftime durant steps on the foot of opponent and sprains his ankle. he exits the game and doesn't return in an injury-plagued season for the thunder star. the x-raies came back negative. as for the rest of the game, the warriors rally behind curry's 34 points on the night. golden state wins 114-109. hondo joins dirk. they traded away their all-star point guard to the mavericks yesterday. in the exchange for three players and a future of draft picks. rando has been with the celtics since being drafted by the team in 2006. so that's been his home for a long time.

another exciting thursday night matchup in the nfl. this time the titans and the jaguars. >> i didn't even know there was a game. >> yeah. we're being a little sarcastic here. jags hanging on. and the handoff up the middle going 62 yards. that's the first touchdown of the season for him. and all jacksonville would need to put the tie tans to the bed. tie t-- tie tan's quarterback i tackled. and the john my manziel money sign. good enough to get him a $600,000 bonus. santa claus coming to his house! jags win. the packers are in the playoffs yet but they're acting like it. we have the coach announcing the

playoff captains yesterday. too soon-to-be sure that green bay might lock up a spot in the poets season with a win against the bucks on sunday. but the nfc north could come down to the week 17 matchup against the lions who have a 10-4 record. we'll see. and get this one family of the jets families only one want thing for christmas. a new general manage per. they dedicated the family's christmas card to a photograph instead of spreading holiday well wishes sends a message. do you see that? yeah. fire john -- >> the family looks angry. >> fire john idzik. >> he said he sends out three cards. >> i think they'll be disappointed. >> we're trying to figure out the three people. >> mother, mother-in-law, my brother -- and then i send out a generally one. i put it in the mail occupant.

>> a junk mail christmas card. >> yeah. >> merry christmas! >> bill, weather wise now we figured out how the barnacle family spreads cheer. next wednesday looks like a problem. everyone is trying to get to their destinations on christmas eve. it's not a busy travel as thanksgiving but for everyone trying to go to the airport on wednesday of next week i think for much of the east coast we'll see significant delays. the weather should clear out in time for santa and rudolph and everyone. that should be okay late christmas eve into christmas morning. this morning watching heavy rain in texas. a lot of rain on the map this week. not a enough cold air. that's good. temperatures are okay today. very typically for this time of year. with the rain in the south that will sweep into areas like atlanta by the time we get to saturday. sunday looking damp in the southeast. watch out for a little bit of winter weather in the northern plains. here is the christmas eve map. winds up to 50 miles per hour heavy rain right up through the

mid atlantic, the big cities, philadelphia, d.c., new york, and new england throughout the night. for people trying to get to, you know, their church services on christmas eve and trying to drive it will be windy and rainy. but, you know, trying to fly the airports could have problems. >> pacific northwest we see snow likely. >> ability will ha little bit o. some people like to go skiing for the holidays. >> absolutely! snow is very christmassy. >> i know. >> ask mike. it's probably on the front of his christmas cards. hopefully you're the anonymous person out there that gets the barnacle card. >> it's like the lottery. coming up more on the sony hacking scandal that could roastly cost the company $75 million. what the white house is saying about this and not saying about the threat. first, we have the all-star send offas stephen colbert retires. we're going to have the highlights from the farewell.

>> it's fun to look at the familiar faces. if you slow down the dvr now, this is good. you can pause and look. earning unlimited cash back on purchases. that's a win. but imagine earning it twice. introducing the citi® double cash card. it lets you earn cash back twice, once when you buy and again as you pay. it's cash back. then cash back again. and that's a cash back win-win . the citi double cash card. the only card that lets you earn cash back twice on every purchase with 1% when you buy and 1% as you pay. with two ways to earn, it makes a lot of other cards seem one-sided.

ring ring! ...progresso! you soup people have my kids loving vegetables. well vegetables... shh! taste better in our savory broth. vegetables!? no...soup! oh! soup! loaded with vegetables. packed with taste.

bring you up to speed and

check on other headlines. an update on the massive fire last week in a downtown l.a. construction site. it's been deemed arson. this confirms what officials thought early on. their suspicious that the fire was set intentionally based how quickly it spread. look at the flames there. investigators say they're looking for two witnesses. one man who was captured on camera near the scene before the blaze started and another who was spotted while the fire was in full swing. colorado has been hilt with a federal lawsuit from two neighboring states over its legal marijuana law. nebraska and oklahoma say pot is spilling across state lines and it creates a dangerous gap in the drug controlled system. since marijuana is still illegal under federal law, the state want the law struck down. but colorado's attorney general is vowing a fight. the denver post call it is the most serious challenge to colorado's recreational pot law to date. certainly the edible market is being targeted. so it was a bittersweet night for fans of stephen colbert and his comedy show "the

colbert report." the comedian said quarterbackgo. he was celebrated by the all-star cast of celebrities, journalists, politicians. they came together with john stewart there and sang "we'll meet again." ♪ see that mayor de blasio, big bird, willie nelson.

it was then he found santa. a unicorn, and of course, what else? what did do you find with those two things? alex tribeck. >> what do i do now? >> huh? ho ho ho, hello stephen! >> santa! >> and i'm not alone! >> how do you do? >> abraham lincoln? >> i enjoy watching your show, stephen. [ laughter ] >> it's true! you are a unicorn! >> and they thought mary todd was crazy. >> but, santa, it's not even christmas. why are you here? >> don't ask me. ask the one with all the answers. >> the one with all the answers -- is it? it is you! >> hello, stephen. >> glad you could join us. >> where will we go? what will we do?

>> you got that exactly right. all of life's important answers must be in the form of a question. [ laughter ] >> that was really good. don't you love a lincoln? anyway. colbert went on to thank staff and viewers. everyone we know is a fan of betty white and this week craig ferguson delivered her a christmas present in honor of her favorite holiday song "i want a hippopotamus for christmas." ♪ ♪ >> isn't she great? >> 92 years old and we love our betty white. and we thank our alan for bringing in the edible treats.

john, who made these? these are straight from colorado. yes. coming up on next on "way too early." a look at the storyies for the day ahead. emma, it's simple, when you are in a place like this, the best way to capture the moment is to feel it, even if you can't see it.

wellllll... ♪ ♪ earlyfit ♪ latefit ♪ risefit ♪ fallfit ♪ ballfit ♪ wallfit ♪ pingfit ♪ pongfit ♪ pingfit ♪ pongfit ♪ rowfit ♪ throwfit ♪ slowfit ♪ olliefit ♪ oopsfit ♪ otisfit ♪ thiswayfit ♪ thatwayfit ♪ daddyfit ♪ pappyfit ♪ datefit ♪ weightfit ♪ goalfit ♪ gooooooalfit ♪ stepfit ♪ stairfit ♪ smartfit ♪ heartfit ♪ spinfit ♪ bikefit ♪ hikefit ♪ yikesfit ♪ wheeeeefit ♪ wowfit ♪ whoafit ♪ findyourfit ♪ it's all fitbit wow!

[ narrator ] on a mission to get richard to his campbell's chunky soup. it's new chunky beer-n-cheese with beef and bacon soup. i love it. and mama loves you. ♪

let's gate check on the day ahead before we toss it to "morning joe." president obama will talk to reporters this afternoon this ae holds his end of year news conference. after answering questions he and the first family will head to hawaii for the holidays. the cdc is set to give the latest numbers on the flu. 14 states have reported widespread flu activity. that number has risen. that will do it for "way too early." have a good weekend. what day is it? friday before christmas. not a payday friday so we're going into debt for christmas. "morning joe" starts right now. ♪ the truth is all those incredible things people said i did, running for president, saving the olympics, colbert