set two of stories where i'm really hoping there is no third. it's thursday, december 10th. right now on "first look" donald trump's support grows as the controversy over his muslim ban proposal draws comments from the greatest of all time. a week after the san bernardino shooting, new fbi details on the couple's online courtship discussing jihad. >> and online, as late as -- as early as the end of 2013, they were talking to each other about jihad and martyrdom, before they became engaged, and then married and lived together in the united states. and then a dramatic tanker explosion in alabama. forces residents to evacuate. plus courtroom outbursts and a motive from the accused shooter at a planned parenthood. the hottest holiday decoration causing trouble for pilots.

and check it outs the world's first official test tube puppies. "first look" starts right now. good morning, i'm gigi stone wood. today members of congress are receiving high-level classified briefings on the san bernardino shootings after the husband and wife terrorists who killed 14 were starting to learn about warning signs, signals coming to light now instead of during a government background check last year. nbc's tracie potts is live in washington. good morning, tracie. what are we expecting to learn today? >> well, gigi, we're not sure because that classified briefing, of course, is behind closed doors. we'll probably get some sort of characterization of that from lawmakers after the fact. they are learning more details about this investigation, as we have learned more publicly. last night the fbi director talked about what he thought -- what he still thinks is the biggest threat. >> i think the most urgent threat that we face here in the homeland is a -- is an

externally inspired or potentially directed threat from terrorist groups. >> the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, so help you god. >> reporter: today the fbi will tell lawmakers what it's director could not say in public when he dropped this bombshell about the san bernardino shooters. >> they were actually radicalized before they started courting or dating each other online. and online, as late as -- as early as the end of 2013 they were talking to teach other about jihad and martyrdom, before they became engaged. >> reporter: that was before the rise of isis, and before the u.s. approved tashfeen malik to travel here on a fiance visa. >> it's still too early to make any grand pronouncements about what could have been done differently. >> reporter: a year earlier, the fbi says, syed farook was talking to his neighbor about an attack. >> in all honesty, my greatest fear is more attacks and more dead americans. >> reporter: as investigators dig for clues in the couple's smashed phones and hard drives, we're also learning there may

have been other targets. this california high school farook inspected for work. or another building or public gathering. lawmakers are expected to learn more today from the fbi, homeland security, and the national counterterrorism center. and we're also learning this morning that the state department is supporting that bipartisan effort here to overhaul the visa waiver program. a lot of talk about that, gigi. what it does, it allows 38 countries, people from 38 countries, to travel here without visas. but that would change with this legislation. people who've been to iraq, to iran, sudan, or syria in the last five years would have to get that visa. >> a number of changes are likely under way. tracie potts in washington, thanks. donald trump again threatening a third party bid. he's been under attack by the so-called establishment for his proposed muslim ban. last night, he left the door open. >> if i'm treated fairly i would never do it. i'm if i'm not treated fairly i might very well do it. >> if you do it --

>> my deal would have to be treated fairly. >> trump's political rivals have already condemned his proposal and now we're hearing from some other big names. after sunday's oval office address, trump tweeted obama said in his speech that muslims are our sports heroes. what sport is he talking about and who? is obama profiling? many were quick to point out one, if not all, the greatest of all time, mohammed ali whom trump met in 2007 to accept the muhammad ali award. yesterday the champ released an anti-isis statement that also serves as a not so veiled jab at trump. the statement ended, speaking as someone who's never been accused of political correctness, i believe our political leaders should use their positions to bring understanding about the religion of islam, and clarify that these misguided murderers have perverted people's views on what islam really is. basketball legend kareem abdul-jabbar is now a "time" magazine columnist. his latest piece, what donald trump and isis have in common.

but is this all hurting trump in the gop standings? well a new poll conducted over four days surrounding his proposed muslim ban finds trump way out in front in south carolina. 35%. his support jumped eight points after his statement, from 30% during the first two nights to 38% during the second two. for more on that we go to nbc's katy tur. >> reporter: donald trump isn't quieting down on his proposed muslim ban. >> these are people that are outside of the country, so we're really not talking about the constitution. and it's not about religion. this is about safety. >> reporter: forcing president obama to subtly weigh in -- >> our freedom is bound up with the freedom of others. regardless of what they look like or where they come from or what their last name is, or what faith they practice. >> reporter: the country remained divided. but according to a one-day instant poll, bloomberg found nearly two-thirds of republican likely primary voters agreed

with trump's ban. >> who's cutting off people's heads? who's bombing buildings? it's the muslims. >> reporter: trump's proposal echoing around the globe in the uk parliament will consider a 300,000-plus signature petition to ban the candidate from entering the country. which has already banned 84 of what they called hate preachers. >> the government leads by example in considering making mr. donald trump -- >> yay. >> reporter: and trump down planning an end of the month trip to israel to meet with benjamin netanyahu who rejected trump's idea. trump wants an international symbol of real estate, now accused of being an international symbol of hate. >> i am the least racist person that you have ever met. i am the least racist person. >> are you bigoted in any way? >> i don't think so, no. >> islamophone? >> no, not at all. >> that was katy tur reporting. dramatic footage overnight from birmingham, alabama, when an 18 wheeler exploded shutting

down interstate 2059. the truck was carrying hydrogen peroxide and sulfuric acid. fire officials say one of the cylinders ruptured and ignited another chemical on the truck. nearby residents were evacuated. the fire is under control. crews are conducting a hazmat cleanup. protesters took to the streets of chicago wednesday to demand mayor rahm emanuel's resignation. it's the latest fallout from the police video from last year that shows an officer shooting a teenager 16 times. nbc's dan schenemen has the latest. >> reporter: an emotional meeting of the chicago police force. >> they brought a bunch of liars, a bunch of thieves, and destroyed a community that i put my life in. [ chanting ] >> reporter: the meeting came just hours after angry demonstrators shut down streets, in one of the country's most famous shopping areas. calling on mayor rahm emanuel to step down.

>> rahm's got to go! >> reporter: earlier an emotional mayor stood before the city council. he accepted responsibility for his handling of a fatal police shooting and apologized. >> we're also going to begin the healing process. the first step in that journey is my step, and i'm sorry. >> reporter: the anger was ignited last month, with the release of dash cam video that showed a chicago police officer shooting a 17-year-old. 16 times. the officer is now charged with murder, and entered a plea of not guilty. last week, chicago's police superintendent was fired. [ chanting ] >> reporter: the mayor admitted police and city leaders need to earn the public's trust. >> it is a painful process, it is a long journey, because of the issues we need to confront. >> reporter: earlier this week the justice department launched a civil rights investigation into the chicago police department. dan schenemen, nbc news. little doubt seems to remain

this morning as to the motive of the november 27th shooting in a planned parenthood in colorado springs. robert dear, the man accused of killing three people, including a police officer, and wounding nine others, appeared in court yesterday. among his nearly 16 outbursts he railed against planned parenthood. >> -- protect the babies. kill the babies. that's what planned parenthood does. >> disturbing. dear charged with 179 felony counts. the duplicate charges reflecting different theories of the case. a competency hearing is scheduled for december 23rd. let's get down to business with cnbc's landon dowdy. good morning, landon. hopefully you have better news today. stocks have been getting hammered. >> good morning to you. the markets will try to break a three-day losing streak today after a volatile session on wednesday. the dow slip morgue than 350 points from its highs to its lows as falling oil prices once again weigh on stocks. look for data today on unemployment. the friendly skies will be

even more crowded over the holidays. airlines for america expects u.s. carriers to fly 38.1 million passengers between december 18th and january 3rd. that's up 3% from last year, and it attributes that to the improving economy and affordable airfares. airlines may use larger planes to meet demand. and the market for classic cars isn't tapping the brakes this 1956 ferrari goes up for sale today at christy's and could fetch as much as $32 million. that would make it the second most expensive car ever sold at auction between a ferrari that went for $38 million last year. >> i'm thinking don't take it out for a test drive. thank you. another hoverboard going up in flames. why isn't the government cracking down? plus why are scientists creating puppies? good question. the details behind this new breed coming up next. you don't want to miss it.

surprise!!!!! we heard you got a job as a developer! its official, i work for ge!! what? wow... yeah! okay... guys, i'll be writing a new language for machines so planes, trains, even hospitals can work better. oh! sorry, i was trying to put it away... got it on the cake. so you're going to work on a train? not on a train...on "trains"! you're not gonna develop stuff anymore? no i am... do you know what ge is? this holiday, i can count on my going off list.again, and knowing right when my packages arrive. so that's two things.

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rains. day after day of this and the problems are starting to add up. a lot of problems with rivers overflowing. some flash flooding issues. and when you see water rescues like that you know you have trouble. there was one fatality yesterday when this huge tree just sliced this house literally in half. unfortunately a 60-year-old woman got hit by that tree as it fell. as far as this morning goes we have another storm. yesterday's is gone. it's actually up here in southern canada and look at this beast. this is just a huge storm here now coming onshore. so there's more rain, there's more wind problems, and eventually we're going to get snow out of this in areas of california, especially there's that shield of rain went through portland, up towards seattle now. a lot of that should be gone by the morning commute. further to the south, though, this will be more steady rain through the day, northern california, and now we're going to start to see the mountainous areas that desperately need the snow pack starting to pick it up. we're expecting about a foot of snow possible, maybe as much as two feet of snow in the next 24 hours. but with that, 60-mile-per-hour winds. the rest of the country, the warm, pacific air continues.

look at these temperatures today. 68 in st. louis, 54 in detroit. and gigi, it's going to get even warmer this upcoming weekend. it could be 60 degrees in buffalo in the middle of december. and that's pretty rare. >> we need you meteorologists more than ever with this confusing weather. >> the wardrobes are a tough decision every day. >> much-needed commodity. after the prosecution rested their case, officer william porter, the first baltimore police officer tried in the death of freddie gray, testified in his own defense yesterday. now porter said he did not call for medical help because gray showed no signs of injury and did not request medical attention. he also said he did not secure gray's seat belt because it's typically the driver's responsibility. the prosecution has argued porter contributed to gray's death by not calling for medical help and not buckling him in. now this holiday season it seems the hoverboard is one of the hottest gift items, literally. there have been at least six hoverboard fires so far this year. the biggest fire danger is the

lithium batteries. they have a history of overheating and catching fire. and because hoverboards aren't toys, they're not vehicles, it means they're not actually regulated. and the consumer product safety commission is investigating the fires now. another popular holiday item causing problems, those laser holiday lights that people are shining on their homes. the faa is warning the lasers shouldn't be pointed toward the sky, because they could be a danger to pilots. and you want to check out the world's first puppies to ever be born through in vitro fertilization. scientists have been trying to create ivf canines for 48 years. who knew? it may actually allow doctors to prevent genetic diseases like cancer. so it's a huge breakthrough, and also, very cute to look at. a bald eagle putting donald trump in his place. we'll show you the video. pretty priceless. it's coming up next, so stay tuned.

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introducing real-time delivery notifications. one more reason this is our season. deck the halls with barks from rudy ♪ (rudy barks) well, it's more like "fa la la la la la la la la" but you're in the same vein. say happy holidays with milk-bone! time now for your thursday edition of "scrambled politics." stop us if you've heard this one before but congressional leaders say they're close to a long-term government funding deal. they passed a stopgap measure to kick the can down the road, proverbially, temporarily moving the shutdown deadline from friday to wednesday. negotiators say there's progress, but obstacles remain. president obama expected to sign a new law overhauling no child left behind. the new legislation gives states the authority to decide how to use federally mandated math and

reading test results in evaluating teachers and schools. it also encourages states to limit the time students spend on testing. president obama channeled the force at a white house hanukkah reception. >> they were outnumbered, they were outarmed, and yet they proved that freedom can prevail over tyranny. hope can triumph over despair. light can prevail over darkness. that sounds like a description of the new star wars movie. but this one happened a little earlier. >> the story of hanukkah. now everyone knows star wars takes place a long, long time ago. but we'll forgive the president for the last part. vice president joe biden telling bloomberg he made the right decision not entering the 2016 race. although he still thinks he could have won. not a self-confidence problem there. and "time" magazine person of the year runner-up donald trump is slamming the

publication, and the final choice, german chancellor angela merkel. i told you "time" magazine would never pick me as person of the year, despite being the big favorite. they picked a person who is ruining germany. never one to hold back. "time" fired back with a behind-the-scenes look at this cover shoot in august. it's a minute long video showing his struggle with a bald eagle he was posing with. if there was ever a metaphor it's the very symbol of the united states attacking one of the candidates. and it's that time of year, as our service men and women protecting our country, they're also getting ready to watch for santa on christmas eve. >> can you assure the boys and girls of this country that norad and the air force is fully prepared to track santa once again? >> i don't have a complete intelligence report, senator, but i understand that the reindeer have been, in fact, fed their quantity of oats and are prepared for the delivery of all of those gifts to those who have been nice and not naughty.

>> speaking of delivery, kudos to the deadpan nature of those hearings. and that's your morning dish of "scrambled politics." time to welcome in political reporter erin mckite, thanks for being here. good morning, erin. >> thank you. >> so donald trump's proposal to ban muslims from entering the u.s. is actually galvanizing his supporters, his lead is widening in south carol sna? >> we're seeing this in polls both in states, early states and nationally, he's rising in one poll that i say he came down from about 43% to 33% this week. but look, he's still above 30% in most of these polls. i'm not really sure why people are continuing to talk about him running as an independent, because he is dominating in these republican polls with republican voters. so at this point, he's going to be on top of the polls for about five months, as of sometime next week. anybody else crushing that much,

at this point, is a front-runner. and we wouldn't be talking about that person being overtaken or running as an independent. so right now he is doing quite well. >> and are his republican rivals going to back him, can they do anything about this? >> well, we have heard from a number of republicans, especially john kasich, that he says you know, donald trump is not going to be the nominee. they are starting to backtrack a little bit on this pledge from the rnc saying that they would have to support the nominee, whoever that person is, including if it's donald trump. right now, they keep saying that he's not going to be the nominee. but there's no evidence to suggest that he is not going to be the nominee at this point. >> they're as surprised as anyone. and there are new indications from supreme court justices, talking about overturning affirmative action laws. real quick, erin, how likely is this? >> they may still decide not to rule on the case. that is certainly a possibility. but from the comments that we saw those justices make yesterday while they were hearing these arguments, it sure sounded like a number of those justices were ready to overturn it. >> okay. erin mcpike, thanks for joining

us. >> thank you. >> we will be watching. just ahead, the president and first lady revealing what is on their list of favorite things. and a brawl breaking out in an indiana town council meeting. very intriguing. and we have the details coming up next. i tried depend last weekend.

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can't find you anywhere! don't settle for u-verse. x1 from xfinity will change the way you experience tv. leading the news in "the washington post," saudi women are voting and running for office for the first time ever. more than 900 female candidates are on the ballot from municipal council seats across the country. women account for about one in seven of the nearly 7,000 hopefuls seeking a position. elections will take place this saturday.

that's progress. and from mashable, toronto cab driver bangs on an uber car, is dragged 70 feet in an anti-uber protest. the man confronted the uber driver for allegedly having no insurance. luckily no one was hurt during the incident but the toronto taxi drivers are protesting what they see as unfair business practices by the popular car service app which threatens the city's taxi industry and is causing taxi drivers everywhere some consternation. in india tempers flaring, indiana, rather, big distinction, at a town meeting tuesday night. the board voting to hire this new town marshal. it's a heated argument over the firing of the old town marshal. clearly there's very passionate about this in this town. >> i'm the marshal. no, i'm the marshal! >> i mean where is the law? >> that's the question, who was the law? >> president and mrs. obama sharing some of their favorite things of 2015 with "people" magazine. the interview covering everything from cherished moments to favorite books. the president revealing his

favorite song is how much a dollar costs, i mean you can't say the guy is not hip. "way too early" is up next. stay tuned. >> i have many good friends who are muslims, they're terrific people, and they're calling me on an hourly basis, thanking me for bringing up this point. somebody had to bring it up. now maybe it's not politically correct to do it. but somebody had to bring it up. and a lot of people are very thankful that i did it. >> donald trump digging in on his plan to ban muslim travel to the u.s. as a new poll sheds light on who's with him, and who's against him. police refuse to discuss a motive in the planned parenthood shooting but in open court the suspect, he says a lot. >> "the truth. kill the babies, that's what

planned parenthood does. planned parenthood and my lawyer are in cahoots to shut me up. they don't want the truth out. >> we'll play more of the suspect's courtroom outburst that came over and over again. plus, a rare apology from chicago's mayor during an emotional speech to city leaders. but will it do anything to end calls for his resignation? it is 5:30 on the east coast, 2:30 out west. this is "way too early." and good morning, everyone. it is thursday, december 10th, i'm shiba russell. new polls show most voters oppose donald trump's plan to bar muslims from entering the u.s. but not among republicans. the bloomberg purple