it's thursday, december 24. right now on "first look." breaking news overnight. a dangerous tornado outbreak slams mississippi, tennessee and arkansas. severe weather being blamed for at least seven deaths. the last-minute rush for millions of holiday travelers and shoppers. with just 24 hours to go until christmas morning. hillary clinton fires back at donald trump over his vulgar slur. while ted cruz blasts a political cartoon that depicts his daughters. plus, the panicked 911 call over an elf on the shelf. and light shows that would give clark griswald a run for his money. "first look" starts right now. good morning on this christmas eve. i'm dara brown. we begin with breaking news.

at least seven people confirmed dead following extreme and unseasonable weather in much of the southern part of the country. storms which the national weather service called a particularly dangerous situation. the break, such warning for anywhere in the country in a year and a half. nbc's barry arent reports. >> reporter: a rare sight for december. a massive funnel cloud in clarksdale, mississippi. >> it's like 10 to 15 houses totally gone. >> reporter: the south and midwest on edge and under the gun. >> tornado emergency continues for the cell that has been tracking through north mississippi this afternoon. >> roofs ripped from homes. the same system throwing cars off the roadway near holly springs, mississippi. numerous tornado watches and warnings in effect for at least ten states. >> we're looking still at that risk of tornado activity, especially across parts of tennessee and mississippi. but keep in mind there's 72 million people that will still see the chance of some sort of

severe weather overnight. >> reporter: in arkansas, soaking rains and high winds pushed a tree onto a house, killing an 18-year-old woman. >> you only hear about these stories. you don't expect you to be in them. >> reporter: the storms brought heavy rains elsewhere in the south making driving tough for truckers and holiday travelers alike. and in the nation's busiest airports, weather added to the wait. >> been delayed two hours. >> reporter: as millions make their way home for the holiday. barry arent, nbc news. meteorologist bonnie schneider will be here with more on the deadly storms and your holiday forecast. with that, bonnie, how is the forecast coming out today? >> it looks like unfortunately the risk for severe weather is still with us, dara. but luckily, just in the past few moments the tornado watch has expired. we're still looking at a really powerful line of storms. look at that lightning coming into atlanta right now. if you're about to head out to commute you're going to have to deal with some rough weather. but many people are traveling obviously on christmas eve. we've got a storm brewing out west. this is going to be a big

weathermaker for the weekend. as we look at christmas eve we have mountain snow making for difficult travel conditions. in idaho we had a lot of snow yesterday and that hampered travel. expect more of that today. the severe storm threat shifts further to the east. you already can see the storms coming into atlanta. as we go through the day we'll watch them work their way into parts of north and south carolina, as well. if you're driving on i-95 it's important to note while you may not have the heavy downpours what you are looking at is a lot of fog. and we've been seeing that over the past few days especially here in the northeast. so that low cloud visibility causing a lot of problems on the roads. people just can't see where they're headed. and i guess on the positive side we're looking at some very warm temperatures. we already hit the record high at 3:00 a.m. in new york city, and central park this morning, shattering the record at 63. but temperatures are on the way up. we're looking for really mild conditions for christmas eve, and for christmas day. and then check this out. there is some colder air brewing. you will get some cold numbers as you look towards minneapolis. really for christmas day the big story is the warmth in the east. dara?

>> no snow for christmas on the east coast. >> no. it is crunch time with a record holiday rush on the roads and in the air with 100 million americans traveling more than 50 miles from home. travelers and last-minute shippers and shoppers are facing a final few hours before christmas. nbc's tom costello has more. >> reporter: from coast to coast, the word of the day, volume. from malls to post offices, roads to airports. take a look at the crush of passengers at chicago o'hare. arriving and departing flights delayed by rain and fog. >> just made sure i got here early enough to be here in line and get through security. >> reporter: more weather delays on the east coast. systemwide several hundred flights canceled. >> the good news is it's not snow. you know, that's really good for me. >> reporter: out on the roads, record volume. 91 million americans trying to merge into traffic during the getaway. we found a mcdonald's on the

connecticut turnpike flipping far more burgers than a typical day. >> on a typical day we do about 1600. for a day like today and special holidays we'll do 5,000 or more. >> reporter: the nation's malls and department stores would love a boost in sales like that. for them, this is do or die time. with warm weather taking a big bite out of seasonal sales, retailers have been marking down to drive up customer traffic. >> i tend to be a late shopper. >> reporter: at this best buy in miami, she's been selling lots of wearable technology. >> i feel like they're simply trying to get their shopping done at this point and looking to come in, get great deals and be in and out. >> reporter: it's also the season to ship. the postal service processing 545 million packages. dale had 200 packages to deliver. >> we're helping santa out at the busiest time of the year. >> nbc's tom costello reporting. and plenty of stores are staying open late tonight, including target, walmart, and toys "r" us. activists stormed the largest mall in the country

wednesday as part of a black lives matter protest before moving on to the area's international airport where protesters cut off access to one of the terminals. all this, on one of the busiest holiday shopping and travel days of the year. nbc's kevin tibbles reports. >> reporter: tense moments that minneapolis-st. paul airport as black lives matter supporters try to occupy one of the terminal buildings. >> you're under arrest! >> reporter: police were season taking several people into custody. and security checkpoints were closed for some 45 minutes. while outside the demonstration caused traffic chaos on an already hectic travel day. the protests started at the mall of america on one of the busiest shopping days of the year despite a court order barring group leaders, hundreds protested the november shooting death by police of 24-year-old jamar clark who authorities say was unarmed. federal and state investigations into his death continue. many of the mall's stores

closed. and when security prevented protesters from entering -- >> they're heading toward the light rail. >> reporter: many boarded public transit and headed for the airport. the protest comes a year after some 1500 people shut down part of the mall. >> black lives matter! >> reporter: angered over police involvement in the deaths of unarmed black men in ferguson, missouri, and new york. kevin tibbles, nbc news, chicago. donald trump is headed into the christmas holiday with a commanding lead. a new cnn poll has donald trump getting 39% support among republican voters. a whopping 21% over ted cruz, who is in second. ben carson, marco rubio and chris christie round out the top five. and there doesn't seem to be any letup in the escalating verbal feud between trump and democratic front-runner hillary clinton. nbc's hallie jackson has more. >> reporter: after donald trump's crude "s" word describing hillary clinton's loss to barack obama.

>> she got schlonged, she lost. >> reporter: she's using three "b" words to describe trump's campaign. >> bigotry, bluster, bullying. clinton arguing it shows trump's sexism. trump insisting he's been misinterpreted. mad at the media. ted cruz is also. not because of words, but a picture. >> not much ticks me off. but making fun of my girls, that will do it. >> reporter: an editorial cartoon in "the washington post" shows his young daughters as dancing monkeys. >> read this one, daddy. >> reporter: after cruz put his girls in a campaign ad, spoofing christmas stories. >> i'll use my own server and no one will be the wiser. >> reporter: the cartoonist argues that made the kids fair game. >> don't mess with my kids. don't mess with marco's kids. don't mess with hillary's kids. don't mess with anybody's kids. leave kids alone. >> reporter: the paper pulled the cartoon, as cruz's rivals backed him up with words of their own. disgusting and nasty. the condemnation coming as cruz

caps a six-day, 5,000 mile swing through states that vote march 1st. building momentum off three "c" words. >> wow. >> reporter: crowds, showing up in bigger numbers than ever before. more cash in the bank than any other gop candidate. and a confidence in the campaign strategy of turning out conservatives in iowa and the south. >> that feels like part of your strategy, to draft behind trump in this race. is it? >> friends in the media have been trying to get me to play political pundit. and to attack donald trump. my approach is, i'm not interested in throwing rocks at anybody in this race. >> reporter: that's prompting words of warning that cruz may need a new tone with trump. not a detente, but a duel. in a two-way race, ted cruz will have to denounce donald trump's language if he hopes to be the republican standard-bearer. >> nbc's hallie jackson reporting. let's get down to business with cnbc's kate rogers. good morning to you, kate. >> good morning to you, dara. well the markets will try to give investors an early christmas present today. stocks posting a third straight day of gains wednesday, thanks to the energy sector, as oil

prices had their biggest gain in more than a month. we get data today on unemployment and the markets are only open for a half day. livestream is warning customers its account database may have been hacked. the company is recommending they change their passwords but it doesn't store credit card information in that database. livestream lets clients such as spotify and the nba broadcast live video content with a camera and computer over the web. and some retailers are telling customers that their holiday packages are being delayed, blaming a big backlog at fedex. the package delivery company says it's been operating round the clock to accommodate a surge in volume from some retailers, and its network is performing like it should. dara, back over to you. >> kate, thanks so much. >> thank you. just ahead, college football bowl season is here. plus, an announcer is not letting anything get in the way of his christmas spirit. ♪ we wish you a merry christmas we wish you a merry christmas ♪ ♪ and a happy new year

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we are back with breaking news relating to the paris terror attacks. the belgian prosecutor announced authorities have arrested a ninth person in connection with the november attacks. abdullah si is being described as being born in 1985 and a belgian national and is suspected of having contact with some of the terrorists. the truck driver who trashed into comedian tracy morgan's limo last year in new jersey has been indicted by a new jersey grand jury. kevin roper was charged with first degree aggravated manslaughter, second degree vehicular homicide and third degree aggravated assault. morgan suffered brain injuries, broken ribs and a broken leg. his friend james mcnair was killed. an investigation concluded roper had not slept for 28 hours prior to the crash. robert louis deer who is accused of killing three people at a colorado planned parenthood clinic wants to represent himself in court. this came after the 57-year-old accused shooter took issue with his attorney's suggestion that he was not competent to stand

trial. according to illinois attorney general, fantasy sports betting is considered illegal gambling under state law. because she says it involves playing a game of chance or skill for money. this comes a month after new york's attorney general had ordered online fantasy sports sites draft kings and fanduel to cease operations in the state. both nbc news parent company comcast and nbc sports are among the investors in fanduel. check out this surveillance video showing a smash and grab that took place early wednesday morning in south florida. the burglars rammed their truck into a store and proceeded to steal $8,000 worth of jeans. they even made off with a mannequin. police are hunting for the suspects. at the zoo in san diego, christmas came early for three polar bears. they got to roll, dig, and frolic in 26 tons of snow that was created just for them. well, now to sports, and college football. bowl season is here. the boise state broncos took on

the northern illinois huskies in the, wait for it, the san diego county credit union poinsettia bowl. the huskies must have been naughty and the broncos nice as northern illinois served up a lump of coal. boise state wins. mobile, alabama and the godaddy goal. the georgia southern eagles facing the bowling green falcons in a battle of the birds. bowling green goes up four at the half on this such town run but it was all georgia southern in the second half. the eagles soar over the falcons 58-27. now to the nba, and a tight one in brooklyn. nets facing the dallas mavericks. late in the game, down three, thaddeus young hits the three, sending the game into overtime. late in the extra period dirk nowitzki and this is a nice move he gets the bucket to take a one-point lead. and it would prove to be the difference. the mavs win 119-118. and boston bruins broadcaster jack edwards didn't let a hockey fight get in the way of his

christmas spirit. ♪ we wish you a merry christmas we wish you a merry christmas ♪ ♪ we wish you a merry christmas and a happy new year ♪ i love the holidays! >> well done. perhaps not your normal play by play, but what better way to ring in holt days with some carolling. hillary clinton's appeal to hispanic voters backfires. "scrambled politics" is up next. plus, we'll take you to some neighborhoods that are raising the ante on holiday lights. you're watching "first look." do you know the secret to a happy home in these modern times?

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now here is your christmas eve edition of "scrambled politics." hillary clinton is facing backlash for a list she put out aimed at attracting hispanic voters entitled seven things hillary has in common with your abuela. grandmother, in spanish. this backfired as twitter users were quick to point out reasons he's #notmyabuela including economic advantages and discrimination. and now the hashtag #hispandering is gaining traction online. senator bernie sanders made history this week by breaking the fund-raising record for most contributions at this point in a presidential campaign, with, according to his website, more than 2.3 million donations. ben carson tells the associated press that he's considering personnel changes in his campaign. but hours after the interview carson backtracked. he released a statement saying he has 100% confidence in his

current team. kentucky's new governor is reversing an executive order that would restore voting rights to up to 140,000 nonviolent felons. the republican says it's an issue that needs to be addressed through the legislature. and here are some of the presidential hopefuls getting into the holiday spirit this past week. >> you know what i'm going to say to start off? merry christmas. >> merry christmas. >> happy holidays. happy holidays. >> it's okay to say merry christmas. >> it's christmastime. it's a time to be with your families, it's a time to play with your kids. >> god bless all of you, merry christmas. >> and that's your morning dish of "scrambled politics." let's bring in msnbc political reporter jane timm. good morning to you, jane. >> good morning. >> we have to talk about this abuela, this backlash that hillary clinton is getting. she's usually pretty good on social media. this is backfiring, what's going on? >> i think an earnest attempt to play up the grandmother quality of hillary clinton, i think it

humanizes her and she just announced she's going to be a grandmother again with her daughter chelsea pregnant again. but i think it really underscores some of the problems she has sort of convincing the progressive movement that she's 100% their woman that she's really now more than a career politician. and it's things like this that seem a little bit like the hispandering as they put it. people responding and said talk about the issues a care about. don't pretend you're my abuela, you're not. >> i heard some of the twitters were actually pretty bold by saying she has nothing in common with them. >> instead of highlighting her commonalities as a grandmother i think it highlighted her differences. it made her look like an out-of-touch politician who has a lot of privileges that many people say my grandparents didn't. >> we'll see how that plays out. and ben carson. he might be shifting his political team there. what's going on in that camp? >> well first he says he will, then he says he won't. i think what this says is that even he understands he's in trouble here. we've seen this campaign have some issues with leaks, sort of loose cannons, people saying things that the campaign goes

no, no, no, we don't mean that later. but, once the race shifted to a focus on national foreign policy and national security, carson's struggled to answer even simple questions about foreign policy like naming an ally when asked about who he'd bring in to the fight against isis. those are big questions. and i think that even -- what we're seeing here is his recognition that he has some problems. >> where does this put ted cruz? how does this put him in the polls now? >> he seemed like a better alternative, i think to donald trump. he's the candidate people are saying, he has some of the same values, some of the same charisma donald trump does but maybe he's not as donald trump as donald trump is. >> and he's getting some backing for this cartoon thing. there was a lot of backlash on that and people are supporting him because of this. keep the kids out of it. >> that is "the washington post" policy. i think it was sort of a cartoon that got through the cracks. but it clearly is not off limits for ted cruz to fund raise off of the attacks on his kid. he's made quite a bit of money off that. >> always interesting in politics. both sides working on that.

jane timm, thank you so much for being here. >> thanks for having me. >> great. well during the holiday season, there are neighborhoods in america where the christmas light show has been elevated to high art. we found one of those neighborhoods, where decorating for the holiday takes on a whole new meaning. nbc's harry smith shows us why. >> reporter: every town has one. a neighbor, or a neighborhood where the christmas lights have to be seen to be believed. in brooklyn, it's bungalows and big houses decked to the max. a must-see, lucy spota's house. 30 years at this and she can't stop. >> there's a space there, let's put that there. let's go buy this. let's go get that. and it becomes -- >> reporter: lucy's house. cops block the streets, so it's safe to stroll. what does it make you feel like when you walk up and down the street here? >> you're happy. >> you're smiling. how can you not smile when you see all this decoration? >> there's nothing like this in the world. nobody does this. >> reporter: well, maybe not exactly.

♪ there's a house in tracy, california, fitted out like it's a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. and there's a guy in las vegas whose house turns into a jukebox each december. topping the charts, metallica. ♪ daylight in december is hard to come by. so from ancient times folks have done their best to compensate with candles and greenery. electricity made it possible to go all-out. allowing multitudes of people to connect with their inner clark griswald. ♪ hallelujah if your light count has reached the hundreds of thousands, these days you're just getting started. yes, it's excessive and more is never enough. but it sure is worth it. >> merry christmas. harry smith, nbc news, new york. >> always great to see those lights. now it's time for some entertainment news. a surprise twist to the annual

kardashian/jenner christmas card. due to a hectic schedule in recent months only the youngest generation of the family is featured this year. it shows kourtney's three kids with ex-boyfriend and kim and kanye west's daughter north. and yesterday was a festivus for the rest of us. so jerry seinfeld took to instagram to partake in the airing of grievances. >> happy festivus. here's the metal pole. and here's my grievance. everything! >> the official newspaper for the vatican gave "star wars: the force awakens" a scathing review, calling it confused and hazy while also saying it's more of a poor reboot than a sequel. however an official vatican spokesperson says the review won't have any effect on the pontiff, as pope francis doesn't watch movies. >> no. but he gets to review them i guess. >> but who took that review? i'm wondering. >> and it's so unlike the rest of the reviews for "star wars."

>> exactly. because everyone said the movie is just so fantastic. i can't wait to take my kids. i think it's going to be great. whether the vatican likes it or not. i'm going. i'm a die-hard "star wars" fan. i'm dara brown and this is "first look" on msnbc. be sure and like us on facebook at first look msnbc. "morning joe" is coming up at the top of the hour so stay tuned. here's a little healthy advice. eat well, live well, and take of what makes you, you. right down to your skin with aveeno® aveeno® daily moisturizing lotion with the goodness of active naturals® oat and 5 vital nutrients for healthier looking skin in

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if you want help improving your a1c and blood sugar numbers with a non-insulin option, ask your doctor about once-weekly trulicity. and click to activate your within. good morning and welcome to morning joe. it's thursday, december 24th. christmas eve. >> happy christmas eve. >> this is my favorite day. >> you all are sort of that european family tradition, do the big dinner and open the presents that night. >> that night. the stockings the next day but christmas eve we open presents. >> christmas eve we go to church and then come home and have a big