up. amber phillips from the post, thank you for coming on the show. >> thank you. >> that does it for the show. i'm ari melber in for rachel. now it's time for the last word with lawrence o'donnell. good evening, lawrence? >> what is that e-mail dress? ari@msnbc.com. "first look" is up next. i don't needle point, and i don't really like to cook. so this is my life, you see. traveling and being on the road and doing things that interest me. and that's going around. it's not sitting at home and taking care of things, which my mama does, and she's brilliant at it. i will do that one day when i can't perform any longer, but right now while i have my health and while i can still have my talent to dance and sing, which i will have to retire from dancing in another couple years, i like to keep on the go. time will retire me. >> this morning, the world is remembering iconic actress

debbie reynolds. plus, secretary of state john kerry voices frustration over israel's settlement policy as donald trump tells benjamin netanyahu to stay strong. and a texas international guard helicopter crashes, killing two servicemen. now an investigation is under way to figure out what caused that chopper to go down. ♪ good morning. it is thursday, december 29th. i'm chris jansing. so hard to believe, but a day after carrie fisher died, her mother debbie reynolds has passed away as well. nbc's gabe gutierrez looks back at the actress' life from teen superstar to hollywood gossip, she was a performer to the last.

>> reporter: debbie reynolds son confirms she has passed away at 84, a day after the death of her daughter carrie fisher. fans had gathered on the hollywood walk of fame to mourn fisher's loss when reynolds was rushed to the hospital with breathing problems. according to law enforcement sources, she had been at her son's home in beverly hills when someone called 911 around 1:00 p.m. >> engine 108. >> reporter: reynolds career spanned nearly seven decades, including some of the most iconic films of the 20th century. she was hollywood royalty, the first wife of pop mega star eddie fisher, who divorced reynolds to marry her best friend, elizabeth taylor. >> i don't choose well. i don't blame anybody but myself, but i just seem to have very poor taste in men. >> reporter: "singing in the rain" made her famous back in 1952.

casting the 19-year-old alongside song and dance veterans gene kelly and donald o'connor. >> they've been dancing 30 years. i was dancing for three months. so i was hysterical. >> reporter: decades later, her daughter would become princess leia. hours after fisher's death, reynolds thanked fans for their support and condolences. i am grateful for your thoughts and prayers that are now guiding her to her next stop, she wrote on facebook. reynolds is being remembered by fans as being unsinkable and a hard act to follow. >> reynolds had a colorful twitter account, by the way, including the bio. i've made a lot of movies the past 60 years. my two children are the lights of my life. i was married a few times. you may have heard about that. and last month, she tweeted, why all the fuss about carrie's admitting she had an affair with harrison ford? i have to admit i slept with her father. debbie reynolds is gone at 84.

secretary of state john kerry has offered a dire warning to israel over their refusal to stop building settlements in east jerusalem. in a speech, kerry laid out a two-state solution that president obama and others have been pushing for, often tearing into long-time u.s. ally israel over the continued construction. ahead of that address, president-elect trump tweeted out his support for israel, saying, quote, we cannot continue to let israel be treated with such total disdain and disrespect. they used to have a great friend in the u.s., but not anymore. the beginning of the end was the horrible iran deal and now this, referencing last week's u.n. resolution. he continued, stay strong, israel, january 20th is fast approaching. israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu retweeted a portion of trump's message, writing himself, quote, president-elect trump, thank you for your warm friendship and your clear-cut support for israel. in what was likely his final public address as secretary of state, kerry defended the u.s.'s

decision to not block that resolution. he also rejected criticism that the u.s. was abandoned israel. >> regrettably, some seem to believe that the u.s. friendship means the u.s. must accept any policy regardless of our own interests, our own positions, our own words, our own principles. even after urging again and again that the policy must change. friends need to tell each other the hard truths. and friendships require mutual respect. but here is a fundamental reality. if the choice is one state, israel can either be jewish or democratic, it cannot be both. and it won't ever really be at peace. >> following the speech, prime minister netanyahu released a statement on his facebook page that read in part, quote, in a speech ostensibly about peace between israelis and

palestinians, secretary kerry paid lib service to the unremitting campaign of terrorism that has been waged by the palestinians against the jewish state for nearly a century. israel hopes that the outgoing obama administration will prevent any more damage being done to israel at the u.n. in its waning days. and donald trump had this to say at mar-a-lago late last night. >> i think the speech really speaks for itself. it speaks for itself. >> he said friends need to set friends straight. >> we have different views. we have to have peace. but we're going to see what happens after january 20th, right. i think you're going to be very impressed. >> i think there are limits to what the administration can undertake at this point in time. we understand that. but i'm not going to get into a debate with the president-elect on twitter or whatever. it's just not -- i'm not going

to do that. >> well, congressional leaders are also weighing in on secretary kerry's speech. incoming senate minority leader chuck schumer released a statement that read in part, quote, while he may not have intended it, i fear secretary kerry in his speech and action at the u.n. has emboldened exthem trices on both sides. president obama has clashed with president-elect trump over israel, and the president saying he would have defeated trump if he had run for a third time. so at 9:07 a.m. yesterday, trump tweeted, doing my best to disregard the many inflammatory president o statements and roadblocks. thought it was going to be a smooth transition, not. the white house had no comment on the president-elect's tweet. but a little more than six hours later, trump spoke to reporters outside his florida estate and had changed his mind from that morning. >> mr. president, you tweeted this morning that the transition of power wasn't going smoothly

as it relates to president obama. can you elaborate on that a little bit? is it going smoothly? >> oh, i think very, very smoothly. very good. >> not long after, the white house put out a statement saying that president obama had phoned trump that morning from hawaii. quote, today's call, like the others since the election, was positive and focused on continuing a smooth and effective transition. the president and president-elect committed to staying in touch over the next several weeks and agreed their respective teams would continue to work together to effectuate a smooth transition of power on january 20th. shortly after 8:00 last night, president-elect trump reappeared before the cameras alongside, yes, boxing promoter don king, and he talked about the call as well as his relationship with president obama. >> well, our staffs are getting along very well, and i'm getting along very well with him, other than a couple statements that i responded to. and we talked about it and smiled about it. and nobody's ever going to know

because we're never going to be going against each other in that way. >> also last night, the president-elect touted plans to bring thousands of new jobs to the u.s. according to trump, both sprint and one web, which is a satellite internet start-up, will create together about roughly 8,000 jobs. >> we just had some very good news. because of what's happening and the spirit and the hope, i was just called by the head people at sprint. they're going to be bringing 5,000 jobs back to the united states. they're taking them from other countries. they're bringing them back to the united states. also, one web, a new company, is going to be hiring 3,000 people. so that's very exciting. so we have a combination of sprint for 5,000 jobs and that's coming from all over the world. they're coming back into the united states, which is a nice change. also, one web, 3,000 jobs. that's a new company. we appreciate it. >> so he's talking about from

earlier this month when he announced a plan with softbank ceo to invest $50 billion in the u.s., aiming to create 50,000 jobs. now, a sprint spokesperson tells nbc news the 5,000 jobs it announced are part of the 50,000 jobs that were announced a few weeks ago, but those jobs will be funded by sprint. the president-elect is apparently considering a public/private option for the department of veterans affairs. that plan would potentially allow military veterans to choose whether they want to get care from a va hospital or a private doctor. one senior transition official told reporters that the public/private idea is, quote, one of the options on the table, that nothing has been formalized yet. trump reportedly discussed the options with several hospital executives yesterday, including cleveland clinic ceo toby cosgrove, who's rumored to be under consideration for va secretary. two soldiers are dead after a texas army national guard

apache helicopter they were flying in crashed. it happened yesterday during a routine training flight. a coast guard official said the helicopters was based at nearby ellington airport. right now not clear what caused that crash. john benet ramsey older brother now suing cbs over a television series that implied he killed his sister. bourke ramsey says his reputation was destroyed after the six-part series "the case of jonbenet ramsey" aired back in september. the lawsuit says that cbs, the show's production company, and featured experts planned a, quote, shammed investigation, with a preconceived story line that burke killed his sister and covered it up with his parents. a prosecutor cleared the ramsey family back in 2008 based on dna evidence. burke previously sued a forensic pathologist featured in the series who claimed he bludgeoned his sister to death.

in september, cbs said it, quote, stands by the broadcast and will do so in court. still ahead, charleston church gunman dylann roof sticking with his plan to represent himself in the death sentencing phase of his penalty trial. plus, a powerful winter storm could dump up to two feet of heavy, wet snow in new england today. we'll get a check of the weather coming up next. sweeet... wow... there it is.

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welcome back. dylann roof has told a federal judge he will not present any evidence or call any witnesses during his sentencing. roof was convicted earlier this month on 33 federal charges for the june 2015 shooting rampage at a charleston, south carolina, church that left nine african-american con gre gants dead. the judge also says roof made it clear he wants no details about his mental health revealed. roof, who faces the death penalty, is representing himself

during the sentencing phase, which is set to begin next week. the chicago police department is fast tracking a program to equip every officer with a body camera. originally, the city had planned to have every officer wearing a bo body cam by the end of 2018. now the plan will go into effect a year ahead of schedule. the news comes as chicago's murder rate has been surging. police say more than 750 people have been slain in the city in 2016, a 58% increase over last year. chinese customs officials have seized more than 3.4 tons of illegally trafficked pangolin scales hidden in a shipment of timber in shanghai. the pangolin is the most trafficked mammal in the world. all eight species face extinction. the scales are made from the same material as human fingernails, and they're used in traditional medicine in china and vietnam. officials say they found more than 100 bags of the scales,

estimated to be from at least 5,000 animals. days before leaving office, president obama continues to try to cement his environmental legacy. yesterday he created two new national monuments, one in a sacred tribal site in southeast utah, a second in golden butte in southern nevada. the president has used his executive power to create national monuments 29 different times, expanding protections for over 550 million acres of federal land and water. environmental groups praise the conservation efforts, but some worry they might lead to more land disputes and armed protests. now let's get a check on your weather with bonnie. good morning. >> good morning, chris. we're getting ready for a big snowstorm in new england. you can see some of the moisture come into upstate new york in terms of snow and down through the mountains of west virginia. let's look at where the advisories are posted. a winter storm warning. this will go into effect 9:00. we are now looking at the

advisory you see here for winter weather. that's now in effect as of the 5:00 a.m. hour. we're looking at the threat for very heavy snow in a certain part of new england. first, watch as the front moves to the east. we'll get plenty of rain in mid-atlantic. eventually low pressure will develop off the coastline. when it does, it's interesting because if the low was further out into the atlantic, we'd see more of a snow event for places like new york and into southern connecticut, but that's not what we're going to see. it'll be more of a rain event here. then when you start heading north of poughkeepsie, it will be snow. some of it will be very, very heavy at times. eventually as that low pushes to the northeast. now, later on tonight, this is when it's going to really ramp up in this region into vermont, new hampshire, and maine. new hampshire and maine really the bull's eye for this storm. boston, you may get a wintry mix, but eventually that will turn over to rain. behind the system, lake-effect snow because of the cold air wrapping around behind the low as it exits. that'll come over the warmer waters of the great lakes. as that air comes over the

colder land, it just dumps snow. we could see really heavy snow bands. take a look at the wind forecast. they'll really crank up tonight. even though we're not looking at a snow event for long island, we'll see those fierce winds gusting to 30 miles per hour. also strong winds of nantucket, south of boston. looking at temperatures across the country, we're still looking at colder conditions into the northeast. definitely milder conditions in the south. still looking at those incredible numbers. dallas, your high today is 58. that's a lot cooler than it was yesterday, but still above normal. we'll stay cold in the northern tier of the country. all eyes are really on this storm system because it's really the first nor'easter we're seeing so far of the season, chris. so keeping a close watch on that. also, just to let you know, temperatures are still above normal in florida, where we have highs in the mid-80s in miami. that may seem typical for miami, but really not for this time of year. so people down there are enjoying it. >> all right. thank you, bonnie. appreciate it. and still ahead, a pair of buzzer beaters. one from the undergrads, but that would be topped by the

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time for some sports and a battle of the cats. the northwestern wildcats taking on the pittsburgh panthers in the pinstripe bowl at yankee stadium. this one was dominated by northwestern's justin jackson, who ran all over pitt. he finished with 233 yards, including this 40-yard gsprint p the gut. clayton thorson found a wide open dickerson for the touchdown. the wildcats outrun the panthers had 31-24. to orlando and the russell athletic bowl. the miami hurricanes facing the virginia mountaineers who may want to head to the hills after this one. the miami quarterback brought the storm throwing for four touchdowns. and at one point, he completed 18 of 19 attempts.

the hurricanes wash away a ten-year bowl victory drought, 31-14. and we head to late in the fourth at the foster farms bowl. utah trailing indiana by one with the clock running out. ute kicker andy phillips just sneaks in the 27-yard field goal. utah wins its 14th bowl game in their past 15 tries, 26-24. to the hardwood now. number 21 oregon ducks hosting the second ranked ucla bruins with under ten secondso . the ducks down one. >> here comes pritchard, brooks. got it! >> and it's time to celebrate in the west. oregon upsets ucla. now to the pros with brooklyn visiting chicago. brooks lopez with the slam, tying the game at 99-99. but chicago had one last chance.

>> step back, in the air, oh! woo! >> that's jimmy butler with a buzzer beater. he finished with a game high 40 points, chicago winning it 101-99. and still ahead, there's less than a month until donald trump is sworn into office. we're learning new details about what the president-elect is planning for his inaugural address. plus, how "star wars" actress carrie fisher is being remembered this morning. tributes are pouring in for her and her mother, debbie reynolds. we'll be right back.

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welcome back. i'm chris jansing. coming up on 29 minutes past the hour. let's start with the morning's top stories. secretary of state john kerry not mincing words with israel over its continued refusal to halt settlement construction in palestinian territory. kerry warning peace efforts are now in jeopardy as israel's prime minister questioned the support of one of its key allies. andrea mitchell has more on the heated rhetoric, including her exclusive sit-down with the secretary. >> reporter: getting personal. a fiery war of words between secretary of state john kerry and israel's prime minister benjamin netanyahu. with president-elect trump all in with israel's leader. >> friends need to tell each

other the hard truths. and friendships require mutual respect. >> israelis do not need to be lectured about the importance of peace by foreign leaders. >> reporter: in an impassioned hour-long exit speech, kerry warning netanyahu jewish settlements in the west bank and east jerusalem will place a palestinian state and peace in serious jeopardy. >> this current coalition is the most right-wing in israeli history with an agenda driven by the most extreme elements. >> reporter: and in an exclusive interview with nbc news, kerry denying netanyahu's charge that the u.s. orchestrated friday's u.n. resolution condemning israel's settlements. >> but you did not orchestrate it? >> no, we recruited nobody as an alternative. those four countries that ultimately brought it to the floor did so absolutely on their own. >> reporter: barely two hours later, netanyahu saying that wasn't true. >> we have it on absolutely

incontestable evidence that the united states organized, advanced, and brought this resolution to the united nations security council. we'll share that information with the incoming administration. >> reporter: donald trump tweeting today, we cannot continue to let israel be treated with such total disdain and disrespect. stay strong, israel. january 20th is fast approaching. in close coordination last week, the israel leader enlisted trump to try to stop that u.n. vote. nbc news has learned, infuriating the white house. >> is it confusing? >> i think it's having an impact on allies who are questioning what's going on. but they have their own policies. they're not going to be swayed and intimidated by a tweet. >> and that was andrea mitchell reporting. last night, president-elect trump held court with reporters for 6 1/2 minutes. he was accompanied by boxing promoter don king, a member of

trump's mar-a-lago club, who was carrying a collection of flags from around the world, including the national flag of israel. >> is the flag a message for obama? >> the israeli flag is about peace. peace in the middle east -- so we want everyone to come together as one unit and make things happen. he's the leader that can make it happen. >> i think you know what i believe. i'm very, very strong on israel. i think israel's been treated very, very unfairly by a lot of different people. you look at resolutions in the united nations, you take a look at what's happened, they're up for 20 reprimands, and other nations that are horrible places, horrible places that treat people horribly haven't even been reprimanded. so there's something going on. i think it's very unfair to israel. also last night, trump waded into another controversy, how to handle intelligence reports that russia sought to tilt the election in trump's favor. high-profile republican senators have led calls for a bipartisan

probe, including lindsey graham. >> i don't know what he's doing. i haven't spoken to senator graham. i don't know. haven't spoken to him. as you know, he ran against me. i haven't spoken to him. >> you have to admit, he shocked the world. >> the sitting president is reportedly considering retaliating against russia before he leaves office, but trump was more circumspect over whether increased sanctions on russia are necessary. >> i think we ought to get on with our lives. i think the computers have complicated lives very greatly. the whole age of computer has made it where nobody knows exactly what's going on. we have speed. we have a lot of other things, but i'm not sure you have the kind of security you need. but i have not spoke within the senators, and i certainly will be over a period of time. in just 22 days, donald trump will take the oath of office as the 45th president of the united states, and according to a new report, trump is trading in his off-the-cuff style to take his most personal

role yet in crafting a speech. in "the washington post," robert costa reports that trump is looking to presidents ronald reagan and john f. kennedy for inspiration. trump shared his admiration of reagan's confident style at a luncheon yesterday with a journalist, a historian, and democratic lobbyist at his mar-a-lago club. he also spoke admirably of kennedy. presidential historian douglas brinkley, who was at the lunch, said, we talked about jfk and reagan and how william henry harrison caught pneumonia after giving too long of an inaugural speech, saying trump recognizes he's entering a club, and even if he didn't spend a lifetime reading presidential biographies, he appreciates he's joining the club and is learning more about its traditions. >> democrats are beginning to register complaints and organize their opposition to the president-elect's cabinet nominees. incoming senate minority leader chuck schumer tweeted about it yesterday, saying, the senate now has tax returns from treasury nominee steve mnuchin,

tom price, but we're still waiting on rex tillerson and the rest of the cabinet. they should submit before hearings. schumer also had a warning for congressman tom price at hhs. schumer tweeted, if price doesn't unequivocally commit to requiring insurers to cover contraception, he should not be confirmed with the hashtag, war on women. meanwhile, senator bernie sanders, house minority leader nancy pelosi, and schumer all behind a day of action on january 15th to, quote, save health care. protesting what they say are drastic changes to obamacare and medicare. incredibly, just one day after her daughter carrie fisher died, actress debbie reynolds has died as well. according to law enforcement sources, she had been at her son's home in beverly hills when someone called 911 around 1:00 in the afternoon. reynolds was rushed to the hospital with breathing problems but later died. her son says, quote, she's now

with carrie and we're all heartbroken. reynolds' career spanned nearly seven decades. she had minor roles when louis b. mayor changed history forever and cast her in "singing in the rain." at 19 years old, she learned to dance in just a few months' time while her co-stars had been dancing since infancy. ♪ good morning to you some of her other big films "how the west was won," "the singing nun" and "the unsinkable molly brown." she was a phenom, particularly among teen fans.

her marry to eddie fisher, carrie fisher's father, made her celebrity asen dent. but it wouldn't be long before her personal life overshad deow her work on the screen. >> debbie reynolds went into court in february and in five minutes had a divorce from eddie fisher, showing no emotion, the 26-year-old testified her husband had become interested in another woman. not once was elizabeth taylor's name mentioned, but it wasn't long afterward that the youthful appearing singer was married to the widow of his good friend mike todd. and not along after that, miss taylor embraced the jewish faith. >> debbie reynolds would lose millions later to husbands and would have to tour to pay off some of her debts. she performed for years as a colorful one-woman act. here she is on the "today" show in 1983. >> my way of performing is to go in the audience. i go in the audience, and i meet everybody and i sit on the men's laps and kid around with the ladies and talk about my past.

>> well, we welcome you. we're glad you're all here. girls, where are the boys? where'd you leave the boys? >> home. >> all right. i left eddie home once and he left with elizabeth. you have to be sure about that. >> she and her daughter carrie were very close, but their relationship was fraught and much of it was retold in fisher's book "postcards from the edge" which then became a movie. earlier this year, fisher told npr her mother had two strokes. william shatner called reynolds among the last of hollywood royalty. she died at 84. and by the way, people over the country are still paying tribute to fisher. there was a light saber vigil last night in austin, texas. lots of fans turning out in "star wars" costumes. though debbie reynolds has a star on the hollywood walk of fame, her daughter did not. yesterday, fans turned a blank star into one for fisher with a message, may the force be with you. mark hamil tweeted this photo,

complete with light saber. president-elect trump has taken credit for sprint's plan to add 5,000 jobs to the u.s. louisa, sprint clarified that this jobs initiative is part of what was already put in place. >> yes, precisely. trump taking credit for this once again, as he's taken credit for a lot of things lately that he may or may motte have played a part in. it does seem the vast majority of these job announcements so far had been agreed upon or had been thought about at least before trump was elected in. sprint saying they're moving 5,000 offshore jobs back to the u.s. you also have one web, the satellite internet company, adding 3,000 jobs to the u.s. as well. softbank, the japanese company, they're the majority stake holder in sprint. they had plans to invest in jobs and job creation a long time ago. trump meeting, though, with the softbank ceo earlier this past

month. that's when it all kind of started once again. so job creation is something that trump definitely is taking credit for. let's switch gears and talk about toshiba as well. the japanese industrial giant, for three days they've had massive losses. the latest round of losses, a 26% drop this past session because of downgrade coming from both moody's as well as s&p global ratings. they've had more than 40% of their value wiped off their shares over the past three days. you mainly would know them as an electrical company, but they are a massive conglomerate and are also present in nuclear. they have a u.s. nuclear business. basically, they've come out apologi apologizing, saying it could be worth less and they could have to take a very big one-off loss related to a deal done with records to this business which brings in a third of their revenue. that's why we're seeing these huge drops coming from within the share price. also, takata, according to reports via "the wall street journal," they're expected to

pay up to a billion dollars in fines and possibly plead guilty as well to criminal misconduct. now, this is after they had a huge faulty air bag scandal. it led to 11 people dying. it led to more than 100 injuries worldwide. essentially, it's the largest u.s. car recall ever. so this is also a very, very big deal that is anticipated to happen, chris. >> all right. louisa live from london, thank you. and one last -- well, i guess you could call it a business story. cinnabon issuing an apology and deleting a tweet yesterday following the death of carrie fisher. the tweet showed the hair of princess leia's character made out of a cinnamon roll, captioned, rip carrie fisher, you'll always have the best buns in the galaxy. cinnabon responded, our tweet was genuinely meant as a tribute, but we should not have

posted it, we are truly sorry. still ahead, we're tracking wintry weather tracking up the eastern seaboard. bonnie schneider will check in next. we'll be right back. you got it! what do you think? if you're going to wish, wish big at the lexus december to remember sales event get up to $2500 customer cash on select 2016 and 2017 models for these terms. see your lexus dealer.

let's get a check on your weather now with nbc meteorologist bonnie schneider. >> hey, chris. we're watching the rain come into much of the northeast. it's interesting, we may see a burst of snow in new york city before this all changes over to rain. don't expect a lot of snow, but i just want to let everyone know that's possible. we're already getting snow across parts of pennsylvania. let's look at where the advisories are right now. we can see we've got quite a few winter storm warnings. a lot of this will go into effect throughout the morning. let's look at the pattern of this storm. rain will develop along the front in the south. low pressure developing across the mid-atlantic, eventually

moving to the east, bringing heavy rain for long island into connecticut and then snow will be coming in heavy and hard as we go through much of the afternoon and evening hours, particularly into interior new england. and the wind are actually going to pick up as well. low pressure is going to deepen and strengthen. when that happens, the winds will really crank up. so we're expecting the strong winds to come in as well. heavy snow right through here into new hampshire and maine. that's where some of the heaviest accumulation will be. by friday, that low is pushing well up further up to the north into canada, but as it moves to the northeast, we're looking at the wind coming in from the northwest. that strong flow of cold air over the warmer waters of the great lakes will definitely bring about lake-effect snow bands and some heavy accumulation is possible. we could see over a foot in some areas that are prone to get that lake-effect snow. just be careful out there if you're in upstate new york or north in pennsylvania. here's a look at the snowfall total map. this may change as we go forward. this gives you the general idea of where the bull's eye of the heaviest accumulation will be. well into new hampshire and

maine. that's where we could see well over a foot. there's actually some isolated spots where we could see two feet of snow. this is going to be a really big storm for this part of the country. good for skiers. for those of you traveling, you could see 2 to 4 inches in hartford, connecticut. into kingston, looking at 3 inches, maybe more. we'll be watching these accumulations closely. no accumulation in new york city or the cape and islands. we're expecting strong winds there as well. elsewhere across the country, temperatures are still mild through the southern plains but colder air coming into the northwest. eventually that colder air will be coming to the east as well. big changes in the weather as we change the calendar into january. i think we're going to see a lot more cold across the country rip. >> any early hint new year's eve in times square? >> yes, i think the forecast for new year's eve could get dicey here in new york. mostly cloudy skies, some rain and snow showers mixing in and colder temperatures. don't let the mild weather we've had this week fool you. bundle up if you're heading to times square. >> always a good idea. bonnie schneider, thank you.

just ahead, the president of the philippines has been criticized for he is deadly approach in the drug war. well, wait until you hear what he's saying now. back after this. look at this... a silicon valley server farm. the vault to man's greatest wonders... selfies, cat videos and winking emojis. speaking of tech wonders, with the geico app you can get roadside assistance, digital id cards... or even file a claim. do that.. yeah, yeah that should work. it's not happening... just try again. uh, i think i found your problem. thanks. hmm... the award-winning geico app. download it today.

philippine president rodrigo duterte is known for making headlines with extraordinarily controversial remarks. now duterte threatened to kill corrupt officials, specifically according to local media, he

said, quoted, if you are corrupt, i will fetch you with a helicopter and i will throw you out on the way to manila. then he added, quote, i've done it before, why would i not do it again? this comes after he admitted last month to personally killing suspected criminals as he was acting as mayor. duterte has been waging a bloody war on drugs in the philippines. more than 6,000 people have reportedly been killed since he took office on june 30th. the german federal prosecutor's office says they have detained a 40-year-old tunisian man in connection with last week's deadly truck attack in berlin. officials say the unidentified man may be a possible accomplice. prosecutor's office adds they're determining whether they have grounds to press criminal charges. the man was detained after his number was found saved in the suspect's phone. a. let's go back to the standoff over israel's settlements. president-elect trump's comments siding with israel seem to conflict with comments he made

to joe and mika earlier this year. here's his exchange with a voter at a town hall in charleston, south carolina, when he said he hoped to be a neutral broker in peace negotiations. >> what specific steps would you take to establish an agreement between both sides? >> okay. i think it's probably the toughest agreement of any kind to make. it has been going on for many years, many friends of mine have been involved. they're very, very good businessmen, very good negotiators. a lot of people say an agreement can't be made, which is okay. sometimes agreements can't be made. not good, but you know, you have both sides really -- but you have one side in particular growing up and learning that these are the worst people, these people are the worst people, et cetera, et cetera. it is a very, very tough agreement to make. i was with a very prominent israeli the other day. says it's impossible because the other side has been trained from the time they're children to hate jewish people. but i will give it one hell of a shot. that i can tell you. but of all agreements, i would say if you can do that, you can do any deal. but that's probably the toughest deal in the world right now to

make, and it's possible it's not makeable. don't forget, it has to last. it's wonderful to make it and it doesn't work, but it has to last. to make lasting peace there, probably the toughest deal of all, but i'm going to give it a shot. >> whose fault do you think it is there hasn't been peace? the israelis or the palestinians? >> i don't want to get into it for a different reason, joe. if i do win, you know, there has to be a certain amount of surprise, unpredictability. our country has no unpredictability. if i win, i don't want to be in a position where i'm saying to you and the other side now say we don't want trump involved. let me be sort of a neutral guy. i'm going to give it a shot. it would be so great. i would be so proud if i could do that. i don't know if it's doable. i have friends of mine that are tremendous business people that are really great negotiators. they say it's not doable. you understand a lot of people have gone down in flames trying to make that deal. i don't want to say whose fault is it, i don't think it helps.

meanwhile, both israeli and palestinian leaders are speaking out following secretary of state john kerry's admonishment of israel. matt bradley joins us live from london with more. how is this playing on the ground in the middle east? >> reporter: good morning, chris. reaction to secretary of state john kerry's speech has been fast and very pointed from all sides, but mostly from the u.s. in the reaction, the middle east was surprisingly muted. most of the loudest criticism has come from american politics. mahmoud abbas said on tuesday that the resolution showed that the world rejected settlements. abbas said he hopes a conference in paris in mid-january, just a week before barack obama leaves office, would lead to an international framework for peace. we haven't heard from abbas' office since kerry's speech, though we're expecting a statement today. but netanyahu's scolding of kerry was far more harsh.

he called kerry biased, said that israel doesn't need to be lectured, and once again accused of u.s. of orchestrating this u.n. resolution, a charge that kerry has denied. as you mentioned, kerry delivered a speech yesterday that took israel to task. he set aside unique criticism for prime minister netanyahu. this came days after the u.s. abstained from a u.n. resolution last week that condemned israel's continued settlement expansion in the occupied west bank. e resolution called further settlements, quote, a flagrant violation of international law. this in the twilight of the obama administration with less than a month to go before president donald trump takes over. now, predictably, trump condemned the resolution and kerry's speech, even before it was dlifelivered. many in israel had harsh words for the secretary of state. others praised him. chris, we're going to get you more reaction as it comes in. the full implications of this speech and the resolution before

it have yet to be felt. chris? >> matt bradley in london for us. thank you so much. when we come back, a look at the stories making news in the day ahead. stay with us. it's ver... sfx: (balloon squeals) ok can we... sfx: (balloon squeals) i'm being so serious right now... i really want to know how your coffee is. it's... sfx: (balloon squeals) hahahaha, i had a 2nd balloon goodbye! oof, that milk in your coffee was messing with you, wasn't it? yeah. happens to more people than you think. try lactaid, it's real milk, without that annoying lactose. mmm. good right? yeah. lactaid. it's the milk that doesn't mess with you.

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♪ gloria, gloria >> mom! mom! hi, mom. >> mom, what i'm trying to say to you is that you always need to be the center of attention. in a restaurant, in your marriage, you always have to be the star. >> god cast me in the role. >> great comic timing. debbie reynolds worked well beyond her early years as a star at mgm, including that clip you just saw on the hit sitcom "will & grace." before we toss it to morning joe, let's get a check on the stories you'll be hearing about in the day ahead. officials in new york will unveil their plan to keep the expected 1 million people ringing in the new year in times

square safe. mayor bill de blasio and the police commissioner will talk about safety for the festivities. boston will also unveil its plan for a safe start to 2017. meantime, officials for the times scare celebration will conduct it will include pieces with handwritten revelers from around the world. that's going to do it for me on this thursday. "morning joe" starts right now. >> i don't needle point and i don't like to cook. this is my life, traveling and being on the road and doing things that interest me and that's going around. that's not sitting at home and taking care of things which