back on monday for the start of 2017. that does it for our show, you can always e-mail me at ari @msnbc.com. it's a back and forth between president obama and vladimir putin. the united states has slapped russia with new sanctions in the wake of cyber attacks. now russia is vowing to respond. police in new york city gearing up for an unprecedented security on new year's eve to keep people safe during celebrations. plus, heavy snow has buried parts of new england and there could be more on the way as a fast moving nor'easter rolls through.

good morning, it is friday, december 30th, i'm chris jansing. there's new reaction this morning to the obama administration's decision to punish russia in retaliation for hacking attacks, that according to u.s. officials, sought to interfere with the presidential election. the government has leveled sanctions against the fsb. that's the spy agency that succeeded the kgb. they declare 35 diplomats who the u.s. accuses of being intelligence officers to have 72 hours to get out of the country. sanctions are also hitting the russia intelligence services and three companies suspected of supporting it. also targeted, two suspected russian-based hackers wanted by the fbi in earlier cyber crimes, including alleged attacks on banks and e-commerce sites, with one who has a $300 million bounty on his head. it's been there since february 2015.

two huge compounds shut down, one in maryland, one in new york, used by russian personnel for intelligence-related purposes. to help other networks identify, detect, and disrupt russia's global campaign of malicious cyber activities. in a statement, president obama said, "these actions follow repeated private and public warnings we have issued to the russian government and are a necessary and appropriate response to efforts to harm u.s. interests in violation of established international norms and behavior." he said the administration will soon provide a report to congress in this and previous election cycles. yesterday's moves were the first significant u.s. actions taken against russian diplomats since 2001. back then, the government expelled close to 50 in response to the discovery of espionage activities carried out by former fbi agent robert hanson. for more, let's turn to matt bradley, who is in london. matt, what more can you tell us

about the reaction in moscow and abroad? >> well, chris, i'm afraid we have a bit of a fire alarm going off right now. the last 24 hours we've heard outrage -- >> matt, we're going to let you take care of that and we'll come back to you when the fire alarm ends and hopefully there's no actual fire in our london bureau. meanwhile, the transfer of power to president-elect trump takes place in 21 days. last night trump released a statement on actions against russia. "it's time for our country to move on to bigger and better things. nevertheless, in the interest of our country and its great people, i will meet with leaders next week in order to be updated on the facts of this situation. as nbc has previously reported, trump was first briefed about direct links between vladimir putin's government and the e-mail hacks on august 17th, but he has continued to cast doubt on russian involvement as

recently as wednesday." >> i don't know anything about it. i don't know who hacked. you tell me who hacked. i thinit probably unlikely. i think maybe the democrats are putting that out. >> i think it could be russia, but it could also be china, lots of other people, also somebody sitting on their bed that weighs 400 pounds, okay? any time anything wrong happens, they like to say the russians. here's the russians doing the hacking. maybe there is no hacking. >> once they hack, if you don't catch them in the act, you don't know who it is. it could be somebody sitting in a bed some place. >> i think we oht to get on with our lives. i ink the computers have complicated lives very greatly. the whole age of computer has made it where nobody knows exactly what's going on. >> last night donald trump's senior adviser kellyanne conway would not comment on whether the president-elect would reverse president obama's actions but did suggest politics were behind it.

>> i will tell you that even those who are sympathetic to president obama on most issues are saying that part of the reason he did this today was to, quote, box in president-elect trump. that would be very unfortunate if that were -- if politic were the motivating factor here, but we can't help but think that's true. even "new york times" characterized it as such this may be an attempt to box him in. that's not the way that peaceful transitions of administrations work in our great democracy. >> conway also dismissed the impact of the sanctions, suggesting members of the russian military intelligence service do not operate within the u.s. >> i've been reading all the news reports about these retaliations, these sanctions put forward by president obama and his administration. some of them seem largely symbolic. the gru doesn't really travel here, doesn't keep its assets here. >> that comment drew this response from president obama's former ambassador to russia,

"this is crazy. can someone organize a deep dive presidential daily brief for the president-elect and his senior advisers on russian intelligence operations asap?" let's go back to matt bradley. doesn't seem to be a fire in our london bureau. let's talk about what's going on in moscow and other countries abroad. >> that's right, chris, we're safe from fire, unless there's something someone isn't telling me. in the past 24 hours we have heard outrage from the russian government and just this morning, it was said the obama administration is ending its term in, quote, antirussian agony. what we haven't heard is anything like an official reprisal. the kremlin vowed to take tit for tat action against the united states after sanctions yesterday afternoon, what you just mentioned, chris. even before the administration came out with the sanctions, the

russian foreign ministry said any punishment of russian foreign diplomats would ricochet against american diplomats in russia. a kremlin spokesman said however the russians decide to react, it would cause u.s. officials significant discomfort. that's ominous language and we're likely to see dispulse and spies announced in the coming hours or days, but that's on the level of high diplomacy. official statements of concern in lofty speak, but from russian politicians, it's far more personal. some of the statements over the past 12 hours have looked more like mockery or name calling than diplomacy. several have accused the obama administration of simply being bitter that donald trump won the election, something that obama has -- excuse me, trump has said himself. so we would actually hear more in the terms of official reaction. what we have right now looks more on the level of something like mockery. chris? >> so that lame duck picture,

which is making its way around the internet, is from the russian ambassador's residence in the uk, yeah? >> that's right. here in london we're seeing a lame duck, a picture of a duck with the words lame written over it. that's cute, until you realize this is an official communique from the russian foreign ministry. >> matt bradley safe and sound in our london bureau. thank you for that. one of the major reasons the u.s. is pushing back on russia is, quote, a pattern of harassment against diplomats working overseas that's escalated, particularly over the last calendar year. according to the state department it includes arbitrary police stops, assaults, and broadcasting on tv of personal details, which officials say puts staffers at risk. in particular they cite this moment over the summer. >> on the 6th of june an accredited u.s. diplomat who identified himself in accordance to embassy protocols was

attacked by a russian policeman. the action was unprovoked and it endangered the safety of our employee. the russians claim the policeman was protecting the embassy from an unidentified individual is simply untrue. it's time for russia to treat our diplomats with, you know, the same manner which they are treated here when they come to the united states. >> two russian officials were expel from the u.s. in response. but senator tom cotton said in part, "while i applause the expulsion of 35 russian officials and the closure of two of their facilities, these steps should have taken place immediately after one of our diplomats was viciously assaulted on our embassy soil in moscow. as we mentioned earlier, president obama ordered two russian compounds shuttered. two mansions, one on long island in new york, the other on the

eastern shore of maryland, both will be closed. both have long histories. the 45-acre property at pioneer point in maryland is 90 minutes from the white house. it's the former estate of john j.rascow, but best known as the builder of the empire state building. it was bought by the soviet government in 1972. at the time of the purchase the local newspaper reported fears of nuclear submarines surfacing in the river to pick up american secrets and defectors. the new york property is 14 acres built for an heir to the standard oil fortune in 1913, later the home of a former new york governor. according to news day it was one of two estates purchased by the soviets in 1954. a former premier was photographed there during a visit in 19 of 0. the state department says the russians will no longer have access to the compound after noon today. there's a new cease-fire in

syria, this one reportedly nationwide. the deal brokered by russia and turkey between the syrian government and rebel groups and it went into effect yesterday. there have been some reports of small clashes since the deal was announced, but they are said to be isolated. one rebel commander told reuters, "this time i have confidence in its seriousness." president putin said the deal is guaranteed by russia and turkey, adding peace talks between the sides would be held in kazakhstan next month if the cease-fire remains in place. the six-year-long civil war in syria has decimated much of the country, leaving hundreds of thousands dead and creating millions of refugees. one nation notably absent from the talks, the united states, which was not part of these negotiations. although in a statement, a state department spokesman said news of the cease-fire is a positive development. meanwhile, after a two-week lull, fighting has resumed in full force in the battle to liberate mosul from isis, as part of a second phase in the

offensive, pushing further into the city as part of a new multi-sided assault. the battle to rid the terror group from the city began back in october. we're just a day away from new year's eve and from coast to coast, security is tightening. after terror attacks in nice and berlin, law enforcement is on high alert, making an unprecedented show of force here in new york and all around the world. nbc's stephanie gosk has our details. >> reporter: the confetti and the rain poured in times square as the city gets ready for its annual bash and its annual massive security operation. >> people will be safe this new year's eve, because we're there, along with our law enforcement partners. >> reporter: in times square, a record 7,000 uniformed and undercover police, including hundreds of heavily armed counterterrorism officers, will hit the streets. and in the wake of vehicle attacks overseas, the berlin christmas market earlier this month killing a dozen and nice

over the summer leaving 86 dead, sand trucks and other vehicles will be used to block off new york streets. while in chicago, fences and concrete barricades went up amid concerns about isis-inspired attacks. boston is taking similar steps. >> it's sad we have to do this type of stuff, but it's a reality of what's happening now in the world. >> reporter: in pasadena, california, home to the rose parade, law enforcement outlined their new strategy. >> we'll be using a series of police radio cars staffed with either uniformed officers or deputies and water barriers to create a brigade of sorts. >> reporter: overseas, in germany officers in some cities are now armed with machine guns. in london police presence is ramped up around buckingham palace and the markets. >> yeah, i think it's quite safe. >> reporter: and in times square today, support for the police. >> i think they've been doing a great job anyway and just enjoy

it like we're enjoying it. >> reporter: part of law enforcement's strategy, a big show of force to create a deterrence and instill confidence in everyone looking to celebrate. >> that was stephanie gosk reporting. still ahead, some areas of the northeast have seen half a foot or more because of the fast moving winter storm. plus, virginia tech stages an epic comeback in the belk bowl against arkansas. those stories and a check on the new year's eve forecast when we come back. hey there, hi.

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welcome back. residents in parts of new england will be digging out and cleaning up today after the first nor'easter of the season brought plenty of snow to the region. take a look at this messy scene in massachusetts yesterday. drivers trying to navigate the treacherous roads. police had to deal with a number of drivers sliding off because of the slick conditions.

scary scene last night. the driver of one car had to get out of the car and push it free. morgan radford has more on the trouble the nor'easter is already causing. >> reporter: responders prepared and ready. >> last year there was hardly any snow. this year could be the big one. >> reporter: meanwhile, residents scrambling for supplies. >> i'm just trying to be ready for it. >> reporter: 14 million under winter advisories, the blast pounding new england with more than a foot of snow. >> it's going to bring heavy snow to interior new england. in fact, we're going to see as much as 12 to 15 inches of snow. >> reporter: families in massachusetts preparing for the worst. >> i feel like i'm not ready. >> reporter: while neighbors in new hampshire say this winter weather is exactly what they need. >> fantastic! wonderful! we need it.

we didn't get any last year. >> this is just like a gift. keeps on giving. >> reporter: but with relief comes warning. flights already disrupted along the east coast, and now a mix of ice and wind gusts of up to 60 miles per hour. leaving residentsn h alert. >> i wld say stay home unless you absolutely need to get out. >> stay home. i like that. that was morgan radford reporting. now a check on your weather with nbc meteorologist bonnie schneider. it is a mess in some places. >> it is, especially for maine, lots of heavy snow falling right now at a rate of one to four inches per hour. that's intense. at the height of the storm it was going six inches per hour. we still also have lake effect snow coming in. i want to let you know we have advisories all the way from syracuse, jamestown, and into erie, pennsylvania. this lake effect snow event is one of a couple we're going to be seeing this week. let's talk about maine right now. your winter storm warning

continues. so we're still watching out for dangerous conditions. travel not advised for northern vermont and northern new hampshire and snow totals are still coming in. we've already seen 20 inches in some parts of maine, just mind boggling. early snow and then the lake effect snow comes in and those bands will be intense, so we could see several inches plus as it comes through. then by tomorrow the new clip is coming in over the great lakes and that will bring light snowfall accumulation, but on top of what we're already seeing. over the west, rain for california, los angeles getting wet, san diego, and arizona, plenty of moisture for phoenix and tucson. we'll watch for that and mountain snow at the higher elevations. what you can expect, not too much in l.a., quarter inch, but further inland, half inch of rain. keep in mind we're looking at more heavy amounts around arizona, especially northeast of phoenix. speaking of the west, what we're looking at for your forecast looks good for the rose bowl parade in pasadena, 44 degrees,

partly cloudy skies, so that sounds nice. a little chilly out there, and finally, chris, i know we were talking yesterday about the new year's eve forecast in times square, looks better today than yesterday, southwesterly winds, mostly cloudy, and 40. little milder and dry, which is great. >> that's great. sometimes it's so brutal down there. thank you so much. still ahead, a look at thursday night's college bowl games. plus, serena williams has something to celebrate off the court. those stories coming up next in sports.

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time now for some sports and arguably the wildest bowl game of the year, the belk bowl. arkansas taking on 22nd ranked virginia tech. in the first half up 17-0, quarterback austin alex finds hatcher who just gets the foot down in the end zone for the score. razorbacks up at the half. then for all intents and purposes they just got flamed. virginia tech and quarterback jerod evans absolutely dominating the second half, scoring 35 unanswered points. evans threw for two scores and ran for two more, winning a wild one. one player noticeably absent from the belk bowl, jeremy sprinkle. he was banned from the game after, get this, he was caught shoplifting from, of all places, a belk department store earlier in the week.

you cannot make this stuff up. it was a battle of two top 15 teams in the alamo bowl. the number 1 oklahoma state cowboys and nber 10 colorado buffaloes. this wasn't close, the cowboys corralled by the buffaloes led by quarterback mason rudolf, who threw for three touchdowns, oklahoma state wins 38-8. in the birmingham bowl, south florida facing south carolina and the south carolina quarterback quinton flowers absolutely brilliant, running for 105 yards, three touchdowns, passed for two more, including this 25 yarder in the first play of overtime. wow, that score would prove to be the difference. south florida beats south carolina 46-39. now, for the funniest moment of the night we stay at alabama, but we head to auburn. down 11 with 2:00 to go, auburn t.j. dunham decided to crash georgia's huddle. check it out. he's completely welcomed by the

unsuspecting bulldogs who had no idea a tiger was on the prowl, but the move didn't pay off, auburn falls to georgia 96-86. our congratulations to serena williams, who announced her engagement to the reddit cofounder posted, of course, on reddit. the star posted a cartoon proposing along with a poem describing his proposal. we wish all the best to the happy couple. he said four words, will you marry me. are we guessing? still ahead, how members of congress are reacting to president obama's new sanctions against russia. plus, it's been a deadly year for attacks on police. we'll talk to the family of one fallen dallas officer about how they are remembering their loved one. stay with us. anyone with type 2 diabetes

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welcome back. i'm chris jansing. it is theottom of the hour. let's start with the morning's top stories. president obama has followed through on his promise to retaliate against russia, issuing new sanctions and expelling diplomats from the u.s., but russia has vowed to respond, as the chill of the cold war creeps back in before the end of the year. nbc's ron allen reports. >> just as i told russia to stop it. >> reporter: president obama made good on that promise to retaliate, targeting russia's top intelligence agencies with sanctions. officials in vladimir putin's inner circle, but not the russian president himself, all but singled out by president

obama. >> tell him to cut it out, there will be serious consequences. >> reporter: freezing the assets, banning business contact with americans, russia also accused of harassing diplomats abroad and espionage operations in america. >> we've seen verbal and physical harassment. we've seen them try to revoke credentials, detain them. >> reporter: 35 russian diplomats in the u.s. expelled, just 72 hours to leave. closing two russian government compounds, rec centers allegedly used for spying. in a statement president obama saying, "all americans should be alarmed by russia's actions." >> the actions today were designed to make very clear we'll respond at a time and place of our choosing. >> reporter: also targeted, two notorious cyber criminals accused of stealing millions from american banks and e-commerce sites. the russians dismissed it all at another sign of aggressive foreign policy, to deal a blow

to the incoming administration's foreign policy plans. earlier president-elect trump again rejected allegations of russian interference in the election. >> i think we ought to get on with our lives. >> reporter: that may prove politically difficult with republicans and democrats calling for tough steps against russia. >> he has a senate and a house leadership that have all supported these actions. if he backs down and he does this, it will be perceived it was done for putin and at putin's request. >> many republican congressional leaders are reacting favorably to the obama administration's sanctions. house speaker paul ryan said bluntly, russia does not share america's interests. it's consistently sought to undermine them, sowing dangerous instability around the world. while today's action by the administration is overdue, it is an appropriate way to end eight years of failed policy with russia. senate majority leader mitch mcconnell said the obama administration for eight years attempted to reset relations with russia and sat passively while russia expanded its sphere

of influence, adding sanctions against the russian intelligence services are a good initial step, however late in coming. a number of republicans said it was too little, too late, but not all are intent on punishing russia. yesterday trent franks, vice chair of the armed services subcommittee for emerging threats and capabilities said russia had done a service. >> the bottom line, if they succeeded, if russia succeeded in giving the american people information that was accurate, then they merely did what the media should have done. >> the political fallout from the obama administration's condemnation of israeli settlements continues to mount, meantime, as leaders here at home and abroad criticize the president and secretary of state over what's being considered a parting shot of shorts. british prime minister theresa may called the speech an inappropriate attack on israel. kelly cobiella has more op one

of the settlements in the center of this international dispute. >> reporter: we're in the israeli settlement that's one of the oldest settlements in the west bank. it started in 1977 with just 16 families. 6500 israelis live here now, and these are some of their homes, these red-roofed homes you can see just behind me. if you look across this road on the other side of the road are palestinian homes. that's the edge of ramala, where the palestinian authority is based. what separates them, a fence, guard gates, the israeli military, which has a small base at the entrance of this settlement. we talked to a man today that's lived here for 32 years, he's raised his seven children here, and we asked him why he came and why he stays. >> we believe that we have the rights and the historic and moral legal rights to live here,

and we seek peace. we're not looking to expel them. we're not looking to oppress them. we want to live here in our homeland as peaceful citizens, and we are happy to have them live here also. >> reporter: and the views are just as entrenched on the other side of that fence. families, palestinian families, who say they've lived on this land for generations and they have no intention of leaving. >> that's nbc's kelly cobiella reporting. in syria, a nationwide cease-fire is reportedly in place after the deal was brokered by russia and turkey. conspicuously absent, the u.s. joining us from london, nbc foreign correspondent matt bradley. matt, what do we know about the details of this agreement and so far is it sticking? >> well, thanks, chris. about 12 hours after the guns fell silent last night and it looks like the cease-fire in syria is holding with a few

notable exceptions, isolated skirmishing have been reported, including a firefight in the northern city of hama. at least seven groups signed on to the deal, which was announced yesterday. jihadi groups like isis and al qaeda's affiliate in syria are not part of the deal, and that's typical, but the deal was negotiated by russia and turkey. both of whom have said they will guarantee the terms of the cease-fire. as you mentioned, chris, conspicuously absent is the united states and the united nations, two major players up until recently in syria's civil war. if this holds and it's a really big "f," chris, we could be seeing the beginning of the end of this nearly six-long syrian civil war. it's already killed more than 400,000 people, displaced millions, and spread instability throughout the region. there's little reason for optimism, if you've been following events in syria, you know these sorts of cease-fires come and go, but the last one in september held for only about a week before it ended in a flurry

of violence, but this is different. the regime of bashar al assad and its russian allies are arguably at its strongest since the war began, both looking forward to a new trump administration come january 20th, and they are hoping that would swing u.s. policy in favor of the assad regime. and that could end the war in their favor. they are hoping for broader negotiations in kazakhstan next month to bring the civil war to a final conclusion. chris? >> matt bradley, thank you for that. officials in new york city say security measures for a new year's eve celebrations in times square will be the most extensive ever. more than 65 sanitation trucks packed with sand will surround times square, those come in response to nice and berlin style attacks earlier this year. there will also be 100 patrol cars placed at nearby intersections. more than 7,000 police officers will patrol the area, along with specially armed counterterrorism units and bomb-sniffing dogs. more than a million people are

expected to attend the annual ball drop in manhattan. authorities say they are unaware of specific terror threats. similar security measures are taking place in cities all around the world. this year has proven to be especially grim for men and women in law enforcement, with a sizable spike in the number of police officers ambushed in the line of duty. msnbc's chief legal correspondent, ari melber, has more on the sharp rise and the personal toll it's taking on one family. >> reporter: it's been a brutal year for america's police officers. >> tonight, breaking news, dallas police ambushed. five killed, seven injured by sniper fire. >> when it came on the news that officers had been shot, i froze. >> reporter: valerie's 32-year-old son patrick was a dallas police officer on duty that horrible night in july. >> they just told me that he had been shot. that he didn't make it. >> reporter: patrick's death,

part of a grim nationwide trend. 56% spike in officers shot and killed, according to new data, 64 officers gunned down in the line of duty this year, 21 of those slain in ambushes. do you worry about him when he was on the job? >> of course, you know, as a family, we all worry about our loved ones. especially, you know, with everything that's been going on. >> reporter: patrick was a three-time veteran of the iraq war and the father of 3-year-old lincoln. tell me about patrick, who was he? >> patrick was a sweet, caring, lovable person. >> reporter: this year the family christmas tree pays tribute to patrick and the reality that he won't be coming home is still sinking in. >> to wake up and know that he's not here, that i can't call him. >> reporter: valerie says his memory lives on in lincoln, who knows her father was an officer. >> she knows her dad wore a

uniform. so she'll always know. >> reporter: the children of fallen officers leading the way to a path of healing. >> msnbc's chief legal correspondent ari melber reporting. the retrial for former south carolina police officer michael slager has been set for march 1st. slager charged with murder in the shooting death of walter scott. earlier this month a mistrial was declared after a deadlocked jury couldn't come to a unanimous decision. in a separate federal case, slager is charged with violating scott's civil rights. that trial is scheduled to begin in may. the man convicted of killing nine black worshippers in charleston, south carolina, last year has been ordered to undergo a new competency evaluation before jurors decide his fate. a judge ordered the exam for dylann roof yesterday after his standby lawyer questioned his ability to stand trial. the move came one day after roof said he would again represent

himself during his sentencing phase, which is set for tuesday. jurors will decide whether he spends life in prison or gets the death penalty. a former charles manson follower and convicted killer is seeking parole. 69-year-old is the longest serving female inmate in the state of california. she's already been denied parole 13 times since being convicted in the 1969 slayings of sharon tate and six others. parole officials postponed a decision after her attorney made new claims she may have possibly been the victim of abuse by manson. a source with knowledge of the case tells "the los angeles times" the claim was akin to battered spouse syndrome, which has been used by a legal defense for women charged with killing their husbands. let's turn to business now where e-commerce giant amazon has been granted a patent for what can be described as a flying warehouse for drone deliveries. nancy hungerford joins us from london. okay, you have my attention.

amazon already has prime, its prime now memberships which guarantees deliveries from two days to as little as two hours, but the company is now saying drone deliveries with a new warehouse patent could cut delivery time down to minutes? >> that's right, chris. they want to get these packages to you even quicker, and it sounds like something out of a sci-fi novel, but this is the real deal. amazon has secured this patent for an airborne fulfillment center and it would hold the drones for delivery straight to your door. the air ships would hover about 45,000 feet in the air, but before you get too excited, remember this is just a patent at this stage, so it's hard to say whether or not this will come to be reality any time soon. now, something that could be bringing amazon back down to earth, if you will, is a lawsuit from rap group run dmc. they are accusing amazon, walmart, and other retailers of selling products that carry the

group's name without their permission. the retailers have not responded so far, but the founder darryl mcdaniel is seeking at least $50 million in damages, so keep an eye on that one. looking elsewhere at defense contractor lockheed martin, we've heard from the pentagon they have been awarded a $450 million modification for fighter jets, the f-35 fighter jets, that will eventually head to south korea. now, this is significant, because you may remember that their series of tweets coming from president-elect donald trump targeting lockheed martin on their f-35 program. we know that trump has met with lockheed martin ceo about ways to bring down the costs of that program. no conclusion has come out of that as of yet, but donald trump has said he continues to be in discussions with that company, he even invited rival boeing to come up with a competitor that is priced lower. so at the moment, the pentagon is, however, awarding this $450 million modification. chris, back to you.

>> nancy hungerford live from london, thank you, nancy. still ahead, something to laugh about after a year full of toxic presidential election and the loss of so many beloved luminaries. but first, something wicked this way comes. a major snowstorm dumping snow all over new england already 20 inches of accumulation in some places. we'll get a full check of the weather in just a few minutes. stay with us.

hey, searching for a great used car? i don't want one that's had a big wreck just say, show me cars with no accidents reported find the cars you want, avoid the ones you don't plus you get a free carfax® report with every listing i like it start your used car search at carfax.com 47 past the hour, let's get a check on your weather now with nbc meteorologist bonnie schneider. good morning. >> good morning. we're looking at more snow for maine and michigan and ohio, pennsylvania and upstate new york. still dealing with snow, especially in maine, heavy amounts. let's look at the map and show you early heavy snow for maine, still under a winter storm warning, so it's not over yet. the heavy lake effect snow bans will persist throughout the day and morning hours going forward.

believe it or not, there's another system behind it. this is a fast mover, a clipper storm bringing light snowfall accumulations, so that is some good news. looking at the advisories right now, these lake effect advisories will persist straight through tonight, and some even go to saturday morning, so watch out for those bands of heavy lake effect snow going forward and, of course, the heavier snow that we're looking at into maine. checking things out across the southwest, look at the rain coming into los angeles. there is some concern as this rain comes over some of the burn areas that we could see, some debris flow, we're watching that closely and also the threat for more rain into arizona going forwards the weekend. so rain and mountain snow across the southwest as the storm works through and it could bring heavy amounts north and east of ni nix. finally as we head back to new york, a better forecast for times square than we saw yesterday. mostly cloudy, southwest winds, and 40 degrees. i think for new yorkers and even tourists, that's no problem. >> pretty good, thank you, happy new year to you. >> you, as well.

when we come back, one of the most famous delis puts away the pass trommy for good. stay with us. tains don't earn interest, david. you know i work at ally. i was being romantic. you know what i find romantic? a robust annual percentage yield that's what i find romantic. this is literally throwing your money away. i think it's over there. that way? yeah, a little further up. what year was that quarter? what year is that one? '98 that's the one. you got it! nothing stops us from doing right by our customers. ally. do it right. let's get out of that water.

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only xfinity gives you more to stream to any screen. diets have come and gone, but through the years the carnegie deli has remained a beacon of artery-clogging defiance in the heart of new york city, and a destination for tourists and locals alike. but today their final pastrami sandwich will roll off the line, as nbc's harry smith reports.

>> reporter: for a couple of weeks now there's been a line, sometimes a very long line at new york's fabled carnegie deli. >> we've been waiting for an hour. >> we got up at 4:30 this morning to get here. >> reporter: 4:30? >> yes. >> reporter: tourists and locals waiting patiently for one last taste. >> i'm very sad. i used to come up to new york all the time just to come to carnegie deli and the whole family, this is it. >> do you know what you're going to eat? >> pastrami and cheesecake. >> reporter: a pilgrimage to an old deli that still serves very much a meal of memories. >> really good. >> reporter: giant sandwiches without manners that demand to be consumed with lust. the carnegie deli was immortalized as a showbiz hangout in woody allen's broadway "danny rhodes." and the walls are filled with photos. >> taylor swift, celine dion, stevie wonder. >> reporter: faded memories of a more glorious past.

in recent years the restaurant settled a $2 million back wages suit and was closed for ten months for illegally tapping its natural gas supply. nonissues for carnegie's patrons, but as for the owner, she says 40 years is enough. >> i started here the first day my father took over in 1976, i was the cashier. >> reporter: authentic jewish delis were once as common as checker cabs in new york. >> cheers. >> reporter: after friday, there will be none in all of midtown. >> harry, you want some? it's so good. >> reporter: we'll miss the food, but not the heart burn. >> i don't know. i'll miss the corned beef hash, forget the heart burn. anyway, the carnegie deli was a political stopover over the years. look at vice presidential candidate lloyd benson. he got a special delivery in the heat of the '88 campaign. seated next to him, yes, penny youngman. speaking of comedy, it has been a truly strange year, and

if we couldn't laugh, well, we don't know what we'd do, so the "morning joe" team put together some of the best moments from late night over the last year. take a look. ♪ >> he didn't look like hillary clinton, but one of those long answers. woo, woo, woo. >> all anyone wants to talk about is donald trump. >> donald trump? isn't he the one that's, like, you're all losers? you think he'll win the primaries? >> he must. i want to be the one to take him down. i will destroy him, and i will mount his hair in the oval office! >> i'd like to stick garden gnomes in this building. >> i guess you would.

>> you know, ted's always kind of freaky. he eats hair. >> it's wonderful now and again. >> see? >> hair. >> look at us, we have the same voice, we have the same hair. >> and we have the same sized hands. hello, secretary clinton, this is senator bernie sanders. is your refrigerator running? well, so am i, and i'm never, ever dropping out! ♪ >> yes, he did say that it is gross to watch gay people eat pasta, because he wants them to eat healthy foods. >> but why even say that, kellyanne? >> jake, i have to put this ice cream in the freezer, i'm sorry. >> we should stay in touch. what's the best way to reach you, e-mail? >> you've got mail.

>> well, i've ghost written a book that i put your name on, okay, and it's calle "winners aren't losers." >> winners do deals and winners get rich, while sad little losers just sit there and [ bleep ]. there are two kinds of people, which one will you be? a loser like them -- would you like to finish? or a winner -- >> like me. >> when we come back, a look at stories making headlines in the day ahead.

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before we toss it over to "morning joe," let's get a check on the stories you'll be hearing about in the day ahead. friends and family of jaja gabor gather to pay their final respects to the hollywood icon. the actress died in her los angeles home earlier this month from an apparent heart attack at the age of 99. meanwhile, preparations to ring in 2017 here in new york city will continue as officials conduct the all-important new year's eve ball drop test. in addition to carrying out that dry run with the crystal-covered ball, hundreds of balloons that will be handed out to those packing times square will be

inflated. and this is a live look at times square, where an estimated 1 million will gather tomorrow to bid adieu to 2016 and welcome the new year. and we wish you a happy new year. that's going to do on this friday morning. i'm chris jansing. "morning joe" starts right now. good morning. it's friday, december the 30th. new year's eve eve. joe and mika have the morning off and they'll be back next week. with us on set is msnbc political correspondent, kasie hunt, the managing editor of bloomberg politics, mike halperin, msnbc political analyst, another big night at the garden with fish for robert costa, msnbc anchor and political correspondent, steve kornacki, and in washington, senior political editor and white house correspondent for the "huffington post," senior -- >> senior. >> good morning, everybody. we've got real big news everybody. a quick