that's all for this edition of "dateline extra," i'm craig melvin. thank you for watching. a white christmas. 55 million americans are under a winter weather advisory this morning. so will santa leave behind a snowy christmas morning along with those gifts? we'll tell you who will wake up in a winter wonderland. delivery troubles. last-minute shopping means last-minute shipping. now the mad dash to get those gifts nestled under the tree just in time. plus, the pope delivers his holiday message of peace from st. peter's basilica. the president unnerves more than a few with incendiary words targeted toward immigrants. we get a check on old st. nick as he flies around the world. and home for the holidays with the heartwarming family

reunions. msnbc live starts right now. good morning. for those who wished for a white christmas, many of you may have gotten your wish after a winter weather alert was put into effect for some 55 million americans, blanketing parts of the country in snow as santa continues his way around the globe. from illinois to ohio, massachusetts to indiana, americans will wake up this morning to find their own little christmas gift left by mother nature herself. it even hit chicago as the bears tried to celebrate and found some warmth in their bleachers. while it may make for a nice, cozy morning of opening gifts and drinking hot cocoa, it's likely to make for a treacherous commute for those getting ready to hit the road. let's get straight to meteorologist bonnie schneider. for more on the winter weather advisory this morning and this year's white christmas possibilities, what do you have for us? >> you're right. most of the country, at least the northern tier, covered in snow, waking up to a snow-covered ground across much

of the region. in the northeast, it's still snowing. that might make for travel troubles. that's why we have winter weather advisory advisorieadvis. watch for heavy snow, areas in red today. not only are we looking at the snow, but we have windy conditions, as well. substantial snow in the great lakes, but the winds will be strong even where it's not snowing. wind advisories are posted through the mid-atlantic up through the northeast. snow, as well, from idaho through the nation's midsection. then sunny and cold. a cold one in the south. look for highs in the 40s in tennessee and even into georgia today. snow will be heavy for areas of wyoming back toward montana. and bitter cold temperatures, that's the main thing to note. we're looking at an arctic blast that will stick around for christmas and through the end of 2017. >> thanks. as families wake up this christmas morning, there was last-minute scrambling going on, especially if you shopped on line. shippers were working overtime this holiday season to make sure your gifts made it to the tree

in time. kristen dahlgren has more. standing here waiting for a package -- >> reporter: when alan ordered the epoc lego set, he knew his son wanted it most for christmas. >> he's talked about it once a week for the last two years. >> reporter: with hours to go, still no lego's. >> checked the front door no less than 100 times. nothing's there. >> reporter: while the u.p.s. website shows a scan near his home on december 21st, the system said not to expect it before christmas. >> it's disappointing. >> reporter: this year atlanta along with houston, kansas city, and denver, are the four spots u.p.s. has sent special teams from across the country to help with the crunch. several hundred office employees like accountants and desk workers stepping in to assist sorting and even driving. u.p.s. acknowledges that's more than in years past, but the company says the vast majority of 750 million packages have arrived on time.

online shopping reached record numbers this year. americans expect to spent half their holiday budget on line, which translates into record deliveries. for u.p.s., more than 300 packages a second over the past week. fedex says in spite of bad weather near its memphis hub saturday, it expects to complete all deliveries. as for alan kidd, he's bought alternate presents. >> if it got here, i could see his face lighting up already. >> that was kristen dahlgren reporting. we want to turn to florida where the holiday turned tragic for some five people killed when a twin-engine plane crashed east of tampa on christmas eve. the family headed out on a day trip to key west in their private plane, took off in heavy fog. unfortunateli, it crashed. now more from maya rodriguez. >> reporter: the plane never each made it past the airport. the wreckage of the cessna on the tarmac.

all killed on takeoff. >> one of our helicopter pilots was in the hangar, heard the plane starting to take off and thought to myself, my gosh, i can't believe someone's trying to take off in this weather. >> reporter: shortly after 7:00 a.m., heavy fog blanketed the area. the plane took off heading east. visibility was less than 300 feet. a member of the sheriff's office aviation unit heard the crash. >> he said it was just seconds later that he heard the change in the pitch of the blades and the impact at the north end of the airport, not far from our hangar. >> reporter: when first responders arrived, they had trouble seeing the crash scene. >> we're on scene now at the air base. they say there is a plane down. it's foggy. we're unable to see it from our location. i'm going to try to make it out to the airfield. >> reporter: the plane already engulfed in flames by the time fire crews got to the scene. the victims known to many in this small town. john shannon, president of the republican club in lakeland, and

according to the sheriff, an accomplished pilot. also killed in the crash, his daughter, victoria, her husband, another one of shannon's daughters, and a family friend. >> hug your children today and grandchildren a little tighter, and say prayers for the family of these folks on the airplane. >> absolutely tragic story. thanks to maya rodriguez for that report. this morning the president and his family are spending the holiday at his private mar-a-lago resort. the president wishing the troops a merry christmas, while still finding time to take aim at a familiar target -- the media. it's revealing words the president allegedly made upon arriving at mar-a-lago that has him in hot water after he told friends, "you all just got a lot richer," hours after signing the tax overhaul bill, according to cbs news. kelly o'donnell with more on the president's christmas eve weekend, dubbed as wazerbaijs t white house. >> reporter: a holiday greeting

by video conference. >> we say christmas again proudly. >> reporter: the president connected with service members from each branch around the world. >> we're grateful for each of you who spend this christmas away from your families and defend all of our families. >> reporter: but not all tidings were joyful. the president again delivered coal to the media on twitter. "the fake news refuses to talk about how big and how strong our base is." a political base often energized by the president's views on immigration. earlier he said the u.s. should stop the policy where naturalized citizens ask bring family members to the u.s. >> we're talling for congress to end chain migration. >> reporter: saturday night the trump administration linked chain migration to a gun attack by a 51-year-old naturalized citizen from egypt killed by police after authorities say he filed on pennsylvania law enforcement -- fired on pennsylvania law enforcement. "the suspect involved in a

terror attack in harrisburg, pennsylvania, came to the u.s. through extended family chain migration." the white house argued for congress to make changes to clarify rules for temporary immigration programs that get extended for many years. already ordering nearly 60,000 haitians, with temporary residency, to leave within 18 months. >> the people here from haiti are here from an earthquake that happened roughly ten years ago under temporary protective status. >> reporter: at mar-a-lago, the president and first lady called children to chat about the global travels of santa as tracked by the government's norad radar. >> thanks to kelly o'donnell for that report. this morning, a story on the president's choice of words is giving the white house grief after "the new york times" claimed the president used racially insensitive words against certain immigrant groups during a meeting. while the white house denies the report, lawmakers, activists, and immigration advocates are crying foul. nbc's jennifer johnson has the

story for us. >> reporter: "the new york times" is reporting that president trump during a june oval office meeting, was reportedly frustrated after reviewing a memo on the number of visas granted by the state department. according to two unnamed sources, he said, "haitians granted entry all have aids," and that "thousands admitted from nigeria would never go back to their huts." the white house calls it lies saying in a statement, "general kelly, germ neral mcmaster, secretary tillerson, secretary neilson, and all senior staff in the meeting deny these outrageous claims." immigration reform remains a top priority. president trump on sunday didn't address the controversy, instead praised u.s. troops. >> we're incredibly thankful for you and your families. your families have been tremendous. always under appreciated. >> reporter: even this month the president pushed his travel ban

from most lely muslim countries. >> we don't know who they are. >> reporter: and continuously pushed for immigration laws. overseas, north korea is lashing out over tough sanctions imposed on the country. kim jong-un calling it an act of war that violates its sovereignty. the north koreans call it a pipe dream for the u.s. to think the koreans will give up their nuclear weapons. and the u.s. announced it has reduced the budget for north koreans to the tune of $285 million. this comes days after the u.n. voted to condemn president trump's decision to recognize jerusalem as israel's capital. envoy nikki haley praised the reduction saying, "we will no longer let the generosity of the american people be taken advantage of." the news comes as mounting tensions in the mideast leave arab christians on edge this season. merry christmas! >> reporter: a rare moment of joy in a land that's seen too little of it this season.

as bethlehem prepares to celebrate christmas, security is tight. the west bank and jerusalem have been the center of unrest in recent weeks. president trump's decision to recognize jerusalem as saddisra capital sparking clashes. in the center of this city, a symbol of peace. fear may have kept some tourists away, but not all. >> i like being here at christmas because jesus was born here. >> reporter: at home, christian palestinians gather round their own trees. the musalam family worries about what the coming years will bring. >> ten years ago, i used to see the light at the end of the tunnel. now i don't see it at all. i don't see any opportunities for peace. ♪ >> reporter: at the vatican, pope francis presided over mass at st. peter's basilica. a prayer for unity and for peace. that prayer echoed in

bethlehem's church of the nativity where nay celebrated the birth of christ amidst uncertainty across this contested land. nbc news. now to high drama that played out high above the french alps after more than 150 skiers were left stranded in chairlifts which a gondola broke down near a resort. the rescue operation lasted three hours. in fact, helicopters were seen swooping in to save the people that were on those. about 80 feet off the ground. they were safely lowered to the ground. ahead, the treasury secretary gets an unwelcome surprise sparking a bomb scare. plus, making our streets safer. an ambitious effort in cities of all sizes across the country. some of the results are dramatic. (vo) more "doing chores for mom" per roll more "doing chores for dad" per roll

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there you see the president and first lady melania trump heading into church for christmas eve services last night. the two attending service at the episcopal church of bethesda by

the sea in palm beach, florida. it's the same church the first lady and mr. trump were married in some 12 years ago. guatemala is moving its embassy in israel to jerusalem, becoming the first country to follow the united states's decision in making the change. guatemala was one of the only of nine members at the united nations that sided with the u.s. when the international body overwhelmingly voted to condemn president trump's decision to recognize jerusalem as the capital of israel. president morales said he instructed his foreign ministery to move the embassy after speaking with israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu on sunday. morales gave no timetable for the change. in the u.s., a scare near the home of a member of one of president trump's cabinet. authorities responded to a bel air mansion. the lapd bomb squad examining a suspicious gift that was addressed to treasury secretary steve mnuchin which was delivered to his neighbor's house. in the end, police found a pile of horse manure inside. it was labeled as being "from the american people." the secret service is now

investigating. now to a major effort sweeping our country. a drive to make streets safer for pedestrians and bicyclists. in some places, the results have been dramatic. steve patterson looks at how it's being done. >> reporter: in a city infamous for its traffic, the right of way can be difficult, sometimes fatal. >> lost a father. >> reporter: jennifer knapp's father jeff, an avid bicyclist, was called by a distracted driver one year ago. >> just as he turned right on foothill, i could see the police. >> reporter: jennifer is part of a movement called vision zero. >> slow down, your choices matter. >> reporter: an ambitious, global project to cut traffic deaths to zero. vision zero transformations include reducing lanes, expanding crosswalks, sidewalks, and curbs, and adding bike lanes. >> what we're talking about is shifting our systems and placing priority on managing speed.

>> reporter: cities and counties across the country have adopted the program in an effort to save lives. seattle transformed a one-mile stretch of rainier avenue cutting bike and pedestrian accidents by 40%. new york redesigned parts of queens boulevard. once called the boulevard of death. not a single pedestrian or bicyclist has been killed here since 2014. vision zero has hit speed bumps. >> it basically created havoc in our community. >> reporter: in l.a., officials implemented vision zero in the beach community of playa del rey by reducing the number of lanes on a busy road. >> we had rush hour basically all hours of the day. from 6:00 in the morning to :at night. we had the conga line of cars through town. >> reporter: commuters, residents, and business owners complained and filed lawsuits. within a couple of months, crews began restoring the lanes. >> we're not against vision zero. we're against removing lanes on

our arterial boulevards because you push traffic into the neighborhoods. >> reporter: despite setbacks, vision zero continues its steady rollout across the country. there's a my bike lane on the road where jennifer knapp's husband used to ride. >> to create a line to say, careful. just like a crosswalk. >> reporter: a comforting site for knapp who hopes one day the number of traffic fatalities will finally hit zero. steve patterson, nbc news, los angeles. just ahead, how american soldiers are celebrating christmas overseas. plus, magic moments that will make you smile on this holiday. i can do more to lower my a1c. and i can do it with what's already within me. because my body can still make its own insulin. and once-weekly trulicity activates my body to release it. trulicity is not insulin. it comes in a once-weekly, truly easy-to-use pen. it works 24/7, and you don't have to see or handle a needle. trulicity is a once-weekly injectable medicine

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welcome back, everyone. despite being thousands of miles from home, american troops at bagram air force base got into the christmas spirit with a visit from the uso holiday tour. service members enjoyed performances by actor and comedian adam devine. they enjoyed food prepared by celebrity chef robert irvin. this year marks the 16th christmas overall for american troops in afghanistan. this christmas among those helping, make sure it's an unforgettable holiday in new york, the men and women in blue are joining the man in red. here's peter alexander with more. just before christmas, santa is getting backup. in brooklyn, joining forces with some super friends. an assist from new york's finest. also some of its jolliesjollies. here, santa's sleigh stretches

20 police cars. a caravan overflowing with a bundle of 7,000 toys. >> thank you! >> reporter: the gifts all donated and delivered to hundreds of new york city kids. >> some people don't get gifts. but it's nice for cops and santa to come around and give people gifts before christmas. so i thank them for that. >> yeah. merry christmas. >> we want to give them a moment, a magical moment to feel like children and forget about some of the day-to-day realities. >> reporter: these elves turning their precinct into a workshop, sorting and wrapping every gift themselves. >> to see the look on a child's face after they received the toy especially from the superheroes, their eyes lit up, as well as ours. >> i wanted to see all the superheroes because one day i'm going to be a hero. >> who wants a ninja turtle? >> me. >> merry christmas, enjoy. >> reporter: making someone's holiday brighter -- >> awesome to be a part of it. >> reporter: -- might be the best gift of all. >> that's a nice scene. our thanks to peter alexander

for that report. now to a little holiday magic on this christmas morning. that moment when you see your loved ones for the first time in a long time. many of you know exactly what we're talking about. those unforgettable greetings at the airport and other places. they capture the true meaning of home for the holidays. check this out. ♪ ♪ >> i'm waiting for my husband. he's coming from afghanistan. he's been there seven years. comes home usually about every six to eight months.

♪ >> we'rie itwaiting for my sist. 14 years, we're waiting for her. ♪ >> my husband has been inle valve door. 1 -- in el salvador. 14 years. the first time my daughter will see him. >> the first time since he's left that we'll have all five of us under one roof. ♪

>> feliz navidad. >> merry christmas, and happy holidays. >> happy holidays! >> powerful images there. >> makes me tear up. >> hard to come out of that and not be emotional. bonnie schneider with another check of the christmas day forecast. >> the temperatures are cold due to the wind and windchill, so it feels colder than it actually is. that will hold true for tomorrow as the cold air pushes east and spreads out. if you're traveling for today, watch out for trouble spots. blowing and drifting snow is possible, especially north of i-90. we'll be seeing tough travel for new england today. >> thanks. before hopping on his one-horse-open sleigh, santa took to the water to show his hidden kills. santa and his elves donned skis to perform tricks outside of washington, d.c. the annual tradition dates back to 1986. that's a waterproof santa outfit, i should add.

you're watching msnbc live. much more ahead. stay with us. [lance] monica, it is absolute chaos out here! gale force winds, accumulations up to 8 inches... ...don't know if you can hear me, but [monica] what's he doing? [lance] can we get a shot of this cold front, right here. winter has arrived. whooo! hahaha [vo] progress is an unstoppable force. brace yourself for the season of audi sales event. audi will cover your first month's lease payment on select models during the season of audi sales event.

a white christmas. 55 million americans are under a winter weather advisory this morning. so will santa leave behind a snowy christmas morning along with those gifts? we'll tell you who will wake up in a winter wonderland. delivery troubles. last-minute shopping means last-minute shipping, and now the mad dash to get those gifts nestled under the tree just in time. plus, the pope delivers his holiday message of peace from st. peter's basilica. the president unnerves more than a few with incendiary words targeted toward immigrants. we get a check on old st. nick as he flies around the world. and home for the holidays. we're there for the