meanwhile, the northeast expecting rain that could impact the iconic new year's ball drop in times square. and the an unticketed passenger bound for highway on christmas eve raising new concerns about security at the t airport. we have team coverage in place tracking all of today's developments. let's start with nbc's marissa parra at atlanta hartsfield-jackson airport, again, the busiest airport in the world. so how are things going today? people are starting -- trying to get back home. >> reporter: hey, richard. so i've been here all week, and i can tell you things are busy. this is what tsa projects to be one of the busiest travel days overall. we're seeing pockets of delays, nothing like yet what we had seen etyesterday. you'll remember yesterday that severe weather, there was a lot of severe weather happening in

places like the northwest, but it was really in texas where we saw that major impact for airports around the country because dallas as well as houston airports, at one point there were grounded flights out of dallas. and so we saw that ripple effect places like atlanta. we didn't have weather in atlanta that was causing any disruptions, but we did see flights that were supposed to be headed to dallas that were delayed or canceled. that is something we're keeping a close eye on over not just the next 24 hours but through the holiday weekend.h i know our meteorologist is going to mention how there could be another kick-up of severe weather, and that could put quite the damper on what is expected to be not just a busy travel day season for the people that are taking to the skies, but also to the roads. we know that aaa says that that traffic is supposed to ramp up again, and we're headed into the new year's holiday season. so all things for people to keep an opeye on, keep a close watchn as they are headed out, whether to the roads or the skies. >> let's move on to that

stowaway. how did that happen? >> reporter: so delta says in a statement ltthat it happened sometime this week, that an unticketed passenger somehow got on to a flight that was headed from seattle to hawaii. s and apparently this was discovered as the plane was taxiing out. overall this caused the flight to be delayed by more than two hours and caused a lot of people to be scratching their heads wondering how this happened. take a listen. >> it's scary, especially this time of year when there are so many passengers flying. it makes it easier to make mistakes. it makes you think. >> there's never just one cause. so there are multiple causes that come into this, and they probably involve not only a bit of lackadaisical inattention, it may isbe training, it may be compliance. but it's probably all of that. >> reporter: delta said in a statement they apologized to their customers. back to you.

>> marissa parra in atlanta. thank you so much. now for the latest on the winter storms across the country that we mentioned, bringing joy to skiers in washington but causing headaches for the millions of travelers trying to get back home. nbc news meteorologist michelle grossman has a look at the forecast for us. >> hi, great to see you.re yeah, we're looking at travel impacts in terms of the weather today. the northwest remains very, very active. we're looking at a parade of storms continuing to move on shore, an atmospheric river bringing higher elevations snow up to three feet in spots and lower elevation for rain, five inches in spots. winds are going to be blowing, as well. notice from the great lakes to the south central states, we're looking at widespread rain. that always slows us down on the roads. in terms of air travel, going to see impacts likely in seattle, also in portland, minneapolis, kansas city, chicago, nashville seeing delays, as well. new orleans possibly could see some delays, as well as san francisco. things meare going to change

throughout tomorrow in the northeast. we'll have a glaze of ice. i'll show you that in a minute. radar showing, yes, snow falling in the west, intermountain west. also seeing lots of rain through the middle of the country, through the ohio valley, the tennessee valley to the mississippi valley and seeing in portions of florida that's caused air delays. the severe weather threat was big yesterday. we had eight reported tornadoes, not as big today, good news. marginal risk for three million people in parts of the gulf coast states. it ramps up big time tomorrow. we're looking at 17 million people impacted by the possibility of severe weather. enhanced risk once again. we could see ef2 or greater tornadoes, that includes jackson, alexandria, hatiesburg, lake charles. this will be a big dow jones industrial tomorrow. these -- big deal tomorrow. these could happen at night. stay weather aware tomorrow. could also see wind gusts causing damage there and also hail. keep in mind that's for tomorrow. then sunday another severe weather threat.en we're looking at 14 million

people from the mid-atlantic down to the southeast. winds gusting over 60 miles per hour. yes, a few tornadoes are possible. you need to have your tornado plan in place. we're going to see a low risk of hail, but not zero. talking about the west because this remains a big story, the parade of storms still moving through. we have winter watches, weather advisories, winter storm watches, winter storm warnings from the west, pacific northwest, all the way down to the intermountain west. this is why we're going to see lots of snow and rain, over five inches in spots. that's going to rise the creeks and streams riand rivers, and tn we could see over three feet of snow in some spots, as well. let's look at your saturday forecast because we're going to stay active in the west. also looking at severe weather outbreak along the gulf coast states. worried about a.m. ice in the northeast with a glaze, rain coming down on frozen roads. we'll watch out for that, too. richard? >> thank you. a lot to watch for us. the holiday shopping season is one of those things we're watching. it's wrapping up. deeper discounts available for

savvy shoppers with retailers still offering sales on certain items that santa may have forgotten along the way. business and data correspondent brian cheung joins us now. a lot of good stuff to watch. you've got the breakdown. >> great to see you. when it comes to the discounts out there, if you didn't get exactly what you wanted, there's still deals out there to help you get what you want even though christmas is over. target, walmart, amazon offering up to -- 50% off in cases, walmart advertising this as an agenda of the year sale. amazon advertising this as a new year, new you sale. even if you are going to buy things, the best discounts were during black friday weekend. we know that because of the business team at nbc, we've been track prices since july.tr yes, for the airpods, pros 2 and the ninja coffee maker that we tracked, the best prices were during black friday, cyber monday. those prices have shot back up since that period of time. other items not necessarily the hecase, so you might still t deals there. in fact, reebok club c sneakers never got discounted into the

holidays anyway. these toys that kids love, they did see discounting. slight discounting as of the last few days. maybe some opportunity th you'll take what you can get. lastly, the tcl 65-inch tv, prices were low for most of the year. it's only during certain periods where they raise the price. if you want a 65-inch to have, now might not be the worst time. you can get one for me. >> you are reading my mind. i was looking at a tv this morning. for folks who want to return things, hopefully the tv i'm thinking of because i'll get a better place, what are tips? >> lamaybe bigger ones. if people are trying to make returns, tips because that's a big reason why people will be going out this holiday weekend. the deadline for most major retailers is extended. ed if yo bought it during the holiday period. if ngyou bought it black friday you have as late as january 31st at amazon, walmart, and macy's. be aware of shipping and restocking fees, something retailers have been putting in place after the pandemic to discourage people from buying too o much and trying to return

bulk muof it after the holidays are over. by the way, there are some things you cannot return things that are personalized, some clothing like intimates and swimwear as well as things marked final sale. if you have a pair of airpods that you etched my name into, you can't bring that back yo unfortunately. >> yeah. i don't know why. that's very strange. brian, how do we do on sales so far this year? >> yeah, mastercard has been tracking sales since november 1 up until right before christmas, december 24th.ri they said -- get this -- 3.8% was the increase in spend for that peak holiday retail season. that's really notable because that's above the pace of inflation. the last read we got on inflation, 2.7% on a yearly basis. so yes, prices are higher, that explains why people are having to spend more, but retail sales at least going into the holiday period, outpaced inflation which was a pretty strong economy, richard. >> good news. brian cheung, always great to see you. has all the numbers at his fingertips. next, president-elect donald trump taking no time off this holiday weekend. instead, railing on line about

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days left until his inauguration. both have shied away there cameras, but trump has managed to stay in the headlines. he's taken renewed aim at greenland and the panama canal just to mention a couple, as well as canada's ctv reporting, he will be hosting members of the prime minister trudeau's cabinet after suggesting he'd make canada the 51st state. joining us, nbc news white house correspondent mike memoli from st. croix in the u.s. virgin islands. good to see you, mike. what are the canadian officials hoping to iron out with trump ahead of his second term? and of course a bit of uproar in canada, as well, for trudeau. >> reporter: that's right. this meeting comes at a perilous time for the trudeau government that is facing domestic and international pressure at this moment. the top of the agenda for president-elect donald trump as he prepares to return to office is immigration. i think that's going to be at

the front burner issue as the foreign minister and the finance minister meet with trump officials in mar-a-lago this weekend. this comes at an important time. we know that the trump team is at this moment considering what new immigration actions it will prepare to take immediately upon taking office. and you think about two issues -- tariffs and immigration, which two president-elect is linked. he sees tariffs as the kuj on to get countries like -- canada and mexico to ramp up enforcement actions as his pledge to crack down on illegal immigration as he comes into office. we have seen the prime minister himself, trudeau, travel to mar-a-lago for conversations with the president-elect. these are follow-on conversations, one would expect to that. canada has already taken some actions -- at least announced some planned actions it would take to ramp up enforcement to heed some of these calls that

president-elect donald trump is making. now we're at the moment where they're getting further into the details. it is interesting to think about what might be on the table and what canada might be able to gain from these negotiations. we saw a few weeks ago, i was in peru covering the apec summit, when prime minister trudeau talked about having to deal with the incoming trump administration. he referred to some of the issues he addressed eight years ago, the last time trump was coming into office, making significant threats about foreign countries. at the time he talked about what was going to be the future of nafta. trudeau talked about taking some of the threats trump was making and turning it into a win-win for both countries. what became known as the usmca trade accord. that's the approach canada is taking here, potentially to try to see what it can deliver in terms of what trump wants, but also gain some wins in the process here. >> 30 seconds, back to you on this. a busy week for the president. there's a commutation, also his

act regarding vetoing the issue regarding judges. some criticism regarding that. how is he handling that? >> reporter: certainly i think the president is aware of the fact that some of these issues -- actions he's taking in his closing weeks are controversial. but the president sees that as delivering on promises he made to the american people. specifically, he's getting a lot of pressure from democrats to use that pardon and commutation authority to deal with some of these inequities in the justice system. some of what the president has already done is dealing with cases where had the individual been sentenced now under existing law, their penalties would have been much lower. so the white house has made clear they're not done yet. that there are additional actions he intends to take before leaving office on this front and a range of others before leaving here in just over three weeks. richard? >> white house correspondent mike memoli with the president in st. croix. thanks a lot. great to see you. trouble with one of the united states' key security and economic allies in asia.

south korean legislators voting today to impeach their acting president less than two weeks after parliament voted to remove the former president, yoon suk-yeol. now chaos erupting as the votes to oust han were cast earlier today. the opposition parties accused him of refusing to complete yoon's impeachment process. the former president is awaiting trial after putting the country under martial law for the first time in decades. the former deputy prime minister was ushered in as the country's second acting president as concerns deepen in the region about security and the economy. up next, breaking news about what happened right before a doomed airplane went down on christmas day. on christmas day.

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getting to some breaking news for you. the u.s. saying it has intelligence now that russians were behind the deadly christmas day crash of an azerbaijan airlines flight in kazakhstan. now according to the carrier, the passenger plane experienced, quote, physical and technical external interference before it crashed. if this is confirmed that the plane was struck by russian anti-aircraft of some sort, it would be another example of an alarming trend, missiles shooting passenger jets out of the sky. that is now, again, if confirmed, the number-one cause of commercial aviation deaths

this year. nbc has more on the breaking news right now. we understand that now this second black box has been recovered? what's the latest right now, danielle? >> reporter: well, the latest as you mentioned two u.s. military officials telling nbc news that they have intelligence that the russians misidentified the azerbaijani airliner and shot it down with an air defense system. the two officials say the russians believed it was a drone and engaged their air defenses in part because of the irregular flight pattern and because of the altitude, they say. both stressing that the investigation is still under way. one of the officials also saying that russian officials may have suffered from what this person says was confirmation bias because a ukrainian drone was shot down 17 miles away. the azerbaijani aircraft also appears to have sustained shrapnel damage consistent, officials say, with a muscle

exploding in the vicinity of the aircraft. i should point out that we've also heard from russian officials today, not the kremlin, they are still saying wait until the investigation is completes and don't jump to conclusion. but we did hear from the head of russia's federal agency for air transport. he said that there was dense fog near grozny, and grozny, of course, was to be the final destination of the flight a243 of azerbaijan airlines. he said nothing could be seen at an altitude of 500 meters, that the captain tried to land twice but decided instead to go to kazakhstan. richard? >> the very latest on this breaking news, thank you, daniele. i want to bring in an aviation expert who's been looking at the story since it start, chief intelligence officer at osprey flight solutions. we're getting more and more information that you've been watching day by day. the very latest is that according to u.s. officials,

yes, russians were behind the deadly christmas day crash, and if that is true is it anti-aircraft systems, what do we believe that might be? >> yes. so the latest information that ospreys look at from official statements by the russian federal air transport agency which you already mentioned, and then other official statements on the 25th of december, a chechnyan security official said that drones were shot down over chechnya. the government just west of chechnya said drones were shot down. this was all happening during the time when this flight was attempting to land at grozny. the drone attacks have been alleged by the russian head of the federal air transport agency. they've said this was happening

at the time the plane attempted to land. so the fact that there was russian air defense activity and ukrainian drone activity in the same vicinity where a civilian airliner was flying combined with the damage that's visible from both inside and outside the fuselage points to this being a misidentification event which now more and more government officials are going off the record and discussing with different media outlets. i think you mentioned u.s. officials have discussed it. >> that's right. >> and there's also ukraine who has publicly stated that russia shot down this aircraft. >> matt, so the e190, little bit smaller than a boeing 737, which maybe many folks might be familiar with. about 100 seater. can you distinguish -- distinguish, the radar systems distinguish the difference between the size of an e-190 and

a drone? drones from what we understand are quite small at this point in terms of what's being used. >> one of the newest developments in the conflict between russia and ukraine is ukraine has begun using modified light civilian aircraft which have a larger radar cross section but still are much smaller than a civilian airliner and will fly lower and slower. however, when you have a civilian airliner that is descending in altitude and potentially being at near the same altitude where drones are, and you have drones that are flying potentially near the air traffic routes that civilian airlines fly on, you get the activity in a close proximity. in addition, if there's several drones that are close together, they could appear on radar to be the same size as a -- especially if drones used in attacks are these larger light aircraft that have been modified into unmanned

-- >> six seaters? is that what you mean? smaller? four -- okay. go ahead. >> aircraft -- >> we got one minute left. i wanted to get in this question. reports the second black box was recovered. it also depends who's recovering it obviously. but with the second black box now recovered, when did we expect we might get that information and understand what was happening based on the data and what was being said? >> i think we're looking at weeks or months before any type of written preliminary report is issued that gives a discussion on the flight of the aircraft and any communications between the pilot and air traffic control. i would assume that russia is not going to want a transparent investigation around what communications took place between its air traffic controllers and the pilot. however, depending on who has the black box information and

what kazakhstan where the crash happened or azerbaijan where the airline is registered, what information they will want to public he release. however -- publicly release. however, the aziri airlines has issued an official statement already saying that external physical interference and external technical interference led to this crash, and they've canceled flights to over seven airports in russia. if this were something other than an air defense misidentification like birds or weather which the russians alleged at first, why would those flights be canceled to all these additional airports? and why would the preliminary investigation suggest an act of unlawful interference? >> matt borie, thank you so much for your analysis from osprey flight solutions. this morning, palestinian authorities say israel burned one of the last functioning hospitals in northern gaza. the gaza health ministry reports the idf stormed inside the hospital, forcibly removing patients and staff.

communication was cut off shortly thereafter. the idf confirmed an operation was taking place. now the siege, it comes a day after israel launched a series of strikes at iranian-backed houthi rebels in yemen. israel's prime minister netanyahu saying the country's first flight -- rather fight against the houthis is, quote, only getting started. joining us with the latest from beirut, hala gorani. good morning to you there. what's the latest conditions of northern gaza and the hospital that we were talking about? what does the idf say about why they took it under siege? >> reporter: you were showing actually footage filmed by one of our crews inside of gaza, taking huge risks to get these images to us. the hospital is in the northern part of gaza, it was forcibly evacuated according to hospital sources there. and it is the last or was i should say remaining functioning hospital in the what we know, t

idf stormed the facility at 7:00 a.m. local and told staff and patients to leave. this is according to the hospital. and then set fire to parts of the facility, the medical complex. you're seeing some of the aftermath there. you can imagine that evacuation of a hospital that size is difficult and potentially deadly with patients on ventilators and premature babies. and some of the medical staff, according to sources, were arrested. one of the journalists covering the attack on the hospital was also arrested and detained. now the head of nursing at the hospital told the bbc that the israeli military told staff and patients to evacuate, and we're not sure, we're trying to get more information about where the staff and the patients are meant to go. we know there have been some arrests, but we also know that patients were taken somewhere else. could it be the indonesian

hospital not too far or another medical complex we're not sure because journalists are still barred from reporting independently inside of gaza. now you showed some of that video to our viewers. there was other video posted on line where you could clearly see smoke rising from a building in the vicinity of that medical complex. what does the idf say? the foreign ministry in israel is claiming that this was a terrorist infrastructure and that it will facilitate the evacuation of patients to other hospitals. but we've yet to see evidence of that. >> nbc news international correspondent hala gorani, thank you, hala. next, the fight over immigration between two groups of trump supporters. how elon musk started it all. plus, the terrifying tale of a man buried in an avalanche on a utah mountain. now his brother got in to save him. t in to save him. >> by the time i got to him, he was about two feet -- his head was two feet under the snow. two.

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president-elect donald trump promising to tackle immigration on his very first day in office, and the man he's picked to lead that effort, tom homan, is detailing what the administration is considering here. >> look, it -- it's on the table. we haven't finished the plans yet. if you choose to have a child in the united states when you know you're here illegally and under a court order to depart, that's

on you. >> while those plans come together, a new fight is brewing between trump's maga base and his new silicon valley supporters over one outstanding item in trump's immigration plan -- h1b visas that allow immigrants with technical skills to remain in the united states. political analyst susan dell ers -- del ercio, and mark mckinnon, former secretary of the department of hug and urban development and msnbc political analyst julian castro. good to see all through of you. susan, what is this rift between the new silicon valley supporters, if you will, and the president-elect's base regarding this issue? >> probably from's based on principles. when you have donald trump running the party, it can change at any given time. so if you're a principled republican or democrat for that matter, you want to stay with

what you believe in and follow those rules. donald trump is sending out a couple of different messages because make no mistake about it, he knows what elon musk is doing, and he's looking for basically a carve-out. now nuance is never a word i would use with trump, so this is probably kind of spinning a little bit. but he loves that rhetoric that he sees from his border czar. at the same time, he's got to please one of his biggest -- the biggest donor and his new pal elon musk, and musk's friends. but that being , elon musk isn't wrong. and that's where the rift comes in. we need to have workers, but we need to have farm workers and other manufacture workers. this is a big, i think, hullabaloo for the republican party, but it will probably fizzle out because they'll come up with some kind of policy

negotiation. >> julian, being from a border state and any time anybody brings up the word hall -- hullabaloo, i like it. is it a hullabaloo or opportunity potentially given that the ctions within the trump administration, if you will, will have friction on this topic and potentially you could have something that comes out of it that they wouldn't have had otherwise, that's better in the end? is that possible? do you see any light in this? >> well, i mean, i think susan is right in the sense that, look, this is a skirmish about h1b visas that are very important especially to certain tech sectors. but this is also about the rest of the economy that largely depends on undocumented labor in ag, in the construction industry, the hospitality industry. so what this points to i think, if there's a moment that we can -- lesson that we can take, is we need comprehensive immigration reform.

do i believe that trump and the republicans are on track for that, no, i don't, because i think he's too tied up in his base in this xenophobia. you listen to tom homan and he's talking about catch and release and speaking in dehumanizing terms toward migrants. so i wish that i could say that this is something that they can build off of, i just don't have confidence that's what's going on here. >> yeah. you know, mark, pick up from there. with homan in wanting to make moves, president-elect donald trump on the first day, who's homan, and how will he handle this issue? >> he's been involved in immigration policy for trump since the earlier administration. and he is very hard core on this issue. so i think if you think about the most sort of aggressive policies imaginable, he is going to be the engine behind them. and so -- but the rubber's meeting the road here. they're already talking about,

well, we're not really talking about 20 million immigrants, we're going to go after people who have broke the law. and so the realities are starting to confront the administration. and there's a reason why -- i worked for george w. bush in 1999 when he ran for president and was talking about substantial immigration reform then. it's been a third of my lifetime we've been debating this issue, and it hasn't happened yet. there's a reason why, it's hard. it involves human beings. and the other thing based on this -- the hb1 visa issue, people are beginning to recognize now that immigration is -- it's gasoline for the engine of the american economy. so all these things are beginning to collide, and the reality of having to govern. >> talk about things colliding, back to you, julian. one of the papers from the south in georgia about farmers concerned about the future immigration policies given the

way that they operate their farms. also from the construction industry, there's also from the manufacturing industry. all of them in the recent days, we've been seeing some reporting that they've got some questions about how implementation will affect their livelihood. is there a balance somewhere in here? and is that further friction that is going to be tough to balance? and i say them meaning president trump as well as -- president-elect donald trump as well as homan? >> yeah. i mean, these farmers are in a tough spot. they know from experience the havoc that these kinds of dra tonightan policies can wreak -- draconian policies can wreak, and they depend on migrant labor. whether it's undocumented workers and agriculture for them to produce what they produce. you can say the same about other sectors. so i think mark is right. there's -- the huffing and the puffing and the playing to the

base, and then there's the reality of governing and being responsible with the american economy. and trump is going to have to make a choice, the republicans are going to have to make a choice. they can try and force something down the throats of americans that's going to be terrible for the economy, or they can recognize the reality that in large part several sectors of our economy depend on this migrant labor, and they can try and create more visas, they can reform our immigration system to meet our economy's needs and try and be humane while doing it. and perhaps also find compromises with democrats to do that. i just -- you know, i have a hard time believing that trump is going to be disciplined enough to go down that path. >> one of the difficulties here, susan, family detentions and detentions overall. as you know, one part of a very vast possibility as mike and julian and yourself were intimating, this is a big

subject, big topic, big bucket. yet one sliver can become the poster child such as these family separations and completely tank the entire policy. what is the risk here of this very issue when it comes to family detentions? >> ortunately i think homan knows that he is going to need tons of money to make immigration his policies work, even when it comes to deporting criminals. he's mentioned that before in a recent interview with "the washington post." the rhetoric is what frightens family, and that -- families, and that is the problem. we're going to start hearing stories about children not going to hospitals when they're sick or children not going to school or people afraid to show up for work. and those things are going to take a toll on the economy. and that's what president-elect donald trump is going to really hang his hat on. so he goes too far with this,

we're going to see it in the numbers. and i think he has to decide where he wants to spend his money, deporting people or on a tax cut. one will make him very happy with -- very large constituency. >> right. >> the other's going to cause him a lot of problems. >> mark, quickly, finishing off the topic working with w. bush as well as john mccain on this topic, do we expect anything to really happen of note in the next two years? >> well, that's what i was saying earlier, it's been they're of my lifetime that i've seen both george w. bush, john mccain, and others work on this starting with ronald reagan. it's just a massively complex problem. but it's one that's easy to demagogue which trump has done. again, we're seeing the rubber meet the road. i also think there is a place where democrats have seen their vulnerability, i think that this could be the first major bill passed because we had a good bill about a year ago that trump shot down for political

purposes. and i think there's a good chance because people want to resolve this issue, it's bad for everybody, and i think that there's an opening to get this done. >> also that bill you believe has a possibility, has a breath of life potentialli? >> want to get this off the radar and republicans need it for their base. >> mark, julian, susan, thank you, i appreciate it. up next, a christmas eve disaster turns into a miracle. how one man saved his brother caught in an avalanche. plus, the mega millions jackpot now over $1 billion. what are your odds of winning tonight? you're watching msnbc.

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on christmas eve one holiday trip to the mountains nearly ended in tragedy when a snowmobiler was caught in an avalanche. and luckily his younger brother was not too far away and rushed to save him. nbc has more. >> reporter: a warning for holiday thrill-seekers -- proceed with caution. officials describing the dangers of avalanches like this one in new hampshire's white mountains. the same mountain where earlier this month a snowboarder spotted on video narrowly escaping this avalanche as the massive shelf of snow barrelled toward them. >> the most violent thing i've felt. >> reporter: a terrifying situation brothers hunter and braden hanson understand all too well. on tuesday, the two were exploring a snowy hillside in

the franklin basin of northeastern utah on snowmobiles when an avalanche came barreling toward them. >> it compacted into what felt like concrete. couldn't breathe. i couldn't do anything. >> reporter: braden, who was hire up on the hill, watched as the snow overtook his older brother who wasn't able to get back to his snowmobile in time to outpace the avalanche. >> turned around to watch the slide hit hunter, and then watched him kind of get tumbled and buried and lost sight of him. >> reporter: braden activated a beacon that showed the location. hunter had been pushed 150 yards from where he was just moments before. >> i could see his hands, his gloves poking out waving. by the time i got to him he was about two feet, his head was two feet under the snow and cleared the snow away for his head and got his helmet off so he could breathe again and started digging his body out. >> reporter: experts said the

brothers did almost everything right, but going into an avalanche path can have deadly consequences. what are the top recommendations folks should do to protect themselves in case of an avalanche? >> people need to access the avalanche forecast for the day. people need to not go alone, but also go one at a time through avalanche paths while your partners watch from a safe location. and you need to have all the right safety or rescue equipment, a transceiver, a probe, and a shovel. >> reporter: one wrong move almost turned a christmas eve adventure into a family tragedy. this new dad grateful for his brother's quick thinking. >> i told him on i was my last breath. i tried holding inasmuch as i could. i attribute him with his quick thinking and hurrying to me with the sled and beacon and shovel and got me out of that. >> that is a christmas present. next, it could be the

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we just got this video we wanted to show it to you. this is, yes, ladies and gentlemen, in new york city, crews installing the new year's eve crystal ball in times square. and this year the iconic symbol is completely brand new with nearly 3,000 crystals. you can watch the ball drop just seconds before the stroke of midnight next tuesday. lots of crystals. what better way to ring in the new year by potentially winning one of the biggest jackpots in history? don't hold your breath. tonight's mega millions drawing has surged past $1 billion after no winning ticket was claimed on christmas eve. nbc's george solis joins us now for the details from a storefront in manhattan. lots of money, lots of tickets,

george, but? >> reporter: yeah, but, big caveat there. one in 302 million are your odd to win that jackpot prize. they aren't very good. you're more likely to get struck by lightning. still, you can't win if you don't play. some of the things you could buy, i don't know, 4,300 porsches 911, a yacht, or a million of these tic tacs if that's what you're into. we caught up with people trying to think out their wildest dreams of what they would buy. take a listen. you actually win the billion. >> what am going to do? first of all, i'm going to -- take my wife, we're going to have a good time, go somewhere on vacation. then the rest of the money i give to grandkids, my children. >> well, i would share it with everybody i know, families, friends, and buy my dream home

in barbados. >> reporter: yeah, that's not too bad of a list right there. and if you don't win the jackpot, you still have pretty good odds of winning one of the smaller pots. the odds are one in 24. bottom line, you can't win if you don't play. here's my ticket, my compliment to you and to the control room listening, if i end up winning this, you're all invited to my yacht for a private viewing of the new year's eve ball drop here in new york. so there's that. wish me luck. >> george, that's all i get is a viewing on your yacht? >> reporter: maybe we can talk some other financials after that. at least there's that, right? we can at least go that route. >> yeah, okay. thanks, george. $1.2 billion, i get a viewing? i'm joking. breaking developments surrounding the deadly plane crash in kazakhstan on christmas day. what u.s. intelligence is saying. plus, survivors reveal what they heard right before the plane went down. plus, from world leaders to billionaires, guess who's coming to mar-a-lago today? mar-a-lago?

we start this hour with breaking news for you. the u.s. says russia was behind the azerbaijan airlines crash that killed dozens on christmas day. two u.s. military officials telling nbc news that russia misidentified the commercial plane and shot it down as it fought off ukrainian attacks nearby. nbc is following the story with the very latest, daniele. we have more officials from the united states and others saying they do believe that there was russia behind this potentially through anti-aircraft systems. what do we know? >> reporter: well, according to two u.s. military officials speaking to nbc, they say the russians believed it was a drone and wrenn gauged their air -- and engaged their air defenses in part because of the aircraft's irregular flight pattern and altitude, according to those officials. both stressing that the investigation is still ongoing. they say that the -- russian officials may have suffered from

what one is calling confirmation bias because a ukrainian drone had been shot down just 17 miles away. i should mention that although the kremlin has not commented, it's saying don't jump to conclusions, the investigation is under way. we did hear today from the head of russia's federal agency for air transport. he says that there was dense fog near grozny. grozny was supposed to be the final destination, of course, in southern russia. he said nothing could be seen at an altitude of 500 meters, and that the captain tried to land twice but decided to go to kazakhstan instead. richard? >> what are survivors saying about what happened on the plane? >> reporter: yeah, some pretty remarkable stuff coming out of -- from azerbaijani media who spoke to some of the cabin crew who survived the flight. they say that first of all there were voor -- problems with the

levels of oxygen on the plane in the flight after hearing two, possibly three loud bangs. but one of the flight attendants said that his arm was wounded, and he describes it as being like cut with an axe when something struck, he said, the plane. he said a colleague helped him with a kitchen towel, a ply -- applied bandage, and continued with the flight. then there was another bang, and the captain announced they were going to land on the water, and told passengers to stay in their seats and put their life jackets on. moments later, he says, the pilot then came back on and announced that they were landing on the ground. so at this point presumably initially probably thought that he could only land in the caspian sea but made it to the other side to kazakhstan. when the plane hit the ground, the flight attendant says the front part separated as a result of the impact, and at that point he thought everybody was going to die.

of course not everybody died, 38 people died, 29 incredibly managed to survive, including two children. richard? >> daniele, the latest on that breaking news story, thank you so much. we're now turning to politics and president-elect donald trump who appears to have imperialism on the brain this holiday week. he targeted canada, greenland, and the panama canal in his christmas message on truth social. it's an early indication of what's to come potentially from the incoming president when it comes to foreign policy. republican strategists are not worried with one telling "politico," quote, crazy worked just fine the first time. still, canada seems to be trying to get ahead of whatever's coming down the pike, sending two members of prime minister trudeau's cabinet to mar-a-lago to continue the discussions trudeau and trump began last month. meanwhile, president biden is in the u.s. virgin islands readying to leave the white house with little fanfare as democrats try to turn the page on a poor year. joining me is nbc news white

house correspondent mike memoli from st. croix. what's the very latest in terms of what the president is doing and is planning for his final three weeks? >> reporter: well, richard, the word at the white house has been consistently since the election of donald trump that this president, joe biden, is going to be running through the tape in his final 2.5 months in office. now he's down to just about 3.5 weeks, and the president does have a lot on his plate when he returns to washington including for starters a trip to rome where he's going to be meeting with pope francis as well as the prime minister and the president of italy, two important allies and two key players potentially as it relates to what will happen as it relates to europe in a trump administration with regards to ukraine. that's a top priority for the president, to see that continued support for ukraine, to give them as much leverage as possible ahead of potential peace negotiated settlement with russia. we're also going to see the president try to realize some of

his remaining domestic priorities, including to follow through on the demands from some key democrats to use his pardon power, to use that commutation power to take some actions that can do what -- in a minimal way follow through on promises he made as a candidate to see a more equal justice system. the president has already taken action with regard to people with nonviolent offenses as well as drug-related offenses to either completely reduce or minimize their sentences so that they would match or in some way surpass what currents offenses would be leading to. we're also going to see the president do everything he can to continue to shape his legacy. just before christmas break the president gave a major speech at the brookings institution about his economic administration, his view that he has changed the dynamafrica a trickle -- dynamic from tracheal down policy of reaganomics, didn't call it

biden bidenomics approach. he will give a speech about his former legacy to an audience of historians who will unpack his legacy for years to come. richard? >> mike, stand by. i want to bring in strategist and former senior gop congressional ad viefrzor rena shaw and communications director and spokesman for hakeem jeffries, michael hardaway. thank you for joining us. rena, i want to start with you. as mike was talking about as this president is looking to finish up his administration and he will be making a final trip abroad which we'll get mike to describe for us in a second, we're also hearing what the president-elect is planning or at least thinking about when it comes to foreign policy and international security. what is to make in what we've seen in the last week? certainly we will be seeing, it appears, more of the way he administered his policy via social media in the coming four years. >> one of trump's central themes in his foreign policy was essentially keeping our allies

and their adversaries on their toes. that was something that he felt worked from the jump, from the time he took office, he really believed that that was the way to deal with, again, a -- complicated situation abroad. he's inheriting different geopolitical tensions i think change the game up a bit. one thing he's foreshadowed is he is not creating a route. the route is creating chaos with relationships that should be solid. the one between us and canada, for example. so i think what we're seeing here from trump is not at all surprising to me. but i do think the timing that we're seeing it play out in is quite interesting, though i don't think it really changes what i believe will be truly solutions-oriented policy, trying to achieve an outcome sooner than later because that is what he feels that biden failed on, that these conflicts

are -- rolling conflicts abroad were something democrats do and republicans don't. that's the challenge for him and his allies in congress to show that. >> michael, who to watch in the balance of power here on the democratic side? certainly your former boss, hakeem jeffries, the leader in the house. we also have senator schumer as leader in the senate. are those the ones we should be looking to to balance out these discussions when it comes to foreign polici? >> they -- that's exactly right. you should be looking at them. i would say as you look at the house and legislation and all these things and how they might move forward, republicans can only really lose one vote on any of these things. so house democrats will have an outsized influence on how all these things are shaped. so donald trump can tweet and post and go on television and say whatever insane things he wants to, but the reality is that if there's anything surrounding legislation it's going to be tough to get some of these insane policies through the house because they can only lose one vote.

and the reality is that house democrats will not vote for anything that's insane or too far right or something that doesn't serve the working people. so that's something i think we should keep in mind in terms of all these rolling pieces of chaos from trump which is from a legislative capacity, he won't be able to get them through the house unless they're reasonably sane. >> one of the things that we'll be looking forward to hearing, mike memoli, is that president biden, his final trip going to the vatican, tell us about the significance of that and the second thing, the first trip potentially for the president-elect will be to davos where all the world economic leaders will be at the same time, back to back really, these trips of two different presidents. >> reporter: yeah, certainly speaks to differing priorities for these two men. i think for president biden the trip to the vatican in particular is one i'll be closely watching. president biden is a devout catholic. we have talked, he and i, quite a bit about his relationship with pope francis.

this is somebody who as the first jesuit to become the leader of the catholic church has a particular view as regards social to social justice, seen a more progressive leader of the church than we had seen before. he is somebody that's developed a close, personal relationship. biden just met with pope francis last summer when he traveled to southern italy for the g7 summit. and so this will be something of a farewell visit, biden having attended pope francis' inauguration when he was vice president in 2013. but not to be overlooked is the meeting that president biden will be having with italy's prime minister, georgia maloney. she pleasantly surprised biden administration officials because she comes from a more right-wing party, members of her party leadership and others in her coalition had actually been very critical of the continued european support for ukraine in its war against russia. but maloney, since becoming prime minister, has maintained, in fact been a strong voice for continuing european and italian

support for ukraine. i think biden is looking at that meeting as an opportunity to see -- to look at the sort of new generation of leaders in europe. maloney suddenly even though she's one of the newer prime ministers will soon be one of the longest tenured prime ministers in europe, somebody who might be able to influence president-elect donald trump to continue at least efforts to give ukraine the strongest hand possible as it relates to potential negotiations with russia down the road. >> building on that and over to you, rena. traditionally, as you know, institutional republicans focusing on foreign policy here, will we see that return potentially as a lame duck president, meaning he's not trying to get re-elected? might president-elect trump when he is inaugurated take on a little bit more of that traditional element of being stronger on foreign policy and might that start with vladimir putin, as mike was talking about, regarding the issue of ukraine because -- at least what we've heard so far,

president-elect trump is not fully eye to eye with putin on ukraine. >> so, the putin-trump relationship is certainly very complex in some ways but also very simple. talking about it now doesn't serve us because he hasn't yet taken the oath, trump, that is. i think it's anyone's guess as to how trump will tackle our role in supporting ukraine or not. but one thing i think is bigger here is how much pro business and tech leaders iran just at the table now -- are not just at the table now with the future administration, they are involved not just to talk about their own endeavors, but they are being asked to lead in a way we have not seen in a very long time. and i would almost submit to you ever. so this is a really phenomenal moment because trump will go to davos, and i think what he will want to show the world, he want want to project american strength by showing that we are competitive, innovative, and we are ready to really take on the world in that way. by showing off these, again, economic leaders from the

private sector and tech leaders, he will really be looking to -- again, project american strength. that is the phrase, that is the name of the game. and that is how he wants to get it done. now if we look at all these situation, him and putin, him and netanyahu, that's all anyone's guess because we don't know what trump's thinking. but already we know that pro-business policy is top of agenda for the next trump administration. and also, i will just say this -- i think he will have a challenge in congress in getting what he needs done in that endeavor, in that way, because those endeavors require democrats. and hakeem jeffries has proven to be a worthy adversary. he, do i think believe, will be just a splinter in the heel of republicans. he can be, leader jeff reerks a shard of glass -- jeffries, a shard of glass. that is one thing republicans and trump in particular should be wary of. >> michael, there you heard it and you know because, as i said earlier, you work closely with him. as rina was saying, with tech leaders and we know the one name

we've brought up an awful lot, plus others donating million dollars or more to the inauguration itself as we look forward to that in january, might this new relationship between the beltway, d.c., and silicon valley create something that has not happened in the last 20, 30 years because they have certainly been speaking different languages to each other for the last two, three decades? might we see a new comity if we will between the two groups? >> yes, but i think it will be negative in the same way i think the government and silicon valley were too close around '07, '08, and that resulted inlake of social media regulation early on. this could be problematic for a.i. and crypto which need heavy regulation, and the close relationship between the tech skbrients donald trump could result -- giants and donald trump could result in a place

where those things could become out of control. some would kill for access to the presidency and influence over policy. that's what we've seen, elon musk, a private citizen and ceo sitting in on the president's conversations with other world leaders and business leaders. that's unheard of in every capacity. and i don't think it's good for america. >> you know, mike, you've watched the numbers in terms of the fundraising for the inauguration, for the president -- current president, president biden. you know the numbers well. in 2017 with donald trump, about twice the number that president biden had for his inauguration. what to make of this as we now look forward to the inauguration upcoming? >> reporter: well, certainly i think it's -- a departure from where donald trump was in 2020 and 2021 when president-elect biden was raising that money. at the time trump was in the process of being somewhat exiled not just from general public but

from even members of the republican party after the january 6th insurrection. now that he's on the doorstep of power yet again, he is bringing in that money. i think it's important context to remember that in 2021 for president biden we were still in the depths of covid. he had a much more scaled down inauguration than what we've typically seen, sparsely attended because of those covid restrictions that were still in effect and not the kind of galas and balls that you would typically see. i think the funnel of money in some way and the distinction between the two numbers is a product of that. but i think also that the sort of ways in which money can continue to flow into politics at this moment has only grown with the barriers being reduced from citizens united and other policies. so not to -- not to be surprised by the degree to which many in the business communities are trying to have their influence represented here by supporting president-elect donald trump's inauguration. >> i have to apologize to rina and michael. that background noise with mike

memoli, i don't know what it is. but it's some -- sometimes tough to hear what he's saying for some reason. mike, there in st. croix with the whites of the waves tickling, if you will, the shores as he is reporting from st. croix. mike, rina, thank you for joining us. developing, israeli forces raiding one of gaza's last functioning hospitals. what happened to the patients, nurses, and doctors who were inside. and back at home, how extreme weather from coast to coast is affecting holiday travel and festivities. estivitis ♪ limu emu & doug ♪ woah, limu! we're in a parade. everyone customize and save hundreds on car insurance with liberty mutual. customize and sa— (balloon doug pops & deflates) and then i wake up. and you have this dream every night? yeah, every night! hmm... i see. (limu squawks) only pay for what you need.

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sinex. breathe. ahhhhhh! new today israel confirming an operation is under way in one of northern gaza's last functioning hospitals. the health ministry says the idf took the hospital under siege this morning, forcing staff and patients out, and then burning the hospital. this comes a day after israeli launched a -- israel launched a barrage of strikes on iranian backed houthies from yemen. joining us, hala gorani. let's start with what's happening in yemen and this uptick in action that appears, put it in context what this means. >> reporter: well, this is an escalation of the israeli military activity and bombing in yemen. it's really in retaliation to houthi rocket attacks on israel. the teethies, the iran --

houthis, the iran-backed group, have entered the wider conflict in support of hamas since october 7th and since the israeli bombing of the gaza strip. and so the israeli military is attacking multiple targets at the same time across yemen, including one and i believe this is what we're seeing on our screen here, at the sanaa international airport. actually this might be one of the infrastructure targets in yemen. what happened at the sanaa international airport was interesting in that the head of the world health organization was about to board a plane when it was hit. one of the crew members on the u.n. plane was injured. two people were killed. and this forced the head of the world health organization to delay his flight and wait at the airport until the runway was fixed. so this is an escalation of the conflict between this group. some of our viewers may remember the houthis also attacked

tankers and -- and the shipping network, as well, that disrupted many of the shipping lanes in that part of the world. this is something that is ongoing and escalating between the two sides. >> looks like we have some video that looked like a control tower that you were alluding to. quickly let's talk about the hospital. >> reporter: yeah. well, the hospital is in the north. it was the last functioning hospital in the northern part of the gaza strip. the idf stormed it at 7:00 a.m. today local time, which would have been around midnight eastern time in the u.s. made patients leave, made staff leave. we understand some of the doctors were arrested and detained. evacuation, you can imagine, of a hospital like this is extremely difficult with patients on ventilators and babies, as well. we understand that one of the journalists covering the attack on the hospital was also arrested. the head of nursing at the hospital told the bbc that the

israeli military stripped some of the staff, made them evacuate, and we saw other -- this is video filmed by the way by our crews inside of gaza. we saw other video posted on line showing rows of people being led away from the complex and smoke, as well, ridesings from the facility -- arising from the facility. >> thank you, hala gorani for us live. next, as millions prepare to return home, a look at the weather that they may face. we'll check in with our meteorologist for what you need to know. plus, what happened on a major airline's plane that is renewing concerns about airport security. the first time you try bounce, it hits you. your laundry feels way fresher, softer. so you start to wonder. if i put a sheet of bounce on the finance guy, will it make him softer? bounce can't do it all but for better laundry, ♪ put a sheet on it with bounce. ♪ (cough cough) (sneeze) (♪♪) new alka-seltzer plus cold or flu fizzy chews.

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happening now, the rush to get home, that's in full swing. today is one of the busiest travel days of the entire year, but extreme weather from coast to coast is making things difficult for millions of people on the roads and at airports across the country. our team is tracking it all. we'll start with nbc's guad venegas at miami international airport. what are you seeing both international as well as national flights? >> reporter: richard, travelers here in miami are pretty lucky because the wait times have not been very long at miami international. we have seen things flow. they were predicting to screen about three million of the 40 million passengers that tsa was predicting to screen throughout the holidays here at mia. i've been speaking to a lot of the passengers who said they did see the news about the weather delays.

for passengers there are leaving miami international going to a lot of the hub cities that have been affected, of course they have been affected by some of these delays. these are passengers that have to get through dallas, atlanta, even passengers going through new york or chicago where we have seen some of those delays. here's what some of the passengers told me earlier today when they were arriving at the airport. >> well, i've heard some cancellationses, they're going to be -- cancelations, they're going to be on the flight. thank god our flight is not delayed. thank god hopefully not. so far, so good. we got here a little later than we expected because we were going at 10:30, we were supposed to be here at 11:00. we got here just in time before our flight leaves. >> reporter: now the cities that passengers should be watching out for going into the weekend that could be affected by the weather on the west coast, we've got san francisco, portland, seattle, on the east coast, atlanta, d.c., philly, as well as new york, boston, even charlotte, and chicago.

also we have what's called the misery map with delays, and as of now it looks like dallas-fort worth is the airport with the most delays that we've seen followed by some delays in denver, san francisco, l.a.x., and chicago. so a lot of the big hub airports, the big cities experiencing these delays. as we expect the travelers to increase, tsa reported 2.7 million passengers screened yesterday. but the number is only expected to increase as we get into the new year's eve and the new year's and of course the end of this holiday travel period. richard? >> guad venegas, thank you so much. let's bring in meteorologist michelle growman. you and -- grossman. you and i looked at the misery map earlier. it seems like the misery is increasing at least on this friday. if we look at that map closely there's also that big stuff, that blob that's moving toward the east. >> yeah, unfortunately we are looking at weather impacts today. we're going to see more weather

impacts tomorrow through the weekend, then through early next week. let's look at the overall picture with radar, see what we're looking at now and what we're going to see the next couple of days. west coast remains very active. we have a series of storms that continue to parade on shore, we're looking at high surf, high winds, lower elevation rain, accumulating to five inches or more by the end of the weekend. higher elevation snow in the cascades and rockies. we also have avalanche watches. that's dangerous, peaking tomorrow morning. something to keep in mind in the west coast. look at two-thirds of the country looking at green. we're looking at rain from the upper midwest, into the midwest, the great lakes, the ohio valley, the tennessee valley, the mississippi valley. you get the idea. a lot of us are seeing rain now. you're even seeing darker colors, the reds, oranges, yellows, telling us where we are seeing heavier rain. and on the tail end of the cold front across the gulf coast states we're seeing the severe weather. we had a tornado report in mississippi and a current

tornado warning in parts of alabama. that is the story right now. and that is the story as e go through the rest of this friday. three million under the threat of severe weather. a marginal risk but could see strong winds, a tornado or two. we had reports of that and some hail and heavy rain. back to the west, travel impacts continue and will continue to impact throughout the weekend in the west because we are looking at high winds and really heavy rain, snow, as well. high surf, so the streams, creeks, rivers are riding, as well. in terms of the air, kind of confirming what guad had said, looking at likely delays in seattle, portland, possible delays in san francisco, likely delays in the middle of the country, too, minneapolis, chicago, kansas city, nashville, and new orleans certainly could see some slowdowns, as well. here's the severe threat for today. not as robust as yesterday and not nearly as robust as tomorrow. we'll get to that in a second. for this afternoon, we're looking along the gulf coast states, mississippi, alabama, parts of eastern louisiana, winds gusting up to 60 miles per hour. with any of these storms, heavy

downpours that could leases to flash flooding, the chance for rail and a brief tornado or two is possible. as we go throughout tomorrow, this is what we want to highlight. have your tornado plan in place. we have a broader area, 17 million people at rick now, and it's -- risk now, and it's more dangerous in terms of scale. we're looking at an enhanced risk, the orange, where you see jackson, alexandria, lake charles, new orleans xd see strong storms, as well. richard, these are nighttime or nocturnal storms. the threat starts in the afternoon, the daytime heating get the storms going. overnight, it is double as deadly. what does that mean? we're surely not aware, we're asleep, not as prepared, not hearing the tornado sirens. you want to remain weather aware tomorrow. put anything close to you that's going to wake you up or sleep in the low levels of your house or interior room if you don't have a basement. that's something to think of when you go to sleep tomorrow night. by sunday we'll see 14 million people at risk from the mid-atlantic, throughout the

carolinas, the southeast for severe storms. could see winds gusting up to 60 miles per hour. we have the chance for a few tornadoes. we're looking at a chance of hail. it the risk is low, but it's not zero. especially where you see the yellow, raleigh, charleston, down to georgia, as well. let's talk about the winter alerts because we have a slew of them. we have winter weather advisories, winter storm warnings, winter storm watches, and avalanche watches. the avalanche watch is in that light pink color, and again, this will be most prominent tomorrow morning. something that's to me really scary, you can't predict them. just be careful if you're out and about on those mountains, the highest mountains tomorrow morning. back to you. >> all right. thanks for breaking that down, guad venegas, thank you. and amid all of that holiday travel they were reporting on -- on for us, there's been another airplane stowaway, this time in seattle. the second in just weeks. now a federal investigation is under way.

morgan chesky has the details. >> reporter: this latest incident absolutely raising new security questions at airports nationwide, especially as this holiday travel rush starts to heat back up. in this case, authorities say that the individual somehow made it through standard tsa security screening but was able to get on a plane without so much as a boarding pass. all of that now at the center of an ongoing investigation. as millions prepare to fly back home post holiday, security at seattle's sea-tac airport now the focus of a federal investigation. the case opened following a christmas eve stowaway. authorities say made their way on to a delta flight bound for hawaii without a ticket or even a boarding pass. the delta crew discovering the unidentified passenger just before takeoff, prompting the pilot to return to the gate. the airline stating their staff followed procedures to have an unticketed passenger removed from the flight and apprehended. authorities sharing they used airport security cameras to track the individual into a bathroom. after everyone deplaned.

>> it's scary, especially this time of year. there are so many passengers flying, and it makes it easier to make mistakes. yeah. it makes you think. >> reporter: tsa confirming the person passed the standard screening and did not possess prohibited items but bypassed the identity verification and boarding status stations. >> there's no such thing as the perfect security system, but each time an incident like this happens, everyone must work together to strengthen those vulnerabilities. >> reporter: it comes after another stowaway incident the day before thanksgiving. authorities say the woman exploited weaknesses at jfk international to board a delta flight bound for france without a passport or boarding pass. the russian national facing federal stowaway charges. she has not entered a plea. former tsa director keith jeffries says determining intent is crucial. >> you see these incidents so close together, how does it strike you? >> it certainly is concerning because it's the holiday season, and there's an extra vigilance

put behind it with all of the elements involved in security. >> reporter: new security questions amid a holiday travel rush that isn't over yet. now the tsa has pledged an independent review of the circumstances here. in the meantime, they have opened a civil case against this individual that is standard protocol any time someone violates tsa regulations, which was -- is going to be the focus of what they're investigating going forward. we'll send it back to you. >> all right. thank you for that report. up next, new details on two infamous cases that gripped the nation. you're watching "msnbc reports." "

today new development, one of the most notorious unsolved cases in the country. the killing of jonbenet ramsey. nearly three decades after the case went cold, father john ramsey says he'll meet with the police chief from boulder, colorado. ramsey will push for an independent lab to retest crime scene evidence hoping recent technology could reveal new findings. this thursday, christmas day, marked 28 years since the body of the 6-year-old was found strangled and bludgeoned to death in the family home. another high-profile case revisited, as well, the menendez brothers who were convicted of murdering their parents in 1989. lyle and erik menendez are serving a life sentence without parole after shooting kitty and

jose menendez in what they describe as self-defense. in their first virtual court appearance in decades they appealed for a shorter sentence, but their fight for freedom could take a back seat as new l.a. district attorney nathan hokman reviews the case file. keith morrison has more. >> reporter: one of the biggest crime stories of the year is 35 years old. the murder of kitty and jose menendez. popping up all over tiktok. >> they should be walking free on the sidewalks. >> reporter: the brothers' supporters go beyond social media to hollywood. here's kim kardashian speaking to "variety." >> i feel like they just never had that fair chance and imagine if no one believed you. >> reporter: interest in the case ballooned with the release of the dramatized netflix series "monsters: the lyle and erik menendez story." which hit more than four billion minutes viewed in the first ten

days. the real story began august 20th, 1989. >> our dad -- >> reporter: initially lyle and erik menendez pointed the finger at the mob. but by march of 1990, beverly hills police had enough evidence to arrest the brothers. could you believe it? >> no, no. >> reporter: but then kitty's niece, diane hernandez, said lyle confessed to her when she visited him in jail. did he offer you any explanation? >> no. not at the time. >> spell your last name -- >> joseph lyle menendez -- >> reporter: at trial the explanation would come out for the first time in graphic emotional terms about what the brothers said were the darkest secrets of their family. >> between the ages of 6 and 8, did you father have sexual contact with you? >> yes. >> reporter: they testified they had been sexually abused by their father. >> he would have me give -- give

me oral sex. >> reporter: loyola said it boiled over three days before the murders when he confronted jose. >> i told him i would tell everybody everything about him, i would tell the police, and that i would tell the family. >> reporter: in 2017, lyle told me that weekend he was afraid of what his dad might do. in preparation he and his brother had secretly purchased shotguns because, he said -- >> we knew that we were in grave danger. >> reporter: the jurors were torn. the trial was hung. two years later when they were tried again, evidence of sexual assault was contested and restricted. and the brothers were convicted. >> the verdicts were guilty t >> reporter: they were sentenced to life without the possibility of parole, case closed. until 2024 when new generations who have grown up after me too got interested. >> the menendez brothers should be free. >> reporter: then the los angeles district attorney, george gas con, said lyle and

erik's sentence should be reduced based solely on their exemplary behavior in prison. >> we're going to recommend to the court that the life without the possibility of parole be removed. >> reporter: but before that could happen, george gascon was voted out of office, and the new d.a., nathan hockman said, hold on. >> i will do a thorough review of the facts. >> reporter: and after, the brothers menendez will rejoin the great wide world or stay where they are in their small one. for "dateline nbc," i'm keith morrison. up next as we approach the end of the year, last-minute tax tips to help you keep more of your money or even boost your return for next year. 'm having te getting around but i want to live in my home. i can do it with the help of a barber, personal shopper, an exercise buddy. life's good. when you have a plan. ♪♪

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no matter what kind of teeth you gotta brush, oral-b electric cleans better with one simple touch. oral-b's dentist inspired round brush head hugs em, cleans em, and gets in between em, for 100% cleaner teeth. your perfect clean starts with oral-b. the new year is just around the corner which means many are finalizing their new year's resolutions, according to a new survey by statista consumer insights. the most popular resolution when it comes to tax -- related to new year's resolutions is saving money. 21% of adult say they've -- they're watching their wallets, while just below that, 19% want to eat healthier, and 17% want to exercise more. ultimately, though, most are opting out of the annual tradition. 43% saying, nah, not even going to make a resolution. but there's still four days left

in 2024 and four days left to save money this year by slashing your taxes or boosting your refunds. potentially that's your resolution. here to help understand what last-minute moves you can make is ted jenkin, certified planner at exit wealth and members of the cnbc adviser council. give us the top two things you might suggest to help reduce your tax bill. >> good afternoon, richard. number one, if at all possible, try to max out your 401(k) plan. you can put away as much as $23,500 if under 50. if turned 50 this year you can put another $7,500 or elder than 50. number two, people have something called a health saves account or hsa tied to a igh deductible plan. try to plaques that out. it's -- max that out. it's one of the highest tax deductible programs in markey.

>> there are year-end tax tips that shows what you might also consider. i'm not sure we can show that again. when you look at them, what about selling stocks that have lost money? >> well, certainly christmas just happened, richard, and it's time to find out which stocks have been naughty and which have been nice. if you have stocks that have been naughty, ie you lost money, you can sell those stocks, potentially fwhaem back in 31 days, and takes a loss. if you take a tax loss of $3,000, it can save you up on this $1,000 of income taxes, and it's a great time if you itemize your deductions to deadline out your clots -- clean out your closets at home, give away things you're not going to use, the salvation army has a great valuation guide at satruck.org. >> what about donating to charities? how do you make that calculation about what is the right amount for your specific case to help your own tax obligations? >> well, number one, you never let the tax tail wag the dog.

meaning if you have to donate money to charity and you don't have a dollar to give, you don't give it at all. this is going to be individual for every person out there. for some people they can afford cash. if you can, a lot of people will give away from 1% to 10% of their income, it depends on whether you tithe or not. a lot of people can do this through noncash charitable contributions. clean out your closets, what shirts and pants don't you wear anymore, do you have furniture you're not going to use? give them to a church, goodwill, salvation army will take these goods. >> what about contributions to your health insurance? is there anything related to that that you can do before the end of the year? >> absolutely. you can actually do it up to the tax filing deadline for a health savings account. like i said, it's the only triple tax-free ubt out there. for a married couple up to $8, 300. you can put away an extra $1,000. >> tell me about blunders to avoid. >> this is all about getting your information together. do not start an llc or a 1099

and not keep track of your expenses. i see so many people who do not separate church and state when it comes to their business and personal accounts. that can really set up a red flag come tax time. >> all right, i thank you for your help on all this. ted jenkin with things to consider as we get ready for the end of the year, decisions we have to make now even though we'll be filing several months later. thank you. thanks for watching this edition of "msnbc reports." i'm richard lui. "deadline: white house" begins after a quick break. hite house"s after a quick break. carl: what's up, carl nation! it's your #1 broker with the best full-service wealth management skills in the biz. tech asst: actually i'm seeing something from schwab.

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hey there, everyone. welcome to this special edition " we begin this hour, with the maga civil war erupting over immigration. elon musk and big tech. you have maga immigration hard liners, who voted for trump based on his extreme immigration plans, including mass deportation. on the other sielon musk and