good morning, i am

christina live in washington. this hour, we are tracking blackouts in puerto rico, where nearly the entire island was plunged into darkness earlier today. why it could take days to get more than 1 million people switched back on. plus, preparing for the big party and times square comes with some big worries. the massive security operation being rolled out to keep 1 million people safe in the middle of manhattan. and if you are not one of the people spent most of the holiday sick in bed, you probably know someone who has. the latest on the surge of norovirus cases across the u.s., and why it is so easy to spread. we want to begin with the breaking news out of puerto rico or the island is grappling with a major outage on new year's eve. some 80% of customers, more than 1 million people, are still without power following the outage, which hit around dawn. it's not looking like the issue will be resolved before the clock hit midnight tonight. another frustrating development for an island that is been dealing with chronic power

outages since 2017 when hurricane maria wreaked havoc on the grid. george salinas is there following for us. where does the situation stand at this hour, and what is the prognosis of people getting their power back? >> it's really not the news that u.s. residents wanted. on new year's eve, many of them trying to figure out where and when power will be restored. at the earliest, were looking at a day or two. that's according to the department of energy on the island. as of this hour, officials say about 3% has been restored, to about 44,000 customers. obviously just a very small number compared to the millions that are going to be left in the dark. as you mentioned there at the top, this is adding to the frustration. there is distrust of the utility from the residence there saying this has been ongoing, this blackout of the entire island. they been dealing with this now since 2017, already in aging

and crumbling infrastructure, many wondering what will be done to ensure this won't be happening. we caught up with some of those residents that were impacted by the latest power outages. here's what they told us. >> they might have to do something about this today. all the people here in puerto rico have to do a lot of stuff. >> yes, it is totally frustrating that the government don't want anything, the people say that we don't want luma, because it is a worse service of electricity. that we have in the history of our country. it is sad that in this day, the last day of the year, that impacts our traditions, our traditions. >> the government is reacting. the governor saying he is demanding answers, and some new reaction from the governor who's going to take office into the new year also reacting today to the new saying, we can keep relying on an energy system that fills our people,

saying, when i take office as governor, stabilizing puerto rico's energy grid will be my top priority. if you're wondering who is getting power as of this hour, the government is trying to prioritize those critical care facilities to make sure they get back on the grid as soon as possible. keep in mind, so many people are also relying on generators this hour so you will start to see lines at those gas stations. many residents are out there hoping this power outage is one that is results sooner rather than later. >> a really dangerous way to start the new year. thank you so much. and just a matter of hours, a time our tradition will take place in new york square with the eyes of the world watching. of course, we are talking about the famous new year's eve ball drop at the stroke of midnight would usher in the stroke of 2025. with more than 1 million revelers in attendance, not to mention 3000 pounds of confetti. with a big party comes a massive security operation. the nypd will be patrolling from the ground, air, and water,

deploying everything from drones and helicopters to boats and canine teams. nbc's emily okada has more. >> reporter: in the final countdown to 2025, police are bracing for a tidal wave of tourist, from boston to atlanta to the center of it all -- new york city. >> this is probably a once-in-a- lifetime thing, right? >> reporter: more than 1 million people will flood times square to watch the ball drop, already tested and in place. tonight will cap off the city's second busiest year ever for tourism according to officials. to secure the area, the nypd the plain concrete blockades. officers in and out of uniform, canine teams, radiation unit, and drones. >> we have been operating in a heightened threat environment since october 7th, and we remain vigilant. >> reporter: reinforcing concern over tonight celebrations is the driver who plowed into a christmas market in germany earlier this month.

rebecca weiner is the nypd's deputy commissioner of counterterrorism. >> we calibrate our counterterrorism overlay based on lessons we learn from incidents, whether they happen here in our city, or elsewhere around the world. >> reporter: event organizers also taking precautions in the sky from new york to texas to south carolina. some planned drone shows for tonight have been scrapped. after several drones collided and fell at a holiday event in orlando earlier this month, injuring a seven-year-old boy. this morning, police encouraging the public to stay alert to help bring in the new year safely. >> we really do mean it when we say the public is her strongest force multiplier. people notice things, and if they notice them and they tell an officer or call 911, we are all stronger for it. we want to turn now to tom harris.

he's the president of the times square alliance. thanks for joining us. we know the nypd is going to have a massive presence in and around times square. if you are like me, you get a little nervous at these big crowds of big events. what's your message to anyone is a little bit worried about safety tonight? >> we have the greatest police department in the world in new york city, and they are prepared, they have been preparing for this event all year. if you come to times square tonight, you will be safe next to the hard work of the men and women of the new york city police department. >> there are some things the police cannot protect against, and that is inclement weather. it's expected to rain pretty heavily tonight. umbrellas are not allowed. are you prepared for that, and how should people prepare? >> yes, we are. the good thing is, it is going to rain. umbrellas are not allowed. we encourage people to wear ponchos, to where rains roots, to dress in layers.

don't bring back packs, large bags, coolers. come out, have a great time in times square tonight. >> hopefully the drizzle won't dampen anyone's enthusiasm for the event. this is an iconic event for a reason, and we mentioned earlier, 3000 pounds of confetti that will drop. can you give us a rundown of what else makes tonight so special? >> were going to start the night off a little bit before 6:00 with the singing of the star-spangled banner. that is new this year. that will be followed by 14 other great performers. the last one is going to be mickey guyton, who is going to sing imagine. and then mayor adams is going to come up at 11:59 p.m. he will push that button, the ball will descend down that best on one times square, ringing in the new year. and then a blizzard of confetti, 3000 pounds, will follow the crowd, bringing in the new year. >> i do love confetti, although

i do have visions of a trying to get it out of my hair for the next couple of weeks. what is your biggest tip for anyone is going to be in the crowd tonight? how can they go and make sure they have a good time without putting themselves or law enforcement or anyone else at risk? >> there's a lot of energy and excitement in the crowd. people who come here and meet friends fast in new york city, and they have a great time. i encourage people to bring a sense of humor and just be prepared for a great night, a great show in times square. >> sounds like humor is always a good addition at any event. finally, before we let you go, i just want to ask, you have a wish for 2025? >> my wish is to just be a little more positive and sort of bring positivity to those around me. we all have a choice in the morning to look for the good or look for the bad, and in 2025, i want to look for the good. >> choosing to be happy. tom harris. thank you so much for joining

us. we still have just under 10 hours left before we ring in the new year here on the east coast. around the world, celebrations are already in full swing. just take a look at the amazing fireworks display in new zealand's capital, auckland, which sought the clock strike midnight 18 hours before new york. there was the spectacular display above sydney harbour and australia, always one of the big environmental fire shows to watch. more than 1 million spectators were in attendance there. and over to hong kong over the iconic victoria harbor is the crowd celebrated the start of 2025. coming up in 90 seconds, how is congress kicking off the new year? well, with a fight over the speaker's office. will posts help put mike johnson over the edge, wears the house headed for a messy start at the start of the new year? we will be right back. right b. . ask your gastroenterologist if switching to rinvoq

is right for you. it's one of the latest treatments from the makers of humira. rinvoq works differently than humira and may help. rinvoq is a once-daily pill that can deliver rapid symptom relief, lasting steroid-free remission, and helps visibly reduce damage of the intestinal lining. rinvoq can lower ability to fight infections. before treatment, test for tb and do bloodwork. serious infections, blood clots, some fatal; ...cancers, including lymphoma and skin; serious allergic reactions; gi tears; death; heart attack; and stroke occurred. cv event risk increases in age 50 plus with a heart disease risk factor. tell your doctor if you've had these events, infection, hep b or c, smoked, are pregnant or planning. don't take if allergic or have an infection. rapid symptom relief and lasting steroid-free remission are possible with rinvoq. ask your gastroenterologist to switching to rinvoq is right for you. you could pay as little as $0 per month.

president-elect trump is pushing for republicans to get behind mike johnson's bid to keep his job and avoid another messy speaker fight before or during this friday's vote. but so far, not everyone is falling in line even after trump packed johnson on social media. thomas maisie reiterated his opposition, calling johnson a biden-esque, quote, potato, and arguing that trump's endorsement would work out about as well as his endorsement to paul ryan. victoria smarts posted a list

of demands, assurances, she says, but jensen won't, quote, sell us out to the swamp. that's critical, because johnson can only afford to lose one republican vote, assuming every member is present and voting for a candidate. now elon musk is waiting into the fight, although it's not exactly clear he stands. on the heel of his efforts to scuttle that bipartisan spending deal, must posted his support for johnson's band before seeming to echo massey's criticism by posting, quote, you might be right, but let's see how it goes. with all that in mind, i want to bring in marc leibowitz, msnbc political contributor, and also with us, congressman, want to start with you. you think this vote on friday is when you get messy? >> it certainly has potential to get messy, as you just pointed out. johnson can only lose one vote. he's already lost one, he can't

lose two. and given the unpredictable nature of some of the members of the house republican caucus, i wouldn't want to go into this vote without fully knowing my vote count. and what strikes me is that he should be okay because trump has endorsed him, but you know, you got a group of wildcats here. and you know, massey is not going to flip his boat. sparks, she was against mccarthy at one point in his bid for speaker. who knows what she will do. and there's going to be some other surprises. trump's endorsement should give him some measure of comfort, don't count on it. >> marc come i want to turn to you. speaker johnson was on fox news last night and was asked to respond to people like thomas massey and victoria sparks . here's what he had to say. >> i think those members and all of them want to be a part of the solutions. they made big promises to their constituents in these campaign cycle, we got to deliver upon them now. it's the media and the left that wants to divide us and distract us.

we can't fall into that trap. we have to stay united. if we do, we can bring about this america first agenda quickly and deliver for the american people so they see results very early in the year. >> what is your take on that? is the division coming from without, or within? >> i wouldn't say it's the media in this case. division, distraction, whatever you want to call it, two republicans, three republicans -- whatever it is. not a big amount of votes against him, no matter how much loyalty the caucus has collectively to donald trump and may be elon musk, although who knows that. you know, we are in the chaos. that's what this is. and as he seen 1 million times over the last few years, politics causes all kinds of trouble. and certainly, i wouldn't say there's a groundswell of goodwill that mike johnson has to sort of fall back on here, but also as we know, any number of members of congress who

wants all kinds of attention can decide that he or she is a wildcard in the next few days, and then the situation gets muddier. so i wouldn't feel confident if i were him at all, given the math. >> yeah. and charlie, i also want to ask you about another complicating factor, and that is elon musk. we saw him throw a wrench -- or rather a tesla you know, according to -- it seems he has won over donald trump on the question of the specialized immigrant visas, which a lot of maga loyalists don't like. how wary should lawmakers be that musk has over some of these bigger issues when it comes to helping the president and members of congress decide where they want to go on this stuff? >> i really think the big question is, watching how maga world -- the maga diehards and elon musk collide. and immigration is a classic case. you are probably likely to see another collision on an issue like trade.

i suspect it's going to make many of the tech pros a bit nervous. so what i'm watching for right now is what type of pushback -- these two worldviews of some of the tech pros, and the maga world , are not compatible in my view. we are going to see more conflict as time goes on here. >> marc, i also want to ask you, musk is a poorly been camped out in mar-a-lago since the election. he has been using one of the cottages available for rent on trump's property, citing two people with knowledge of the arrangement. what you make of that? do you think the level of influence musk is having right now the president-elect is going to be permanent, or temporary? >> if you ask me, i would probably say temporary, but temporary is relative. he can certainly afford whatever he is paying for this sort of high-end bungalow, or whatever it is. apparently it costs $2000 a

night. i don't think money is an issue for him. clearly, the romance seems to be going into january. that is sort of what we have been hearing about for the last six weeks or so. i think there's a lot of wildcards here. i think both of these parties are both mercurial, mini both of these men are mercurial. i think the republican party at this point we'll see what this all looks like and say, a month, let alone six months. but i think right now, they are joined in some kind of alliance that seems to be at the head of the republican party right now. >> congressman, if you had to put a clock on this particular romance, do you see a particular issue that could spell the end of it? what would beer guesses? >> a blow up over immigration, it could blow up over trade. i don't know, maybe marc is right. i don't think this is going to last too terribly long, especially not this close, because you have to remember, maga is a populist movement. and many of these leaders in

business like musk, they are not necessarily popular. and i could see this on trade. musk has a lot of interest lined up with china. those across-the-board tariffs are when the cost him money. you see it on the visas, and there's going to be other visa programs. the business community, generally, will run into conflict. and we are all waiting to see how this will sort itself out. it is clear right now that musk won round one here on the visas, but this is just round one. i'm not sure how many more rounds there will be. >> we will have to see how much that last. thank you both so much for joining us. plans to honor and remember former president jimmy carter will track his rise from humble beginnings all the wato the white house, gooding stops that his family farm in georgia and the state capital before the tributes moved to washington and culminate in a state funeral. nbc's jesse kirsch is following

all of this from atlanta. what have you been seeing, and what are the days ahead expected to look like? >> christina, we seen any number of tributes from people. flowers, messages, and a short time ago, we had this touching moment. this is just a short time ago here at the carter presidential center. this is the ceo of habitat for humanity putting down -- you can actually already see is already one habitat for humanity helmet there. more than 30 years, the carders were involved in that organization, which of course, help those in need find a place to live with a new home. and so to have that moment there , a reminder of the work they did well into their later years, the carders were still hammering away, literally, with habitat for humanity. so we had a touching moment a short time ago, and this is all just in the run-up to the official state funeral, which is a multi-day event, which could begin in earnest on saturday.

that is why members of mr. carter's secret service detail, current and former, will be escorting his remains into a hearse, which will then travel through his hometown in georgia , go past his family farm where he grew up, and eventually wind up in atlanta. there will be a moment of silence, a positive georgia state capital, and then he will be brought here to where i am at the carter presidential center, and he will lie in repose here for more than two days for members of the public to be able to pay their respects in person. after that, he will move on to washington. and in washington, d.c., he will make a stop at the u.s. navy memorial. then he will lie in state at the u.s. capitol. there will be a ceremony there with members of congress, and then it will be the national funeral service on thursday, january 9th. that is been proclaimed by to president biden is a national day of mourning. we do expect that president biden will be eulogizing mr.

carter at that event. mr. carter will then return to georgia one final time, and he will have a private funeral service at the church where he was a sunday school teacher for so many years before making one last trip to his home for a private internment. and we are expecting a flyover by the u.s. navy, a missing man formation flyover, in honor of a man who was once a lieutenant in the u.s. navy and ultimately became the commander-in-chief. >> we spoke to jonathan rexford, the ceo for habitat for humanity yesterday, telling us what a huge impact the former president had at that organization. jesse kirsch, thank you so much. coming up. russia hits ukraine with a new year's eve attack as a kremlin pushes back on donald trump's idea for ending the years long conflict. what it could mean for ukraine. that is next. . speaker 2: these kids, they've done nothing wrong in the world, and they end up having to go through all of this to survive.

speaker 3: is your throat sore? speaker 2: your donation, it means everything. speaker 1: please don't wait until the last minute. make a difference by supporting the children of st. jude. please, donate now.

our right to reproductive health care is being stolen from us. i can't believe this is the world we live in, where we're losing the freedom to control our own bodies. we need your support now more than ever. go online, call, or scan this code, with your $19 monthly gift. and we'll send you this "care. no matter what" t-shirt. it is your right to have safe health care. that's it. go online, call, or scan right now.

♪ ♪ that's it. with so much great entertainment out there... wouldn't it be easier if you could find what you want, all in one place?

my favorites. get xfinity streamsaver with netflix, apple tv+, and peacock included, for only $15 a month. russia launched an aerial attack on ukraine overnight, striking kiev and multiple other regions of missiles and drones. the new brush comes amid uncertainty about a potential resolution to the nearly three year conflict. president biden is using his final days in office to send whatever aid he can to help ukraine on the battlefield, announcing an additional 2.5 billion in security assistance on monday, quitting critical weapon systems. joining us now was executive director of the mccain institute

, evelyn farkas. thank you for joining us. i want to ask you, not all this aid is out the door yet. you know, even what is been approved still has to be administered to ukraine. is there a concern that that could get stopped with the next administration? ukraine officials have already started scaling their tax back because they are running low. how far will this aid really go? >> well, christina, i think there's no reason to be alarmed at the moment. in fact, you know, the things that we have been seeing and hearing coming out of the trump camp probably are little bit more on the reassuring side. president trump said something about, any deal can't leave ukraine alone, or his words were not exactly that precise. i think he understands that he needs ukraine to keep the fight up in order to put pressure on russia to come to the negotiating table and make a deal that all sides can agree to. >> right. that has been the issue. it has to be something to negotiate over, and american officials have said ukraine needs to have enough holdings

to go to the table with a position of moderate strength. trump has previously bragged that he said he could and this conflict in 24 hours, and on monday, russia rejected some of the peace proposals that been floated by allies of president trump. wondering how you see this playing out and if you expect to see the president elect back away from the claim. >> i think this 24 hours, 48 hours, it's not realistic. latimer putin needs to be convinced that president trump is not on his side and is not going to offer him some sweet kind of deal, and that, frankly, he, president putin, is going to have to accept the fact that any deal is going to include a security guarantee for ukraine. and that is the part that they are resisting the most, because of course, the russians want to continue the war, or at least continue it as long as it takes to take ukraine and reduce it to a sovereign independent state. >> as this war drags on, there's been big casualties on

both sides. the estimates are hard to quantify, but the estimates are anywhere between 10,000, 20,000, even up to 100,000. that's going to start to be felt at home, and reports out of moscow this morning are saying russian people are losing enthusiasm for this so- called special military operation. at any point, do you see this conflict becoming a liability for putin, would you think he has enough of a handle on his population and messaging that it won't matter? >> i think it's already a liability for him. inflation in russia is running at 10%. the interest rates, the bank announced, will stay at 21%. as you mentioned, the manpower problem is severe. so severe the vladimir putin accepted an offer from north korea for tens of thousands of north korean troops to fight on russian territory. you know, he doesn't have much leeway. is not a popular war and it's not going to get better for him.

i think he's already facing a lot of internal pressure, and he wants trump in because he thinks china is not on his side the longer the war goes on. and that's why it's important for ukraine to be able to fight. >> i also want to ask you about just that, these north korean forces. north korean leader kim john thune praised vladimir putin and the ties between the two countries in his new year's greeting, and that is coming from north korean state media. at the uss said russia is basically the playing human waves. what is north korea getting out of her hoping to get out of this relationship? are the soldiers having any impact on the trajectory of the war? >> well, it doesn't seem like the soldiers are having a major impact. most accounts say that the russians have retaken some of the territory that the ukrainian seized. obviously, with the help of these north koreans. they have not taken it all, so the ukrainians continue to hold onto really important negotiating chips. for the north koreans, that

they hope to get his, i think, technology, a transfer. know-how from the russians in order to improve their ballistic missile, their satellite space capability across the board to be a bigger threat to the united states and their allies, frankly. that is what he is hoping to get. it's unclear whether he's gotten anything like that from putin yet, that is a long game for him. and of course, as long as he can keep the people in north korea in the dark about what is happening and in terms of what is happening to the north koreans who are dying in russia, he can continue. but there were probably a limit to that as well. >> a diplomatic equivalent of the enemy of my enemy is my friend. thank you so much for joining us. coming up, the cdc is sounding the alarm about a nationwide search in the highly contagious norovirus. we will talk to a doctor about what you need to know coming up next. ng up next. s an oral trea for adults...ent

with mild-to- moderate covid-19 and a high-risk factor for it becoming severe. it does not prevent covid-19. my symptoms are mild now, but i'm not risking it. if it's covid, paxlovid. paxlovid must be taken within the first 5 days of symptoms... and helps stop the virus from multiplying in your body. taking paxlovid with certain medicines can lead... to serious or life- threatening side effects or affect how it... or other medicines work, including hormonal birth control. tell your doctor about all medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements you take as certain tests or dosage changes of your other medicines may be needed. tell them if you have kidney or liver problems, hiv-1, are or plan to be pregnant or breastfeed. don't take paxlovid if allergic to its ingredients. stop taking and call your doctor right away if you have allergic reaction symptoms. serious side effects can include allergic reactions, some severe like anaphylaxis, and liver problems. these are not all the possible side effects, so talk to your doctor. if it's covid,... paxlovid. ask your doctor today. ( ♪♪ ) my name is jaxon, and i have spastic cerebral palsy.

it's a mouthful. one of the harder things is the little things that i need help with: getting dressed, brushing your teeth, being able to go out with your friends by yourself. those are hard because you don't want help, but you need it. children like jaxon need continued support for the rest of their lives. whoa, whoa, whoa. and you can help. please join easterseals right now, with your monthly gift. i'm almost there. the kids that you are helping, their goal is to be as independent as they can. these therapies help my son to achieve that goal. easterseals offers important disability and community services that can change a life forever. please, go online, call or scan the qr code right now

with your gift of just $19 a month. it really does make a difference. strengthening with easterseals helped me realize i can get through hard things. don't give up. keep trying. even better! please visit helpeasterseals.com, call or scan the qr code on your screen with your gift of $19 a month and we'll send you this t-shirt as a thank you. mother: your help and your support, the need for it is endless. jaxon: thank you, 'cause there's a lot of people with disabilities out there. people like me. please join easterseals with your monthly gift right now. ( ♪♪ )

as americans prepare to gather for new year's celebrations, medical x it's a warning about a surge in outbreaks of the highly contagious norovirus. the cdc is reporting 91 confirmed outbreaks across several states in the first week of december. more than double last year's number. the most common ways of spreading the viruses by contact, and eating contaminated food. and while severe infections can affect

people of any age, the cdc says the most vulnerable elderly adults and children under 5. spring in a rheumatologist at nyu and msnbc medical contributor. dr., what are the symptoms of norovirus, and how can you tell if it's bad or the usual stuff we all get this time of year? >> hi, christina. thanks for having me. the most common symptoms would be nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and stomach pain. that usually occurs anywhere from about 12 hours to two days after exposure. infection with norovirus scissors commonly called the stomach flu. kind of a misnomer, because it is not influenza as we commonly know it, with those of the most common symptoms. the symptoms usually last for couple of days. importantly, even when your symptoms have resolved, you are still considered contagious for up to two weeks after and for at least two days after your symptoms resolve we recommend you do stay home so you don't spread it to others.

>> and please far away for me. the cdc is warning that hand sanitizer doesn't work really well against norovirus. can you explain why that is and what people should be doing to try to stay healthy? >> yes, some bugs are just more resistant to being killed by the alcohol in hand sanitizer, and that is the case for norovirus. old-fashioned handwashing is the way to go, just using soap and water for at least 20 seconds. i think it's singing happy birthday twice. and cleaning and disinfecting services, putting commonly used surfaces frequently, is incredibly important. you want to handle and prepare your food safely, and cook food to appropriate temperatures. wash raw fruit and vegetables very carefully before eating. and if you have someone in the home who has been sick, number one, you need to be incredibly careful, because it is so contagious if you are taking care of them, but you want to wash their laundry with super hot water, and that can also help to kill the virus and limit spread throughout the

household. >> i would've thought about washing the laundry with extra hot water. is there any reason that the surge this year so much worse compared to other years? you know what accounts for that? >> you know, i don't. full disclosure, i was trying to think about what sort of explanation there could be. there is nothing inherently more dangerous about the virus that is spreading. it's not more beer length, meaning it's not causing more severe illness. it's not more contagious than in past years. it is probably a combination of a lot of different things happening at once and people really getting out and about post-pandemic. you know, gathering indoors, gathering at any sort of places, parties and weddings and cruise ships, as we know, are just right for something like this. it's not only the most common cause of gastrointestinal illness in this country, but it is the most common cause of foodborne illness. if i could just remind people again -- washing hands is the

way to go, especially if you are touching common surfaces. elevators, escalators, doorknobs, and keep your hands away from your face. tell your children to keep their hands away from their face and that way you can help reduce the spread and certainly reduce the risk of infecting yourself. >> thank you so much. still ahead, a year that defy predictability. for one of the most divisive presidential races in memory to a spectacle in space that united the country. we are looking back at all the big moments that made 2024 one for the history books. history .

(man) mm, hey, honey.

looks like my to-do list grew. "paint the bathroom, give baxter a bath, get life insurance," hm. i have a few minutes. i can do that now. oh, that fast? remember that colonial penn ad? i called and i got information. they sent the simple form i need to apply. all i do is fill it out and send it back. well, that sounds too easy! (man) give a little information, check a few boxes, sign my name, done. they don't ask about your health? (man) no health questions. -physical exam? -don't need one. it's colonial penn guaranteed acceptance whole life insurance. if you're between the ages of 50 and 85, your acceptance is guaranteed in most states, even if you're not in the best health. options start at $9.95 a month, 35 cents a day. once insured, your rate will never increase. a lifetime rate lock guarantees it. keep in mind, this is lifetime protection. as long as you pay your premiums, it's yours to keep.

call for more information and the simple form you need to apply today. there's no obligation, and you'll receive a free beneficiary planner just for calling.

to call 2024 historic doesn't really begin to cover it. in the attempt on donald trump's life to joe biden's decision to drop out of the race, whether breaking, giant leaps in space exploration, and olympics the captivated the world. nbc's joe fryer takes a look back at the year that was. tha. >> reporter: one 2024 began, america was bracing for an election encore, pitting the 46 president against the 45th. but this was a year that defy predictability. it began with a gaping hole in a plane and empty ended with empty seats in the next administration. in between, a mogul music was jailed and russian presidents were freed. were continue to rage in the

middle east, while the royal family fought a very different battle -- cancer -- twice. the olympic spirit united us as politics divided us. the road to the white house taking sharp detours, following an uncharted path. it started with the race for the republican nomination. donald trump skipped every debate, yet bolted over the competition. >> we don't have a clear path to victory. >> reporter: quickly swatting away his challengers. >> the time is now could come to suspend my campaign. >> reporter: trump won in the ballot, but not in the courtroom. he was convicted in may of all 34 counts in his new york hush money trial, though it did not slow him down. >> this was a disgraceful trial. >> reporter: in june, then former president trump and then president biden went face-to- face. the first debate of the campaign and what turned out to be the last.

>> look, we finally beat medicare. >> reporter: the halting performance led to calls for him to step aside, calls he initially resisted. all of it leading to july, a month rocked by political earthquakes. >> there's been an incident at donald trump's pennsylvania rally. >> reporter: where a bullet grazed trump's ear. he narrowly escaped the assassination attempt. a spectator was killed. five days later, a bandaged trump at the stage of the republican national convention, officially accepting his party's nomination. >> i felt very safe, because i had god on my side. >> reporter: the political tremors had barely's excited when just three days later, the elections landscape completely changed. >> reporter: i love this office, but i love this country

more. >> reporter: biden dropped out, endorsing, letters, instantly ascending to the top of the ticket. >> but america, we are not going back. we are not going back. >> reporter: the race, now recharged. harris wrote a wave of momentum into first debate with trump. >> donald trump was fired by 81 million people. so let's be clear about that. >> reporter: all of that comedic fodder for saturday night live. >> what do we always say? >> reporter: ultimately, a nation exhausted by inflation, with something it had not done in more than 125 years, sent a former president back to the white house. >> this is, i believe, the greatest political movement of all-time. >> reporter: a decisive win followed by a contentious transition. several controversial cabinet

pics that the fight for confirmation in the new year. overseas, another transition is underway. the rebels toppled the asad regime in syria. just the latest shakeup this year in the middle east, as israel exchanged airstrikes with iran, battered hezbollah in lebanon, and continued to bombard gaza. >> my country is at war fighting for its life. >> reporter: we learned a number of hostages were killed, including -- while others are still being held captive by hamas. the conflict sparked pro- palestinian protests at campuses across america, with classes and even some commencement ceremonies canceled. the war between ukraine and russia continued to rage on into its third year with no signs of a cease-fire in sight. russia did agree to a major prisoner swap with the u.s. and other western nations. the wall street journal

celebrating the release of reporter evan. >> i'm all right. >> just recuperating from five years, five months of just absolute nonsense the russian government. >> reporter: a turbulent year for boeing started in january when a door panel blew off a plane midflight. plane midflight. in response, boeing promised design changes. >> i saw the picture everybody saw in the opening, but what i really saw -- i spent a week with my kids and grandkids. >> reporter: higher up, two astronauts aboard boeing's new store liner were supposed to spend a week at the international space station. because of tech problems, they have not been there more than six months. i hope to return in march. >> it wasn't what we expected.

however, we were prepared. >> reporter: millions looked to space as a total solar eclipse cast a hypnotic shadow across a long strip of the country. >> we are in a sea of strangers right now united by this moment. >> reporter: on the water, a cargo ship slammed into alto morse francis scott key bridge and collapsed, killing six men working on the span. >> you can still hear the screaming and shooting outside. >> reporter: gun violence devastated a high school in georgia where a gunman killed two students and two teachers. authorities say a 14-year-old boy confessed to the murders but pleaded not guilty, and so did his father, who was also charged. according to law enforcement officers, he gifted the rifle to his son. >> we find the defendant guilty of involuntary manslaughter. >> reporter: there, james and jennifer crumbly in the first

parents criminally responsible for a mass shooting committed either child. the attack happened in 2021. in december, the ceo of united healthcare was gunned down on a manhattan sidewalk in what police called a targeted attack. days later, police arrested the suspect, a 26-year-old ivy league grad, at a mcdonald's in pennsylvania. he has pleaded not guilty. an active hurricane season was headlined by helene, a category four storm roaring ashore along florida's gulf coast, then moved to north where historic floodwaters washed away mountain towns in north carolina and tennessee. >> everything they owned, their homes -- everything. >> reporter: less than two weeks later -- another hit. hurricane milton. resilient communities are now promising to rebuild. much like paris is notre dame

cathedral, the landmark emerged from the ashes five years after a voracious fire engulfed centuries of history. britain's royal family faced incredible health hardships this year. in february, king charles announced he was diagnosed with cancer. a month later, princess kate shared her own diagnosis. >> this came as a huge shock. >> reporter: she slowly resumed her duties after preventative chemotherapy. it was a high profile criminal indictments. sean diddy combs was charged with racketeering, trafficking, and more. he pleaded not guilty. so did mayor eric adams, who faces corruption charges. as for the cases against president trump were dismissed. the current president son, hunter biden, had a legal lifeline -- eight pardon from his dad after he pleaded guilty to tax crimes. that pardon drew bipartisan criticism. users of the popular

apps are furious. >> reporter: for taylor swift, it was the end of this era. she wrapped up her record- breaking tour as a new generation of female artists emerged, like sabrina carpenter. charlie xc x gave us brat summer , bathed in a shade of green, perfectly paving the way for a wicked witch. simone biles defy gravity, capping off her comeback and becoming the most decorated u.s. gymnast in olympic history. and a new hero rode in on a horse -- a pommel horse. clinched 18 metal for the men with a riveting routine. we were also talking about basketball. specifically, katelyn clark.

who became the ncaa's all-time leading scorer. she was the number one draft pick in the wnba draft, leaving a surge in popularity for women's sports. a hard-core hero blazing uninspiring trail that is leading us right into 2025. joe fryer, new york. >> are thanks to joe fryer and team for that piece. still to come in the next hour, the latest from times square spectators gear up for tonight's big celebration. will the weather hold up? a life forecast ahead. stay close. more coverage right after this. have you always had trouble with your weight? same. discover the power of wegovy®.

with wegovy®, i lost 35 pounds. and some lost over 46 pounds. and i'm keeping the weight off. i'm reducing my risk. wegovy® is the only weight-management medicine proven to reduce risk of major cardiovascular events such as death, heart attack, or stroke in adults with known heart disease and obesity. don't use wegovy® with semaglutide or glp-1 medicines, or in children under 12. don't take if you or your family had mtc, men 2, or if allergic to it. tell your provider if you plan to have surgery or a procedure, are breastfeeding, pregnant, or plan to be. stop taking and get medical help right away if you get a lump or swelling in your neck, severe stomach pain, or any of these allergic reactions. serious side effects may include pancreas inflammation and gallbladder problems. call your prescriber if you have any of these symptoms. wegovy® may cause low blood sugar in people with diabetes, especially if you take medicines to treat diabetes. call your prescriber about vision changes, if you feel your heart racing while at rest, or if you have mental changes.

depression or thoughts of suicide may occur. common side effects include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, constipation, stomach pain, flu, or upset, headache, feeling tired, dizzy, or bloated, gas, and heartburn. some side effects lead to dehydration, which may cause kidney problems. with wegovy®, i'm losing weight, i'm keeping it off, and i'm lowering my cv risk. ask your prescriber about wegovy®. narrator: time is running out to give a year-end gift like no other, a gift that can help st. jude children's research hospital save lives. woman: cancer doesn't care how old you are, and it's devastatingly scary. if you're donating to st. jude, you're supporting finding a cure, because the fight never stops. narrator: every gift counts, and whatever you can give will make a difference for children like gideon. make your donation today to help st. jude save lives.

>> no application fee if you apply by february 12th at university of maryland global campus, an accredited university that's transformed adult lives for 75 years. you're not waiting to win, you're ready to succeed again at umgc.edu.

good afternoon and happy new year's eve. at this hour, we are going to party like it's, well, 2025. around the world celebrations are already underway. what will the frivolity in the u.s. look like as new york city faces security concerns and other parts of the country brace for extreme weather? new year, new problems. congress is back following a record-breaking lay unproductive session. the potential obstacles declaring that legislative logjam coming a few days after members are sworn in.

a new warning from the fbi for sports leagues. organize theft targeting professional athletes are on the rise. how the high-tech heists are carried out and what the agency says players can do to protect themselves. we want to begin with a countdown to the new year all around the world. in dubai they are already ringing in 2025 with this massive fireworks display. the tallest building in the world lighting up the sky over downtown. this was how bangkok, thailand celebrated just a few hours ago glittering over the harbor there. in taiwan, this iconic scene fireworks shooting out of the sides of the famous taipei 101 tower. here on the east coast we still have to wait about nine hours until the 11,000 pound ball made up of more than 2600 crystal triangles and more than 32,000 lights is set to drop in times square. in case that doesn't do it for you there will also be 3000 pounds of confetti. more than 1 million revelers will meet with beefed up

security, balmy temperatures and a 100% chance of rain. joining us now, antonia helton from times square and nbc meteorologists. i want to start with you, operations have been a long time coming, how is it in these final hours? >> reporter: it's going well. they're doing testis and performances you might get a glance behind me here as they practice for the show tonight. what you're not sitting behind me are the major crowds. that's because they are lined up on sixth and eighth avenue right now. in a matter of minutes they should start filing and as they slowly one by one make their way through security checkpoint . the nypd is going to make sure people don't bring in big backpacks, double bags, picnic blankets, lawn chairs, umbrellas. that's tough because we are expecting rain in a few hours. people will have to think about other water resistant layers if planning to join the celebration tonight because this is in an effort to keep

people safe. there's potential for protests we have seen in the city all year but also concerns like what we saw happen at the holiday market in europe just days ago. the nypd says they're prepared for all of this with officers in uniform, also in plainclothes, helicopters, on boats, with drones and bomb sniffing dogs. take a listen to one official talking about preparation for tonight. >> there's a lot of energy and excitement in the crowd. people who come here meet friends fast in new york city and they have a great time. i encourage people to bring a sense of humor and just to be prepared for a great night, a great show in times square. if you come to times square tonight you will be safe thanks to the hard work of the men and women of the new york city police department. >> for anyone who is planning to join in person or stream the show tonight what you can expect our performances from big names like lenny kravitz, carrie underwood, the jonas

brothers and others. there's another layer to the party which is they are marking new york city's 400th birthday tonight. in addition to all the 2025 staff expect them to talk about history and what this moment means for the community here in times square. >> antonia hylton, you know streaming seems warmer but i guess there's nothing like being there. thank you. we want to turn to our meteorologist michelle grossman. 100% chance of rain, really? what is the forecast looking like for the rest of the celebrations? >> hi there. we're looking at rain into the new york city area. the good news is by the ball drop we will see showers at that point so the heavy rain will taper off at least and mild. let's take a look at what we are looking in terms of the tht the northern side, it's a cold side so snow is falling. on the warm side we are seeing

some lightning strikes, some thunderstorms moving through. we can't rule out the chance of thunderstorms over the next several hours. then you see the bright colors. that's where we see the heavy rain falling. there will be heavy rain falling in the new york city area later on this evening. for the rest of the country we are looking pretty good. it's cold in the northern plains, temperatures below freezing. denver just above freezing but we are dry in the south, the southwest, the southeast into the northwest as well. that will change as we go through today. we will see flurries in the intermountain west. let's talk about the ball drop because we're looking at temperatures mild for this time of year. the trade-off is we see the rain that will be heavy before the ball drop and taper off closer to midnight to showers. we will need some rain layers if you're standing outside to usher in 2025. for the rest of the country where looking at the arctic

chill in the northern plains. clear and cold for a lot of us. we're looking at temperatures in the 20s, 30s, even in texas we look at 30s and 40s. southwest. we will see those temperatures drop overnight into the 40s in some spots and noticed the pacific northwest. we will see another system. we have seen system after system onshore there. we will see that once again with some valley rain where you see the green along the coast and some higher elevation snow. we could see a lot of snow in a lot of places. things change in the northeast tomorrow. we will see the storm exiting but lingering throughout new england and then we see the wind really picking up. the cold wind from canada coming over. we will see the lake effect really turning up once again. we could see a feet of snow in some spots over the next several days for the weekend. >> i see what you do there with that confetti over the cold temperatures trying to make it look more palatable. i appreciate the effort. thank you so much.

the u.s. treasury department has been targeted and what's being called a major cyber security breach the agency told lawmakers a state- sponsored chinese hacking operation accessed third-party software to tap into desktop computers of treasury employees. nbc business and data correspondent brian is following this for us. what more do we know about this hacking incident and our average americans at risk? >> the treasury is describing this as a major incident because what happened here was that on december 8th or prior to that there was an issue regarding its third-party software provider known as beyond trust. it's a company that provides the treasury tech support. apparently the china state- sponsored actor as the treasury describing it was able to override that service security and remotely access treasury user workstations, a.k.a. computers and laptops, to then access certain unclassified documents. unclassified's are not necessarily the most sensitive information but

nonetheless still concerning. the u.s. treasury says there's no reason to think they are continuing to trap into u.s. treasury because they no longer use that specific service from that third party provider. they say there's no evidence indicating the threat actor continued access. for the chinese government's part they mentioned through their ministry of foreign affairs that they say these are groundless accusations and china consistently opposes all forms of hacking and is firmly against the spread of false information. a little bit of a counter from the chinese government. nonetheless still concerning when you consider there's the at&t and verizon infrastructure hacks the u.s. government also said came from china. that was earlier in the year and an operation microsoft dubbed. no link at the moment between that issue in this issue with the u.s. treasury although there is outstanding questions over how this happened and what can be done

to prevent it from happening again. >> thank you so much. in 90 seconds how american investigators are helping get to the bottom of one of the deadliest plane crashes in south korea's history. we will be right back. and the flavor you love. so, here's to now... now available: boost max! nature knows best. that's why new chapter vitamins... ...follows her example. with key vitamins, minerals, herbs, and whole food ingredients... ...crafted to work with your body. ♪♪ bringing the power of nature... ...into your new chapter.

our right to reproductive health care is being stolen from us. i can't believe this is the world we live in, where we're losing the freedom to control our own bodies. we need your support now more than ever. go online, call, or scan this code, with your $19 monthly gift. and we'll send you this "care. no matter what" t-shirt. it is your right to have safe health care. that's it. go online, call, or scan right now. we are back with breaking news. puerto rico is working to restore power as it travels with a massive outage on new year's eve. within 1 million customers,

about 80% of the entire island were impacted when the lights went off around don. the energy company luma says it was due to an infrastructure problem on the island's southern coast. in a statement it said it will restore power in phases which is expected to take between 24 and 48 hours. we have an update within the last hour over 73,000 customers have had their power restored. this is the latest in a string of widespread outages that continue to plague the island. american investigators are on the scene of that horrific plane crash in south korea that killed 179 people. the plane slid off the runway and exploded into flames. these emergency tents have been set up for grieving families waiting to receive the remains of their loved ones and are demanding answers about how the plane crash happened. steve patterson has the latest. >> today, u.s. investigators at the scene of one of south korea's worst air disasters. the country in morning. grieving families refusing to

leave one international airport desperate for answers on why their loved ones are gone. just days ago, this jeju air flight of boeing 737 800 skidded down the runway and erupted into flames as it collided with a wall killing 179 passengers and crew. two flight attendants at the back of the plane, the only survivors. one reportedly blacking out asking doctors what happened and why am i here? now, there are new reports of a second jeju air another boeing 737 800 turning back after takeoff on monday due to reports of an issue with its landing gear. authorities now promising an investigation into the aircraft model with more than 100 operating in the country. the airport now filled with emergency tents, families waiting for the return of their loved ones remains. >> people do not want to leave their family members. it's part of this agonizing identification process that could take the next few days, weeks even months. we spoke who lost his aunt and

uncle in the crash. he thinks the government should be working faster to identify bodies and provide families with more information. officials say only five victims have yet to be officially identified. experts are looking to the plains of black boxes for answers. they will be transferred to a testing center friday and be checked to see if analysis will be possible. until then for many families the agonizing weight will continue. steve patterson, nbc news. >> let's bring in a former faa investigator and msnbc aviation analysts. jeff, i want to ask why do south koreans need to bring american expertise in this case and what will those investigators be looking for? >> at afternoon. well, the u.s. arrival is really normal protocol for any international accident.

any country that has an interest in an aviation accident has a right to participate in the investigation. in this case, the united states is the state of design and manufacturer of the airplane and engine. boeing and ge. they are participating to assist the south koreans. south koreans leave the investigation, the accident happened on their soil, but other countries that have a stake in it have a right to participate in it. you can be sure the faa, ntsb, boeing, general electric will be on scene to provide technical assistance to the south koreans because they will have a lot of questions about flight recorders and engine performance and things like that. >> i didn't realize that was standard but it makes sense to have the manufacturer to have those teams closed by in case investigators have specific questions. i want to ask steve patterson mentioned there are new reports of an issue with the landing gear of a second jeju air plane. what does that mean and where does that take the investigation?

>> i don't really think this has any import to the investigation. this was apparently an annunciator light that went off after takeoff. it's a light that tells the crew the nose gear and the main landing gear have been retracted. sometimes those lights failed. in this case, that apparently was the case so they simply turned around and landed and confirmed the landing gear was fine. it was likely an annunciator light which happens frequently -- i shouldn't say frequently, but it occasionally happens in commercial airline service. >> got it. i want to ask about the black boxes. you saw that crash and the fireball that arrested after he hit that wall. they're hoping to see what they can get if anything can be pulled off starting on friday. based on the crash and explosion what kind of condition do you think those black boxes are going to be in

and what might they be able to tell investigators? >> i'm confident they will be able to get information off the black boxes. they are stored in the back of the airplane which you saw was kind of thrown clear of the fireball. the black boxes are designed and certified to withstand incredible amounts of g forces and fire. i think it's going to take some time to get the boxes to and adequate lab and download the data. there might be some broken connections and hardware damage and that may take things a little bit longer. but i'll bet the investigators are going to get data from both of those boxes within the next few days. >> thank you so much for breaking that down for us. the faa is looking into why a private jet carrying the gonzaga men's basketball team flew into the path of a plane on friday. the plane you can see circled here was ordered by air traffic controllers to stop as the delta flight was taking off. >> stop emma stop, stop.

>> now fortunately no injuries were reported. gonzaga was in l.a. for a game on saturday. coming up on msnbc reports, this congress was one of the least functional ever. does it mean things can only get better from here or could it foreshadow more chaos in 2025 ? we will be right back.

what if your mobile network wasn't just built to work out here... ...but was designed differently to also give you blazing fast wifi where you are most of the time? reliable 5g, plus wifi speeds up to a gig where you need it most. xfinity mobile. xfinity internet customers, ask how to get a free 5g phone and a second unlimited line free for a year.

the 119th congress will be sworn in this week with an unusually low bar to surpass. that's because a pass to your session of congress was among the least productive in decades. lawmakers passed a little more than 500 pieces of legislation, that's a fraction of other recent sessions. with the next congress facing a massive to do list could they be on track to be better? cnbc's emily wilkins is reporting live from washington, d.c. also joining us republican strategist and former executive director of the new york state democratic party, both are nbc political analysts. emily, can you quantify this level of congressional dysfunction for us? >> last time, the last two years congress passed a little more than 500 bills and that might sound like a lot. this is a track summary so it includes bills pass

individually as well as those larger packages of bills we talk about from time to time. if you look at the last three congresses they passed more than 1000 bills in each of those meaning that this congress was less than half as productive if you take into account just the sheer numbers of it. there's a couple reasons why. we just saw a lot of dysfunction particularly in the house. they spent three weeks trying to think of who would be the next speaker after you saw kevin mccarthy ousted from the speakership. they also had a lot of struggles when it came to passing some of their bigger bills just because they had slim margins. that said we could definitely see again, we already saw with the government funding fight just a few weeks ago how fractured republicans could be even when you had trouble weighing in, even when you had him tried to direct to a certain degree. it should also be noted the fact there was divided government probably also let their to be less productivity. if you look at the number of bills in the house sent to the senate that is about what you

normally see, but the senate sent a number of bills to the house that the house never voted on, never took up even though they might've actually had the ability to pass. that's another reason why you saw less this time. going into next congress there will be unified government, republicans have a trifecta that should help him be a little more productive, that they have these narrow margins and you have seen the split in your more traditional republicans and more republicans. we will see how that plays out when it comes to things like the energy and border security policy they want to tackle initially. when it comes to the debt limit we know has been serious divide on what deficit. when it comes to the tax package they will have to get done by the end of 2025 or taxes will go up for millions of americans and we just finished the government funding fight that it's not done yet. they extended funding to march 14th which means, march 14th they will have to decide how to keep the lights on in the federal government. >> thank you so much.

susan, i want to turn to you. you saw that big to do list and how they have to work on fixing the budget deal ahead of this mid-march deadline and the senate has to work to confirm all of these trump nominees, some of which could be a little more hectic than usual. how do you think that will impact trumps other first hundred a priorities? will he be able to get stuff done or could his agenda fall casualty to this exact thing? >> first he's got to get a cabinet in place. that's his number one job to get done. we will see what happens especially with the fbi background checks being conducted now. there's some more controversial pics. that being said, he still has to start working on day one. i think he will be okay in the senate for the most part on his first big initiative, which will be tax reform, i think the senate will be a step in that

on the republican side. on the democratic side -- i mean, on the house side it's going to be very difficult for donald trump to keep his thumb on every single house republican. they don't have three votes, they have one vote they can lose. that's what we are looking at in the house speaker race. every time donald trump has to really push forward something that he can get past to have a victory the good thing about donald trump is even though he always says he's all or nothing he takes a minor victory and blows it up and he will run with it. he has to give the house something and that also means being able to get democrats on board. i know this is probably going to hurt mike johnson but he has been proven and effective negotiator with hakeem jeffries as minority leader.

>> democratic lawmakers told me they don't agree with his policies but mike johnson is someone they've been able to work with. donald trump today on truth social said quote senate democrats are organizing to improperly stall and delay the confirmation process of many of our great nominees. they will try all sorts of tricks starting very soon. i want to ask, what with those tricks to be and do you think democrats have an option or ways of stalling this or how do you think democrats will approach this issue? >> if by tricks he means a proper vetting of his nominees, then yeah. i think that's probably the most that democrats will do and that is enough given the gates affair if you will. i imagine this is bipartisan that there is a lot more clear eyed look at who is coming in for them. you may not like individual senators may to donald trump it

as a body the senate does not like the underwire. i imagine this is a point where they take their jobs a little more seriously. they'll decide particularly the democrats in the senate that they want to do a proper vetting of these candidates. strong questions are going to get strong answers from the nominees. you may not get them. the president may get his pics ultimately. i would not imagine it's going to go down easily in front of democrats, nor should it. >> i want to ask, how much of a bellwether you think this speaker's race is going to be for how the republican coalition is going to be able to hold together, do you think it's indicative of the race itself or could it foreshadow what we can expect the next couple months? >> i believe johnson will be re- elected speaker for no other reason than donald trump will have to call every single republican member to say i don't

want any problems with the certification of my election on january 6th. i think he will get past that. we have to remember anyone can call a vote to oust the speaker. every single day johnson wakes up he's going to have to say to himself will this be the day? at the same time he may be happy to get rid of this job because there is no winning way to do this job unless you're willing to negotiate, which means he will always have republicans lambasting him every single day. >> heavy is the hand that holds the gavel. i want to ask, treasury secretary janet yellin has warned the debt limit is coming back up again and the u.s. could reach the limit by january 14th. that's two weeks away, how do you expect that to play out? >> the way everything else has played out. it'll come down to the very

last minute. there are two dynamics really important. susan touched on them earlier. the republicans enter this congress with the second slimmest majority in the house in history and even though mike johnson might be a great negotiator the democrats said they will not bail him out they will have to work with him to some extent to get something done. a lot of this really depends on how much donald trump puts the thumb on the scale and how resistant many of the house members in particular are to the strongest outside voices that exist with vivek ramaswamy and elon musk. somebody's got to find a way to marginalize them so that folks can actually focus on their job. if that happens and if donald trump decides he does not want to have to go down this path again because to susan's point even a small victory becomes an

incredible victory for him, then i think we get but we will get past that point. the reality is who knows what is in donald trump's mind at this point. >> thank you both. thank you for joining us. coming up, the challenges for families with babies in gaza as temperatures fall. we will speak to a member of unicef next. you are watching msnbc reports. don't let symptoms define you... emerge as you, with clearer skin. with tremfya®, most people saw 100% clear skin... ...that stayed clear, even at 5 years. tremfya® is proven to significantly reduce joint pain, stiffness, and swelling. serious allergic reactions and increased risk of infections may occur. before treatment, your doctor should check you for infections and tb. tell your doctor if you have an infection, flu-like symptoms or if you need a vaccine.

emerge as you with clear skin. ask your doctor about tremfya®. ♪♪ prilosec knows, for a fire... one fire extinguisher beats 10 buckets of water, and for zero heartburn 1 prilosec a day... beats taking up to 10 antacids a day. it's that simple, for 24 hour heartburn relief... one beats ten. prilosec otc. we planned well for retirement, but i wish we had more cash. you think those two have any idea? that they can sell their life insurance policy for cash? so they're basically sitting on a goldmine? i don't think they have a clue. that's crazy! well, not everyone knows coventry's helped thousands of people sell their policies for cash. even term policies. i can't believe they're just sitting up there! sitting on all this cash. if you own a life insurance policy of $100,000 or more, you can sell all or part of it to coventry. even a term policy. for cash, or a combination of cash and

coverage, with no future premiums. someone needs to tell them, that they're sitting on a goldmine, and you have no idea! hey, guys! you're sitting on a goldmine! come on, guys! do you hear that? i don't hear anything anymore. find out if you're sitting on a goldmine. call coventry direct today at the number on your screen, or visit coventrydirect.com. [music playing] speaker 1: time is running out to give a year-end gift like no other, a gift that can help st. jude children's research hospital save lives. speaker 2: these kids, they've done nothing wrong in the world, and they end up having to go through all of this to survive. speaker 3: is your throat sore? speaker 2: your donation, it means everything. speaker 1: please don't wait until the last minute. make a difference by supporting the children of st. jude. please, donate now.

they were born in war and now they are dying in the cold. newborns are especially vulnerable as temperatures plummet and gaza's makeshift shelters. erin mclaughlin filed this original report as winter sets in and gaza. warning, it contains images very tough to watch. >> at the refugee camp in southern gaza he gently cradles the body of his 20-day-old baby girl. he's bringing her to the doctor not for a checkup but to confirm her cause of death. he says he found her early in the morning, her body frozen and blue. the doctor quickly confirms what the family already knew. >> it was due to severe hypothermia. unfortunately she died. >> baby sila froze to death. her mother weeps at her burial.

>> i swear we are dying from the cold she says. it's freezing. inside the families makeshift tents there's no heating. nariman says she fears for her to surviving children. all i want is a good tent, she says. clothes for the children. something to make them warm. fair echoed across gaza's encampments as the cold has claimed the lives of at least five palestinian children within the last week. the commissioner general is pointing to the lack of shelter with blankets, mattresses and other supplies stuck in the region for months waiting for approval to get into gaza. in a statement to nbc news the israeli military says it's allowed in 24,000 tons of winter supplies since the beginning of the war. he says he only had one electric blanket for his twins. born a month premature each day he goes to a nearby hospital for electricity to charge it. all for just three hours of warmth for his boys. it wasn't enough.

my children are dying in front of my eyes he says. the twin brother is being treated for hypothermia. doctors say he is unlikely to survive. we ran away from the north from the bombing. to die from cold and starvation. nbc news. a new report from unicef says children of gaza are not alone. 2024 has been one of the worst years in unicef's history for children in conflict. joining us now is unicef communication specialist. i want to ask why has this year been so particularly bad. is it the number of conflicts, the severity? what is happening? >> it has been a staggeringly devastating year. we are talking about not just the number of children affected. also the many ways they are affected whether they are losing their lives as we saw in

that absolutely heartbreaking report, it's now whether they are denied access to critical medical services like life- saving vaccinations, whether schools and hospitals are damaged and destroyed, every aspect of a child's life is touched by conflict when they are living in conflict zones. we are talking about 473 million children. one in six children around the world. the numbers can feel staggering. these reports, seeing the anguish of parents doing everything they can to keep their kids safe, that's what brings it home. these are children and we have to do better next year. >> what is unicef doing to help? do you have what you need going into 2025? >> in the same way the conflict touches every area of a child's life we really try and touch every part of a child's life whether it's making sure they're registered, they have access to critical nutrition in the early years of their life

and we do this all around the world. i've seen it. when there is conflict, when there is a bombs, active fighting, we can't always get into areas. access and gaza is severely restricted. it is no coincidence that the places where we see the worst impact, the worst situation for children are the places where humanitarian organizations are not being allowed access to communities in need. >> the other issue is you have so many leadership transitions not only of the u.s. but around the world. is unicef confident in these future global partnerships that do things like rent you access to conflict zones so you can be effective in helping these children? >> the suffering of millions and millions of children, of women are being dictated by a hugely small number of powerful men around the world. there are a small number of people making decisions that are leading to the suffering. what we are calling for is

calling them to adhere with humanitarian law. we aren't asking for any new policies or conventions, we are just asking for the law to be upheld for children to be protected. we see these images of families and children whose lives have just been absolutely turned upside down but it's not just once. it's day after day, their entire life is grinding horror. we need to see more hope in the future. we saw in syria a couple weeks ago the fighting there and the optimism and hope that brings to families. we need to see that around the world. we need to see an end to the wars and children able to rebuild their lives. >> i want to ask, there so many complex right now with ukraine, sudan, gaza. what do you do to fight compassion fatigue to fight people who say i can't deal with this right now? can individuals still make a difference in a time that feels overwhelming and how do you

keep people engaged when the temptation on a day like today can be to just turn it off or tune it out? >> many of us are gathering with friends and family today. for me, i see stories and i meet families and parents and i imagine myself in their shoes. there was a father and gaza who had four-day-old twins and he went. i'm a father of twins, i felt an affinity. his wife and his two young children, four days old were killed in an airstrike. i don't know how you begin to rebuild after that. i don't know if i could cope. for any of us who have children , for those powerful men many of whom have children themselves and they would do anything to protect or keep them safe we are saying enough is enough. whether it's donating to organizations like unicef, whether it's being out in the street saying no more all of us have a role to play. 2020 for one of the worst years

in our history as an organization, i don't want to be here in 2025 saying it was even worse. >> let's hope for better in the new year. joe english, thank you for joining us. we will be right back. even in your machine. clean enough for you? yeah! scrape. load. done. cascade platinum plus. (vo) oof, stuck paying for that old phone? don't be. scrape. load. done. you know, at verizon, we'll pay off your phone. and you'll get iphone 16 pro with apple intelligence, on us. now with genmoji. that's a value of up to eighteen hundred dollars. only on verizon. hi, i'm greg. i live in bloomington, illinois. i'm not an actor. i'm just a regular person.

after working 25 years in the automotive industry, i retired. eight years ago, i just didn't feel like i was on my game. i started taking prevagen and i want people to know that prevagen has worked for me. give it a try. i want it to help you just like it has helped me. i've been taking prevagen for eight years now and it is still helping me tremendously. prevagen. at stores everywhere without a prescription. aveeno introduces new daily moisturizing cream. it's clinically proven to moisturize dry skin for 48 hours. and instantly strengthen skin's barrier. for softer, smoother skin. aveeno. the power of oat for sensitive skin. here's to getting better with age. here's to beating these two every thursday. help fuel today with boost high protein, complete nutrition you need, and the flavor you love. so, here's to now... now available: boost max! (vo) these days, the dollar just doesn't go as far. shrimpin' baby! so, here's to now...

it's shrimp your way. choose 2 or 3 flavors starting at just $16.99. like garlic shrimp scampi. get your shrimp on today, only at red lobster. our right to reproductive health care is being stolen from us. i can't believe this is the world we live in,

where we're losing the freedom to control our own bodies. we need your support now more than ever. go online, call, or scan this code, with your $19 monthly gift. and we'll send you this "care. no matter what" t-shirt. it is your right to have safe health care. go online, call,ou this "care. no or scan right now.rt.

we have breaking news. federal prosecutors are detailing what they are calling the largest stockpile of explosives they've ever confiscated taken from a man in virginia.

the information was disclosed in court as officials are trying to convince a judge to keep the men in jail describing him as an extreme danger to the community. we are following the story. what more do we know about this? >> really disturbing here. the fbi saying they seized the largest explosives in the history of the bureau from a virginia man they say is an antigovernment extremist. it began from a tip with a neighbor who says the defendant, brad spafford, lost three fingers handling explosives near norfolk, virginia. when they got there they found more than 150 homemade pipe bombs according to this court document. in this memo arguing to keep him in jail prosecutors pretrade him as a danger to the community who used a picture of president biden for target practice and believes that quote political assassinations should be brought back. he remains in custody while a judge decides whether to grant bond. his lawyer filed the document

saying these allegations are overblown and he's not a danger. >> thank you for keeping us up on that. i want to ask about a different story. you been reporting on a new fbi warning to big sports leagues about organized that groups that a been targeting famous players. everyone from chiefs player patrick mahomes and travis kelce to dallas mavericks superstar luka doncic . what is the fbi saying what is going on with these groups? >> the fbi confirmed at least nine professional athletes had their homes the rise and the bureau says they are targeted because of the perception they may have high-end goods such as designer handbags or jewelry, watches or cash. the fbi is urging athletes not to post about their belongings on social media. these burglaries are the work of organized south american gangs with thieves sometimes coming into the country as tourists and leaving right after the burglaries. these criminal gangs bypass or jam alarm systems and cover

security cameras to mask their identity so they are tough to catch. officials are advising celebrities to take precautions and not post about their locations on social media. >> i guess a lot of the schedules are public and a lot of this athletes like to post online. baby they will heed the warning. ken dilanian, thank you so much for covering those stories for us. thank you for joining us on msnbc reports. to end the show and the year we want to do a big thank you to the msnbc reports editorial team for all the work they've done in 2024. until next year, thanks, everybody.

now is the time to go back in time. and shine a light on the family journey that led to you. learn when they said, “i do.” ♪♪ when they became heroes. ♪♪ how they ruled the school. ♪♪ and what you got from your parents— the places on mom's side, and dad's side. ♪♪ detailed dna results. inspiring family history memberships. now's the time to save at ancestry. let's monopoly go! hehe.

chris! keke! ready tycoons? it's go time! cash grab! keke, i won again? ow! daddy will be back soon. [cries] -ha ha! -boom! we're swimming in it now. -rent's due. -toodle-oo! busted! nothing beats playing with friends, except bankrupting friends.

mom where's my homework? mommy! hey hun - sometimes, you just need a moment. self-care has never been this easy. gummy vitamins from nature made, the #1 pharmacist recommended vitamin and supplement brand. do you have a life insurance policy you no longer need? now you can sell your policy - even a term policy - for an immediate cash payment. we thought we had planned carefully for our retirement. but we quickly realized we needed a way to supplement our income. if you have $100,000 or more of life insurance, you may qualify to sell your policy. don't cancel

or let your policy lapse without finding out what it's worth. visit coventrydirect.com to find out if your policy qualifies. or call the number on your screen. coventry direct, redefining insurance. z's bakery is looking to add a pizza oven, arissa's hair salon wants to expand their space, and steve's t-shirt shop wants to bring on more help. with the comcast business 5-year price lock guarantee, they can think more about possibilities for their business and not the cost of their internet. it's five years of gig-speeds and advanced security. all from the company with 99.9% network reliability. get the 5-year price lock guarantee, now back for a limited time. powering five years of savings. powering possibilities™.

hi there, everyone. it is 4:00 in new york. we are happy you are year. there's a lot to get to including the political civil war threatening to tear apart trump script on the republican party, one that pits elon musk against steve bann