clothes? >> barbara said it. i'm better. winter storm. snow and ice blanket the midwest and northeast, delivering a white christmas. but mother nature is nowhere near finished. we'll have that forecast. presidential holiday. the president and first lady send well wishes to americans while a new report sheds light on how often the commander in chief spends at his own properties and how much it's costing the taxpayers. hey, how about meghan markle stepping out with harry, william and kate for her first royal engagement? and astronauts share how they get into the christmas spirit. and we recap the biggest news stories. what was won, what was lost in the movement few could have ever predicted. "early today" starts right now. and a good morning to you. i'm richard lui in for frances. >> and i'm phillip mena.

it was a christmas for the record books. and after all was said and done it may not be the presents under the tree but the view outside of your window after mother nature pounded parts of the country with a wintry mix of snow and ice, making forchristmas in some areas while arctic blast rarely seen.nnsylvania shacord when they received over a foot of the white stuff. wet pacific portland, oregon and seattle got their blanket of white, stranding some drivers. chicago saw a mix of ice and snow making for brisk holiday festivities, while leaving the snow band continued throughout the midwe can see incredible time lapse vidff st frige storm. a blizzard warning was in effect. bands of snow producing 1 to 3 inches of snow in some areas with strong winds blowing gusts of up to 55 miles per hour. and it does not look to be letting up any time soon with the wintry setup looking to produce a mess of ice and snow in parts of the south and northeast. who is at fault? none other than meteorologist bonnie schneider. your fault, my friend. >> oh no!

peoplechere mas.yhey hadthe a after, we're look at lake-effect snow. a different part of the northeast, not necessarily the areas into boston, new york. we're looking at the lake-effect areas you. saw the shot of the steam coming in off the warmer waters of the lake.rctic the lake. it gathers the moisture. and once the air comes back over the land it dumps hever snow. we could be looking at 3 feet of snow at ooh time. blinding lick inging lake-effect bands possible. our numbers are going to be in the negative as we go through much of the morning in the upper midwest and northern plains. so very uncomfortable with that arctic blast. we'll talk more about the temperatures coming up. >> all right, bonnie thank you. this morning, president trump sat his mar-a-lago estate spending the christmas holiday with family and friends after speaking to the country alongside first lady melania trump, delivering a holiday message just as americans were celebrating. but the president's florida trip hasn't been devoid of work as he looks to jump-start his own legislative agenda when he gets back to d.c.

as his own lawyer predicts a speedy end to the growing russia probe. well go to edward lawrence on capitol hill. good morning, edward. >> good morning. the president tweeting out that it's time to get back to work today. his first priority will be to come up with an infrastructure rebuilding plan for america. that's what the president says he is going to do when he gets back the first thing in january. now he believes the democrats will be on board for this. we'll have to wait and see what happens. now meanwhile, president trump set aside some of his harsh language that he's had on twitter in recent months. and give a first holiday message with the first lady. >> at this time of arso of the american people. this christmas season we celebrate our blessings as americans, and we pray for peace all over the world. >> god bless you, god bless america, and have a very, very merry christmas and happy new year. >> still, the president not

backing off the fbi this past weekend. he is pushing the idea that the clintons gave a large campaign contribution to fbi deputy director andrew mccabe's wife while the fbi was looking into hillary clinton's personal e-mail accounts. the president trying to deflect from russia probe there. going forward, the president's attorney told "the wall street journal" in a new report out that he stands by his prediction that in fact the russia probe will end very soon. however, he gave no timetable related to that. the white house chief of staff has said tha this russia distraction forp? edward thank you. now while the president may not have any public events on his calendar this week we certainly know where he will be in and around his mar-a-lago resort there in florida. and as mr. trump ends 2017 "the wall street journal" crunching the numbers on just how frequently he has visited one of his namesake properties. all told the president has spent nearly 1/3 of his first year in office at trump-owned properties. according to the journal, of more than the 100n one of days trump

propertie been golf course in new jersey. another 40 have been spent at his mar-a-lago resort in florida. with his air travel to the palm beach club costing the government around $6 million this year alone. the president is expected to spend the next seven days at that very florida resort. the identity of the man who left manure at the home of treasury secretary steve mnuchin sparking a bomb scare may have been revealed. l.a. psychologist robby strong gave aol.com information that he would indicate he was the likely culprit behind a gift wrapped box of horseman newer outside of mnuchin's l.a. home. strong al.com the thing i live by is the rule of transparence circumstances and i was exercising my first amendment rights. strong continued, if corporations are free speech then so is horse expletive. the secret service says it has interviewed someone claiming responsibility. however, it declined to interview the person in question. moscow russian officials

have movered to bard opposition leader alexei navalny from running for president against vladimir putin because of what thaw say was a conviction in a fraud case which was widely seen as a political retribution. navalny is now calling for a by cot of next year's vote, which if putin wins would usher him into his fourth just this last navalny waged a campaign in he is person to have most seriously challenged putin n office. a topless protest at the vatican tried to steal ba nativity in saint peter's square. gotnt there. a woman from the activist group. guards detained her before she could make off with the jesus figurine. it happened two hours before pope francis delivered his message to about 50,000 people in the square. let's check in now with meteorologist bonnie schneider one more time to tell us how cold it's going to be. >> it's going to be so richard andking at the arctic blast where the windchill factor will not only be below zero but

in some places 30 degrees below zero. all this cold air is working its way to the east. we're going to feel it throughout the end of the year of the next few days as you look toward chicago, boston new york city philadelphia. the temperatures are going to be than they are now, and it's going to feel even ú

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♪ now i have nicoderm cq. the nicoderm cq patch with unique extended release technology helps prevent your urge to smoke all day. it's the best thing that ever happened to me. can you say thanks nicoderm cq? every great why needs a great how. ♪ that's astronaut mark one of the three astronauts currently aboard the international space station. this year is the 18th december in a row that women and men have spent the holidays on the iss. nasa shared this video with us looking back at past christmas celebrations. a lot of us have to be -- or working every christmas. >> you and i were talking about that. but not as far as those folks. >> something completely different. >> they actually brought that stuff up in space with them. the christmas the crazy hats that they look kind of strange because they're

standing straight up. >> because the whole no gravity things. >> good stuff. 2017 was a turbulent year for full of news stories. a year marred by violence conflict. there was a wave of natural disasters that saw people pull together in order to pull through themselves. let's go to nbc's cynthia mcfadden who is going to look back at the year that was for us. >> reporter: 2017 a year of tremendous change and disruption. it began with the peaceful transfer of power. >> i, donald john donald trump, do solemnly swear -- >> this american carnage stops right here and stops right now. >> reporter: donald trump became president of a deeply divided nation. a country that couldn't even agree on how many people were there that day. >> photographs of the inaugural proceedings were intentionally framed in a way to minimize the enormous support that had gathered on the national mall. >> reporter: but our year of unrest is just getting started.

by february many believe we might be on the brink of war after north korea lobbed a missile over the sea of japan. >> the first global crisis for president trump. >> they will be met with fire and fury. >> reporter: by the end of the year the north koreans successfully tested a missile that could reach anywhere in the u.s. terrorists continued to wage their war. cars and trucks becoming a preferred weapon. beginning in march on london's westminster bridge. >> the new calling card for a low-tech terror strike. >> reporter: as the year went on more deadly attacks in london, sweden, spain, and new york. >> this is an nbc news special report. >> reporter: in april, the u.s. response to a different kind of terror a chemical attack on civilians. >> the u.s. military forces have just waged a launch of cruise missiles in a launch on syria.

>> there is no collusion between me and my campaign and the russians. the russians did not affect the vote. >> reporter: but when president trump fired his fbi- >> they did not see this coming at the fbi. >> reporter: special counsel is appointed. he is still at work. in this violent year no place seems sacred. not a pop concert in england -- >> teenaged girls screaming in terror. >> reporter: not congressional baseball fraction. >> steve scalise, a congressman in leadership was among those who were shot. >> reporter: not a country music concert in las vegas. >> a storm of gunfire rain do you think on an innocent crowd. not even a church in merle, texas. >> it was rapid-fire it was boom boom boom boom boom. >> reporter: but killing even more people than guns this year america's opioid epidemic. >> he said you have a nickname for the street. >> morgue avenue. in 47 minutes there was already nine deaths on the street. >> reporter: hundreds of white

nationalists carrying weapons, confederate flags and nazi symbols clashed with counter protesters. >> reporter: in august, deep racial divisions exploded on the streets of charlottesville as white supremacists marched to protest the removal of confederate statues thinking driver came plowing into a crowd of counterpro people went flying in every direction. >> the president unfilter and defiant. >> i think there is blame on both sides it. and i have no doubt about it and you don't have any doubt about it either. >> reporter: nature show herd ugly side this year. >> harvey's eye cut right through here. >> reporter: in august hurricane harvey made landfall drenching texas. >> we have nothing -- nothing left. >> reporter: i remember marks jose and maria came next, to make this one of the most intense hurricane seasons on the books. parts of puerto rico still without power. another storm named harvey erupted in october. >> sexual harassment allegations spanni decades from actresses ashley judd and rose mcgowan to young female

assistants looking to start careers in hollywood. >> reporter: harvey weinstein's dramatic fall unleashes an avalanche of shocking charges against powerful men. thousands of women posting me too, and everyone wondering who's next. >> what an amazing moment right now for the city of houston. >> reporter: but there was some good news this year. the houston astros won the world series. the stock market soared. >> we are watching the dow, which just hit 23,000 for the first time. >> reporter: but the real bright spot came in total darkness. >> it didn't matter where you were. the reactions seemed universal. >> reporter: a rare total eclipse of the sun. >> it was just the most spectacular thing i've ever seen in my life. >> reporter: giving all of awes reason to look up 201 and hope for a cynthia mcfadden, nbc news new york. >> it's all we can do. hope for the better. >> cynthia was working hard on that one. s cover. the stock market i one >>oing to bleed over into next year too.

puerto rico. still a third of the people there without power. >> good point. >> all right. just ahead why singer lorde is scrapping her concert in israel. plus a christmas fireworks display in cuba that goes horribly wrong. you're watching "early today." well, here's to first dates! you look amazing. and you look amazingly comfortable. when your v-neck looks more like a u-neck... that's when you know, it's half-washed. add downy to keep your collars from stretching. unlike detergent alone, downy conditions to smooth and... ...strengthen fibers. so, next time don't half-wash it. downy and it's done. achoo! snap achoo! snap achoo! achoo! snap snap achoo! achoo! feel a cold coming on? zicam cold remedy nasal swabs shorten colds with a snap, and reduce symptom severity by 45%. shorten your cold with a snap, with zicam. do i use a toothpaste that whitens my teeth or... ...one that's good for my teeth? now i don't have to choose!

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nearly 40 people including six minors were burned after a fireworks accident at a traditional celebration? central cuba according to state media. the parrandas festival draws thousands of cubans and tourists to see the elaborate fireworks

contest between two of the torhoods. some of the victims are critical condition. the cause of this is still under investigation. >> you can see some of the fireworks kind of moving sideways. all right. leading the news on this day pop star lorde is cancelling her concert in israel amid growing calls for a boycott. proponents of the boycott divestment and sanctions movement urged lorde to scrap that show citing israel's human rights statement. in a statement, lorde said she spoke to many people who held different views and decided cancels was right. reaction was mixed with israel's cultural minister saying she hoped lorde would be free from political expectations while the concert promoter said we forgive her. a man tells police he beat it because it gave him too much money. >> i hate when that happens, right? >> police say this guy, 23-year-old, he was seen on surveillance video punching the wells fargo touch screen machine. and he later called the bank though, to apologize.

he said he was angry that the machine was giving him too much cash and he had no idea what to do. so naturally he punches it, right? officials say although that whaling is going to cost $5,000 to fix the machine and he has been mischief. i guess now he knows what to do with all that cash. >> i'm glad he wasn't at a corner store and he got an extra dollar or something. it would have been an ugly situation. >> something very shady than. the first instance in the history of mankind that anybody gets angry for more money. >> you gave me too much money! just mandalay bay ahead, in her christmas message, the queen welcomes prince harry's american fiancee with open arms. we have that. you're watching "early today." treatments have gotten better, so... i'm hoping for good years ahead. that's thanks to research funded by the american cancer society. the same folks giving me free rides to treatments, insurance advice, and a place to stay during chemo. i need that stuff like you don't know. and now that you do, please give at cancer.org.

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the bitter blast of arctic air. well it's going to stick around at least through the end of 2017. this morning, if you're waking up windchills are well below zero and uncomfortable. and we're watching all the cold air to push further to the east. so the numbers are going to go down from here, especially for new york city philadelphia even washington and boston. we'll be looking at highs in boston where we had just a couple of inches of snow. but really strong winds. that's why wcondionsaw bthere.are going a degree.ally getting cold across the phillip? fall > jus harry wi deta onheir uh oh...a painful sore throat? ols ates stock-up0% off all bras. kohl'sment from the best brands. so now is the best time to stock up for the new year. at kohl's intimates stock-up sale, going on now.

ppppxpppxppxúxxxúxxppppxxppxxpppxxxxppppppppúxxpúpppxpxúpppppxpppxúppúppppxpxxpxxppúpppxxpúpxxpúpx home field advantage. vic edge heading int the playoffs. christmas nightmare.ving ames rip at investigators now say helped the fire spread. and bitter cold. record snowfalls in parts a good morning. this is "nbc10 news today" first look at 4. i'm tracy davidson. if you wanted to see christmas here it is.in piles. not in our area but in erie pennsylvania, this in western pennsylvania. they set a new record with more

than eight inches of snow. more is expected in the c as a changeover to weatherinvades. high winds theregion. more than 50,000 utility customers spent part of the day without electricity. most of the outages in bucks and montgomery counties. with all the weather talk, let's get right to meteorolog with the most accurate neighborhood weather forecast accurate. >> good morning. we have a cold start to the day.walk-with-a-purpose morning. right now, the actual air temperature, 13 in mt. pocperkcosee. good morning to you. 29 in dover. this is what you really need to dress for. this is the case for the entire temperatures which will stay steady in the mid to upper teens. despite what your car thermometer may say today, it will feel like 18 19 degrees.my gift to you, it's not snowing outside. that's good news. we have grtoday, this is what to expect -- sunshine,

temperatures climbing to 30 in philadelphia, 29 in the suburbs. 28 in the lehigh valley, near 30 in south jersey. besides warming up the car this morning, what else do you need to know? i think that'soing to be the difficult spot this morning is just getting to your car and making sure you stay warm. things are looking pretty good out there. take aok. our camera at average speeds in the 60s. maybe the pennsylvania turnpike tryin home after the holiday, we'll look at that. everything in the green. average speeds in the 60s. traveling mass transit, amtrak, septa, new jersey transit, and patco are all on time. we'll look at new jersey roadways coming up. the road to the super bowl