it's tuesday, december 15th, coming up on "early today," tonight, a wild west show down between ted cruz and donald trump as the republican presidentialn candidates square off for the first time following recent isis inspired terror attacks. and on the heels of president obama's strategy on the war on terror. n and a man drives directly into the lobby of a hotel and the reason why he did it may shock you.

back, suing seven women who are suing him. the biggest hollywood premier inod years and the stars were all there. that and a whole new way to serve coffee. show "early today" starts right now. and goodig morning everyone. i'm shannon mulaire. tonight's the night. high stakes in las vegas. the latest gop slug match. the m candidates are all looking upoo at donald trump. a new poll finds him at 41% nationally. nearly tripling second place ted cruz. and his personal physician now says trump would be quote the healthiest individual ever elected to the presidency. calling his health astonishingly excellent. things got heated last night at a rally in vegas. black lives matters protesters interrupted several times.

expletives while calling for a person to be lit a on fire. and also heard a nazi salute. aside from the commotion, the frontrunner talked about tonight's show down. >> i'll got to be honest, tomorrow, i think it's go being big. i am saying, man, this is crazy. who's going to attack trump first? will it be this one? he's taken down seven so far. so far everyone that's attacked me has gone right down the tubes. >> but ifs the trr a crack in the armor it's in iowa where senator ted cruz is picking up steam. >> reporter: trump is still leading in national polls. but in iowa, a new des moines

trump by 10 percentage points. a sophisticated ground game in iowa. maggieie wright and her husband drove up from texas. >> 13 1/2 hours. >> reporter: they're joining dozens of volunteers so dedicated they're paying their own way to bunk in a dorm calledal camp cruz. >> my husband says let's bunk em.. >> >> reporter: this is where camp cruz becomes the strike force with tablets that tell them which doors to knock on as they try to convince iowa voters to vote for ted cruz. but not everyone is sold and there are signs trump's attacks arett hitting home. >> there's something about his persona that comes across to me that i m haven't bought yet.t. >> reporter: the gop establishment never saw it coming. the republican fight now between two outsiders who have made few

>> they could be a disaster for the republican party. it's going to be difficult for them to win over mainstream voters in swing states. saudi arabia is now leading adi 34 nation military alliance. iran is not one of the participating countries p . theree seems to be an uptick on peopleic willing to put boots on the ground to fight isis. 42% agree. and national security has become the american public's top concern. bringing president obama's job rating to 43%, the lowest in more than i a year. yesterday, he met his national security team at the pentagon

assure the american people that actions are being taken. a california police officer will not face charges following a crash on thanksgiving night. we may warn you that the following video may be disturbing to some voyers. it shows five year police veteran in a high speed chase with alleged drunk driver thomas. his carth careens out of control, flipped over, his wife flew out of the car and was pronounced dead at the scene. and the officer appeared to shoot thomas in the neck before reholstering his weapon. they found he did not intentionally fire his gun and that although it was not justified, it was not criminal. and also said that the officer was in such disbelief that he

shot wound t was found. he had a blood alcohol level of .15. and one texan found himself in jail. he was seen talking to a police officer outside a hotel before driving his truck through the front entrance and he then calmly walks away with his hands raised. according to the incident report, parsley was annoyed that his credit card was declined twice and was forced to pay thede hotel in cash. and he drove into the hotel because the police officer quote thought he was bluffing and he wanted to prove he wasn't. he has been charge would two felony counts of asaurlt sault and battery. top army commander has ordered that sergeant bergdahl

who was captured by the taliban inan 2009 after leaving his post. he's been charge would deversion. bergdahl's attorney says in the statement he quote hoped the case would not go in this direction and will continue the defense of thenu sergeant. and bergdahl therg popular serial pod cast that he wanted to track down possible insurgents. he faces possible life sentence if convicted. in the philippines, people cross three provinces are displaced this morning. over 75,000.. and gusts up to 115 miles per hour. and thee potential for flooding of nearly 13 feet along the coast. known locally as nona, storm made land fall on the eastern

the impacts of the 185 mile wide storm is minimal. the el nino turning in the pacific kobt k ic continues to make it a tale of two forecasts. nbc's explain how the pacific system is causing seasonal havoc and when everyone from missouri to delaware can expect the chill. >> reporter: just eight days betore the official start of ar wint, winter, a eastern heat wave and out west, treacherous roads and packed slopes. but ski resorts back east are seeing green and not the good kind. >> wee really need the temperatures to change or become a little more seasonal so we can get a product out and get the facility open.

year, upstate new york was already buried by snow storms. what ast difference a year makes with no snow so far this december. record. the bonene chilling temperatures aretu given way to this. highs. 70 in philadelphia and 72 in baltimore. it's like weather whiplash, thanks in parted to el nino. >> we're seeing a near record setting el nino pattern over the pacific ocean which is transporting warm air across the entire united states. >> reporter: the country can expect several more weeks of mild temps s in the northeast. and as we approach february, a more typical went inter should return.

karins is here. >> it's going to be another interesting day. it was 16 degrees warmer in buffalo than phoenix. things have koul cool cooled off a little bit. the cold front hasn't made it to new york city which is 64 degrees in the middle of the night. and record highs of 67. this is the next storm. it dumped snow in salt lake city. it's going to move to the plains this evening. and driving from pueblo to denver probably one of the worst drives. the purple color,sic south dakota and in general, this is a three to six inch swap, st. cloud, looks like minneapolis will avoid this. and it will continue tonight.

warm, still feels like a warm fall w day. and that return warmth is back from dallas to oklahoma city and st. louis, beautiful 67 degrees.de now a closer look at your day ahead. so, the temperature contrast pretty obvious where our storm is today. colorado feels like the middle of winter at 25 and in the 60s in southern missouri p. and . we'll bebe watching the clouds break way late today in new eng england. it continues. it even looks very warm to christmas. >> we'll get it eventually, i'm sure. billll cosby goes after seven of his accusers in an attempt to reclaim his reputation. puplus, a show down between a customer and drive thru worker gets ugly. we have the details next. you're watching "early today." iloday."

the final countdown! if you're the band europe, you love a final countdown. it's what you do. if you want to save fifteen percent or more on car insurance, you switch to geico. it's what you do. announcement: this storm promises to be the biggest of the decade. with total accumulation of up to three feet. roads will be shut down indefinitely. and schools are closed. campbell's soups go great with a cold and a nice red.

you forgot the milk! that's lactaid . right. 100% real milk, just without the lactose. so, no discomfort? exactly. try some... lactaid 100% real milk. no discomfort. and wishing you could stay in bed all day. when your cold is this bad... ...you need new theraflu expressmax. theraflu expressmax combines... maximum strength medicines available without a prescription... ...to fight your worst cold and flu symptoms... ...so you can feel better fast and get back to the job at hand. new theraflu expressmax.

bill cosby is striking back against some who have accused him of sexual misconduktd. he's repeatedly denied wrong due doing and never been criminally charge. he's suing them. and the "scores of women come forward with accusations of sexual assault and abuse. sings out 7. rose's ban in 1989 for betting on games he played in and managed for the cincinnati reds. they concluded that he had not produced credible evidence of oo reconfigured life.

later today. and a customer and employee throwing coffee at each other. it began when an employee threw a hot cup of coffee at the customer and customer returned and they began yelling and throwing coffee at each other. curious business. tim horton released a statement saying . all right, let's get down to business, the seattle city counsel has voted unanimously the ability to give uber the ability to unionize. they're the first to allow uber to unionize. the mayor's signature is not required.

$110 for the first time since october. and near shares were trading at 134 dlin ape -- dollars in april. the department of trans transportation says 87% of leading carriers arrived on time. delta and alaska u.s. have the best rating. just ahead, punishment for the high school assistant coach involved in the take down of a referee. remember that? we'll talk about that. and another spectacular catch from o'dell beckham jr. on monday night football. all. ) just head around the corner to walgreens when you' re searching for that perfect little something. walgreens has great gifts like toys, beauty gift sets, and photo gifts, and it'

right now, save 50% on the gift of the week. olay regenerist renews from within, plumping surface cells for a dramatic transformation without the need for fillers with olay, you age less so you can be ageless

this morning a "today" show legend is retiring. join the "today" show gang as they look back at the incomparable weather man, willered scott. in monday night football, a battle between two 5-7 teams. and the game's first touchdown. then, eli manning drills reuben randal in the end zone to put the giants back on top. dolphins come right back with miller up the middle for this 38-yard touchdown. there he goes p . manning then hits o'dell beckham

but the reves say it was out of bounds and upon further review, the call is reversed and the giants tie it up. >> beckham wide open. o'dell, go long. giants lead. >> giants manage not to blow this one in the final minutes and they win it 31-24. long time nba referee, bill kennedy has revealed he's gay. he says he's proud to be an nba ref and proud to be a gay man. he made the announcement a couple days after rondo made a gay slur and he apologized later yesterday for his comments. in texas, former john jay high school football coach

a referee by two of his players. he was fined $1500 and to pay restitution to the victims. just ahead, what big stars will be on "the voice" finale tonight? we'll tell you. and a "star wars" premier was a star studded event. vent. bout it. but the more you learn about your coverage, the more gaps you might find. like how you thought you were covered for all this... when you're really only covered for this. hot dog? or how you may think you're covered for this... but not for this... whoa! no, no, oh , oh! ...or this... ...or this. ...or that... talk to farmers and see what gaps could be hiding in your coverage. my heaven! we are farmers bum - pa - dum. bum - bum - bum - bum when i lay in my tempur-pedic contour- the next thing i know it's morning. with tempur-flex you've got the spring and bounce of a traditional mattress and it also adjusts to my body. my cloud feels... it's like somebody's hugging you. how can a bed do that? (vo) there's a tempur-pedic for

introducing kisses deluxe chocolates. with a whole-roasted hazelnut, delicate crisps, and layers of rich, creamy chocolate, they' re twice the size of the kisses chocolates you love. say more with new kisses deluxe. i have asthma... ...one of many pieces in my life. so when my asthma symptoms kept coming back on my long-term control medicine, i talked to my doctor and found a missing piece in my asthma treatment. once-daily breo prevents asthma symptoms.

with asthma not well controlled on a long-term asthma control medicine, like an inhaled corticosteroid. breo won't replace a rescue inhaler for sudden breathing problems. breo opens up airways to help improve breathing for a full 24 hours. breo contains a type of medicine that increases the risk of death from asthma problems and may increase the risk of hospitalization in children and adolescents. breo is not for people whose asthma is well controlled on a long-term asthma control medicine, like an inhaled corticosteroid. once your asthma is well controlled, your doctor will decide if you can stop breo and prescribe a different asthma control medicine, like an inhaled corticosteroid. do not take breo more than prescribed. see your doctor if your asthma does not improve or gets worse. ask your doctor if 24-hour breo could be a missing piece for you. see if you're eligible for 12 months free at mybreo.com. all right, the force has

stars lit up the red carpet last night for the premier of "star wars" the force awakens from harrison ford and r 2 d 2 to the creator himself, george lucas and other big name fans came out like a creatively dresds yoda. a special mommy-daughter date of the event, having fun getting ready in their "star wars" robes and laughing it up. and all money the pair raised went to charity. in non"star wars" news, as if there is any, the season finale of "the voice" airs tonight. and the weekend, missy elliott and cold play will all hit the

following adel's concert, the mega voice announced her 2013 north american tour. when your cold is this bad... ...you need new theraflu expressmax. theraflu expressmax combines... maximum strength medicines available without a prescription... ...to fight your worst cold and flu symptoms... ...so you can feel better fast and get back to the job at hand. new theraflu expressmax. the power to feel better.tm but grandma, mommy says we don't have to wad to get clean. cause we use charmin ultra soft. charmin ultra soft gets you clean without the wasteful wadding. it has comfort cushions you can see that are softer and more absorbent, and you can use up to 4 times less.

leading the news in the daily beast, flint mayor declares state of emergency. the michigan city's worsening water crisis is due to rising levels of led. and fema delivered about 28,000 liters of bottled water. and from nbc new york, new york girl, 8, badly burned in 2013 arson fire gets trip to disney world. the all expenses paid trip is

kids, a nonprofit group for children with life threatening illnesses. she went viral on social media when she asked for christmas cards. she got 400 pack nl ages and 18,000 letters and cards. a reactor in new york city shut down last night. they say an electrical disturbance triggered the shout down and no release of radio actativity and no threat to the plant's workers. thieves broke into a warehouse in washington d.c. and stole thousands of dollars worth of gifts for needy children. the grinch's rifled through 300 bags walking away with toys, and electronic electronics. thav ey've arrested two suspects and looking for others.

their front window and ran into other windows while trying to escape and it got an assist from hohome owner who opened the bag door. divers dressed up at deep sea santas for surprise visitors and marine life. he sent special christmas food to the fish and the sting raies. with a holiday and new year's greeting. >> donner and blitzen didn't make that one p. >> . >> they're not as good a swimmers as santa. >> they can, just not under water. and new york city is getting ready for the biggest night of the year, new year's eve. the giant numbers will be on display for picture taking. and a happy birthday to adam

and tim conway is 82. keep it here for more news, weather and sports. i'm shannon mulaire. thanks for watching "early today." have a good day everybody. right now a new push to make

another person is hit and killed