for one second. >> oh man. just hours after firing arguably the most popular male morning tv anchor in america over a single accusation of sexual misconduct, reports of more accusers coming forward. >> and if war comes, make no mistake, the north korean regime will be utterly destroyed. >> ambassador haley sends a clear message to kim jong un over north korea's latest provocation and missile launch. new details this morning. a victory for the national rifle association after the house votes to expand the ability to carry concealed guns across state lines. and selena gomez named billboard's 2017 woman of the year. "early today" starts right now. good morning. i'm phillip mena.

this morning we lead with a story that has rocked hollywood, capitol hill and now the halls here at nbc. allegations of sexual misconduct involving powerful figures. the stunning news, our "today" show colleague matt lauer was fired over allegations of inappropriate sexual behavior made by another one of our colleagues. it was a development that left millions of morning tv viewers and certainly many in this building shocked after lauer's two decades in the "today" anchor chair. there's been no comment so far from lauer about the accusation that's go back years. >> even as "variety" reports on what it calls a pattern of sexual misconduct on lauer's part. an nbc news spokesperson now says two more accusers have come forward since news of lauer's firing broke. nbc's stephanie gosk has the latest. >> reporter: the allegation of inappropriate sexual conduct was made monday night, roughly 24 hours later matt lauer, anchor of nbc's "today" show for 20 years, was fired. in a statement, nbc news chairman andy lack shared few

but wrote, "it represented after serious review a clear violation of our. standards. while it is the first complaint about his behavior in the over 20 years he's been at nbc news, we were also presented with reason to believe this may not have been an isolated incident." >> this is a sad morning here at "today" and at nbc news. >> reporter: on the "today" show lauer's co-anchors reacted to the news. >> for the moment all we can say is we are heartbroken. i'm heartbroken for matt. he is my dear, dear friend and my partner, and he is beloved by many, many people here. and i'm heartbroken for the brave colleague who came forward to tell her story and any other women who have their own stories to tell. >> i'm matt lauer in olympic park in sochi. >> reporter: the alleged misconduct began at the 2014 olympic games in sochi and continued after, according to an nbc spokesperson. the lawyer for the accuser had this to say. in part, "i am in awe by the kornlg my client showed to be the first to raise

that the company do the right thing." "variety" magazine laying out a pattern of alleged sexual misconduct by lauer, including exposing himself to an employee in his office and inviting women employed by nbc late at night to his hotel room while covering the olympics. three unnamed women tell "variety" they were sexually harassed. their accounts, "variety" says, corroborated by friends or colleagues. the magazine also reports that several women made complaints to executives at nbc which were ignored. an nbc news spokesperson responded to that claim. "we can say unequivocally that prior to monday night current nbc news management was never made aware of any complaints about matt lauer's conduct." in september lauer interviewed bill o'reilly, who had just been fired from fox news over allegations of sexual misconduct. >> so doesn't it seem safe to assume that the people at fox news were given a piece of information or given? evidence that simply made it impossible for you to stay on at fox news? >> that's a false su

one guy go -- >> sure, you do. >> -- unless you have information that you think makes him -- >> that's not true. >> reporter: for nbc news the star anchor's departure is an enormous loss. lauer has been the face of the network during pivotal news events, interviewing the world's most influential people. >> our thanks to stephanie gosk for that report. now to capitol hill where the house just passed a resolution mandating anti-harassment, anti-discrimination training for members of congress and their staff. pressure sin tenseifying on long-time congressman john conyers to resign after four separate women accused him of sexual misconduct. nbc capitol hill correspondent kasie hunt reports. >> reporter: congressman john conyers in self-imposed exile at home in michigan but still refusing to resign from congress. >> he is at home with his family. they are discussing the allegations. >> reporter: after a fourth former staffer came forward with allegations

misconduct almost 20 years ago. >> he just sat there. he didn't say anything. and he just took off his clothes. down to his naked -- down to his skivvies. like you would do in your bedroom. >> reporter: conyers has denied the allegations. his family's standing by him. >> you all just want to kill this man who's dedicated 53 years of his life to community service. >> it's very unfortunate to see him fight so long for so many people and to automatically have the allegations assumed true. >> reporter: but at least four house democrats now say he should resign his seat. >> if we really are going to change things here in washington we have to do things differently. >> reporter: as congress grapples with how to change a reporting system critics say is stacked against victims of harassment and that leaders in both parties now say needs to change. >> no matter how great the legacy, it is not a license to harass or abuse. >> sexual

place in any workplace, let alone in the united states congress. >> reporter: john conyers' attorney says the longest-serving congressman in the u.s. house has no plans to accept down. and late wednesday a bipartisan group of lawmakers with a push for legislation that would reveal the names of members of congress who've settled harassment claims with taxpayer money, that could become part of a broader push to reform harassment policy that's haven't been updated in over 20 years. frances? >> all right, kasie, thank you. on the senate side of the capitol the president's $1.2r58 tax cut plan just got one step closer to passage after the bill got enough support from senate republicans to pass a procedural hurdle, taking it to the final sprint. and while democrats are bashing the plan as one they say would benefit the rich and hit lower income americans with a tax hike, president trump took his tax proposal to missouri to promote the bill and get republicans on his side. for more on this we go to nbc's edward lawrence. edward, good morning. >> reporter: well, good morning, phillip. yeah, debate on this bill starts today. now, justec

the full senate is no guarantee it will pass. there's no democratic support, as you mentioned, and some republicans are on the fence. for example, senator bob corker is concerned it could add to the deficit over ten years. other republicans are worried that independent projections show that americans making $75,000 a year or less could actually pay more in taxes. now, this week the president had meetings at the white house with senators. he went to capitol hill to try to get votes. and last night he took his message directly to the american people. >> the senate must pass those tax cuts, bring main street roaring back. that's what's going to happen. in all fairness this is going to cost me a fortune, this thing. believe me. believe me. this is not good for me. me it's not so -- i have some very healthy friends. not so happy with me. but that's okay. >> reporter: well, however, an nbc news analysis shows actually president donald trump and his family wld

billion dollars on their taxes under the house plan that's already been passed. they're working on the senate plan now. there have been protests over all of this inside the halls of congress as well as at some universities with students protesting over some deductions that are going to be removed. right now the bill is in 20 hours of debate. that's where amendments can be added and voted up or down. the final bill could be passed either late tonight or tomorrow. phillip, frances? >> all right. let's see if he can sell it. edward, thank you. in a major victory for gun rights advocates, a house committee advanced a republican concealed carry reciprocity act. backed by the nra, it would allow gun owners to carry their concealed weapons across straight lines with a permit. the panel also advanced a bipartisan bill to improve federal background checks for gun buyers. the "washington post" reports the two bills are the first gun-related legislation to move forward since the mass shootings in las vegas and texas. they are now headed to the house floor. enjoy those mild temperatures while they

here. but let's see the rest of the country how they're going to be doing. bill karins joining us. >> november just the way most of the month has been. very mild. it's very quiet across the country. very little if any travel issues. a little bit of fog along the gulf coast but we stay pretty mild denver and indianapolis much of the country the jet stream is staying to the north. what we're looking at and this is the only big thing that's going to happen is a big temperature change as we head toward next week, especially toward tuesday, wednesday, that's when the temperatures will take a big dive. minneapolis, warm weekend for you. by tuesday back to reality, what you'd expect for the beginning of december. and it looks like this cold pattern will stay with us for well into the middle of december too. that's what you'd expect to happen this time of year. that's a look at the big weather story of the day. here's a closer look at your day ahead. no signs of any chill at all in the northern plains or through the great lakes. there are some showers in areas of indiana this morning into ohio. and some of those showers will be hit and miss from buffalo to pittsburgh late t

evening. and that's your thursday forecast. >> all right, bill, thank you, sir. in today's quick hits the search for a 3-year-old in north carolina is entering its fourth day. mariah k. woods' mother says she hasn't seen her child since she put her to death sunday night. investigators believe it was a, quote, focused incident. selena gomez has been named billboard's 2017 woman of the year. her successful hits and courage going through a kidney transplant and bat well lupus are reasons@pop star will be honored later today. a new trailer for the movie "all the money in the world" is out. it now includes christopher plummer who replaced kevin spacey following multiple allegations of sexual misconduct. the film will hit theaters december 22nd. stay with us. you're watching "early today." and all you wanted to do was surround them in comfort and protection that's why only pampers swaddlers is the #1 choice of hospitals

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the ground as police arrived just seconds later. the suspect was arrested and charged with having drug paraphernalia. just 12 days until voters in alabama head to the polls to decide their special election race. senate candidate roy moore has been accused of sexual misconduct by nine separate woman is back on the campaign trail this time taking aim at those women and their stories calling it all a conspiracy. >> they have one individual who is a drug dealer that i held in contempt who's at the heart of this conspiracy. they've done everything. when i say they, who are they? they're liberals. they don't want conservative values. they're the lesbian, gay, bisexual transgender who want to change our culture. they're socialists who want to change our way of life. putting man above god and that government is our god. they're the washington establishment. >> a i

could be helping moore in his senate bid. after three new polls out this week have him leading his democratic opponent doug jones by 5 to 6 percentage points. president trump's son-in-law jared kushner has been questioned by special counsel robert mueller about former national security adviser michael flynn. a source tells the associated press the interview with kushner happened earlier this month and lasted about 90 minutes. it was aimed in part to see if kushner had any information that could possibly clear flynn of charges. the revelation comes as special counsel mueller postponed grand jury testimony linked to his investigation of flynn and after flynn's lawyers cut ties with president trump's legal team. a spokesperson for mueller declined to comment and flynn's attorney did not return messages from the associated press. an attorney for kushner said that kushner has voluntarily cooperated with relevant inquiries and will continue to do so. thousands were rocking around a christmas tree on a mild night for the 8 5/16 annual rockefeller christmas tree lighting in new york city. mayor bill de blasio flipped a switch

5-foot-tall 12-ton norway spruce. it has more than 50,000 l.e.d. lights and crown with that swarovski star. it included a night of star-studded performance including gwen stephen ji, she performed her edition of let it snow. pentatonix performed an a capella remix of their christmas classic god rest ye merry gentlemen. and all another performances out there. look how beautiful it is. we come stumbling into work after a night's sleep this morning and they're breaking everything down the lights are off. we're waiting for the morning when they pop that back up before the sun comes up. >> it is a little like stumbling into a party when they're picking up all the solo cups. >> we miss td. >> we have a lot of time to enjoy it, though. coming up a stern warning for north korea. but will they behave? plus you can now add ivy leaguer to l.l. cool j's latest list of accolades. we'll explain, next. or giving! thanks for giving lien the strength to outrun her brother thanks for giving victor the energy to be the rowdiest fan.

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new this morning from the "boston globe," l.l. cool j is a harvard grad. the multitalented actor and rapper whose real name is todd smith, bet you didn't know that, just completed the business of entertainment media and sports program at harvard university. ll described the program as life-altering and he said that learning is cool. while praising his professor, anita elbers, in the process. congrats to ll. >> that is awesome. closer to war. that's how the u.n. ambassador to u

to north korea's latest ballistic missile test speaking at an emergency u.n. security council meeting. ambassador nikki haley said the u.s. is not seeking war with north korea but issued this dire warning should the regime's aggressions continue. >> if war comes, make no mistake. the north korean regime will be utterly destroyed. >> nbc chief global correspondent bill neely joins us from seoul with more. bill, good morning. >> reporter: yeah, good morning. typically tough talk from nikki haley there, but also reinforcing the words of president trump at the u.n. in september when he too spoke of destroying north korea. but she added in a few words of secretary of state rex tillerson as well because she also said we've never sought war with north korea and we still don't today. but if it comes it will be because of acts of aggression like the north korean missile launch. she also

nations to cut off all ties with north korea. and specifically she directed a plea to china's president xi to cut off north korea's oil supply. now, that really would be a drastic step but it is one that people are talking about. we've also had some new images of north korea's leader kim jong un inspecting that intercontinental ballistic missile. look pretty pleased with himself and his officials. he congratulated them. and of course he said that this missile launch was a breakthrough and that u.s. officials have confirmed to nbc news that it was indeed a more powerful weapon than anything we've seen before. back to you guys. >> bill neely, thank you. this year's top baby names and most liked photos on instagram. we will show them to you next. honey? can we do this tomorrow? (grunts of effort) can we do this tomorrow? if you have heart failure symptoms, your risk of hospitalization could increase,

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(vo) more "dper rollres for mom" bounty is more absorbent, so the roll can last 50% longer than the leading ordinary brand. so you get more "life" per roll. bounty the quicker picker upper so we all go on instagram regularly. well, now they released their year in review data for its community of 800 million users for 2017. so what's the most popular? beyonce's iconic pregnancy photo received the most likes of the year with over 11 million people double tapping the post. the app's most instagramed city was the big apple here, new york city. followed by moscow and london. and for everyone's instagram guilty pleasure, gif pong took the spot for the most followed profile. what do you like to follow? i do a lot of food and

nat geo, national geographic. they have really amazing pictures on there. also i like sports. nba. >> instagram for his socks. >> nice plug there. >> what do you have? >> just the basic. top baby names of 2017, and get ready for a mix of traditional and trendy. the name olivia that's the number one spot for girls' names. last year it was number 3 so it moved up. then classics like charlotte and amelia and new names that include cora and isla. for boys the top name goes to atticus. that is number one. rounding out the list is asher, jack, theodore, and jasper. still ahead here on "early today" a new take on those ugly christmas sweaters. would you wear these here? we'll show you when we come back. un-stop right there! i'm about to pop a cap of "mmm fresh" in that washer.

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good morning everybody. i'm chris lawrence. next on "news4 today," it's a hiem honored tradition that takes place in our backyard but it means traffic gridlock. what you need to noah head of the national christmas tree lighting. number one. take metro to get down to the tree lighting. i lived downtown, this is a

good morning everybody. i'm chris lawrence. sthank you for waking up bright and early with us. we have the national chras

this afternoon. i got to tell you, weather so far looking pretty good. a lot of folks going to be outside, chuck. >> 70 degrees yesterday briefly. hard to believe that december is one more day away. as you start out your thursday, yes indeed. toward the end of the week, there's mr. lincoln on the western side of the national mall under a mostly cloudy sky for now. not terribly cold. upper 30s in most of the suburbs to low and mid-40s closer to town. we'll have a cloudy start, a lot of sunshine and back to clouds for the evening. if you're headed to the white house tree lighting tonight, temperatures near 57 degrees at 4:00. 6:00 temperature 52. increasing clouds after 8:00. a little chance for sprinkles after 8:00 or 9:00 tonight. more on that in a few minutes. chris? >> thanks, chuck.