not guilty, a jury verdict in the murder of kate steinle, the undocumented immigrant at the center of say case that set off a national debate over sanctuary cities and became part of the 2016 presidential election. >> it is our opportunity to overhaul our complex tax code and shift our economy into high gear. >> this tax bill is one of the most unfair and disastrous pieces of legislation ever brought forth in the modern history of this country. >> high stakes in the balance. this time senator john mccain is on board with the gop's plan. a vote is expected later today. >> a rare earthquake shakes the northeast and now braces for after shocks. >> also rare

woods playing competitive golf. we'll tell you how he's doing. >> and residents of the florida keys flag burning to bid good riddance to the 2017 hurricane season. "early today" starts right now. happy friday to you. i'm frances rivera. >> and i'm phillip mena. an undocumented mexican immigrant lamb pasted by then candidate donald trump was found not guilty of murder. it is a case that garnered national attention during last year's presidential election. a jury acquitted jose zarate in the shooting death of 33-year-old kate steinle. authorities say zarate who had been deported five times prior fired the gun on a busy san francisco pier in july of 2015. the bullet ricocheted off a kick kreet rock way striking steinle in the back. prosecutors argued zarate found the stolen gun and deliberately shot it in what they call his own personal game of russian roulette. zarate's lawyers said the gun went off accidentally. >> the verdict drew outcry from conservatives calling into question

policies. president trump called it disgraceful, tweeting no wonder our country is so angry over illegal immigration. he called zarate an animal as a stunt for a stronger border including a wall. lawyers for zarate said their client's immigration status is irrelevant to the case and the president's rhetoric only served to exploit it for political purposes. >> this case was used as a means to foment hate, to foment division, and to foment a program of mass deportation. >> zarate was convicted for felony possession of a firearm and faces three years in prison. steinle's family was not present for the verdict but they told the "san francisco chronicle," quote, justice was rendered but it was not served. >> this morning the nation is on the brink of a major tax overhaul. republican senators are inching closer to passing their $1.5 trillion tax package with conservatives nabbing the vote of gop hold out senator

us now from capitol hill. edward, what's the latest here? >> reporter: good morning, philip. the vote was pushed off until maybe today. the issue here is the deficit. now, at least four republican senators are pointing to a new analysis that shows that at least $1 trillion will be added to the deficit even after the economic growth is added into this. this congressional analysis came out just before the final vote yesterday. that's why it was pushed off to today. republican senators are scrambling to get this done. that debate does start again today. now, at least one democrat, senator joe manchin, says he's willing to sign onto this bill if the right changes are made. other democrats say they need to just scrap it and start over. at least three republican senators are pointing to language they would like to put inside this bill saying that a trigger to roll back the tax cuts if the economic growth does not happen. however, that plan was scrapped when the senate parliament arian says language lik

now, again, republicans are scrambling trying to get this done. our best guess last count four republicans are a hold out so far on this bill. philip? >> not as easy as trump would have liked on this one. edward, thank you. >> and the drama playing out in washington isn't just about taxes with palace intrigue erupting inside the president's own cabinet e. the white house is now denying reports that president trump may soon fire secretary of state rex tillerson. the reports come at a time when diplomatic tensions are growing with one of america's dloes est allies over the president's own twitter feed. we get more from nbc chief white house correspondent hallie jackson. >> reporter: rex tillerson is the secretary of state, but for how long? >> do you want rex tillerson on the job, mr. president? >> he's here. rex is here. >> reporter: that's not exactly a ringing endorsement for tillerson as speculation swirls about his future in the cabinet. publicly denials. >> chief of staff kelly called our department this morning and said that the

>> reporter: but privately intensifying talks of how to replace tillerson, according to one administration source who says the secretary of state burned all his bridges inside the west wing. tillerson and the president locked in a rocky relationship since the summer. remember this joke last month? >> some days i feel like i need to do that. curl like a ball. >> reporter: multiple senior administration officials say cia director mike pompeo is the favorite to be the next secretary of state with the diplomatic drama coming at an especially sensitive moment. one of our closest allies abroad not happy and not hiding it after the president retweeted inflammatory, unverified, antimuslim videos linked to a far-right british extremist group. prime minister theresa may. >> but the fact that we work together does not mean that we're a first lady to say when we think the united states have got it wrong. >> reporter: that came hours after the president tweet today may, don't focus on me. we are doing just fine. members o

furious president trump used his platform to elevate that fringe group. though the white house insists he did not. >> what he's done is elevate the conversation to talk about a real issue and a real threat. that's extreme violence and extreme terrorism. >> thanks to hallie jackson. and we can also report that according to the white house, the president is scheduled to have lunch with secretary tillerson later today. >> a rare 4.1 magnitude earthquake struck delaware yesterday afternoon. centered six miles northeast of the city of dover and about five miles deep. cameras inside waive lab studios in wilmington captured the moment the tremor struck. the jolt rattling the mid-atlantic region of the east coast and it was felt from new york all the wait to baltimore. it was the strongest quake to hit the east coast since 2011 when a 5.8 quake centered in virginia and cracked the washington monument. the unusual incident caught some residents by surprise. >> the house was shaking and i had no idea what it was. i thought maybe it was a

i had no idea, but our house was shaking. >> thankfully there were no injuries or major damages reported. >> minnesota public radio is facing major backlash after it fired long time host garrison keeler over allegations of inappropriate workplace behavior. fans have inundated the radio with complaints threatening to cancel membership. nbr relies on donors. a spokesperson for npr said listeners may feel the limited information may not seem to justify the decision, but assures them it honors the highest standard they have come to expect. >> and in washington there are growing calls on capitol hill for embattled democratic congressman john conyers. the dean of the house to resign. with the entire democratic leadership in the house now saying it is time for conyers to go after several women accused him of sexual misconduct. the former staffer who made a settlement with conyers with $27,000 breaking her silence on today. >> it was sexual harassment, violating,

propositioning me, inviting me to hotels with the guise of discussing business. >> conyers denies the allegations and he is now hospitalized in his hometown of detroit. his political consultant says it's due to stress. >> now harassment allegations are also dogging a well known figure entertainment mogul russell decemb russell simmons stepping down from his companies. he founded def jamb recordings in the 80s and went on to create an empire, his recollections are different than his accusers. he denies ever being violent but apologized for being, quote, thoughtless and insensitive in some of his relationships. >> now the latest news regarding embattled former today show anchor matt lauer. his former executive producer jeff zucker says he was unaware of, quote, deviant predatory behavior when he ran today. >> you have to feel for the women who endured this a

with it and have come forward. and, you know, obviously i've known matt for 25 years, and i didn't know this man. >> and now as many question who knew what and when in regards to lauer's actions, the former anchor himself is speaking out releasing his first statement on the allegations dogging him. nbc's stephanie gosk has more. >> reporter: the former star anchor released a statement saying in part, to the people i have hurt, i am truly sorry. some of what is being said about me is untrue or mischaracterized, but there is enough truth in these stories to make me feel embarrassed and ashamed. lauer's first public comments come on the heels of new accusations. at least three women have come forward to nbc. among them one accuser who alleges she was sexually assaulted in lauer's office in 2001. according to a report in "the new york times." she told the paper she passed out during the

she says lauer had his assistant take her to a nurse. an nbc spokesperson would not comment on the details, citing privacy issues. altogether there may be as many as six accusers. questions have been raised about whether nbc news executives knew of the complaints prior to monday. several former nbc news executives we spoke with told us they didn't know of any complaints. and the network responded saying unequivocally no current management knew about any accusations. the string of allegations together with how swiftly matt lauer lost his anchor chair have many wondering if this will change tv newsroom culture, especially after high profile anchors at cbs news and fox news have also been fired. >> the curtain is being pulled back. >> the curtain is being pulled back and the question is whether the figures who have been toppedled are some of the biggest names in television whether they turnout to be sack official figures or transformative ones. >> reporter: stephanie gosk, nbc news, new york. >>

mild temperatures. let's turn to nbc meteorologist bill karins. pretty much mild fall, i guess. >> for the record fall is september, october u november. we added all those numbers up and we ended up with 92 cities with the top warm effort falls ever recorded in the station's history. some of the ones that stand out burlington was longest, caribou, new york city cleveland third. it's interesting, it's usually one side of the country or another. it's widespread. el paso, also there in albuquerque. even on december 1st today, we continue this very mild trend unusually warm from the great lakes all the way back to the northern rockies. 49 in minneapolis is like a heat wave. typically it should only be in the low 30s. that's a look at the big weather story of the day. now here's a closer look at your day ahead. lot of great weather out there. the early morning rain showers are exiting quickly in areas of eastern portions of new england. we'll have a lot of sunshine this afternoo

there is a little bit of fog on the gulf coast in alabama and mississippi. besides that it should be a great afternoon. the entire weekend forecast coming up. >> okay, bill, thank you. fast forwarding now today, lady bird is sure to draw a crowd to new york city when she hosts saturday night live this weekend. she joked about it in this new promo. the musical guest will be u2. >> prince harry and his brides to be megan mar-a-lago wihan ma concert for youth crime. a boys to men and others will make an appearance at t-mobile arena in las vegas. "early today" continues after the break. happy thanks for giving! thanks for giving lien the strength to outrun her brother thanks for giving victor the energy to be the rowdiest fan. and joseph,the ability to see monsters.

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♪ ♪ >> that's the white house looking very merry and bright after president trump lit the national christmas tree for the first time. the 95th annual tradition was hosted by kathie lee gifford and dean kaine. president trump wished everyone a, quote, merry christmas and unbelievable holidays. >> leading the news, japan's emperor is stepping down for the first time in 200 years after nearly three decades. emperor akihito will abdicate on april 30th, 2019. the 83-year-old said he planned to step down last year citing his age and poor health in june. japan passed a special law allowing the emperor to retire. prime minister shinzo abe announced his abdication date today after a discussion with lawmakers and members of the royal family. he will be succeedsed by his son naru akihito. >> an explosion rocked a cosmetics factory in new york state. dramatic new images show a

a bright flash as chemicals go up in flames. that employee, one of 125 injured in this incident. it happened last week. one person was killed. they say it was caused by static electricity and ruled it an accident. >> still ahead, a perfect duet from a superstar duo. plus how the republican tax plan could affect your family's medical needs. you're watching "early today" i switched to geico and got more! more savings on car insurance!? they helped with homeowners, too! ok! plus motorcycle, boat and rv insurance! geico's got you covered! like a blanket! houston? you seeing this? geico. expect great savings and a whole lot more.

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♪ now i know i have met an angel in person ♪ ♪ and she looks perfect ♪ i don't deserve it ♪ you look perfect tonight ♪ ed sheeran and beyonce dropping a surprise song on spotify. you're going to hear it over and over again. >> it will catch on real quick. >> this morning the gop tax plan currently making its way through congress could have broad effects on american health care. in the new report the congressional budget office said millions could lose insurance coverage and face premium hikes. nbc's tom costello reports on the impact on health care from the gop tax plan which could strip away significant medical deductions for millions of americans. >> here we comment >> reporter: another day of physical

born with spina bifida, his parents spend $25,000 a year out of pocket on his car and itemize and deduct much of it from their taxes. >> nice job. i like that. >> reporter: under the house plan, that deduction would go away. >> i can't see us taking away care for him so most likely it would be, you know, putting ourselves into debt to be able to care for him. >> reporter: last year nearly 9 million households claimed medical deductions, more than half 65 and older. including for in-home therapy, costly medication ands nursing care. expenses that often total much more than the new standard deductions republicans are proposing of $12,000 for individuals, 24,000 for couples. >> for any family caring for a senior in a nursing home, or for any family caring for a disabled child or adult, their taxes are going to be much, much higher. >> reporter: if congress also kills the individual mandate which requires all americans to have insurance, nonpartisan experts predict everyone's insurance premiums will jump at least 10%. all of them on top o

of americans take. for state and local taxes, mortgage interest, alimony, student loans, even school supplies, teachers buy. >> bottom line this plan cuts taxes for the rich, cuts taxes for corporations who are already seeing record profits, but the hard land of america, many who voted for president trump, they could get hit hard. >> reporter: seniors could get hit hard, no longer allowed to deduct assisted living would mean a big tax hike. tom costello, nbc news, washington. >> still ahead, remembering a te television fun of man who had the voice of a superstar. plus which beautiful european town is paying people to move there? we'll tell you next. st. jude children's research hospital is beating childhood cancer. i have cancer. and you also have st. jude. discoveries at st. jude have helped to increase the overall childhood cancer survival rate from 20%...to 80%. and we freely share our research everywhere. you want one? si, thank you for freely sharing...

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well, if you've ever dreamed of living in a picturesque town in the mountains now may be your chance. the swiss village wants to pay new residents around $25,000 located in the town of the swiss alps. you have to stay at least ten years, down to just 240 residents, local government is voting on a plan to repopulate the community. applicants must be under the age of 45 and they would have to live in a home worth at least $200,000. >> it's beautiful, but, hey, you're way up there. you only got 200 people to go socialize with. >> hang out with. >> still ahead, colin kaepernick honored with a muhammad ali award.

♪♪ holy night ♪ sleep in heavenly peace ♪ sleep in heavenly peace

good morning. we have breaking news. north frederick avenue at chestnut street is shut down in gaithersburg. good morning everybody. i'm chris lawrence. chopper 4 is headed to that scene right now. what you need to know before you leave the house, next. weatherwise, after a round of rain overnight, the skies are caring. telemp

that breaking news, a complete shutdown much north frederick avenue at chestnut street in gaithersburg. we just got off the phone with montgomery county police who te u

that brought down several electrical wires. our news partners at wtop report all lanes are blocked in both directions right now. i believe we have rich hunter on the line from wtop. rich, are you there? >> chris, good morning. >> rich, this sounds incredibly serious, especially considering where that road is in relation to how people get in and out of work. >> absolutely. it's one of those things where there are plenty of side roads to get around. a lot of folks don't consider that in the morning that they're going to be redprektirecteredir >> it's between west perry avenue and -- there's lots of directions to get around the closure. >> what are the best one ss? >> it sounds like police are putting folks on the northbound