>> here we go. it's already starting. it's already starting. breaking overnight, a dozen people killed after a fast moving fire rips through a five story apartment building sending residents to the streets. reports children may be among the dead. >> icy blast, the dangerous freeze grips much of the nation as millions get set to ring in the new year. we'll have the forecast and what's in store for this new year's eve. >> presidential headlines, trump makes news on everything from the russia probe to the north korean threat in a spontaneous and wide ranging new interview. >> plus, a few lucky lottery players could enter 2018 rich beyond their wildest dreams. >> and some new yorkers bidding good riddance to 2017 in a special way. "early today" starts right now.

>> and i'm richard lui, in for frances rivera. we begin today with tragedy out of new york city. 12 people dead including several children after a massive fire ripped through a five story apartment building in the bronx. four others were critically injured. now fighting for their lives. authorities now say this is the city's worst fire in terms of loss of life in a quarter century. here's nbc new york's ray have i era with the latest. >> reporter: when firefighters arrived around 7:00 thursday night, they were met with a chaotic scene near prospect avenue. nearly a dozen people on the fire scape and when they worked their way inside they were met with heartache, people dead inside, several units including a person found dead inside the bathtub. while it's too early to tell what the cause of this fire is, the heart break is starting to set in. the fire started on the first floor and authorities say it worked its way up like a chimney to all five floors, killing 12 people in its path. the youngest

one-year-old. >> i saw people being carried out of here today, guys. i just -- it's overwhelming. >> reporter: as doors opened and folks tried to evacuate, the fire may have spread working its way through all 25 apartments. inside the prospect avenue building. >> i saw smoke. i came back down. >> reporter: crews rushed to rescue people on fire scapes. the smoke the fire commanding the work of 200 firefighters. despite their work and flames and smoke, 12 died. >> hold your families close and keep these families here in the bronx in your prayers. he >> reporter: leaving a neighborhood heartbroken and neighbors in this bronx community devastated. >> the last thing i saw this afternoon when i pulled up from work was those two little kids throwing out the trash for their mother and they went back upstairs and not an hour or so later i'm seeing them being wheeled off. >> reporter: according to sources familiar with this investigation, we are told multiple children are among the deceased. their ages range from 1 to in their 50s. and many more are displaced trying

incredibly cold weather. reporting from the bronx, i'm ray vieyyda, nbc news. >> bone chilling temperatures gripping the great plains and northeast. one person is dead after more than a thousand weather related crashes. erie, pennsylvania is digging out from more than 65 inches of snow that was dumped earlier this week as it braces for another round of winter storms that could bring inasmuch as ten more inches. for more on this arctic wave sweeping the country we bring in meteorologist michelle gross man. how is it looking out there? >> it's looking cold. cold air in place, cold air in place for a couple days now. dangerously cold air and we haven't seen the coldest yet. that is going to come on new year's eve. so, prepare for that. there is that arctic express from canada, it is going to continue to flow over the next several days reaching as far as the south. looking at the temperatures currently now, we're looking at

cleveland, 18 degrees in raleigh. but the wind chill is something you really want to pay attention to. we're looking at temperatures that feel 24 below 0. that's what it feels like on your body and that's going to continue over the next several days. >> so, it's bad in canada but cold here. it's coming from canada, that's arctic express. >> about right. whatever it is, it is fleesing. >> the commander in chief made headlines in a new interview with "the new york times." sitting down with reporters for a 30-minute impromptu conversation, even his staff unaware of reportedly. the times reporting president trump believes special counsel robert mueller will, quote, treat him fairly, contradicting some members of his party who have waged a weeks long campaign to try to discredit mr. mueller and the continuing inquiry. the report continues saying, the president did not demand an end to the russia investigation swirling around his administration, but insisted 16 times that there has been no collusion discovered by the inquiry. and it seems that may just be the tip of the iceberg when it comes to w

headline making interview. for more let's go to nbc's edward lawrence in washington. edward, interesting part of it, many parts, but his team not knowing about it, at least some of them. >> reporter: you know, that was very interesting. but not surprising with this president. you know, in true president trump fashion, he did not hold back on this interview. let's get right into it. the president telling "the new york times" that this russia investigation makes the country look very bad, and puts the country in a very bad position. the sooner it's worked out the better it is for this country. the president further adding fuel saying that he has the absolute right to do what he wants with the justice department, which could include firing special counsel robert mueller. now, nbc's presidential historian says he has never seen a president like this before. >> nixon never would have said something like that as president, nor would any other modern president, and that's why i think what he said was ominous, bordering on shocking because you have this president making this claim that he can do ev

justice department. no other modern president would agree with that. he goes on to say he has the right to open or end an investigation. well, guess what investigation he's alluding to? >> and the president not stopping with this interview. he took to twitter. he actually mocked the global warming on twitter saying that global warming is -- actually new year's eve is going to be the coldest on record in the east. the president going on to talk about china, saying that china has sent oil to the north koreans. he added a threat to that, saying that if that continues, there cannot be a friendly solution to the north korean issue. richard? >> edward, thank you so much for that. >> as revellers prepare to bring in the new year in new york's times square, police are making preparations of their own. millions expect to hit the square safe as the ball drops. we turn to stephanie gosk. stephanie, good morning. >> reporter: hey there, philip. so, the new york city police

nimble they are in the past, responding to a whole spectrum of threats. this year it will be no different and in particular, two attacks in the last year, both of them very different, have changed the way new york city is going to be protecting times square this new year's eve. as the risers and barricades go up in times square, the new york police department announced it is taking new steps to protect the estimated 2 million people expected on new year's eve. >> as a result of the events of december 11th, we have prepared a tactical bulletin, a response to suicide bombers. >> reporter: the attempted suicide bombing on december 11th took place just steps away from times square in an underground walkway. in response to that failed attack, the n.y.p.d. says training for officers on duty new year's eve will include identifying would-be bombers, clearing crowds if they detect a threat, stopping the bomber with lethal force, and treating the wounded if a bomb goes off. there will also

in t detectives in the many hotels after the shooting in las vegas when a gunman fired rifles from a window to a concert crowd below killing 58 people, the worst mass shooting in modern u.s. history. >> so, in previous years we had spoters in elevated positions. this year along with those spotters they will be accompanied by snipers. >> reporter: in new york, revellers will also see the kinds of security measures that have now become standard at big gatherings. sanitation trucks filled with sand, heavily armed counterterrorism units, and vapor-sniffing dogs that can smell traces of explosives from a distance, measures that both protect and reassure. >> i think they've got it under control. n.y.p.d., they know what they're doing. >> reporter: there have been calls from isis for attacks in the u.s. over the holidays. as there had been in the past, new york city officials say it amounts to propaganda. so far they know of

city on new year's eve. phillip? >> all right, stephanie, thank you. >> let's talk money, gobs of it. some lucky lottery players could see a great late holiday present this weekend. both megamillions and power ball jackpots have reached $690 million combined. tonight's megamillions drawings has an estimated jack poll prize of $306 million which is the largest prize in the 13 year history according to lottery officials there. power ball jackpot is larger with $384 million big ones. >> all right. let's get another check of the weather from meteorologist michelle gross man. michelle? >> all right, we are looking at another cold day, frigid air out there. we are looking at an area of low pressure to help reinforce the cold air in place. we'll also bring snow to parts of the great lakes, eventually into the northeast by saturday. the good news it doesn't seem to be a big system. it's a quick moving system. clippers don't tend to hold a lot of moist

reinforce the cold air that is in place. let's take a look at saturday where we see an area of low pressure combining with this low that may bring precipitation along the coast. th that's a look at the big weather story of the day. now here's a closer look at your day ahead. all right. we are looking at very cold temperatures in the northeast, 5 degrees today in burlington, with some snow. heading over to the northern plains, even colder, 4 degrees. that will be the air temperature feeling even colder than that with the wind chill. 50 degrees in salt lake city. all right. so, cold today and we are looking at even colder temperatures as we head into new year's eve. so, ringing in 2018 with some very, very dangerous air. >> all right, michelle, thank you so much. all workers in california super market teamed up to help a woman make a special delivery. earlier this week a long-time customer gave birthright in the middle of the store. workers there called 911 and they realized they were going to have to deliver that baby. a butcher caught the newborn in the apron while the store owner cut the

officials say baby and mother in good health. >> al franken speaks out and we remember the actress rose marie. "early today" back in two. this is charlie. and this is charlie not coughing because he took delsym 12-hour. this is charlie not coughing while trying his hardest not to wake zeus. this is charlie not coughing while sitting ververy still. easy, walter. and this is charlie not coughing while getting a little too into nana's party. because he took delsym... the #1 12-hour cough medicine. nothing lasts longer for powerful cough relief. delsym. the joy of not coughing.

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and now that you do, please give at cancer.org. i may be leaving the senate, but i'm not giving up my voice. we still have a lot of work to do together on issues ranging from net neutrality to climate change. and we still have to be ready to speak out for economic justice, and to defend the truth. [cheering and applauding] >> that was soon-to-be former senator al franken giving his first public speech in his home state of minnesota since announcing his resignation from office following allegations of sexual misconduct. an emotional franken insisting while he may soon be out of the d.c. arena, he has no intention of remaining silent on the issues that drove him into public office in the first place.

prosecutors say romania took over outdoor police surveillance cameras. they did it in the days just before president trump's inauguration last january. a federal complaint unsealed thursday says the cameras were unable to record video for several days until the problem was resolved. prosecutors say it was ransomware scheme and the alleged hackers were arrested earlier this month by romainian authorities. prosecutors will try to extradite two of them back to the united states. >> sad news this morning. actress rose marie best known as the wise cracking sally rogers on the 1960s dick van dyke show has died at the age of 94. rose marie began her career as a toddler, later going on to perform on broadway. television, radio and films. the family spokesperson said she had been resting in her l.a. home when a care giver found her not breathing. after news of her death broke, a tribute posted on her website said, heaven just got a whole lot funnier. indeed.

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police in lima, ohio releasing this video of a brawl outside a waffle house restaurant there. they are seeking tips about the men and women involved, that fight breaking out at about 3:00 a.m. tuesday and

deputies arrived. one female victim has come forward. a second fight breaking out in the parking lot in front of deputies leading to two arrests. >> investigators in upstate new york are on the hunt for a killer who murdered two children, their mother and her partner in what is being described as a gruesome killing. it is a murder mystery with no leads and has people in troy, new york on edge. nbc's gadi schwartz has details. >> reporter: police releasing pictures of the meyers and melz family. two children, two daults. the victims of mysterious killing. their bodies found in the basement of this apartment. those responsible still on the loose. >> after being in this business for almost 42 years, i can't describe the savagery of a person like this. >> reporter: 11-year-old jj and 5-year-old sha niece and her girlfriend were discovered by the apartment manager. her sister is devastated. >> it feels like somebody has ripped us to shreds. >> reporter: police haven't released the details of the crime, but the loc

reported the family was bound and their throats slashed according to law enforce sources. >> we don't think there is some mad man running loose out there. there were indicators that led us to believe that this was a targeted act on this poor family. >> reporter: the quadruple homicide the reminder of a similar family massacre in 2014, the chin family killed in their homeless than ten miles away. but investigators say the two tragedies are unrelated, nevertheless those who live in this city along the hudson are rattled and afraid. >> that's terrible. i don't feel safe around here any more. >> reporter: now police trying to calm a community's fear while a family pleads for answers. >> i can tell you a million stories about my entire family, this is not about them. this is about the answers we deserve and we need. >> reporter: goddy schwartz, nbc news. >> when should you get a rid of that christmas tree, according to mariah carey?

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going 80 miles an hour like this guy? not an easy thing to do. >> on a snow board, not skis. >> not good for the knees. very talented. mariah carey's classic all i want for christmas is you, ryan see crest wondering when one should take down their tree. the grammy winning singer was quick to tweet back, to keep it up through independence day. >> carey's christmas hit is played every december across holiday play lists, movies, tv, everywhere you go making it the top selling digital song of all time. that is according to nielsen music. it has earned carey more than $60 million in royalty checks. it came out in 1994 and she is not done for the holidays. she's going to take the stage new year's eve in times square for dick clark's rocking eve. >> if you make $60 million, i'll keep up my tree. >> that song keeps getting more popular every year.

sometimes you do not know what is going to happen on live television, as we know all too well. >> been there. >> and our own hallie jackson found out as well during an msnbc hit yesterday. three t-rexes stole the show when they were wrestling and stumbling around. she didn't seem to notice, though, what was happening behind her. later she did reference it on twitter saying at least it wasn't gators. after careful consideration i have decided not to endorse your park. that's a line there, classic line from the hit film jurasic park. >> folks are usually running toward you yelling things. >> it happens. >> random t-rexes. we have your frigid new year's eve forecast plus a rescue caught on camera you just have to see. season... give the gift of effortlessly smooth feet... from amope. amope pedi perfect

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breaking news this morning out of bronx where a dozen people have been killed after a massive fire swept through an apartment building. now we're learning there could be even more victims. temperatures this morning are in the teens in the district. 20 degrees. it is a very cold start to your friday. coming up, snow headed our way for saturday. i'l show you thel

that breaking news, at least a dozen people are dead after what's being called the worst fire tragedy in new york city in a quarter century. good morning every.

let's get to the top store i that fire broke out in a five-story brick apartment building in the bronx. 12 people are dead, including a one-year-old child. four people are st. i will in the hospital this morning f it started around 7:00 last night in a building near the bronx zoo. they deployed about 170 firefighters. the mayor is calling it an unspeakable tragedy. >> this is the worst fire tragedy we have seen in this city in at least a quarter century. >> right now, we've learned the fire started on the first floor of that building. officials say the death toll could rise. the four people in the hospital are in critical condition. here at home, we're still watching the frigid temperatures outside. we want to get to sheena parveen in the weather center. sheena, a little better than yesterday. not that that's saying that mu