good morning. breaking overnight. shutdown. the federal government partially closed this morning after lawmakers fail to coo agreement with the president over funding a border wall. hundreds of thousands of federal workers now without pay just days before christmas. presidt trump sending out a messages late last night. >> let's get out and let's workl togethet's be bipartisan and get it done. >> so what happens now? w how ill the shutdown last? we are live in the nation's capitol. under arrest.tw o suspects in custody this morning in connection with the drone scare in connection that shutdown one of the world's busiest airports sands thousands for the holidays. is the travel nightmare finally over?

the unkindest cut of all. outrage after a high school wrestler in new jersey is forced to cut his dread locks or forfeit his match. the young man agreeing t do it to help his team. thismorning, accusations of racism, it is the referee paying the price. er all that plus mu charges. the fianceiance of the colorados now under a accused in her death. supreme court justice ruth bader ginsburg recovering his morning after a lung cancer scare that left her ho>italized. >> and panic saturday. madash to the malls as more than 130 million people put the finishing or possibly the starting touches on their holiday shopping. today, saturday, decembe22 nd, 2018. >> announcer: from nbc news, this is "today" with sheinelle

jones and peter alexander and dylan dreyer. live from studio 1a in rockefeller >> welcome to "today." thank you for joining us onmohis saturdaying. i'm glad to have kristen welker here with us. it was quiet a the white house this week -- >> i thought you were saying it is quiet because sheinelle is not here. >> a busy week. >> peter, chaos in fact back in washington, d.c. right now with the federal government now partially shutdown. it became official at midnight. lawmakers will be back att today to try to come to agreement. >> here is where things stand right now. roughly 800,000 federal employees will not be gettingg paid dur the shutdown. more than half of them will still have to report to work. thest are being furloughed. that means they won't go to work, but also won't get paid. >>even agencies are not funded by the government.

including homeland security and justicpartment. because it is a partial shutdown, several ancies will ay open. that includes the post office. good news, your packages will be delivered ahead of christmas. >> among the questions, how did this happen and is there a hope of a deal? who is to blame? we have ourrrhite house pondent geoff bennett on the white house lawn. good morning. >> reporter: pete good morning. the president said he would be proud to own ther shutdown o the border wall. now he has one. this is the third government utdown on president trump's retch over border wall funding thedent is demanding. with days left before christmas, there is little sign of when or fw trump and congressional leaders willd a way through the stalemate. this morning, america are waking up to a federal government that's partially shutdown. with congress at an impasse. over president trump's $5

billion border wall demand. congress alreadypproved funding for about 75% of the government, but about a dozen major agencies are dark this morning. during the ,shutdo at least 800 thundershowers government employees will not receive their expected paychecks with christmas coming fa. >> it shouldn't be i have to worry about when i'll getid >> depending on how long it is, we may not have certain thinghe during holidays. >> reporter: 420,000 government workers deemed essential employees will still be expected to work without pay. including tsa agents and air traffic u.s. customs and borderges and u.s. marshals and fbi agents and coast caguard and forest they will likely be paid when the government reopens. another 380,000 furloughed or forced to take unpaid leave ow

until the shu ends. this is all after the president is clinging to the campaign promise. border wall. a deal lawmakers reached to fund the government. earlier on friday, mr. trump pointed the finger at democrats. >> it is up to the democrats. it is really the democrat shutdown. >> reporter: reversal over what he said days ago. >> i am proud to shutdown the government for border security. i will be the one to shut it down. i'll not blame ryou. >>orter: democrats said all along they will not fund trump's border wall. >> president ump, you wil not get your wall. abandon your shutdown strategy. >> reporter: add to that, cnn discovering a 2015 radio inteiew which incoming white house chief of staff mick mulvaney criticize trump's border wall. >> that is absurd and childish. >> reporter: with no clear path forward, the president tweeted this friday night. >> let's get outnd work

together and be bipartisan and let's get it done. the shutdown hopefully will not st lo. >> geoff, let's set the scene at 1600 pennsylvania avenue. the president and first lady already headed to mar-a-lago. what's the mood at the white house, geoff? would that be a pressure point? >> reporter: kristen, it is optimistic with the house and senate in session this afternoon. t we're tol talks will continue. one white house official says the are still working out numbers. might the president accept something less than $5 billion demand? might he accept steelci f instead of concrete wall? we don't know yet. what w donow is white house officials say they expect the shutdown to last aleast until sunday. kristen, peter. >> you are expecting another long day. geoff, thank you. >> we turn now to the political

correspondent steve kornaki and steve nash with the cia and pentagon under president obama. gentommen, thank you forg in on the holiday weekend. steve, a w qui to start the holiday. the president said he would be proud to own ashutdown. now he's trying to blame the democrats for the shutdown. here.le context a lot of this is about the border wall. the recent polli within the last month shows a majority of americans oppose a wall. on an the president win this? who is to blame for the shutdown? >> you know, you put that number on the scoen. what is striking to me about that. 54% oppose and 43% support. that looks likeond trump's approval rating. 43% approval. 54% disapprove. it feels like so much in politics today like the bore de wall and shutdown what side is trump on? it looks like he has the base which is in the high 30s and low

40s with him and folks againsth which continues to count higher than that. >> steve, that raises the question of how much leveragesi the pnt actually has here and in just 12 days, democrats are going to take over the house. everyone is saying this is really a preview of what divided government is going to look like. more broadly, doesn't the president's hand only get weaker here? how does it end? >> democrts taking o congress. you let this thing stretch out and suddenly your potential to cut a deal goes down a bit if you are trum if he needs to look at something he is signing and say i'm getting a wall happens to be the bougttom line for democrats. they are looking at their base and poll numbers. they will not give him anything he can say is a wall. they are offering border security money. he wants wall. they will not give him anli the house in two weeks.

>> jeremy, gets start to recap the week. the dow with the worst week in a decade. the president blind sides national security officials by witdrawaing american troops from syria. then the government hishuts dow. we are used to ctros during the p administration, but how does this compare to before? >> for you knowing james ttis, heard him say, peter, he would not quit out of fatigue or ustration. he would stand his ground on policy issues and force the ir president to him if he thought the president was doing something that was manifesting not in the national security interests. president trump makes the announcement of withdrawal oftr ps from syria and possibly afghanistan. jim mattis sayst i can abide by that. your foreign policy, mr. president, is off the mark. we removed one of the guardrails of the trump presidency >> to follow-up on that point,

jeremy, the country and thed wo watching right now, friends and foes alike. mattis was seen as the adult in the room. who can provide that safeguard at this point or is there no one? >> general mattis is gone. general kelly is gone. those are the big two of three. the three marine flsr-star geneo make sure the president did not go off the rails and make dangerous foreign policy moves. with two of the three gone, in that say dangerous sign. >> thank you, steve and jeremy. >> great conversation. supreme court justice ruth bader ginsburg is recovering in ospital after being treated for lung cancer. nbc's mattradley is outside memorial sloane here in new york where bader ginsburg is treated. matt. >> reporter: kristen, justice bader ginsburg is recovering in

the hospital behind me. doctors say she is likely to be here for t next couple of days. now this surgery yesterday went rely well. no real complications. doctors, of urse, say anytime an 85-year-old like justice bader ginsburg goes und surgery like this, it is risky. people have to pay attention to this. now at the same time, she had a colorectal lobectomy. two cancerous noticdules were removed from her ng. that w discovered accidentally after she suffered a fall and broke ribs. these are cancerous. there iso gn of disease elsewhere in her body and not recommending furtheris treatmen. s a good sign. the justice has been a true survivor for the last several decades. sur high sur highed cancer .

befo she had pancreatic cancer as well. justice bader ginsburg is known for the brutal morning rkout routines. everybody is going to be waiting for recovery. kr kristen. >> thank you, matt. we want to turn and focus on the busy weekendahead. holiday travelers on friday with a messo get to the holiday destinations. by the look of it, dylan, it will be another long one for a lot of folks. >> it is. th a isot of planes happening in the air right now. you know, one in three americans are expected tor travel o this holiday. the massive storm that drenched the east coast yesterday created a headache for so many people. this was the scene in milford, connecticut. the storm causing flooding along the coast. look at the waves crashing.

airports packed on friday. more than 6,000 flights delayed and 300 cancellations reported across the country. the wet weather caused cos on the rails and roads as well. i was stuck on traffic over the gw bridge yesterday morning. it was the start of the holiday weekend and a also regular friday commute. this is what's going on in the sky right now.t a f planes flying. that is a good thing considering we did have that storm move through yesterday. there are still about 380 flights delayed and 53 cancellations because of the residual effects of the storm in the form of wind and rain and snow. most of the snow we're seeing ew york.pstate we have a bit of lake-effect snow as this storm system will still continue to produce heavy rain in new england. we have a l bit ofht snow across the higher peaks of the appalachian. ill see this pull way through tonight. we will see an improving day for saturday. light snow possible in the great

lakes. that is more lake-effect snow. the clipper system is moving in sunday into mondth. is just enough to cause a dusting of snow across the northeast. just what youmaant for chri just a little bit. not too much. that will pull away for christs day. combining the residual snow in the appalachians and upstate new york, we could see 2 to 4 inches of snowhrough monday. guys. >> dylan, thank you. we will have the full forecast in a few minutes. now to some overhead breaking news where authorities in london made two arrests with a drone scare this morning at th world's busiest airport. it brought traffic to a stantill for more than a day. we he cavallalucy kavanof with . orter: good morning, kristen. drones were reported in the area. police asked the public to step forward with more information

before the thousands of passengers affected disrupti one disruption. the hope is the christmas travel nightmare is finally over. this morning, wit two suspects in custody, britain's second busiest airport is open again. paengersoping the christmas travel nrhtmare now ove after three days of flight disruption, cancellations and delays caused by dredes. >> wor bit yesterday. today, we're really hopeful it will takeoff. >> reporter: gatwick airport was forced to shutdown wedne aay nighter drones spotted near the runway. since then, more than 1,000 flightsled or diverted. effecting nearly 140,000 holiday plans in ruins. >> we are not going. we are visiting family and friends in denver. i don't know if we will get home to see them. >> reporter: troops were called in to hunt for the operator. police snipers were prepared to shoot the drone down.

the airport reopenedn friday, but another drone sighting grounded flights. the popularity of drones soars and the danger in the skies. watch hat happens when the drone b m slams into theplane. pilots in the u.s. reported more than 2,000 drone sightings this year. and mexico's largest airline is investigating whether a drone slammed into the nose of one of its planes last week. nearly 0 flights out of gat ri sd wick for today. millions are ensuring they can get to the destinations for the holidays. peter and kristen. >> thank you. to a story we following the past couple weeks. a colorado man behind bars charged with killing his fiancee who is the mother of his

1-yearld daughter. nbc's steve patterson is at the colorado park police station. steve, good morning. >> reporter: peter, it has been one month since kelsey berreth went missin authorities continue to search for her, but they believe she wa murdered with enough evidence to make the tearrest. af a month of uncertainty, heartache. finally an rest. friday morning, police cartingf trick frazee from his colorado ranch. the 32-year-old facing charges of first-degremurder and solicitation for murder in the disappearance of his fiancee kelsey berreth. >>sadly, we do not believe kelsey is still alive. >> reporter: this comes after investigators zero in on berreth's home. >> we recovered a number of items that make usci susous. >> reporter: brurerreth was las

seen on thanksgiving day shopping with her 1-year-old daughter. she vanished with cinnamon rolls on the stove and suv parked in the driveway. police scoured fr he shares with his mother for any sign of berreth. with kelsey's body missing, this opens up the possibility tha others may be involved. >> at this time there is one arrest. i don't know if there is additional arrests in our future. >> reporter: after frazee appeared before the dge who ordered him to be held without bond, his public defender left without comment. this mystery deepens and the man prosecutors say is responsible for her death sits behindbars. frazee's next court appearance is scheduled for new year's eve. the couple's1-year-old daughter was taken into protective custody. peter and kristen. >> steve patterson, thank you. we take a turn and go back to dylan for the weather. it was

we're looking at impuss up -- gusts up to 40 miles per hour. winds aren't settling down until tonight. 48 in washington. 45 in dulles. 43 in gaithersburg right now. again, the temperatures a little onhe coolside. that's where we stay. the rain is out of here. andod temperatures nearing 50 degrees. again, the main thing you'll have to deal with today are going to be the winds. and that's your latest forecast. >> dylan, thank you. still to come right here, outrage after a high school i wrestler forced to cut his dredlocks right before the match. plus, elon musk unveils his

new underground tunnel. will it save you from the trafficth jam o way to work some day? we take a look right after this.

>> o we are bac saturday morning with "the weekly download." the look back at the week that was. >> the hea dinesinated by the government shutdown, but a lot of other stories we covered asell starting with the uncertainty on wall street. a rough week or thedow. federal reserve raised interest rates ignoring criticism from the president. and sending stocks into a nose dive.ma the fed cha defending its actions. >> political csiderations play no role whatsoever in our cscussions. bs announced it will not pay former ceo les moonves a penny

of the $120 million receiseverae was owed over the sexual sconduct allegations. moonves denies all non jnsensual relations. age in new york city refused to throw out charges against disgraced harvey weinstein. weinstein claims public pressure, not the evidence, led to the prosecution. facebook under fire. the new york times reporting that the social media giant allowed more than 150 companies to access their users personal data causing an absolute uproar. >> facebook admitted it gave partners like spotify access to users private messages, but deny they did it without user co ent. elon musk unveiled his undergroundunnel in california taking guests on the test drive for the first time. >> what this amounts to is an

absolute solution to gridlock. >> musk's goalo is t help commuters by shuttling them underground with speeds up to 150 miles an hour. touching act of kindnesspeo te davidson who posted on social media he didn't want to be on this earth anymore. >> "saturday night live" star pete davidson receiving a call of support from dan crenshaw. >> i told him this. everybody has a purpose in this world. god put you here for a reason. >> davidson came under fire last month for mocking the woued war veteran's eye patch. the two made up the following week. some much the week's most astonishing moments caught on camera. an off-duty officer driving a patrol car hitting a homeless woman and sped off. came back with his girlfriend insisting she was the driver.

a retired police officer jumping into action to save a toddler in the road. and this light in theca fornia sky had people talking. scientists say it was most likely a meteorite. and former first lady michelle obama came to 30 rock to surprise tourists with the help of jimmy fallon. >> you want to see a magic trick? check this out. >> i love that they do it right before the doors shut. >> they can't get out. >> imagine being one of the people in the elevator. >> every time i'm in new york and hop on the elevator and it opens up on floor five. rough crowd. >> i saw conan o'brien in th eleva elevator. coming up on "today," shopping yet?hed your holid

we have good deals for you. we look back at the year's biggest headlines to help shape 2018. your time is 7:26 on this saturday, december 22nd. good morning to idyou. i'm d culver. let's check your morning top stories. it is a must-win for the redskins today.th 're the first nfl team to take to the field this weekend when they face the tenness titans. the team needs to win the next two games if they want to make the playoffs. while injuries continue to be a factor this season, the team is notin gg up. josh johnson is f looking his second win as an nfl starter. we'll see if they can be led to victory today. it's her at 4:30 on nbc pregame coverage starts at 3:00. the clock i ticki for

holiday shoppers. it is a panic saturday where last-minute shopps will be crowding into stores all over the country. you can have time to get presents under the tree before christmas. the payoff maybe for great last minute sales. experts say now is the perfect time to score a great deal on the hottest toys or clothing if you want to ship your presents, prepare to spend extra cash. e national retail federation says 134 million people will be out in the malls today. you are going to have crowdsyo with we'll check on the weekend forecast with lauryrickets right after this.

well, the main story today is the winds. those winds are pushing at about 18 miles per hour. 10 to 20 with gusts up to 40 mile48per hour. degrees. near 50 today. 48 for tomorrow. breezy by chrtmas eve. christmas eve, christmas day

looking good. next chance of rain late sunday >> back to the "today show" to get you another update in about 25 mutes. we are back on this saturday morning, december 22nd, 2018. that's a nice looking shot rockefeller center. it is game time. we are getting down to the wire. hard to believe three days to go until christmas. so many nice people outside to celebrate with us. let's start this half hour with the check of the headlines. the federal government is partially shutdown. it happened at the stroke of dnight. lawmakers unable to come to agreemhet with president over the $5 billion for the border wall. today, at least 800,000 government w employeesl not receive pay as expected as we head into the holidays. half of those are expected to work without pay, including the

tsa, air traffic contrlers and customs agents. lawmakers will work again today to try to reach a deal. te people trapped in th west virginia mine earlier this month have beenaken into custody. eddie williams and cody beverly charged with ting to steal copper wire. arrest warrants were twoths trapped inside have been issued as well. the widow of dr. seuss has died. autry elge built up the estate and ecutive produced films muof her husband's beloved bos. geisel died at the age of 97. in case you missed it, lookn at the sc this is a driver in slovakia who is lucky to be alive after hitting a barrier along the

highway and fw into the underpass andhe car back on the wheels. the good ws? he is all right. he passed a breathalyzer test. police think hel fasleep. >> that is luck. also this morning, an investigation is under way in new jersey after a high school wrestler forced to cut his dread locks off minutes before the match. the referee who told him to do it is coming under re. he is nbc's kathy park. >> reporter: a new jersey referee a benchedfter video of a studt having his haircut off went viral. >> to cut somebody's hair off? >> reporter: moments before the match on wednesday night,igh school wrestler andrew johnson had a tough choice to make. cut his dread locks or forfe the match. he chose to compete. >> hurtful. ju >> reporter: the outrage growing on social media. much of it directed at the

referee who gave the ultimatum who said his hair length and headgear broke the rules. on facebook, his mother hardest thing i have seen. he is good now. that was brutal emotionally. the faclu new jersey tweeted this is not about hair. this is about race. how many difrent ways will people try to exclude black people from public life without having to declare bigotry? the referee, who they did not name, won't be allowed to officiate any student sporting the district. the association that regulates new jersey high schoolcs athleti launched an investigation.es wrtling over a controversy call. for "today," kathy park, nbc news. >> you wonder if he could not put his hair up. >> how did they deal with it i

the past? couldn't they cover it up? a lot of peopl frustrated. let's get another check of the forecast with dylan. >> good morning, guys. i know yesterday

a beautiful sunrise out there right now. we're headed right around 50 degrees today. it's not much further than right now. mid to upper 40s tomorrow. low to mid 40s for christmas eve and christmas day. average temperature for this time of year, 45 degrees. it's looking great throughout the united states. shopping, no weather concerns. breezy winds today. if you have any holiday parties, they'll die down afterur 7:00. temp temperatures in the 40s headed to around 50. latest forecast. >> dylan, thank you very much. just ahead, what many call panic saturday. the biggest shopping day of the year. even bigger than black friday. three days to go until christmas. there are good deals out there. we willin help you fthem right after this. as he rides)

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still fresh... ♪ unstopables in-wash scent booster ♪ downy unstopables w back on saturday morning. just three days beforeis cas as if you needed reminding. today is what people call panic saturday. time for the procrastinators to start shopping. more than 130 million americans expected to go online or go to the mall. sales are expected to be bckger than bfriday. we have sarah here with us with

tail me not. nice to see you. i'll ask about your shopping strategy later. let's start for the folks who have work to do today. talk abo the value of in-store shopping and online shopping in the waning days and if you c get it done in time. >> absolutely. we are in the crunch. you have to get out there. a few things when it comes tong shopn store. there are a few benefits. i like to say instant gratification. you are able to touch and ask lestions and check that thing off thet when you walk out the door. those are all good things. now, what's o sale now? pay attention to the categories. toys and electronics a clothing and jewelry. retailers stocked up. good news for consumers because they need to move inventory. >> let'sgyalk stra you are the expert on these orings. if you areng a strategy for today, what is the best way to go about >> always keep your eye on the

prize. you want to make sure you have the best as ready to go. mini computer in the pocket. apps are retail me not. a greatapavings the best deals. coupons and cashback. save money on gifts and travel and restaurants. santa's bag. i love this app. it tracks all an of the peopyoo need to buy for. >> come with us ifn. you ca let's take you home as it were. myriends dylan and kristen. this is the on the couch hope sh home shopping strategy. >> for the fks who fee it is too much to be out with the crowds. what is the option? >> you can do it from ho. number on amazon is your friend right now. a few last minute tipsheit comes to amazon prime. if you are a member, you can pay

attention to today. last day for free two-day shping. tomorrow, last day for one-day shipping. monday, same day delivery. that is easy and convenient. you have toake sure you order by 9:30 a.m. >> get up early. >> that'st pushing a bit. i hope you are wrapped up byth . >> dylan is taking a new strstr. >> this might take more work. u can order online and then there are sales if you go to the pick it up. >> a lot of retailers are trying to make it easy for us. who doesn't want that during it time o year? when it comes to prime members, you have same dayde very. amazon prime now. same day delivery. available inver cities. on christmas eve, you have to order by9:30 p.m. a few other promotions i want to yo pay attenti to here. also there are things like buy online and pick up in store. i'm not sure i a you familiar with that. >> you buy online and pick up in

store. you save the time. >> you have curbside pick up. target and nordstrom. you buye onld they dleliver to your car. old nav have teamed up with lyft. if you buy something onlinerom old navy, they will give you a free ride to and from the home to pick up the item at old navy. >> amazing. >> any other deadlines? >> absolutely. a couple of deadlines you want to pay attention to here. u.p.s. and usps. priori mail express. last day for usps. that is today. a premium, of course.s. u. pay attention to fedex. this is more expensive. you have same-day shipping on christmas. up to 25 pounds and it is $235. >> the postalvi s is stillri deli. sar sarah, good to see you.

thank you. all right. thanks so much incredible and inspiring story about a football coachli giving lessons to his players even as h ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ the beautiful thing about care, is knowing that it's always there... ...and that it always will be. ♪ get what you need whenever you need it. walgreens. trusted since 1901. with the roomba robot vacuum. only roomba uses 2 multi-surface rubber brushes to clean all your floors. and with patented dirt detect technology, roomba finds dirt throughout your home. if it's not from irobot, it's not a roomba. psoriasis or psoriatic arthritis,

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enjoy your prime rib! anyone ever call you, "meat santa"? no, that's... weird. happy holidays. enjoy. next customer? enjoy. for the bake sale? hey guys, where are the cookies bake sale? need to bake in a hurry? use country crock buttery sticks with sunflower oil. there's no softening required, so baking is delicious and easy. ohh! cookies! uh-uh-uh. once i started looking for it was a no-brainer.

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>> he guided his team to a state championship. >> it wasgehe mes for the team after the game was over talking. people the storyrom nbc's tammy leitner. >> reporter: the moment the head coach was nor prepared as on .t. j watched the team clinch the high school championship. it wasn't thatam they won es in a row and the second title, but the coach lived to see the day. johnson is battling a fatal disease. contract after a double lung transplant in 2015. that didn't sp him from coaching. johnston shared emotional words of wisdom in the post g we interviewh fox sports. revealing what he told there te behe season started. >> we got together in august before we started practicing. i told them i probably wouldn't enke it through the season.

i was g eight months to live. >> our father. >>weeporter: week after , the team won and johnston kept fighting. as for the win this week, coach johnston's prayers were answered on and off the field. telling fox. >> i told the i this the last lesson i would ever teach them. hoef to livee you die. >> reporter: a lesson that is sure to last afe me. for "today," tammy leitner, nbc news. >> what an incredible lesson. >> that's one that will stick wi those guys

still to come here on "today." the latest on the partial government shutdown and how it will aect you in the days to come. 2018, the final weeks of we look back at the biggest

headlines. >> we will get to that and more, but first these messages.

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it is 7:56hi on saturday, december 22ni. good m to you. let's get a check of the top stories this saturday morning. today's holiday performance in s presidenark is cancelled after a man climbed a christmas

tree outside the white our crew is on the scene as the ambulance carrying the man pulled away last night. u.s. park police say he climbed the national christmas and came down on his ow f theks waiting for the annual pageant of peace watched and were worried. e man is undergoing a psychiatric evaluaon. >> the redskins are the f to take the field this weekend. theyeed to win the next two games if they want to win the playoffs. the game kicks off at 4:30. pregame coverage starts at 3:00. we'll get a check on the weekend forecast with lauryn rickets on the other si of this break.

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it's going to be windy. it's going to be like that all day. gusts up to about 40 miles per hour. and then you factor in the temperature and this is what it feels like outside. it feels like 30s and low 40s. with the northwest winds up to 40 miles per hour, it's going te a lot colder. tomorrow is winds settle down. tomorrow. partly sunny. maybe a passing shower in the evening. and then behind that passing shower breezy for christmas evee christma and christmas day looking fantastic. temperatures will be in the low 40s.n we're backe upper 40s on wednesday. next chance of rain besides tomorrow night with passing showers is on friday.

maybe snow nextd. week >> we'll be back in 25 minutes with another update. for now back to the "today show." >> > good morning. shutdown washington at a stabbndstill afr a midnight deadline came and went. lawmakers fail to come to agreement over funding the president's border wall. president trump delivering this message overnight. >> let g out and let's work together. let's be bipartisan and let's get it done. >>s what happ now? how long will it last? we are live. under arrest. two people charged overnight in connection with tajor drone scare at london's gatwick airport. the drones causing chaos and fonfusion and cancellations stranding tens thousands of travelers ahead of christmas. will they make it home for the holidaye? and thar in review.

2018 was one for the history books. a rocky year in politics and mother nature's fury and a miracle for a dozen thai boys trapped in a cave. and, of course, another royal wedding. >> i megan take you harry. >> we will look back at it, today, december 22nd, 2018. good morning.e welcom back to "today" on saturday morning. a great crowd outside. we will say hello in a moment. we are happy to have kristen welker us. sheinelle enjoying the holiday off right noth week was quiet in d.c. we figured to take the show on the road. >> that's right. our work space at the wte house i tiny. i don't know what to do with all of this space. it was a very busy day at your other job yesterday. >> our other job at the white house. we start that with the final half hour. let'th begin wit breaking news overnight.

the nation's capitol in turmoil today now the government is working in partial shutdown mode. t this officially happened at midnight after the failure to fund a border wall. wher do we go from here? geoff bennett is following it. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, peter. president trump is prepad for a very long shutdown, but just how long it takes to break the impasse and reopen the government will depend on who blinks first. this is the third government shutdown on donald trump's watch as the fail to agree on border wall funding he is demanding. with days left before christmas, there is littln s as to how orhen they will manage to find their way to the stalemate. americans are waking up to the

government partially shutdown.on with cgress at an impasse. over president trump's $5 billion border wall demand. congress already approved funding for about 75% of the government, but abr t a dozen maencies are dark this morning. during the shutdown, at least 800 thundershowers government employees will not receive their expected paychecks with christmas coming fast. >> it shouldn't be i have to worry about when i'll get paid. >> depending on how long it is, we may not have certain things during the holidays. >> reporter: 420,000 governmente workers deemential employees will still be expected to work without pay. including tsa agents and air traffic controllers. u.s. customs and border agents and u.s. marshals and fbi agents and coast guard and forest service firefighte. they will likely be paid when the government reopens. another 380,000 furloughed or forced to take unpaid leave

until the shutdown ends. this call comes as the president is clinging to the campaign promise. border wall. a deal lawmakers reached to fund the government. earlier on friday, mr. trump pointed the finger at democrats. >> it is up to the democrats. it is really the democrat shutdown. >> reporter: reversal over what he said days ago. >> am proud to shutdown th government for border security. i will be the one to shut it down. i'll not blame you. >> reporter: democrats said all talong they will not fundmp's border wall. >> president trump, you will not geyour wall. abandon your shutdown strategy. >> reporter: add to that, cnn discovering a 2015 radio interview which incoming white f house chietaff mick mulvaney criticized trump's border wall. >> to just sayhe build darn fence is absurd and almost childish. >> reporter: with no clear path

forward, the president tweeted night.rida >> let's get out and work together and be bipartisan and let's get it done. the shutdown hopefully will not last long. >> the big question is what happens now? both the house senate will be in session later this afternoon and we're told the talks will continue. now one white house official tells us they are still working out the numbers. the president might be open to accepting something less than $5 billion demand. he may be okay with the wall made of steel instead of avconcrete. we to see how that plays out. we knows the president delaying the start of his two-week long vacation at his prive mar-a-lago estate since white house officials expect the shutdown to last until sunday. peter. >> postponinghat trip although his family is already there. geoff bennett, thank >you. mee want to turn to the well wishing for supourt justice ruth bader ginsburg.n recoveringhe hospital after treated for lung cancer.

matt bradley is outside memorial sloane in new york. we reporter: good morning, kristen. re hearing that justice bader ginsburg will be here for the next couple days. w surgert well. there were no real complications. that could change at any minute because we are talking about an 85-year-d and with surgery like this, there is never a low-risk or no-risk surgery. the justice had a pulmonary olobectomy. tw nodules were removed from her lungs. they were malignant. it is important to note. doctors say they fou no evidence of any other diseases anywhere else in her body and they areo not going be recommending further treatment. this was discovered really by accident because last month the justice nd broke a couple of her ribs. they found these nodules doing a

routine investigation and trying to repair her ribs. in many ways, it wasucky she fell. so in the next couple days, we will hope that the justice recovers from surgery. she is kind have become a pop icon. that is why we see all of the well wishing pouring in she has pivotal decisions on the supreme court. beyond that, people a paying attention to her. not one, but two major feature length films coming out about her life this year. there will be a lot of peoples focun the justice in the next couple days and recovery right here in the hospital. kristen. >> matt, that's right. so many people watching closely and hoping she makes a quick recovery. thank you. more to get to this morning, including thehtravel nigre that seems to be over foreople passing through britain's second busiest airport. two suspect in custody after a drone scare that brought gatwick airport to a standstill for days. the drama there causingca

ellations and disruption and delays. nearly 140,00 people affected. the airport fortunately is now back up and running. finally, you will like this stor spaniards are hoping to strike it rich today with the world's biggest lottery. dishing out, get this, $2.7 billion. called the el gordo. that is appropriately it means the fat one in english. run hu one person won't win all that cash. the top prize is over $450,000 for a winning ticket with a string of smaller prizes up for grabs. what should you say? let's get tickets to spain? i'll take the skinny one for $450,000. >> for sure. dylan is on the plaza. dylan, it is nice to win the lottery. >> especially this time of year. we are celebrating a birthday. what's your name? >> lila baker. >>

> out our window we have chilly conditions. temperatures in the 40s right now. we're headed to around 50 degrees. drop as wl continue and start to head up. what you feel is what you get especially with the breezy nohwest winds. gusting up to about 40 miles per hour. although there'sunine later this afternoon, cold with the northwest winds. 48 tomorrow. lighter wind.av we'll a slight chance of a passing area tomorrow evening. > and we have a special guest joining us on the plaza here. jack forbe. former anchor of "today." >> look at the pictures. where did the gray hair come from? >> i don't see gray hair. how is the plaza? >> it is fabulous. i said before, this was a wonderful job. you know it.ng i loved b here.

having the opportunity to come back and visit is great. >> it is nice to have you here. we are talking about the book "charity on the mountain." utell about it. >> it is a story i discovered with the plaque outside the courthouse. in the courthouse in 1846, kitty, struggled for her freedom. i spent a year researchingit. it was a story of threeerery dit powerful women. a slave, mistress and the chest woman in thecounty. it turned into an adventu tale. a powerful courtroom drama. most importantly, a relationship story. these three women and an unlikely alliance aa time when now we need the stories which it talks about the power of women joining ertoge different powerful women in the pursuit of justice. a great story to discover. >> i bet it was. it sounds fascinating. >> it is out there now. >> all right. awesome. jack, it is nice to have you

here. >> nice to be back. >> thanks.gu , back to you. >> congratations to jack. good to see you. still to come, we look back at the biggest ♪ for years, i thought i was lactose intolerant. turns out i was just sensitive to a protein commonly found in milk. now, with a2 milk®... ...i can finally enjoy cereal again. it's delicious like real milk. because, it is real milk! a2 milk® is... ...real milk from real cows that... ...produce only the a2 protein. i love milk! i'm so happy i found this. a2 milk®, real milk that's easier on digestion. love milk again. gsaturday and stack thekeavings ta10 off when you spend $50 plus take an extra 15 20% off plus get kohl's cash shoron time? buy online freeorp most orders ready in two hours stores are now open 24 hours kohl's

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we are back on saturday morning. it is time to take a look back at the stories that shape this paar. >> there were a lot of them. from the unbelievable year in t washington t excitement of the royal wedding and everything in between. 2018 was one for the record books. >> let's start with the overnight ne >> the big story this morning. >> let's get to th top story

right now. s>> t nation mourns another senseless tragedy. >> 17 people were killed in parkland making this one the adliest mass shootings in american history. >> craig w is inhington d.c. ahead of the massive rally for >> organizers herealling it lives.ch for our >> the nation waking up to another unthinkable massacre inside a place of worship. ♪ >> my home has been desecrated.n >> gn opening fire at a country dance bar in southern california. >> pulled out a gun and started owooting. >> h many of you? >> 13. >> brilliant. >> the desperate are race to save the boys.

>> all 13 boys pulled from the death tr. >> the fury of florence. >> there is so much rain coming down. >> this area is absolutely tpummeled. >> is crazy right now, guys. >> devastation and destruction. hurricane michael. >> looks like a giant tornado moved through the huge portion of land. >> utter destruction. >> raging wildfireshurning throcalifornia. >> the most destructive wildfire in california history. >> fallout from the sex abuse scandal of usagymnastics. >> disgraced movie mogul harvey weinstein. in all, nearly 100 women have come forward. >> cbs in turmoil after the network's head les moonve >>ill cosby behind bars this morning. >>ebook is under fire. >> mark zuckerberg will testify before congress >> my mistake. i'm sorry. >> welcome to pyongyang.

>> jamie anderson is golden once again. chloe kim reigns supreme in south korea. gold for michaela. >> it was an epic back and forth. >> the long drought is over. >> con tatulations tohe world series champion boston redsox. >> focus this morning on the londonho spital. >> louis arthur arles. >> the wedding the world eagerly awaits. >> i, meghan, take you, harry. >> look! >> congratulation >>rk meghan le and prince hay announce they are expecting cheir firstld next spring.in

bombshell dictment. >> russia investigation. >> special couns is getting closer to the whi >> steve bannon. >> hope hicks. >> mueller appears to be zeroing in on.he question of collusion >> no collusion. >> one-twoh. pu >> documents that point thefi er at michael cohen and paul manafort and the president himself. >> the caravan of thousands of migrants. >> president trump signs a new order sending troops to the mexican border. >> up sdroar over the immigrati policy. >> the president announcing brett kavanaugh. >> chrisne blasey ford said she was sually assaulted. >> do you believe brett kavanaugh assaulted you? >> 100%. >> i was not at the party described by dr. ford. >> i will vote to confirmudge kavanaugh. >> the porn star versus the president.

>> the white house denying president trump had an affair with stormy daniels. >> the bombshe report that his lawyer paid adult film star more than $100,000 for her silence. >> sentenced to three years in prison. >> telling the judge he helped cover up there pdent's dirty deeds. >> highly anticipated o again and off again summit in singapore with president trump and kim jong-un. >> the president has fired attorney genal jeff sessions. >> the departure of white house chief offf staohn kelly. >> hope hicks. >> ryan >> scott pruitt. rex tillerson. >> nikki haley. >> james mattis quittg among the rift with the >>president. everybody wants to work in the white housem >> docrats have recaptured control o the house. first time in eight years. >> it is about restoring the constitution's checks and balances. >> and the senate, republicans pump up theirpower.

a const for who we are. ♪ >> i have spoken at a thousand points of light. of all of the community organizations that are spread like stars throughout the nat n doinggood. >> we're going to miss you. the best father a son orer daugould have. >> dear gammy, we lost one of the greats. you taught us humity and grace. >> john mccain returning to washingt one last time. >> we arfe aream felloericans. >> let's talk about food and eat food. ♪e' >> th nothing like the thrill when you discover something no one knew before.

♪ r-s-p-e-c-t ♪ ♪ you make me feel like a naturalom ♪ >> a lot of greats. >> heck of ayear. we wish a joyful new year to we wish a joyful new year to everybody and good year alright, everyone. santa will be right back, but i just got to say,

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that is going to do it for us on saturday g.morn tomorrow on sunday today, willie sits down with j-lo. sits down with j-lo. >> e ♪ he's gonna do it! ♪ you gotta see this! ♪ owen's gonna do it! ♪ i got him. ♪ come on, come on, come on! alright! come on, come on! come on! yeah!

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december 22nd. good morning to you. i'm david culver. let's get a chef top stories. an update after a five-year-old girlas sexually assaulted in the children's section of a public library. they caught the mane. responsi police put out this image of the suspect. they say he pulled down the little tsrl's pnd touched her inappropriately. the assault happened last saturday at the rockville memorial library. he wasrrested at a homeless iselter. th> i a must win for the redskins. ey're taking on the tennessee titans. they're tm first nfl t to take the field today. they need to win the next two games if they want to make the

playoffs. the game kicks off at 4:30 p.m. you can catch it right here on nbc 4. a check on the forecast right after this.

a bit chilly out there, lauryn. you're thinking it' going to get warmer? >> i think the temperatures are going to be around 50 then you have the winds. it's going to feel a little cooler. wind are gng to be gusting to about 40 miles per hour. we could have a fewsi p rain showers late tomorrow. temperatures in the 40s right now. we'll probably stay here, around the 50 degree mark. tomorrow winds come back one. christmas low 40s for christmas eve and christmas day. today 50 degrees. again, the winds up toes 40 m per hour. a few showers. rain showers sunday night. monday breezy winds up to about 20 miles per hour. beautiful on tuesday. both christmas eve and day

looking good. next chance of rain next friday. we'll see you bk here tomorrow morning starting at 6:00. right now we have thehe redskin coshow up next. welcome to redskins coaches show. good morning. is afternoon the4:30 kickoff at tennessee. playoff ramifications for both teams. stakes are >>high. hey practiced well. very well. hopefully i better than took three takes to do the opening segment. >> come on. that was the first. take >> no. it was a good week of practice. we had a couple days of recovery. getting ready for tennese. they do a lot of things defense and offensively. >> josh johnson's second game as