the other reason i'm here today is to personally thank you and every service member throughout this region for the near elimination of the isi territorial caliphate in iraq and in syria. >> president trump surprising service members in his first ever trip to a war zone as commander in chief. his message to the troops in iraq. back home, no kaumg the chaos on capitol hill. why the government shutdown coul.stretch into the new ye a holiday headache for travelers. we're tracking the winter expected to wreak havoc at airports across thecountry. a top mlb prospect goes to bat for his parents. his heartfelt christmas gift that brought mom and dad to tears. "early today" starts right now.

good morning. hall.arlie >> and i'm phillip mena. rdals of post-holiday travelers run thek of being hit by severe weather. north dakota is expectedo see between 12 and 18 inches of snow by friday. slippery roads in new mexico led to an accident involving at least 17 cars and a semi truck. more than 6 million people across 13 states are under winter weather advisories and warnings. we go to meteorologist bonnie schneider, who is tracking it all for us. bonnierning, >> good morning, marlie and phillip. we're expecting mor delays in aces like minneapolis and even down through atlanta. some for snow, some for rain. if you're traveling on friday look for rain to really be a troublemaker for the east keft. major delays are expected from washington up to boston including new york city. so t not best travel day today and tomorrow. right now heavy snow is falling across the northern plains. strong thunderstorms to the

south. we have severe weather in texas right now with frequent lightning and even tornado watche coming up in a few minutes i'll talk more about those severe storms. >> going to be toughetting out of mom and dad's at least for now. bonnie, thank you. president trumpill be back in washington this morning after his first ever trip to an active combat zone. the president and fir lady melania trump made pit stop on the way toem home from iraq greeting troops in germany. he posed for photos and signed make america gre again caps for some service members. that series comes on the heels of a surprising visit to troops in iraq. during his speech the president threw a few jabs at democrats. >> when you think about, it you're fightin for borders in other countries. and they don't want to fight. the democratde for the b of our country. we are here to help others. and for all of you that have those red caps, and i saw them before, i signed a lot of them,

it se america great again." what?ou know that's exactly what we're doing. >> nbc's hale jackson has more. >> reporter: a standing ovation for a milestone two years in the making. president trumpy persona thanking troops fighting isis. >> two years ago when i became president they were a very dominant group. they were very dominant. today they're n so dominant anymore. >> reporter: the president signing autographs and smiling for selfies, says he hasan no at all to pull the u.s. military out of iraq. but he defended his controversial decision to withdraw the military from neighboring syria, a move that led his defense secretary to resign in protes n >> we'reo longer the suckers, folks. we're respected ain as nation. >> if you take isis and if we see something happening with isis that we don't like, we can hit them so fast and so hard

theyon't -- they really won't know what the hell happened. >> reporter: the presipent three hours on the ground. his movements blanketed in secrecy for security reasons. >> i had concerns for the institution of the presidency. not for myself personally. i had concerns for the first lady, i will tell you. he but if you would have seen what we had to go through with the darkened planeith all t windows closed, with no lights on whatsoever, anywhere. >> president trump had come under fire for waiting this long to visit troops in an active war zone. >> i've had an unbelievably busy thedule and i will be doing it. >> reporter: athis point in his presidenc barack obama had visited combat middle east and george w. bush traveled to iraq just eight months after the 2003 war began. >> i don't think there's any substitute for actually listening to the people who are carrying out these orders. >> reporter: president trump said on his trip he's in no rush to name a permanent replament

for outgoing defense secretary jim mattis. and he praised ma number two at the pentagon patrick shanahan who will temporarily at least take over t job when the new year comes in. >> hallie jackson at the white house. hallie, thank you. democratic lawmakers a calling for kojs'll hearings this morning after the second deal of a migrantn child u.s. custody. in a call with reporters texas congressman joaquin castro blamed the deaths in partn systemic failures at immigration agencies. meanwhile, there are new details this morning about the 8-year-old guatemalan boy who passed away in government custody after crossin the border with his father. nbc's gadi schwartz has the latest. >> reporter: this is the area in el paso, texas where an 8-year-old guatemalan boy and his father were first app hepded onecember 18th. six daysoy later the b members of congress have identified as felipe alonzo-gomez was dead. now customs and bordeel protectionsing a revised timeline of events amid outcry of his death saying agents

logged 17 hewelfare-checkscks from december 20th to the 22nd, provided hot food and water and listed several transports between three patrol stations from el paso to al ma gorto, new mexico. it wasn't until december 24th an agent noticed the child was coughing and appeared to be glossy eyes. 30 minutes later he was a transferred thospital. his temperature was 103 degrees. he was tested for strep throat, diagnosed with a cold, given dication and taken to another nearby holding facility. a few hours later cbp began vomiting and on the way back to the hospital lost consciousness. he passed away at 11:48 on christmas eve. >> weesponded by doing secondary medical checks. thate means paramedics who also xwroerd fa troel checking each child in our custody. >> reporter: as a sweeping review haseen ordered in detention facilities across the counpartment of homeland security secretary kirstjen nielsen is calling the death eply concerning and heartbreaking. cbp says they hre stillding

the 8-year-old's father. 17 days after a 7-year-old girl named jakelin caal also died in cbp customer dis. >> reporter: borderen approns up more than twice from last year. cbp has aourt 0rd again them preventing from holding a child more than 72 hours. in this case felipe was held for 130 hour guys, back to you. >> gadi, thank you. we ar w nearly ak into the shutdown standoff and still no end in siigt. in a of the glacial pace of negotiations lawmakers away for the holidays were told they will get a 24-hour notice before a potential vote. and as ofhis morni there are still no votes scheduled as president trump refuses to budgd on his demor border wall funding. nbc's scott macfarlane joining us from capitol hill with the very latest on this impasse. scott, it's starting to look like this shutdown could very well stretch into saturday. >> smoe does. gooding. day six of the government shutdown seems certain to be

ending in day seven and day eight. the u.s. house has already canceled planned votes for day. the u.s. senate resumes today but nothing of note on the schedule. that's because both sides areg digg right now. the president has restated his demand that $5 billion be set aside for border wall -- or border fencing on the southern bored border saying it will help prevent drugs, human trafficking and illegal immigrion. in the meantime, hundreds of thousands of federal workers remain off the job. federal buildings, national parks are closed. there are a half million worrs deemed essential in the federal government. they have to work but it's unclear when their paychecks are coming while in iraq visiting the troops president trump admitted there is no timetable for ending this. >> how long do you think the shutdown will last, mr. president? >> whatever it takes. we're going to have a wall. we're going to have safety. >> meantime, house democrats say when they take over control h o

the u.sse one week from today they'll put forward a plan to reopen the government. but the democrats' plan might be dead on arrival in the senate. and backt the white house. live on capitol hill i'm scott macfarlane. to you.and marlie, back >> playing chicken with people's paychecks. scott, thank you. an african-americanlean s he was racially profiled at a portland, oregon hotel after the police were called o t him foring a phone call in the lobby. jermaine massey w a registered guest at the doubletree by hilton and says he was sitting in the lobby talking to his mother when the hotel security guard called the police on him for allegedly loitering. here's his recording of part of that encounter. >> you're coming why? why are they coming? >> escorting you off the property. >> because why? and i'm staying here. >> not anymore. >> told me that i need to leave. he off the property, yes. >> massey sayspolice arrived he tried to tell officers his side of the story but that they "didn't hear it." he was then told to leave the

property or be arrested and was not issued a refund. the hotel a release statement to our affiliate kgw calling the incident a misunderstanding and saying they will resolve the issue directly with m massey. a family of six was saved from a blazing yachtnferno in australia thanks to a boat passing by at just the right time. according to local media, thed group ken the cruiser out for an end of the year trip when the fire started at the engine and then quickly spread. passengers reportedly jumped into the water a without life vests before eventually being pulled to safety. mercifully. all right. let's go back to bonnie for another check of the forecast. >> well, we are looking at severe weather in texas happening right now. this is a dangerous situation. even the risk for tornadoes near the coast. strong storms. that one part ofit. but also blizzard conditions. with this massive storm that's impacting so many traveling afterchristmas. downpours on friday. we're expecting major airport delays on the et coast tomorrow. today look for delays

potentially in minne, where we could see that rain-snow mix, mostly snow, north.ally further to the in purple these are blizzard warnings. we're looking at over a foot of snow, strong winds, and just really blustery conditions. that's a look at the bigst weatr y of the day. now here's a closer look at the day ahead. temperatures are very cold just behind the system. that colder air is really what's making a big difference. by contrast above norma in much of the central and southern plains and along the gulf coast where highs will climb io the 70s. these treacherous travel conditions will persist today and even when the snow tomorrow, marlie and phillip, we'll still be looking for that blowing and drifting snow. >> tt,nks a lo bonnie. fast forwarding into thursday an attorney for theew jerseyigh school wrestler who was forced by a ref to cut his locks ororfeit a match says he will not compete at a scheduled meeting today. last night the superintendent decided the referee is not going to work in that district again.

new year's eve rng preparations are under way for a huge celebration in times square. 192 sparkling new waterford crystals will be installed on the famous ball p. and we want to wish a veryy happ birthday to the "today" show's savannah guthrie. she turns 47 today. we'll be right back. pocool. (acapella) whoa! (vo) and vaporize it with an intense rush of vicks vapors. (acapella) ahhhhhhhhhhh! (vo) new dayquil severe with vicks vapocool. the daytime coughing, stuffy head, vaporize your cold, medicine. (host) here...at snowfest... (vo) for your worst sore throat pain try new vicks vapocool drops. it's not candy, it's powerful relief. (acapella) ahhhhhh! (vo) vaporize sore throat pain with new vicks vapocool drops. hurry in for up to seventy five percent off storewide and all jeans on sale, with adults from fifteen dollars and kids from ten dollars, only at old navy.

you said you'd rather sniff than clean the bathroom? that's nuts! with scrubbing bubbles cleaning doesn't have to stink. it gets rid of tough soap scum and it smells amazing. it's cleaning reinvented. sc johnson. (danny)'s voice) of course you don'te because you didn't!? your job isn't doing hard work... ...it's making them do hard work... ...and getting paid for it. (vo) snap and sort your expenses to save over $4,600 at tax time. quickbooks. backing you. a lot will happen in your life. wrinkles just won't. neutrogena® rapid wrinkle repair's derm-proven retinol works so fast, it takes only one week to reveal younger looking skin. making wrinkles look so last week. rapid wrinkle repair® pair with new retinol oil for 2x the wrinkle fighting power. neutrogena®

wow, that's an pretty great, huh?low. if you're a banana. i find it very...appealing. new kellogg's raisin bran with bananas. two scoops meet real banana slices. i've done a great job of raisin ya. yesterday the ddu jones rial average ended up almost 1100 points. that is the largest single-day ever. gain it was driven in part by news th u.s. retailers saw the strongest boost in holiday spending in six years. leading the, ne more fears that another killer wave could not indonesia. the vol that caused that devastating tsunami is still spewing la and ash. the death toll from saturday's unami stands a 430 with more than 150 still missing. nbc's saraharn is there and has our update. >> reporter: authorities warned

theolcano that triggered a deadly tsunami over the weekend could unleash another one. anak crack tkrakatau is only 30 from one of indonesia's most populous coasts. scientists worry portions of its crater could collapse. ey're warning people in the area to move inland, half a mile from the sea. "please don't panic," this government science urges. saying "it's a just precaution." at it was a landslide from the volcano that se wall of water crashing into beachfronts warning.h no killing hundreds and destroying thousands of homes. >> an eruption or a volcanic activity very close to shore, you are n going to get much warning at all. >> reporter: now more than eo 20,000e many searching desperately through the devastation trying to recover some of what they

fefe and her son barely escaped with their lives. others couldn't outrun the water. with dozs still missing rescue turning into recovery, with an angry volcano on the horizon, residents keep a wary watch on the sea. earlier the military told us to get off the beach where the tsunami hit. they are so concerned about another deadly wave crashing ashore. we had to travel here to a town three miles from the coast. buthere are concerns here as well. another problem. the volcano now spewing dangerous ash. peopleeing told to stay indoors as much as possible. marlie? >> sarah, thank you. just ahead, steering into the sunset. the popular rides we're going to have toiss good-bye in 2019. plus, punching your ticket into the new year. fists were flying in a peruvian tradition, next. like you!se diagwith an aggressive cancer, johan came to

st. jude children's research hospital. our discoveries have helped to increase the overall childhood cancer survival from 20% to 80%. and we won't stop until every child survives. how big is 80% this big! visit stjude.org or shop wherever you see the st. jude logo. wow, that's an pretty great, huh?low. if you're a banana. i find it very...appealing. new kellogg's raisin bran with bananas. two scoops meet real banana slices. i've done a great job of raisin ya. mucinex cold & flu all-in-one. fights... ...sore throat, fever, cough, sinus pressure, chest congestion, headache, nasal congestion, body pain... all in one. did you really need the caps lock? get tough on cold and flu symptoms. mucinex cold and flu all-in-one. you'll make my morning, buty the price ruin my day.ou? complicated relationship with milk?

pour on the lactaid, 100% real milk, just without that annoying lactose. mmm, that's good. take prilosec otc and take control of heartburn. so you don't have to stash antacids here.... here... or here. kick your antacid habit with prilosec otc. one pill a day, 24 hours, zero heartburn.

trending this morning meghan markle gave one royal fan a personal update on her pregnancy. during her appearance with husband prince harry and several menz of the royal family at sapped, hmm estate on christmas day. the duchess sussex told her "we are excited we're nearly there." the uple's first child is due this spring, and i cannot wait. >> everybody, hd -- you marry a

prince and everybody's all up in your tbusiness. ni get an update there. as i anew year comes along we say good-bye to some beloved car models due to some changing consumer taste toooer suvs. many compact cars and sedans are getting the ax including the chevrolet cruze and chevrolet impala. vokes wag zen parting from some of their favorites like the touareg suv. as wel as the modern vw beetle. it's going to have to do it some other other models driving away from us are the ford focus and 's toyo prius v. >> too bad about the beetle. e. like that >> you have a personal attachment to it? >> i love vws. i've driven them all my life. >> i remember when the beetle came back it was such a big deal. >> and my parents had one when i was a kid. >> it will me another comeback. it always does. >> every year peru holds a

festival thatnds with a series of public fistfights. the purpose is to settle grievanc grievances built up over the year. it's not all about the fighting, though. the old tradition also includes lots of dancing and drinking. but does t it habe so violent? they could update it to some other form of competition. >> i can't tell you how many times college parties with my roommates ended like that. who knew, it was peruvian tradition the entire time. i just thought they were just too savage. i guess they were in the wrong place at the wrongtime. >> just ahead, a major league rookie gives us -- or gives his parents a gift they never expected. >> it's very sweet. ur confiden when diagnosed with cancer, alexander went to st. jude children's research hospital. no family inys st. jude for any.. because all a family shouldpi worry about is hs st.their child live.

now i'm perfectly cancer free. perfect proof... moms are always right. visit stjude.org or shop wherever you see the st. jude logo. do 98% of 't get enough omega-3s. which is why megared advanced 4in1 packs more omel -3 power into one smftgel. it supports your heart... brain... eyes... and joints. megared. there it is the coffee ring, it's been sitting there all week. and just like that, it's shining. look at you. beautify it with pledge. s.c. johnson.

my dbut now, i take used tometamucil every day.sh it traps and removes the waste that weighs me down, so i feel lighter. try metamucil, and begin to feel what lighter feels like. hurry in for up to seventy five percent off storewide and all jeans on sale, with adults from fifteen dollars and kids from ten dollars, only at old navy. thdelicious.i-wheat. but it's more than that. 10 layers of crunchy wheat to fill you up on big days. whether your day involves steam, mountains, or woah- fire... ...we've got your breakfast right here. is your breakfast built for big days? i am not for just treating my symptoms... (ah-choo) i am for shortening colds when i'm sick. with zicam. zicam is completely different. unlike most other cold medicines... ...zicam is clinically proven to shorten colds. i am a zifan for zicam. oral or nasal.

only tylenol® rapid release gels have laser drilled holes. they release medicine fast, for fast pain relief. tylenol® holiday travel in arkansas, out , oklahoma, be careful there. dangerous weather happening right now. severe storms with frequent lightning strikes. we even have torna that have been popping up in texas. and you'll see that storm is just rolling into the houston. ar on the back side of the system the air is cold enough for snow. we'll see thatnto western oklahoma and nebraska right now. s really complex stormtem across much of the country. >> but a part of the country that is used to severe weather. bonnie, thank you. >> yeah. just ahead we've heard of rock operas. but rock ballets? and could the stones be involved? rebekkah: opioids has taken everything and everayne i've ever loved awrom me.

everything. i blew my ankle out and i got prescribed pain pills by my doct. if making my detox public is gonna help somebody i'm all for it. i just wish i would've had a warning. take new dayquil severe with vicks vapocool.asty cold, (acapella) whoa! (vo) and vaporize it with an intense rush of vicks vapors. (acapella) ahhhhhhhhhhh! (vo) new dayquil severe with vicks vapocool. the daytime coughing, stuffy head, vaporize your cold, medicine. (vo) for your worst sore throat pain try new vicks vapocool drops. it's not candy, it's powerful relief. (acapella) ahhhhhh! (vo) vaporize sore throat pain with new vicks vapocool drops.

about the colonial penn program. here to tell you if you're age 50-85 and looking to buy life insurance on a fixed budget, remember the three p's. the three what? the three p's? what are the three p's the three p's of life insurance on a fixed budget are price, price, and price. a price you can afford, a price that can't increase, areand a pricece, and price. that fits your budget. i'm 54 and i was a smoker but quit. alex, what's my price? you can get coverage for $9.95 a month. i'm 65, retired, and takeedications. what's my price? also $9.95 aonth. i just turned 80 and i'm on a fixed income. what's my price? $9.95 a month for you, too. if youe age 50 to 85, call now about the number one most popular

whole life insurance plan available through the colonial penn program. it has an affordable rate starting at $9.95 a month. that's less than 35 cents a day. you cannot be turned down because of your health. no medical exam, no health questions. your acceptance is guaranteed, and this plan has a guaranteed lifetime rate lock, so your rate can never go up for any reason and with this plan, you can pick your payment date, so you can time your premium due date to work with your budget. you can pick your payment date, options start at $9.95 a month, plus, you get a 30-day money back guarantee. so calonnow for free informa and you'll also get this free beneficiary planner, and it's yours just for calling. so call now.

here's your receipt. have a nice day! thank you. ♪ ♪ start the car! start the car! start the car! start the car! the ikea winter sale. wooooooo! save up to 50% off select items in store only december 26th to january 6th. ikea. coming up on 4:00 a.m. good morning, everybody. a i'on gilchrist. >> and erika gonzalez in for eun yang. the ski may be clear, but we

have plenty of rain on the way. >> let's get right to ttormm 4's chuck bell tracking this end of the week rain. what do you see? >> really, it's a repeat ouperformance of the laste of fridays. a lot of rain and super mild temperatures to come along it.th it'll be all rain. we're going to be flirting with 60 degreesow again tomo even with the rain. but your thursday morning, it's all about thechill. temperatures are mostly i 20s to around 30 degrees under that clear sky. it'll be a bright and sunny start to the day. but clouds will be on the increase later on in the afternoon. we're likely to have rain after about 8:00 this evening. enjoy your dry weather on your friday. te teratures should hop int mid to upper 40s. some spots might get up degrees today. a little light wind out of the southeast. again, rain comes in after about 8:00 tonight. tomorrow, socked in with rain pretty muchtart to finish. we'll update more about the kiekend, which isng