>> bye, everybody. . . . new details surrounding the actual number of migrants in the terror database stopped by customs at the southern border, just six in the first half of 2018. but can resident trump sway public opinion enough to force the democrats to funde a b wall? new information this mornint surroundin saudi teen fearingor her life and barricading herself in a hotel room as she sought help. a major victory for a woman who spent in prison.lf her life now she's getting a second chance. russia's vladimir putin showing off some of his nation's big guns in a unique show of force. and the coolest new electronics fr the biggest show in the world in las vegas. and the btle for the national championship that went terribly wrong for one of these undefeated teams. "early today" starts right now.

great bei with you o this tuesday. i'm frances rivera. >> and i'm phillip mena. as we d enter 18 of the partial government shutdown, the fight over funding for the u.s.-mexico border has now taken an unprecedented turn with president trump going directly to tic american pu this time with a televised prime time address airing tonight at 9:0 p.m. eastern time. it's his first ever from the oval office. but as tak white house claims of a growing threat of terrorism at the southern border, nbc news fou that customs and border protection encountered just six i wigrants whe on a federal list of suspected terrorists. six. and the democrats aren't going down without a with house speaker nancy pelosi and senate denority l chuck schumer demanding equal air time to address the nation aft the president's address. tracie potts joining us with the latest from d.c.mo gooding. i think the big question on everyone's mind is will the president use this speech tonight to declare some sort of national emergency?

>> repter: exactly. he has said he can do that, but will he do it? if so, what will the fallout be not only hereit on c hill but in the courts where it's sure to face a legal chaldenge and c tie this up for some time. for the president, the advantage of a declaring national emergency is being able to use existing funds from the pentagon and elsewhere to begin to build that ll. if he declares as president there is an emergency at the the legal question there that he may be asked and his administ answer, is what's the emergency? what constitutes that emergency? as you just henoted, administration has said repeatedly 4,000 suspected tterrorists or knownrorists were stopped at the border last year. but the numbers that we got tt were provided to congress from homeland security shows only six suspected immigrant terrorists in the last half -- or in the first half of last year. 41 in all. but only six of those were immigrants. a far cry from 4,000.

so what are the numbers that justify thenmergency if, fact, that's where the president is going tonight? of course all of this feeding sto what is now the second longest governmentdown with 800,000 workers wondering if ey'll get paid. 51,000 tsa workers may not get paid on this friday, and that could haves implicatis people try to get screened in airports across the country. phillip? >> a lot of implications. we've come a long way since mexico was going to foot this bill here. tracie, thank you. president trp's national security adviser is overseas this morning doing damage control with some allies worried about the president's pla to pull u.s. troops out of syria. john bolton announcing those troops mightot leave as soon as expected. here's nbc chief foreign affairs correspondent andrea mitchell. >> reporter: the president now saying he never intended to get out of syria right ay. >> we're going to be removing our troops. i never said we're doing it that quickly. >> reporter: but three weeks ago, he shocked u.s. allies,

prompting a dramatic resignation from defense secretary jim mattis, by sayin isis was defeated and he was pulling american troops out in a month. >> we've beaten them badly. we've taken back the land. and now it's time for our troops to come back home. >> reporr: in iraq over christmas, the president agreed to give the military four months. but now national securviy adser john bolton on damage control, tling israel there is no timetable for withdrawal. and demanding that turke target u.s. allies, the kurds, before the u.s. leaves. i applaud the president for re-evaluating what he's doing. >> reporter: another complication, u.s. officials say there are still isis fighters in syria. the kurds saying they captured two americans among them. >> this has caused a big problem for u.s. allies whether it'ss europeho are part of the counterisis campaign or allies in the r sionh as israel. >> reporter: u.s. officials are also scrambling on what to do wied hun of isis prisoners in syria who could go free in the u.s. leaves. cpealing to otherntries to take them, even thinking about

sending them to guantanamo. sreme court justice ruth bader ginsburg is missing arguments for the first time more than 25 years. the 85-year-old justice is still recovering from the cancerrg y that she had last month. pete williams is in washington. pete, what do we know about her recovery? >> reporter: phillip, this is th first time justice ginsburg has missed any courtroom argument in herye 2s on the bench. she was not here monday when the court came back after the holiday break. she's still recovering at home fromurry on december 21st. doctors removed part of her lung after finding three cancerous lumps. she was released from the hospital four days later and has been recuperating from home. she's 85 years old, and doctors say it usually takes about a month to recover from this kind of surgery. but she's still participating in the court's work. she' do that by reading the legal briefs and the transcripts of the oral but the court hasn't yet said

when she'll be back on the beh. philip? now to the saudi teen headlines around the world by making appeals on social media to avoid being sentack home that's where she says she fears for her life. the 18-year-old grabbed international attention when she barricaded herself inside aa bangkok hotel air room. chapman, what more can you tell us this morning? >> reporter: well, frances, rahaf al cqunun'paign on social media that you were speaking about that spread around the world, barricading a herself i airport hotel and refusing to go back to the middle east the teenager making this plea that spread around the world. >> i'm not leaving my room until i see unhcr. i want asylum. >> frces, it seems her efforts seem to be working in her favor. now she was able to speak with the u.n. refugee

agensaying, w grateful the thai authorities did not send her back against her will and are extending protection for her, but adding it could take several days to process the case and determine the next steps. a lawyer working with humangh tlawyers associationn ows tha terrified ter landi hngave to i tnravel ack to kuwait or saudi arabia planned to seek asylum. her passport ken. thai authorities have now given her back her passport, and as you've seen, she'll have steps to go to see how this plays out. frances? >> closely wat ing her progress. chapman, thank you. kevinpacey has made his first court appearance in massachusetts. the actor pleading not guilty to a felony cnt of indecent assault and battery. hours later, spacey was pulle over for speeding while leaving the reagan national airport. he was given a verbal warning before continuing on his way. for more insight on those court oceedings, we go now to nbc's kate snow. >> reporter: swarmed by the media, kevin spacey spent less

than 15 minutesn a nantucket courtroom. he never spoke, but mouthed thank you to the jud after filing his plea of not guilty. that charge stemming from a nightt this bar. >> my son was completely star struck. >> reporter: heather unruh says her son was 18 at the time b topacey he was older, and spacey bought him drink after drink. >> it wasn't until kevin spacey put his hand inside his pants that he really knew he was in trouble. >> you say he didn't t consent that? >> absolutely not. >> reporter: she says her son a told her his sister that night, but didn't report it until more than a year later. >> he was afraid. i mean who's going to believe an -year-old kid? >> reporter: in a new court filing, spacey's defense attorneys say idruh's son not object to the alleged touching. he did not ask mr. fowler -- spacey's legal name -- to stop. and no witnesses from the owded bar have come forward. the alleged victim sent a his girlfriendto

from the bar that night. >> all i'm asking for is just to put a bubble around that data so it doesn't get destroyed. >> reporter: the judge ordered prosecutors to preserve their messages. the defense team asserting the alleged victim exchanged nume rusz tt messages and snapchats h withis then-girlfriend and never mentioned the alleged sexual assault. the nextar ing, march 4th. the judge said spacey does not need to appear. news. ow, n in new york city, a sea of firefighters once again standing at emotional salute. this time their mourning coming hours after a 30-year-old firefighter stephen plard fell his death from a bridge while helping victims of a car crash. pollard had been with the fdny for a year and a half and came from a family of refighters. the fdny now remembering what they call a painful and sad sight. pollard plunged 52 feet from an overpass to the concrete below after slipping through a gap in the road. funeral arrangements are pending

as the brooklyn neighborhood where he worked is stunned by the loss of a hero. now t theattle of the undefeateds for the national championship of college football. clemson looking for some revenge after last year. the first quarter started off with some back and forth scoring. the tigers would strike first. a. terrell picking off alabama's tua tagailoa and taking it to the house on the opening drive of the game. that set the tone for the game too. the firstsuarter was a close as it was going to get. number one alabama never really found a rhythm. clemsonhe rolled t crimson tide for most of the game. tigers freshman quarterback trevor lawrence threw for 347 yards and three touchdons. he alsad a lot of help from some amazing catches. on this one, clemson managsh to ut down and dominate alabama roughout much of this game. the tigers led by head coach dabo sweeney have now won their second national championship in e past three years, handing alabama the most lopsided loss in coach nick saban' incredible career as 'bama's head coach.

the final score, a rout, 44-16. this is clemson's 15th win in an undefeated season. they're the only team to achieve that mark in theol a.p. area that dates back to 1936. congrats to the national pi chs, clemson tigers. a little bit of white out there. let's check to see who's going to g t what withs snow. >> good morning. two storms we're going to deal with in two days. winter weather advisories for 26 million people. a new one has been issued in the central appalachians. let me time this for you. here's storm one. that will be exiting prey ickly early today. storm two located back toward chicago. storm two is the one that's going to get stronger during the day today, bringing rain and snow through areas of mir. storm one just a little bit of rain and snow in maine. watch what happens later tonight. stor two reallyn ifn tentensifi enhanced lake-effect snow. also significant snow as weo

throughout wednesday. northern portions of new england, a snowstorm for you there. re's a closer look at the day ahead. fortoday, the warm temperatures are with us all the way through the ohio valley right up through the mid-atlantic. look at chnd, 64 today. here comes that cold air that's going to move in behind number two. highs today only in the teens and 20s in the northern plains. it's going to be windy too. a lit travel. for airport we'll talk about that coming up. >> bill, thank you. a fearless critter got a little too close for comfort at a police station in illinois. check out the video here. itselfirrel found trapped between the doors at the mchenry police department and gave officers, believe it or not, a bit of a scare. they tried to ush the little guy out to no avail. the squirrel continued to launch itself on those walls. he almost made it inside too. he eventually out, and i'm happy to report no injuries on either side llre. s ahead, a major victory

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freshen up, don't cover up. febreze. leading the news, the extraordinary second chance for a in tennessee. cyntoia brown was convicted of murder when she wnd just 16 sentenced to life in prison. but on monday, everythingd chanor her when the governor granted her clemency. brown'seg lal team spoke ron al. iv>> i can't fix it,nd i'm sorry. >> reporter: at a parole hearing ast year, cyntoia brown w begging for mercy after learning she won't have to spend the rest of her life in prison, speaking on a call with prisoneryo >> thank governor, for being a man of god and for showing mercy. >> reporter: a stunning turn in a case so shocking, it inspired a documentary. >> i just grabbed the gun, and shothim. >> reporter: brown admitted killing johnny allen when she was 16, claiming she was forced

him prostitution and shot in self-defense. prosecutors called her a cold-blooded killer and thief. they said her claim of being a victim of human trafficking was a >> tygu >> reporter: the sentence, life in prison, no chance for parole for some 50 years. governor bill haslem cled her punishment too harsh and granted her full clemency, citing her extraordinary rehabilitation. brown's attorney spoke usively with nbc news >> i hugged her and whispered in her ear, you're going to get out in >> what did she say? >> she did a little dance. i think she is going to be able to h hundreds, if not thousands of young people. >> iha think this also gives a tremendous amount of hope to people who are still in prison. >> reporter: on social media, thanks from a. listers who called for brown's freedom, and an outpouring of gratitude from a young woman soon to be set free. ron allen, nbc news, nashville.

n>> still to come, your first glimpse at joh travolta's new look. plus russia's vladimir putin with his own brand of war games, next. ok like? it looks like emily cooking dinner for ten. l it looksjonathan on a date with his wife. entresto is a heart failure medicine that helps your heart so you can keep on doing what you love. in the largest heart failure study ever, entresto was proven superior at helping people stay alive and out of the hospital. it helps improve your heart's ability to pump blood to the body. don't take entresto if pregnant; it can cause harm or death to an unborn baby. don't take entresto with an ace inhibitor or aliskiren,... ...or if you've had angioedema with an ace or arb. the most serious side effects are angioedema, low blood pressure, kidney problems, or high blood potassium. ask your doctor about entresto for heart failure.

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tt is russian president vladimir putin celebrating the orthodox christmas by firing the howitzer at the peter and paul fortress in st. petersburg on

monday. under the russianrthodox lit urge cal calendar, christmas is observed on january 7th. 9 midday shot at thes fortress een a tradition since 1865. putin appeared oy flinche slightly when that canon went off. >> nothing says merry christmas like firing everyry weap we have an update on the heartbreak in chicago. the nfl has officially ruled that cody parkey's missed field goal from sunday was actually blocked. ch out the video. it shows that philadelphia's treyvon hester tipped the ball that ultimately doinked off the right and then off the cross bar. that tip likely saved the day for phi ey really at the of the game and sunk the bears' season. it might actually give some relief to cody parkey, whost ha jueen hammered these past 48 hours or so. >> you can imagine he can sleep maybe just a little bit better at night with that ruling. >> hean but not bears fans. we all know how much a younger john travolta loved his

hair. >> watch the hair. you know, i work on my hair a long time, and you hit it. >> grease as well. now 40 years after saturday night fever and all those othert movies, tra is sporting a new 'do. look at this. shgring this photo on ins with a shaved head. judging by the positive feedback, yeah, i le it he's not going to need any grease anytime soon. it suits i him. does. you know, when it goes, it goes. >> and let it go. >> it looks sowa natural tha so good. >> got to feel so much better too. just ahead, acary crash involving a school bus driver and a tractor-trailer. plus it's like christmas for gearhe as. we'll get preview of this year's consumer electronics show. my digestive system used to make me feel sluggish

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good morning. i'm aaron gilchri. >> i'm eun yang. today, we're heari how metro will be changing. chuck? >> most of your w tuesdayl be dry before more chances for rain roll in this evening.

a major day for president trump. tonight, he will address the nation from theof oval ce, and make his case to build a wall along the u.s./mrdico . how he can do that without

congressional approval. it's just about 4:00 a.m good morning, everybody. >> we're previewing the president's address. we want to check on your forecast and commute. >> jack taylor is looking a the roads. let's start with chuck bell. i have to ask, chuck, was there rain in the forecast i missed? >> there sure was. absolu absotely, positively, 100%, there was absolutely was. the rain moved in and out in a blink of an eye. there's the clearing line already. the skies have cleared pretty successfullyth across nn maryland. tmperatures, followi rain, they're down near freezing. there could be i pockets of on the local roads, near frederick county, maryla,ashington county. keep in mind, that could be a herele bit of slipperiness in the high spots of the deep