>> 17, and ready to rule the the federal government remains shut down. for one reason, and one rean only, because democrats will not fund border security. >> psident trump has chosen to hold hostage critical services for the health, safety and well-being of the arican people, and withhold the paychecks of i 800,000ocent workers across the nation, many of theveterans. >> the primetime speeches are rsne. today leaill meet again at the white house, but can a deal be made to rescue hurting furloughed federal yworkers, man starting personal gofundme pages to make ends meet. t s aprise twist involving president trump's former campaign manager, paul manafort and the mueller

investigation. fhe incredible piloting a rescue helicopter that managed some acrobatic flying, all in an effort to save an injured skier. caught on-saving leap camera. and the most bizarre story of the day involving this californn. trust us. he is licking a doorbell for three entire hours. you got to see it to believe it. "early today" starts now. good wednesday morning to you. i'm frances rivera. >> and i'm phillip mena. as we recover fro watching that there. all right. to the news this morning. president trump will meet with topde congressional l for a third time this afternoon as the shutdown show own closes the three-week mark. the latest round of negotiations comes a dayfter the president's national address, making his case for border wall funding. shortly after top democratic leaders gave their rebeutueauty rebuttal. >> the w borderl would very quickly pay for itself. the cost of illegal drugs

exceeds $500 billion a ar. vastly more than the $5.7 billion we have requested from coress. >> the president is rejecting these bipartisan billshich would reopen government over his obsession with forcing americanw taxpayers tte billions of dollars on an expensive and ll ineffective a wall he always promised mexico would pay for. >> nbc's tracie potts joining us itnow from d.c. the very latest on this. tracie, good morning. this shutdown now the second longest in history. >> right, fellowshp.phil we're in day 19. two more days it will become the longest shutdown that we've ever seen, andan y, we didn't hear a lot different last night from either the president ors democrats they sit down again today to try to come up with some sort of compromise on this wall or barrier, as the president put it last night. the fact checkers wer busy last night with some of the facts the

president thring throughout. some of them were true, some of some of of context, and them seemed to have no basis. one thing he honed inn are crimes by immigrants in this country. >> how much more americanlood must we shed before congress does its job, pass a bill that ends this crisis. >> the symbol of america should be the statue ofrt li not a 30-foot wall. so our suggestion is a simple one. mr. president, reopen the government and we can work to resolve our differences over border security, but ehis shutdown now.r: >> reporheir next opportunity to do that will be at the white house this afternoon, the third sit-down between democrats and republicans and p phillip?rump. >> all right. see if they can make any headwa tracie potts leading us off on

this wednesday. thank you. as the fight over the walln rages in d.c., furloughed federal workers along the southern border are feeling the pain of the partial shutdown. hundreds of employees andheir families launched gofundme as deal.ys tick by without a gabe gutierrez is in el paso, texas with the latest. gabe, good morng. >>ood morning. the president in his first prime time oval office address making the case for his long promised border wall and for increased security here at the southwest border. democratanwhile, firing back as this government shutdown drags on. the president insisting once pouringat drugs are across the border, but the drug enforcement agency has said the st majority of illegal drugs come through legal ports of entry. drug smugglers using vehicles getting the drugs over the er bo and critics say the wall wouldn't really do much to help any ofthat.

apprehensions at the border are up slightly, but not at record highs. up around 400,000 l t fiscal year. not nearly as much year 2000, werehere were more than 1.5 million appre ansions. heret the border there are many people who say this wall won't do much ofanything, and it is the trump administration's policies that are forcing undocumented immigra not to turn themselves inm for asy at legal ports of entry, but to t to make the dangerous journey to remote areas of the southwest border where they could run into more problems. two guatemalan children died last month due to healther co. and while the trump administration has blamed human thugglers for , critics say it is the policies of this adminiration that are causing many of these issues. of course, the debate rages on here in the southwest border as this parti government shutdown enters its third week. >> all right. thanks to gabe gutierrez for that report. anwhile, a major slip-up by paul manafort's defense team

revealed a surprising new twist in the mueller this after his lawyers tried to redact portions of a court .iling and fail whoops. president trump's former campaign chairman is being accused of sharing information russian national and lying about it. pete williams has the latest from washington. pete? while he was serving as campaign chairm, he was in contact at least twice with konstantin kilimnik, also described by robertueller as man with ties to russian intelligence. the new details come in a document filed by ma lawyers with some lines blacked out that can easily be read simply by copying andic pac northwesting them into a new document. they say manafort shared polling data with kilimnik about the campaign and met with him in madrid to talk about what manafort's lawyers call a, quote, peace plan for ukraine, the country where manafort earlier did political consulting work.

they're statements made by manafort's own lawyer in a document intended to refute claims. >> that was pete williams reporting. a russian lawye who helped organize the infamous trumpr to meeting with trump officials in 2016 is now the center ofer own investigation. natalia veselnitskaya is being charged in a case iolving moneylaundering and could face up to ten years in prison. nbc's richard engehas more.>> eporter: natalia vese lawyer who met at trump tower during the 2016 campaign has been charged by federal o prosecutors witruction of justice. the charges are not directly lated to that trump tower eting. instead, center on e-mails first nbc led exclusively by news. >> what i wanted to ask you about are these e-mails, ke you could look at them.

>> reporter: but prosecutors said those e-mails are hers andn show than attempt to exonerate a client, a powerful russian businessman accused of moneylaundering in new york, she helped write an official russian government document. >> she had an extraordinary let l of access that was not all consistent with her representations that she was essentially an ordinary private defense attorney. >> reporter: we asked veselnitskaya how cle is to top russian officials. you said your relationship with the prosecutor general is what? >>eporter: prosecutors sai veselnitskaya was in, quote, secret cooperation with a senior russian official, a rehe and that trump tower meeting are of such interest to special arunsel robert mueller. >> all right, riengel, thank you. we have an extraordinary lool inside illinoise footage. it shows the harrowing moment an offices overnight patrol stop

spiraled out of control and spiralled into a deadly police involved shooting. the tables turning when officer brnna tedesco was checking this driver's id. a warning. some viewers will find this next part dinourbing. >> no, no! [ screaming ] the officer is trying to fight to get that gun away. he is pointing it at her head. moments later, her backup arrives and fires a shot that wouldltimately kill that man. police say he was a suspect in the stabbing death days earlier of anlderly man in pennsylvan caught on camera, tending to a disabled driver in ohio when a driver slams their jvehicle. thump over the barrier a ysplit second before t would have been hit. thankfully no one was seriously injured. now two a disturbing new turn in the vaping epidemic in erik america. it's so addictive, some teens e turning to rehab. here is catie beck.

>> reporter: at the peak of his addiction, 15-year-old luka kinard was spending $150 a week to support his vaping habit. >> i noticed this is getting of control. >> reporter: his parents noticed too. a stellar student on track to become an eagle scout, suddenly withdrawn and unmotivate >> he went from being a straight a student to an f student. >> reporter: luka was one of thd 3.5 million mi and high school students using e-cigarettes, intended to be a safer alternative to smoking.li but expertke sharon levy say i for teencan be addictive, and the impact on their developing brain still unknown. >> they're getting very high nicotine levels in their bloodseam, and that's causing them problems with things like paying attention and focusing. and that's really new. >> reporter: now at her addiction clinic, she is seeing a surge in teens strugglinabto kick the. >> we're seeing more mental health and psychiatricroblems that are happening immediately. c reporter: after luka says excessive vapingsed him to have a seizure, his parents sent him to a 40-day treatment program where group counseling

taught him healthy ways to copey with anxie and stress. >> we're grateful to have him back. we questioned whether we ever would. >> reporter: later this month the fda wi discuss therapies for teens with nicotine addiction. for ka, where there is help t has given me another opportunity to start life back up. >> reporter: -- there was hope. catie beck, nbc news. the nation is remembering a former purdue university student and beloved college football super fan. te lost a fight with bone cancer last week 20 years old. known for a positive outlook and passion for purdue's football team, trent received multiple awards for his spirit. yesterday a funerals we held. many prominent sports figuresin inclpurdue's football coach and many players who spoke of trent's determination to live every day to the fullest. taking a turn tour weather now. bill karins joining us. >> a big storm going up through

new england. even thunderstorms over areas of connecticut. we still have winter storm warnings and watches and advisory. about nine million people in these right now. mostly northern new england getting hit thend hardest, the lake-effect snow machine. the storm will head up through maine. notice the snow showers still rning later this afternoon, anywhere from wes pennsylvania all the way through northern portion of new englannu and even con into thursday as the cold winds will be blowing over the warm lakes. that's a look bt the weather story of the day. there is a closer look at your day ahead. well, there is that cold air. green bay a high of only 20 today. chicago, 23. detroit, 29. the wor of the weather in new england will be as we go throughout this morning, improvinthis afternoon. d in the south, a little cooler, but still a lot of sunshine. a lot of people keep wondering how much snow the eastoast is ing to get this weekend from that storm. those details coming up. >> i know. yve been buggi about that. we'll hear from you later. thank you. the clemson tigers are back home in south carolina after winning the ncaa championship.

the tigers were given s water cannute as their plane landed. some cheering fans met them ahead of phe bigade that will happen on saturday. clemson finished the season undefeated at 15-0 after they blew out the favorite, alabama. stillah d, a new freedom for florida felons which could have a huge impact on tent elections. plus, a savior on the slopes. the nail biting helicopter rescue caught on camera in the french alps. >> my goodness.

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searching for two suspects that drove a tractor over an atm. they gotaway in a u-haul that was later found abandoned in a parking lot. authorities say they don't know how much money the pair got away with. leading the news this morning, a dramatic rescue on a untainside in france. a police helicopter traveling up 7,000 feet, stopping incheserom round in an effort to save an injured skier. nbc's bill neely has the heart-pounding details. >> reporter: it's a breathtaking rescue. 7,000 feet up a windy mountainde, a police helicopter is guided in to an injured skier, then an amazing maneuver. balancing on one ski, the rotors inches from the snow as a medical team gets off. 19-year-old bruno is strapped up, but it's not over. the pilot is back, this time the nose of the aircraft almost d uching snow. the skier is lifup and away. impressed?

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so you've heard of self-driving cars, even flying cars. a but hut walking cars? hyundai unveiled its concept for walkingar at the consumer electronics show in vegas. the vehicle,amed elevate has robotic legs attached to its wheels so it can easily drive, walk and even climb rough terrain. in the far future, it could be used in search-and-rescue missions following natural disasters. >> it could have been used o at mountain rescue. not every pilot is as good as that guy. just a dayser lifetime aired an explosive docuseries detailing the alleged sexual st allegations a r. kelly, the singer is now under investigation, the despite chicago police say thanksgiving have no current complaints against the singer. rehema ellis has the deriils. >> autes are speaking out about decades of allegations against the singer, surrounding charges oestic abuse and sex with minors. in a press conference, the cook county state attorney urg potential victims of kelly to come forward. the allegations against kelly are back in headlines after the

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and they whiten 25x better than a leading whitening toothpaste. crest. healthy, beautiful smiles for life. >>se a town h in maryland got a direct hit from a water main break. reports say the stream was so strong, it broke windows. aci public works of says that its owners are responsible for turning off that wat main. let's check in with bill who is back with us, weekend storms that are brewing. >> it's too far away to give specifics for snow, but we'll say light, moderate, or he dy. we't have any heavy snow out of this upcoming friday through sunday event, bi for misso through the southern ohio valley, that's the area at least light to at least moderate snow. >> all right, bill. thank you. when we come back, we will tell you a that we know about the most bizarre video that you will see all day. e postmenopausl osteoporosis and a high risk for fracture now might not be the best time to ask yourself are my bones strong?

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president trump doubles down on his argument for crisis at the border and demands that democrats help fund the border wall. in a followup address, democratic leaders say no way. what that means for fur louged workers. chuck? >> it m not be all that cold outside yet this morning but

>> announcer: news 4 starts now. weed begin thissday morning with a live picture of the u.s. capitol. national addresses last night by president trump and democratic leaderip in congress did little to instill confidence

that an end to the on going government shutdown is in sight. both sides stuck to their arguments and neither appeared ready to back down.he par for course around here these days. it is 4:00 a.m., good morning, everybody, i'm aaron gilchrist. >> i'm eun yang. have the latest impacts of the shutdown now in its 19th day. >> we want to begin with a check on the forecast and the commute this morning. jack taylor is standing by with a loo at the roads. >> but first, chuck aell has check on your forecast. i can feel the winds, chuck. i feel like it's starting to get colder by the mite. >> you are correct, eun. it will be a very persistent northwest wind over the next 24 to 48 hours. it is going to start a feeling lot more like wintertime around here. that stretch of mild days,gh we be able to tack one more on today. but you can tell there the streamers of snow are coming off the great lakes, and that cold air is going to be moving on in here. we can see some passing snow