i'm dara brown.is a picture at the home of pop legend george michael where fans have been gathering to mourn the singer. he passed away yesterday at the age of 53. his manager says he died of heart failure. police say it was not classified as suspicious. george michael enjoyed immense popularity early in this career, delivering big hits with wham. such as wake me up before you go go. ♪ wake me up before you go go >> as a solo artist, he developed into a more serious singer and songwriter and was lauded for his tremendous vocal range like in this duet he sang with elton john. ♪ sun going down on me >> he sold well over 100 million albums globally, and earned numerous grammy and american music awards. heartache is pouring out on social media. ellen degeneres calling him a brilliant talent, and miley cyrus thanking him for his activism. his old band mate tweeted heartbroken over the loss of my beloved george. loved. >> and elton john posted an emotional message to instagram saying i am in deep shock. i

i'm dara brown at msnbc world headquarters in new york.ning now, these are live pictures from brazil and the final journey home for members of the brazilian soccer team who died when their charter plane crashed into a colombian mountain monday. their bodies at this hour arriving at the airport. the disaster left 71 dead. the jetliner ran out of fuel, lost electrical power, and was preparing for an emergency landing when it crashed. >>> today donald trump is fending off criticism of his phone call with the president of taiwan. the first such conversation in nearly four decades. nbc's kelly o'donnell is at trump tower in new york. and kelly, tell us what is the latest fallout from this call? >> reporter: it's surprising how much there has been international questions raised and a bit of heat stirred up all by donald trump who does not yet have a secretary of state in place to handle the diplomacy. he received a call here at trump tower, and it's being noticed around the world because it broke with policy. it has to do with china and its rela

i'm dara brown here at msnbc world headquarters in new york.s what we're monitoring -- authorities are expressing relief that the search for anis amri is over. there are still many questions surrounding the main suspect in the deadly attack in berlin. amri was killed in a shoot-out with police in milan, italy, after a four-day run. the confrontation began with a routine i.d. check. nbc has more from milan where it all happened. hans? >> reporter: german and italian authorities are investigating just why anis amri decided to come here, a neighborhood of milan, after slipping through germany's security net. he was shot and killed just behind me after exchanging gunfire with two police trainees. the bullets that fell amri ended the manhunt but didn't close the investigation. fingerprints from his corpse matching those inside the truck that barrelled through a berlin christmas market. but forensics not answering how the 24-year-old tunisian became radicalized, why he decided to return to italy where he spent 3.5 years in prison, and why milan. his

i'm dara brown here at msnbc headquarters in new york. northeast dealing with the first extended period of frigid wintry weather. lake-effect snow could lead to accumulations of up to three feet east and southeast of lake erie and lake ontario. we'll take you live to a frosty chicago in a bit. >>> back to politics. a week after their fiery post-election showdown, clinton communications director jennifer palmieri and trump adviser kellyanne conway are still battling it out with palmieri writing in the "washington post," "i don't know when the trump campaign needed to give a platform to white supremacists to win. but the complain clearly did, and it had the effect of empowering the white nationalist movement." conway fired back on thursday. >> the fact is that this campaign ran a race where we reached into those working class voters who felt like they were the forgotten man and woman. they were the base of our support. you can't take that away from us. we busted the blue wall in states like michigan, pennsylvania, wisconsin. and for them to

i'm dara brown here at msnbc world headquarters in new york.hour, here's what we're monitoring. a surge of brutally cold arctic air is icing roads and taking temperatures as low as single digits across the midwest. drivers are being warned to stay off the roads, while dozens of flights have already been canceled. winter storm warnings are in place from wyoming to wisconsin and up to maine. >>> president obama says there will be retaliation for russia's interference in the election. but some of it may be covert. he answered several questions about it in his final presidential news conference of the year. >>> in russia, the kremlin has demanded proof of claims that russia hacked into dnc computers. nbc's chief foreign correspondent, richard engle, is in moscow. what's the reaction been both officially and also on the street? >> reporter: there's really been no reaction since the president spoke. the kremlin seems to be brushing off these latest statements by president obama. vladimir putin hasn't spoken. he's wrapped up a trip to japan. none of t

. >>> hello, i'm dara brown. it's been a christmas tradition throughout his presidency. president obama and first lady michelle obama visited the troops in hawaii. >>> and the japanese prime minister laid wreaths. >>> and a blizzard in the upper midwest. now back to "lockup." >>> due to mature subject matter, viewer discretion is advised. >>> directly between glasgow and edinburgh, scotland, is shotts, the farming village that dots the isle's central interior. but just beyond grazing sheep is a much more foreboding presence. this is hmp, her majesty's prison, shotts, a maximum security prison that houses more than 500 of scotland's most violent prisoners. >> all the prisoners will be serving fewer year -- four years and over that means they've committed a serious crime. 52% of the prisoners here now are serving a life sentence. most life sentences are given for murder. so we have a lot of murderers here. >> many of the men committed for murder here are in their 20s and claim drugs and alcohol led them to kill. drugs played a role in this man's crimes. and he made headlin

i'm dara brown.ussia's transport minister says pilot error or a technical problem likely caused the friday crash of a defense ministry plane that killed all 92 people aboard. >>> three of six inmates who escaped a tennessee jail early christmas morning are back into custody. the officials say they escaped a county jail annex hiding behind a toilet. three other inmates remain on the run. >>> and some wicked christmas weather causing flight delays across the country for millions headed home post-holiday. now back to "lockup." >>> each week, dozens of new inmates arrive at the tennessee prison for women. today, paula sisk is among them. >> i'm here because i had a drug indictment and i violated my probation in september, because i was publicly intoxicated on my prescription medication and alcohol. >> okay. what i need you to do at this time is put all your property on the table. >> while drugs and alcohol brought sisk to prison, they could pose even more problems in the near future. >> okay. you have so

. >>> i'm dara brown with the hour's top stories. deadly day on the roads as winter caused chaos on the west coast. snow, freezing rain and bone-chilling temperatures hit a good part area of the. at least six deaths are blamed on the conditions. >>> and president-elect donald trump says the u.s. should let china keep the unmanned underwater drone it seized in the south china sea. the tweet came after the u.s. military announced it had reached an understanding with china for the return of the drone. now back to "lockup." >>> isolated in rural southwestern indiana, the wabash valley correctional fillacility more than 100 miles from an urban center, but it has plenty of reminders of urban problems behind its walls. >> wabash valley has approximately 43 different gangs of approximately around 400 different gang members. now, that doesn't reflect all of our suspected members. those are all confirmed members. and we have approximately somewhere between 200 to 300 suspected gang members at this facility. >> most of the gangs are divided alo

. >>> i'm dara brown. here's what is happening. u.n. ki-moon will push the button to start the ball drop in new york. his successor takes over january 1st. >>> and the search operation continues after a russian military plane crashed and killed 92 people. officials say there is no evidence of terrorism. >>> more news in one hour. now back to "lockup." >>> due to mature subject matter, viewer discretion is advised. [ sirens ] >>> israel's rimonim prison strives to rehabilitate some of the nation's most violent criminals. but their efforts must overcome the influences of a wide range of cultures. wadiya abu amar is serving a 27-year sentence for murder, a family honor killing which, until now he has not publicly spoken about. >> translator: i am serving time for the murder of my sister. it is something that is hard for me to talk about. it is something very sensitive for me. >> abu amar says he shared a close bond with his sister, who at 22, was only a year older than he was when he killed her. >> when we asked him to speak about his crim

. >>> i'm dara brown with the hour's top stories.ine bodies have been recovered from a warehouse gutted from a warehouse fire in california. >>> and raul castro urged thousands of cubans to continue his brother's legacy. now back to "split second decision." >>> almost half a million fires ignite each year in buildings. that's according to the fire protection association. it's an average of one fire every minute of every day. in houston, texas, fire breaks out at a five-storey apartment complex under construction. a worker climbs the roof to investigate, but by then the fire is too big to extinguish, and it gets worse. the worker tries to find his way down but ends up trapped here on this balcony. >> this guy is on the ledge. look at this, oh, my god. >> you can feel the heat. >> and if they can feel it across the street, he can definitely feel it on the balcony. >> there is a period of time where if the room becomes consumed with hot heat that absolutely, you can breathe that air in, and it can actually burn your lung tissues as it's

. >>> i'm dara brown.fficial in oakland say about two dozen people are unaccounted for following a warehouse fire friday night. they confirm nine bodies have been recovered. search crews plan to work overnight to collect the victims h who have not been accounted for. only a few minor injuries were reported. now back to "lockup." >> due to mature subject matter driz press is advised. >>> when we first visited the holman correctional facility in alabama in 2006, we met an inmate who would turn out to be one of the most provocative and volatile to ever appear on "lockup," bobby ray gilbert. >> you want us to exhibit some form of model behavior, but there ain't ever any avenues close to us to do anything constructive. we can't read a novel because we can't have them. i can't play chess through the mail like we used to. >> it's segregation. it ain't meant to be nice. you ain't here because you were doing something constructive. >> when we returned to holman in 2007 for our "extended stay" series, we found gilbe

. >>> hello, i'm dara brown. here's what's happening.office denied reports that biden called members of the u.n. security council to get them to support the resolution that condemned israeli settlements if donald trump tweeted that the u.n. is just a club for people to get together, talk, and have a good time. >>> and search and recovery of the russian military plane continues 24 hours a day according to russian officials. they also say terrorism is not suspected in the crash. >>> more news in one hour. now back to lockup. >>> 100 miles east of prague are the moravian islands of the czech republic. considered the green heart of the nation, the highlands consist of small villages like mira. population 420. an almost equal number of men live right next door in this medieval castle. mirov prison. >> filming in mirov was extremely difficult in the sense that everywhere you turn there is a beautiful shot and you want to stop and go oh, there's another one. get another shot. we didn't have that kind of time. we had other elements in the story

. >>> i'm dara brown with the hour's top stories.d trump made the last stop on his thank you tour in mobile, alabama in what he says will be his last appearance before the holidays. trump relived his election victory and said it's now time to get to work. >>> 300,000 residents of corpus christi, texas are being warned not to drink tap water this weekend after a chemical leak at an asphalt plant. bottled water is being brought in for residents. the mayor says the water can be tested later today. >>> now back to "lockup." >>> due to mature subject matter, viewer discretion is advised. ♪ >>> its location on the florida panhandle exposes the santa rosa correctional institution to tropical thunder and lightning storms with little warning. the climate between correctional staff and the 2,800 inmates here can be equally as turbulent. so the prison leaves little to chance. >> we're constantly adding more security procedures to assure that we're providing the best and safest environment for our staff, inmates and the general public. santa ros

i'm dara brown in new york. at the half hour, here is what we're monitoring. nearly two dozen people are back on the ground after being stuck for eight hours 120 feet in the air. late friday afternoon, the sky cabin ride near los angeles broke down. firefighters tried to raise ladders. eventually workers used a safety harness to bring passengers down one by one. the ride will remain closed until the park does a complete investigation. >>> happening now, "the washington post" is reporting another russian hack targeting the u.s. this time within the system of an electric vermont utility. the report comes days after the obama administration levelled new sanctions against russia over its alleged cyber meddling in u.s. elections. od morning. has there been any reaction from the administration? >> reporter: not yet. but in that suite of sanctions the president announced thursday, he included almost protective measures that he wanted key u.s. institutions to take. as a result of that, a vermont utility realized it may have been comomised. russian hackers may have bee

. >>> good morning, everyone, i'm dara brown at msnbc world headquarters. 7:00 out east.orning to president-elect trump's phone call with the leader of taiwan. the big question, will it damage relations with china? >>> bitter end, the campaign squabbling over who won and why. we'll bring you the latest. >>> behind the numbers. is the carrier deal all that it's cracked up to be? i'll ask a former economist who advised president obama. >>> and sarah palin reportedly looking to join the trump administration, but now she's openly criticizing one of the president-elect's first big moves.

. >>> i'm dara brown with the hour's top stories.e bodies have been recovered from the wreckage of a warehouse gutted by a fire during a party friday night in oakland, california. but officials say they've already seen more bodies they haven't been able to get to yet. >>> and raul castro urged thousands of cubans to join him in pledging to defend the socialist legacy of his brother fidel in his saturday night memorial. his ashes will be interned tomorrow morning in a ceremony ending nine days of mourning in cuba. now back to lockup. >>> due to mature subject matter, viewer discretion is advised. >>> here's my alien skull with his brains bashed in. here's miss misery. i've had her for 20 years. it's a cover-up of a girlfriend's name that i had right here. this will show you how old i am. a guns n' roses tattoo. ha! can you believe that [ bleep ]? i still do love guns n' roses. they were bad as [ bleep ]. there's no denying that. there's a lot of roles in prison. different identities. you can be whoever you want to be. >> serving a 20-

. >>> good morning, i'm dara brown at msnbc worlds headquarters. 7:00 out east, 4:00 out west.what's happening -- a new report on russia's alleged role in the presidential campaign. how much flounce did it have on the -- influence did it have on the election? >>> so-called pizzagate. a new twist on the restaurant that got caught up in a fake news story that could have ended much worse than it did. >>> and for the first time, we're hearing from the woman who was involved with general david petraeus. hear what she's saying about his name mentioned as secretary of state. >>> plus, a wintry blast. bitter cold in parts of the country. we'll tell you where the worst is headed today. >>> we begin with new reaction from the trump transition team

i'm dara brown in new york at msnbc world headquarters. it's 7:00 in the east, 4:00 out west.ts. stormy weather in parts of the country leave at least one plane skidding off a taxiway. and it it was carrying a pro sports team. >>> at odds, the president-elect and obama white house taking two different approaches on big issues. the latest on israel in a dramatic way. >>> heightened security. new threats from isis on public places in the u.s. see what officials are doing to secure the homeland. >>> and the berlin attack. new questions today about how someone police have been tracking could slip through the cracks to commit an act of terror.

. >>> i'm dara brown with the top stories. states gather to cast their votes for the 45th president of the united states. some have been trying to convince 37 electors committed to donald trump to change their vote though it's considered extremely unlikely. the united nations security council vote monday on a resolution to put more than 100 personnel on the ground to monitor evacuations from aleppo, syria. now back to "lockup." >>> due to mature subject matter, viewer discretion is advised. >>> doing time in boston's suffolk county jail is a world away from the colleges or ivy league university located just miles away. but once a week those two worlds intersect when students from harvard university and boston college come to the jail to help inmates earn their geds. >> for them to come in and do it for us as little convicts, i should say, that's a good thing. looking out for us. showing us, you know, there is a world out there. there is help out there. people want to help you. >> girard cohen has been teamed with alexander, a

. >>> i'm dara brown with the hour's top stories.ald trump's post-election victory tour is over. he held the final rally in mobile, alabama. trump went through how he won the presidency and said now it's time to get to work on america's problems. >> a wintry blast caused havoc in the east coast. at least six deaths are caused on dangerous roads. hundreds of flights have also been canceled. now back to "dateline extra." >>> welcome back to "dateline extra." i'm tamron hall. homeowner markus kaarma told police he was living in a state of fear, but his answers raised more questions. what really happened in that garage and what was diren dede doing there in the first place. to find out more, they needed to learn more about the german exchange student. here is josh mankiewicz with "deadly exchange." >> reporter: when he was killed in a neighbor's garage, exchange student diren dede was just two months away from returning to his family in germany. the man who shot him said he feared for his life. and from diren's best friend, robby, police

. >>> i'm dara brown. here's what's happening.dent obama signed a $6.3 billion 21 sst century cures act earlier. it provides nearly $2 billion for cancer research and $1 billion to fight opioid addiction. >>> ohio governor john kasich has vetoed a bill that would have banned abortions after a fetal heart beat is detected. however, kasich did sign another measure that prohibits abortions after 20 weeks. >>> and the state department says it cannot confirm reports of a cease-fire in the syrian capital of aleppo. back to "hardball." >>> welcome back to "hardball." naming rick perry as his secretary of energy, president-elect donald trump is choosing someone who said he wants to abolish the very department he's in and onow set. when he was a candidate for president, the department of energy was the one he famously or infamously forgot when he promised sweeping cuts to the federal government. here it goes again, rick. >>ry wii will tell you, it's the agencies of government when i get there that are gone. commerce, education, and what's

. >>> good morning, everyone, i'm dara brown in new york at msnbc headquarters. it's 7:00 a.m.pening -- >> i mean you were nasty and mean and vicious, and you wanted to win, right? >> his thank you tour talking about his supporters as he trying to change his tune. >>> what i can tell you is that the intelligence i've seen gives me confidence in their assessment that the russians carried out this hack. >> blame it on the russians. president obama talks about hacking and the election. reaction this morning to what the u.s. could do about it.

be you, be you ♪ ♪ 'cause there's a million things to do ♪ ♪ you know that there are ♪ >>> i'm dara brownretary of state john kerry and russia's foreign minister, sergey lavrov, discussed a peace process for lavrov over the phone. lavrov warned kerry that the decision to loosen rules on arming syrian rebels will lead to more casualties. >>> president barack obama added japanese prime minister shinzo abe, paying tribute to those who lost their lives in the 1941 japanese attack on pearl harbor. abe gave sincere and everlasting condolences to the u.s. service members killed. the president says the historic gesture speaks to the power of reconciliation. back to "hardball." >>> who knows the system better than me? which is why i alone can fix it. >> welcome back to "hardball." that was donald trump delivering his fiery acceptance speech back in july. now as he prepares to be sworn in as the 45th president of the united states, trump is expected to pivot from the contention rhetoric that characterized his campaign to a more unifying message. to do that, he is again enlisted stephen miller, who

. >>> i'm dara brown with the top stories. in oakland say about two dozen people are still unaccounted for following a warehouse fire friday night. nine bodies have been recovered from the building. search crews plan to work overnight to recover the victims who are unaccounted for. >> in massachusetts, firefighters battle a 10-alarm fire that destroyed eight structures including a church. >>> now back to "lockup." >>> it can happen anywhere at any moment. the kids are out playing when suddenly one of them gets snatched. this one caught on building security video. true or false, a majority of child abductions are committed by complete strangers? the answer is false. fewer than 100 of nearly 460,000 reported missing children in 2015 were kidnapped by strangers. >> most child abductions, they're usually a family member where there's a child custody issue of that nature or something like that. when you have a stranger child abduction, it always seems to be a lot more serious because there seems to be more intent to do harm to a ch