anne thompson is reporting there. >>> a singer working to bring hope in a song for a family who lost everhing. >>yt t but the living room's pretty blank. it's really nice when clients come in and have done some of their own research. working with a bassett designer was really easy. just kind of ties in very well. we love it! >>> >>> at least two millions people will be at times square. security are heighten. there are no credible threats in new york. additional officers and counter snipers are going to be on the scene in place just in case. >>> to las vegas now which precautions for the new year's. they patrol the this comes at the department of homeland security declaring the strip high, more than 300 soldiers are spread out across theo country toñc get the most >> setting up the stage on the north bank of the river. there will be thousands of businesses. moving on now to paris, the threat of attack remains. more than 10,000 police officers and emerg around the city, traffic restrictions will be replaced on streets around the area for more protection. police are police are also warn

anne thompson, nbc news, new york. >>> there's also new controversy tonight over sexual abuse in theorld of gymnastics. gold medalist mckayla maroney is now suing usa gymnastics. tonight, usa gymnastics is strongly pushing back. nbc's stephanie gosk has more. >> reporter: in the 2012 london games, mckayla maroney was one of the brightest stars. tonight, she says the organization that helped get her to the podium, usa gymnastics paid her to keep from going public with a painful secret. maroney said the team doctor sexually abused her. according to a lawsuit filed today in california, she signed a nondisclosure agreement in december 2016. she said she went to usa gymnastics looking for help. >> you don't help somebody by putting a gag on them and saying, oh, yeah, we know you were molested. but you never can talk about it. >> reporter: she went public with her story in october. writing in part, i had a dream to go to the olympics and the things that i had to endure to get there were unnecessary and disgusting. writing in part, because of their strength in coming forward, predators can

ann thompson on how you can save big by shopping around. >> reporter: when desiree picked up it phoneit had cash price for her boyfriend's prescrti she was dialing for dollars. >> and then i called the third place and thought from 600 to 500, 200, to $34.99. >> reporter: the working mom got similar results when we asked her to check again. prices ranged from nearly $600 at walmart to 473 at costco. wall greens was the highest at almost 242 for the generic, the cheapest, costco at $34.99. a consumer reports investigation out this month found similar results in six cities for five common generic drugs. lisa gill is the prescription drug editor. >> for the same drug, for the same dose, for the same quantity you can see price differences >> reporter: a one month supply of scymbalta a low of $23. so you're telling me in the same zip code you can pay a difference 10 times for the same exact drug? >> yes. >> reporter: why? that's crazy. >> it is crazy. >> reporter: the pharmacy chains say most people pay prices negotiated by insurance companies. the chains say they try to keep prices competi

>> anne thompson, thank you. >>> much of the country suffered through a day of bitter cold today. the dangerous deep freeze will persist right into next week. it caused wrecks and spinouts in the midwest. freighters got stuck in this river in michigan. there is more snow in the forecast tonight for erie, pennsylvania, on top of the five feet they already have. parts of niagara falls frozen in place today giving the landmark a surreal look that still drew tourists. >>> president trump is in sunny florida, but he weighed in on the frigid weather expected on new year's eve. in a tweet he said, perhaps we could use a little bit of that good old global warming. the comment drew criticism from climate scientists. and the president had a lot to say about other issues including china, north korea and the russia investigation. chief white house correspondent hallie jackson has more on all that. >> reporter: teeing up the end of 2017. >> an honor to have you at the course. >> reporter: the president hosting the coast guard at his golf club near mar-a-lago. it's where a day earlier for the f

anne thompson, nbc news, new york. >>> still ahead, 'tis the season for porch pirates. new details on how you can protect those christmas packages. you're watching "early today." i try hard to get a great shape. this i can do, easily. benefiber® healthy shape is a clear, taste-free, 100% natural daily fiber... that's clinically proven to help me feel fuller longer. benefiber® healthy shape. this i can do! pain from chest congestion can make this... when you have a cold, ...feel like this. all-in-one cold symptom relief from tylenol®, the #1 doctor recommended pain relief brand. tylenol®. tand, our adulte children are here. so, we save by using tide. which means we use less. three generations of clothes cleaned in one wash. those are moms. anybody seen my pants? nothing cleans better. put those on dad! it's got to be tide. >>> president trump had a very good day. he is very proud. republicans finally pass his tax bill, which means trump's about to sign his first major piece of legislation. yep. his chest was puffed out so far his tie was actually at normal length. wow. i

anne thompson, nbc news, new york. >>> there's more to tell you about tonight. coming up, the golden globes nominations are out. did your favorite movie or tv show get a nod? how much money do you think you'll need in retirement? then we found out how many years that money would last them. how long do you think we'll keep -- oooooohhh! you stopped! you're gonna leave me back here at year 9? how did this happen? it turned out, a lot of people fell short, of even the average length of retirement. we have to think about not when we expect to live to, but when we could live to. let's plan for income that lasts all our years in retirement. prudential. bring your challenges. >>> it's shaping up to be a potential big night for the shape of water at one of hollywood's biggest awards fests, the golden globes. the fantasy drama leads with seven nominations followed by steven spielberg's "the post" with six. it's a mix of films big and small with the other nominees for best picture drama including "dunkirk," "three billboards outside ebbing, missouri," and "call me by your

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ann thompson, nbc news, brooklyn. >> real life chipeto. real life wizard of oz.elper. >> you pull back the curtain ask you're not disappointed this time around. we thank you for watching. i'm frances rivera. >> and i'm phillip mena. we leave you with the eiffel tower transformed into a winter wonder land for christmas. the news continues right here on nbc. ad lib live picture-- san francisco >>> good monday morning to you. thank you for joining us here on "today in the bay." picturesque as we see a clear start to the morning. thank you for joining us, i'm marcus washington. >> i'm laura garcia. hope you are coming off another great weekend. cold start. >> it is. we are going to have another warm day and a lot of sunshine. the winds are dying down, great news, then looking forward to rain in the forecast. all dry today. right now, 36 degrees in fairfield and santa rosa and livermore, 38 degrees. 44 as you step out in san jose. here is a look at the high temperatures today, mid-60s and up to 65 degrees in san jose. here is a look at t

we begin with anne thompson. >> reporter: it was, in every sense, horrific. >> burned little kids in this stretch is burned. it's crazy. >> reporter: this scene sparked, officials say by a 3-year-old boy playing with a stove's burners in a first floor apartment. when the fire took hold, his mother grabbed him and another child and ran without closing the door. >> stairway acted like a chimney. it took the fire so quickly upstairs that people had very little time to react. >> reporter: firefighters were there in three minutes to battle the flames and subzero wind chills. joe rodriguez lived on the first floor and barely escaped. >> grabbed the ac out of the window, threw it on the sofa. >> we have a report of people on the fire escape. >> reporter: several people were rescued but the fire moved too fast to save everyone. maria batiz died in the blaze after making a terrifying call to her family. what did she say? >> she's going to die there. she's not going to make it. >> reporter: her granddaughter also perished. tonight a first look inside the charred remains of the apartment buildi

anne thompson now with details. >> reporter: accused of sexual harassment, today john conyers lost his most important supporter, nancy pelosi. >> congressman conyers should resign. >> reporter: a dramatic about-face by the house minority leader from sunday's "meet the press." >> just because someone is accused, and is it one accusation? is it two? >> reporter: this morning marion brown broke her silence on "today." >> i'm here to say that i'm not a liar. >> reporter: the former staffer received a $27,000 settlement from endured over 11 years. >> he's just violated my body. he has touched me in different ways, and it was very uncomfortable and very unprofessional. >> reporter: tonight all the house democratic leaders say conyers should go. >> i talked with him in person and told him that i thought it was in his best interests to step away from this body. >> reporter: a bipartisan sentiment. >> i think he should resign. i think he should resign immediately. >> reporter: but from the conyers' camp denials and defiance. >> nancy pelosi did not elect the congressman, and she sure as hell wo

anne thompson has more on what could have caused this fatal fire. >> it was horrific. >> every littleid is burnt. it is crazy. >> reporter: this was sparked by a three-year-old boy playing with a stove burner. when the fire took hold, his mother grabbed him and another child and ran without closing the door. >> it acted like a chimney and people had little time to react. >> firefighters was there within three minutes. >> joel rodriguez lived on the first floor and barely >> we got out and my wife. >> reporter: the fire moved too fast to save everyone. mar maria martinez died in the blaze after making terrifying call to her family. >> maria's granddaughter also perished. >> she was a wonderful person. four members of one family is now gone. a tragedy that officials say did not have to take so many lives. >> anne thompson reporting there. >>> we are just a few short hours away from the biggest new year's eve party in the world. a live look at times square. it is going to be much but the living room's pretty blank. it's really nice when clients come in and have done some of their own res

let's check in with anne thompson who is in times square. what type of police presence are we seeing there? >> reporter: well, frances, take a look behind me. they just started opening where people will stand for hours, 12 hours, before this ball comes down. and you can see the types of security people are having to go through, being wanded as they go through. they have to open their bags. they are being checked to make sure they're not bringing anything that could endanger anyone else into this area. and it's been fascinating to watch the things people bring in to try to endure this bitter cold for 12 hours. i've seen people with yoga mats and sleeping bags. everybody has brought some kind of food, hand warmers, toe warmers, body warmers are all part of it. but these pens have helped keep times square orderly in the past and police are hoping they'll do it again. we've seen things we're used to seeing, concrete barriers. there are sanitation truck that is are filled with sand. there are blocker vehicles. all of that to prevent somebody from

nbc ann thompson is in time's square this morning. >> reporter: good morning, sheinelle. revelers have one more day to get ready to ring in 2018. forget the party hats, the horn and the champagne. this year they're going to need p parka and scarves and hot chocolate for what's going to be one of the coldest new year's on record the mercury will drop along with the famous ball high above time's square giving a frigid welcome to 2018. as the clock strikes midnight the temperature could sink to 11 above. it is crucial to make smart choices. >> please, if you have a prior medical condition or have young kids, this is not the year to be out here. but if you're a healthy adult and you're going to come out, dress for it. no skinny jeans. no mini skirts. >> reporter: to endure the hours long wait officials urge you to dress in layers, wear heavy boots, cover your head and hands and don't drink alcohol. when the body's temperature drops low, the symptoms include shivering, dizziness and difficulty speaking. >> i hope they bundle up. >> reporter: new york has plenty of company. >>

anne thompson is there. anne, usually we see people out and about. what are you seeing right now? >> reporter: there are a lot of people out and about but it is balmy weatherwise compared to tomorrow. today it's in the mid-20s, there are some snow flurries, but tomorrow it is going to be bone-chilling cold. it's predicted to be about 8 degrees when the ball drops and there's going to be wind and so that's going to make it feel ever colder. so new york city officials are saying if you are going to come down here and you're going to be part of the crowd on new year's eve, you've got to be prepared. that means dressing appropriately. dressing in layers. wearing heavy boots covering your hands and your head and not drinking alcohol. the danger tomorrow night will be hypothermia. that's when your body temperature gets dangerously low and you can get dizzy, you have trouble speaking. all kinds of things can happen and that's what you want to avoid. now, while new york is going to be cold tomorrow night, take a look at the rest of the country. it is going to be absolutely frigid west of

. >> nbc's anne thompson is live from the scene of that fire with the very latest. anne?> reporter: craig, i will tell you the people out here are just absolutely numb. not from the cold, and it is freezing out here, but from the shock of what happened last night. as you mentioned, it was a 3 1/2-year-old boy, fire officials believe, who started this blaze. he was in his family's first floor apartment. he was playing with burners on the stove. something he has been known to do. his mother was not -- he was not in his mother's eyesight at the time. something caught on fire in the kitchen. she grabbed him and a 2-year-old in the apartment and ran out. and when she did, she forgot to close the door to the apartment. and as a result, the fire moved out into the staircase. the staircase acted like a chimney, spreading that fire through all five floors. people -- the fire department got here within three minutes of the call coming in, but in many cases, for at least 12 people, that three minutes was much too late. 20 people were on a fire escape, waiting to be rescued. the fire

nbc's anne thompson on how you can save shopping around. >> reporter: picked up phone for cash price of her boyfriend's prescription -- >> this is no insurance, correct? >> reporter: she had no idea she was dialing for dollars. >> then i called third place. whoa how is this possible? $600 to $500? $200 to $34.99. >> reporter: working mom got similar results when we asked her to check again. price for valtrex, antiviral, ranged from nearly $600 at walmart, $473 at costco, generic, walgreens at $242, cheapest costco, just under $39. >> if you don't know you need to shop around, they got you. >> reporter: consumer reports investigation found similar results in six cities for common generic drugs, including treatments for pain, cholesterol and diabetes. prescription drug editor. >> for the same drug, dose and quantity, you can see incredible price differences, even within the same zip code. >> reporter: in dallas, survey found a one-month supply of generic of antidepressant cymbalta. $220 at walgreens and $23 at independent pharmacy. you're telling me in the same zip code, you can pay a

nbc's anne thompson is live in the bronx for us. if i'm correct, this is the deadliest fire here in new york city in 25 years? >> in 27 years, katy. and it's a question today that many people are asking. what if? what if the mother had been watching that 3 1/2-year-old boy when he was playing with burners and realized something was wrong much sooner? and then what if when she realized the apartment was on fire and she scooped up the boy and grabbed a 2-year-old child and ran out of the building, what if she had remembered to close the apartment door? because she did not, that allowed this fire to spread much quickly as fire officials explained this morning. >> this fire quickly spread up the stairs. fire travels up. the stairway acted like a chimney. it took the fire upstairs so quickly that people had very little time to react. they couldn't back down the stairs. those that tried, a few of them perished. >> reporter: in fact, 20 people were on a fire escape. firefighters got here within three minutes. they were able to rescue many

ann thompson is out there braving both the chills and crowds. tell us bg the security situation facing people tonight. >> reporter: hi, i apologize. it's hard to hear you because we have some of the music acts practicing and doing their sound checks for tonight. i have to tell you, i've been really impressed by the amount of security that we have seen tonight. there are snipers and spotters on all the high rises here, detectives have worked with every hotel here in and around time square to prepare for the worst that could happen. you've seen as people have come in, we've seen them wanded, the bags have been inspected, coats have been opened. security is being taken very seriously but actually the bigger story tonight may be the weather because it is really, truly miserable here and people are waiting. they're going to wait 12 hours before this ball drops in really frigid temperatures. it's now 15 degrees. it feels like 4 degrees. the wind has died down a bit but it's expected to pick up as the night draws on and as we get closer to the ball dro

anne thompson joins me now from times square. anne, what does the security presence look like?t's the scene there in times square, a few blocks out from here? >> reporter: well, david, for the people who are in these pens behind me, in order to get in here, they are wanded, their bags are inspected, and it is 16 degrees here. it feels like 3 with the windchill. and believe it or not, police are so serious, they're making people unzip their coats and doing body searches before they allow them in these pens. so they are taking security very, very seriously tonight. but even more than security, the weather may be the ultimate story. the temperature is expected to be somewhere between 8 and 11 degrees when the ball comes down, and we're going to have a subzero windchill, because the winds are going to pick up, and it is going to be brutal. so, how do you survive this? tim tompkins of the times square alliance has some ideas. >> we just say to people, bundle up, you know, big time, and be prepared. and i think people that are out here are prepared. and the reason people come here is

nbc's anne thompson joins us live now from times square with more. anne, break it down for us. how are police keeping things safe there tonight? >> reporter: well, i think the biggest difference, ayman, this year is the concern about a repeat of the massacre that happened in las vegas in october. and so, along with spotters this year, the nypd has dispatched snipers to be on the ready in case anyone would try to pull what that man did in vegas when he killed 58 people. they have detectives working with each of the hotels, working with each of their security teams so that they know what's going on. here, down here at ground level, it has been very, very sight security. people have been wanded, their bags have been searched. even in this frigid-cold weather, they've had to unzip their winter coats and their bodies have been searched, because police want to make sure that this goes off without a hitch. there are no credible threats against the celebration or the city tonight, but police are taking no chances. this is the kind of event that from the department of homeland security'

>> an thompson anne thompson g inside the wonder.nd just real quick, how cool would it be to be in jerusalem this time of year though? >> incredibly powerful, yeah, to see those images in person. so that is obviously something -- oh, okay. now let's go back to the store windows and check that out. >>> all right. stand by for us. scratch all that. we're going to go to the redskins. >> always a safe place to go. >> redskins take on the cardinals this afternoon at fedex field. we'll be watching. and it will be an emotional game for the safety d.j. this will be his first time taking on his former steechl te also dustin hawkins is finally back after eight weeks on the injured reserve. he was dealing with a hip r muscle. today's kickoff is at 1:00 p.m. >> and i think the biggest fan is lauryn ricketts. and she was like i don't even know what time today's game was because they didn't feel like it was much worth it. but she watches every game. >> she does. >> and we'll continue with much more here on this sunday morning. a lot of news to bri

anne thompson has the latest. anne, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, sheinelle. this morning, we are learning more about the victims. 12 vibctims in all, 4 are children. the ages are 1-year-ol 1-year-old,-year-old and a 7-year-old, those are among the dead. several people were injured, including six firefighters who were taken to the hospital a in near-zero windchills. this morning, at least a dozen people are dead, including four children, after a massive fire ripped through this bronx, new york, apartment building. in frigid conditions, 160 firefighters responded, battling the four-alarm blaze that tore through the building of 20 apartments. >> we have people on the fire escape of the front of the building. they're on their way down now. we need a rush on the ambulance. we got a 1045, a child. >> i think it's my building that's on fire. what happened was, it wasn't actually my building. it was build thing across the street. by the time i got downstairs, the fire had escalated from one apartment to two, two almost to three. all i see is a bunch of kids on the fi

anne thompson, nbc news, brooklyn. >>> that is nightly news for this saturday.hank you for the privilege of your time. we leave you tonight with a scene at arlington national cemetery. more than 240,000 wreaths were placed today. part of the annual wreaths across america event. remembering those who served this holiday season. we are under a microclimate weather alert. strong winds right now cin >>> right now at 6:00 we are under a microclimate weather alert. strong winds right now creating dangerous conditions across the bay area. the news at 6:00 starts right now. good evening, everyone, thank you for joining us, i'm terry mcsweeney. a red flag warning in effect until tomorrow morning, leaving the bay area vulnerable. the conditions right now similar to the ones back in october, and you know what happened then. those devastating fires in the north bay. wind gusts like these in fremont reaching more than 50 miles per hour in some bay area hills. we got team coverage for you. let's begin with meteorologist rob mayeda. >> 15 to 30 miles per hour out of the north,

. >> nbc correspondent anne thompson joins me now. the rationale for doing this to these beautiful, beautiful parts of the national homeland. >> the way i like to think of it is, this is basically a situation where you have fossils versus fossil fuels. the two national monuments in question are called bear ears and grand staircase escalante. and they have rocks that are millions of years old that hold the secrets of when dinosaurs roamed this part of the world and also they're where native american tribes have worshipped and lived for hundreds and hundreds of years, and they are very -- they both hold very important archaeological sites. they also hold big deposits of minerals and oil and gas. and so the question here is, who is going to control those deposits? when you have land that is designated national monuments, that means no new mining, no new oil and gas development. you take away that designation, you open it up to that economic opportunity. and that's basically what's at stake here. >> and when we talk about these monuments,

>> anne thompson, thank you for that reporting. chris jansing is joining me now on the phone. chris, i think you're right across the street from the bus terminal, right? tell me what you're seeing and what you're hearing. >> reporter: it's a tremendous police presence, not just new york's police, but also state troopers, the fire department is here, countless vehicles, crime scene, ems, there are fire trucks, there are medical services, ambulances here. we see a lot of police dogs. i can tell you from this vantage point across the street, all the major streets are shut down in every direction northbound, east and west. and there's not a lot of activity we are seeing right now, because as you understand, from having the press conference, that things have been pretty much cleared away. that they are moving back the transportation. i will tell you as i was stopped trying to get to the location, i talked to a number of new yorkers. i heard major concerns from people not able to get to work or had to go around to get to work and were worried about being late. when i asked about the

anne thompson has the latest. >> reporter: in troy, new york, a nerve-racking week of fear comes to an end. >> reporter: why'd you do it? anything you want to say? what do you want to say to the victims family? >> reporter: 38-year-old james white and 24-year-old justin mann arraigned today for the gruesome murders of shanta myers her children 11-year-old j.j. and shanise, and partner brandi mells. >> i feel so much weight was lifted. >> shakera symes is her sister. the family was in court today. >> it was difficult to look at the individuals and not react in rage. >> reporter: next to her, isaiah, the surviving son, who was away when the crime happened. >> it gave me hope that i can finally get justice for my family. >> reporter: the victims were found the day after christmas in their apartment, by the property manager, but officials say they were killed on the evening of december 21st. the local paper reports law enforcement officials say the victims were bound and their throats slashed. >> the savagery, as you put it, and the barbarism of what happened to these people, our hearts an

let's begin with news. >>> i'm ann thompson in times square where it is snowing.tographs are right, this could be one of the two or three coldest new year's eves on record. when the ballw night at midnight the temperature is expected to follow suit. dropping to some 11 degrees. so new york city officials are warning the partiers who will come here and spend hours waiting for that magic moment. dress appropriately. they say dress in layers, wear ourhe head and hands and don't drink alcohol. the biggest danger will be hypothermia. that's when the body temperatures gets dangerously low. now, new york city isn't alone in its battle of the cold. the northern section of the country is caught in the winter's icy grip. the coast guard sent an ice breaker to free two freighters in a michigan river. lake effect snow, more lake effect snow is expected for erie pennsylvania wherere the ground. all of this providing a frigid welcome to 2018. >> thank you. >>> some other headlines we're following, new details on that deadly apartment fire here in new york city. officials say th

anne thompson is in times square. how are you doing out there? >> reporter: i am bundled up like i am in greenland, it is so cold. it is going to get even colder. this new year's eve in new york could be one of the two or three coldest ever in history. this will not be for the faint of heart. the mercury will drop with the famous ball, high above times square, giving a frigid welcome to 2018. as the clock strikes midnight, the temperature could sink to 11 above. new york city officials say it is crucial to make smart choices. >> if you have a prior medical condition or have young kids, this is not the year to be out here. if you come out here, healthy adults, dress for it. no skinny jeans, no mini skirts. >> reporter: to endure the hours-long wait, dress in layers, wear heavy boots, cover head and hands, don't drink alcohol. you want to avoid hypothermia, when the body's temperature drops dangerously low. symptoms are intense shivering, dizziness, trouble speaking. >> hope they bundle up. >> reporter: new york has plenty of company. >> this cold

ann thompson, nbc news, new york. >> there is new controversy over sexual abuse in the world of gymnastics. mckayla marrone is suing usa gymnastics saying it tried to silence her as part of a settlement over a former team doctor who now pleaded guilty to sexually abusing underage girls. tonight usa gymnastics is pushing back. stephanie gosk as more. in the 2012 games, mckayla marrone was one of the brightest stars. on that helped get her to the podium, usa gymnastics paid her to keep from going public with a painful secret. starting at 13, team doctor larry nasser sexually abused her. according to a lawsuit filed in california, the gold medal winner signed a nondisclosure agreement. she went to usa gymnastics looking for financial help with psychological treatments. >> you don't help someone by putting a gag on them. we know you were molested, but you can't talk about it. >> she went public in october saying i had a dream to go to the olympics and the things i endured to get there were unnecessary and disgusting. at the time usa gymnastics publicly commended marrone and others for their co

ann thompson explains. >> in death as in large, bernard law challenging the catholic tenet for forgiveness. >> i hope the gates of hell are open wide to welcome him. >> the sex abuse scandal in the u.s. dramatized in the movie spotlight. >> i think you will find boston is a small town. >> they were furious that he will be given a funeral at st. peter's basilica with a blessing by pope francis. >> she honoring him and saying it's okay to abuse children. >> i would prefer to see him tied to a cross and burned instead. >> during his 18 years as arch bishop, he knowingly moved abusive priest without warning giving them the opportunity to abuz again. >> to all those who have suffered from my shortcomings and my mistakes, i once again apologize. >> tonight jim martin of the american media said the world will be watching the pope's actions. >> i think they are trying to do the standard procedure for cardinal law and in other ways send signals that he is not as respected as other cardinals. >> such as the unusually short two sentence statement about his death. a man with a legacy of wounds that ha

nbc's anne thompson is in times square. has it gotten any better since we last talked to you last hour? >> reporter: phillip, it's actually gotten colder. the wind has picked up. we are seeing the occasional snow flurry. all in all, people are getting through it. revellers have one more day to get ready to ring in 2018. usually down here it is all about party hats, horns and champagne. this year it has to be about parkas, scarves and hot chocolate. we are expecting what could be one of the coldest new year's eves on record. this will not be for the faint of heart. the mercury will drop along with the famous ball high above times square, giving a frigid welcome to 2018. as the clock strikes midnight, the temperature could sink to 11 above. so new york city officials say it is crucial to make smart choices. >> please, if you have a medical condition or young kids, this is not the year to be out here. but if you're going to come out, if you're a healthy adult, dress for it. no skinny jeans. no mini skirts. >> reporter: to endu

anne thompson, nbc news. >>> and with just about a week until christmas, a nativity scene was unveiled in bethlehem, it was created by maltese christians who added traditional objects. bethlehem's mayor says this holiday stone is a tough one for palestinians following president trump's announcement that the u.s. recognizes jerusalem as the capital. >> powerful to be there this time of year. >> and did you see the little girl, one playing mary and the sheep? >> oh, yeah. >> we were watching that video yesterday, the sheech gp got up took the little >> and i love how bethlehem reminded you of that. >> it was so cute to see that happen. >>> and so we are getting close to christmas. >> so walk us through what we're about to see between now and christmas. >> yeah, it is up and down. temperatures will go right to 60 by tuesday, and then we'll start to fall. next week echbd, another cold blast coming into our area just in time for christmas. at least that is what the thinking is right now. but you know you how things can change. so we'll have a light look on it. but now, we'll continue to see

anne thompson is at the scene with more details. >> reporter: good morning. we are learning more about the tragedy. three children were the ages of 1,2 and 7 years old. several people were injured, including six firefighters taken to the hospital after trying to stop the fire in near zero windchills. at least a dozen people are dead, including four children after a massive fire ripped through this apartment building. in frigid conditions, more than 160 firefighters responded, battling the four-alarm blaze that burned through the entire five-story building of 25 apartments. >> on their way down now. >> we need to rush. we have a 1045. a child. >> i think it's my building on fire. what happened, it wasn't actually my building, it was the building down the street. it escalated. a bunch of kids in the fire escape, cold, with no jacket, no pajamas or nothing. >> reporter: the fire, creating heavy, black smoke, took hours to bring under control. >> carried out of here today, guys. it's overwhelming. those two kids throwing out their trash, went upstairs and an hour

let's check in with anne thompson who is in times square and she's joined by the president of the timesalliance. hi, anne. >> hi, frances. they have 11 hours to go and they're already here waiting. they're bundled up. tim thompsons is the president of times square alliance. you're expecting 2 million people. do you think that's going to affect people. >> i think most people will arrive later so they don't have to be out for quite as long. i think we'll end up with a full house. people plan this trip for a long time. >> that was my question. who are these people who stand out in the cold for hours? >> you know, the new yorkers are a little more cynical about it. they tend to show up at 11:45 thinking they can get in. the folks here, they make a long trip, book a hotel room, and they say i'm in it to win it. >> given the fact that the windchills could be below zero tonight, are there any special precautions that you're taking to help people get through this as they wait for the ball to drop? >> we just say to people bundle up big time and be prepared. i think people who are out here are p

anne thompson, nbc news new york. >>> let's get a check on weather. nbc meteorologist bill karins. snow and cold weather coming to the northeast. >> winter arrived. a lot of kids waking up. teachers too. snow is coming down. not much of a mix. just a little mitt bit in central pennsylvania. that's it. snowing pretty hard in cleveland. buffalo. albany to syracuse to buffalo. now move to vermont, new hampshire, maine during the day. winter storm warnings in red. advisories in white. difference is the impact. minor exacts in massachusetts and also northern portions of connecticut. much more significant impact further north you go. arn a lot of lake affect snow coming in today with the cold wind. let's time it out for you. 7:00 a.m. this morning. blue shows you where the snow. good news for i-95 boston back down to providence, philly, washington, baltimore. this will storm misses you completely. little rain possible. airport should be just fine today. tomorrow with the winds could be delayed. that's about it. 2-5:00 p.m. still could find the northern portions of new england. then turn

nbc's anne thompson is there in times square. probably the warmest it's going to be so far today. anne, how you doing out there? >> reporter: frances, it is brutal out there. as you said, this is the good part of the day. tonight, it could drop as low as 8 degrees. and then you add the windchill and it could be subzero. and that is really going to be tough out here. the other big story aside from weather, of course, is the security. the nypd is very confident that they are well prepared. they have been planning for this night, working with the fbi and the secret service. but as i said, you know, tonight, the biggest story may not be man-made, it may actually be nature made. this new year's eve will be marked by bitter cold. >> i'm wearing like a sweater, thermal, and a shirt underneath the sweater. i have three layers and i'm freezing. >> reporter: and ever-present security. >> i think that we have the best city in the world. our offices here are doing a great job to keep us secure. >> reporter: the 2 million spectators for the ball drop will enter through a dozen entry points with

that was anne thompson reporting. >>> memphis is the latest city to remove confederate statutes over sweeping debate. the statutes of con fedry president jefferson davis and kkk member were cleared from two city parks. happened within hours of a city council vote to sell the parks to a nonprofit organization. the parks were sold for less than marketed value. skirted state law prohibiting removal of monuments on public land. came as prepares to commemorate the 50th anniversary of assassination of martin luther king junior killed visiting that city. >>> little bit of snow moving through the midwestern part of the country. colorado going to get hit with a little dusting. >> heading for the northeast on friday. storm is going to affect a lot of people. let's start where it is now. out in the mountain areas of wyoming, colorado. also areas of colorado. utah hasn't had a lot of snow. the range desperately needed it. picked up snow yesterday and last night. just for kpcomparison, only 34 inches of snow this season in utah. jackson hole has had 124 inches of snow this season. we'll tell you