gadi schwartz, nbc news, new orleans. >> we turn to another major headline tonight in the hush moneye against president-elect trump. a new york judge saying he will response trump next week. the judge gave a big hint about the sentence he will likely impose. >> that's right. the judge saying he will sentence trump ten days before inauguration and signaling he will not give trump jail time. the most likely sentence will be an unconditional dischargefende. trump called the case a witch hunt . a trump spokesman today says there should be no sentencing at all. >> president trurump got a victy with speaker johnson's re-election today, but there was a little drama. >> a little. the vote was held open for about an hour today. a huddle off of the floor and a call from the president-elect urging johnson's conservative hold outs to back him and two lawmakers changed their votes. tom. >> garrett, thank you. we want to turn to the extreme weather now. more lake-effect snow in upstate new york. we are also following a big new storm system forming. bill, serious weather ahead, huh. >> tom, the big

we hope so. >> reporter: gadi schwartz, nbc news, altadena. >> powerful messages from those ashes. >> do this in your own back yard? >> i'm heartbroken for my city. >> our interview with jennifer garner and how she's helping families ahead on "today." >>> thank you so much for being with me and watching "early today." i'm frances rivera. hope you have a great, safe wednesday. for now, your news continues right here on nbc and our nbc right here on nbc and our nbc ne have you ever dreamt of getting two of your fav wendy's items for 7 bucks? like a spicy chicken sandwich, dave's single or... 10 piece nuggs? well today's the day your oddly specific dream comes true. pretty good dream. two favs for just 7 bucks? gotta be wendy's.

gadi schwartz joins us. and gadi, you spent the day in altadena. what did you find? >> reporter: lester, heartbreak. we found so mu heartbreak. people coming back to nothing left at all. in fact, this building right here, this is the outlier because this building still has walls up. so many of the homes that we visited today were down to the foundations. bunch of melted metal and piles of ash. in altadena today desolation and eerie silence punctured by gas lines still spewing fire. in the destruction there was a search for anything with meaning. >> this is everything you own. >> everything. and then you know, now we're just trying to find something. i mean, i don't care like my kid found a teacup, half a teacup. broke. she was thrilled. you know? i mean, what else can we get, man? it's gone, bro. >> reporter: as the flames descended at 4:00 in the morning, rupert garcia tried to fight back. >> this tree caught on fire. embers were flying all over the place onto the house. >> reporter: one ember even scorching his cheek. >> at what point did you realize that like i'm

gadi schwartz has their stories. >> reporter: when the gunshots rang out new years morning alexa waswas just hit by the speeding truck and hit by gunfire. >> i tried to run but i couldn't. i am seeing dead bodies on the side of me. there is one on this side and one on this side. there is one man here. jesus, please let me make it home. >> reporter: she remembers that in the chaos her friend called her mother. somebody called your mom saying you have to make a tourniquet out of your sock? >> yes. >> reporter: sounds like your mom was trying to save you from afar. >> yes. she knew to call my mama. she was like calm down and stop the bleeding. i was bleeding a lot. after that they tied it tight. >> reporter: among the dozens hurt, tonight she is one of the lucky ones released from the hospital, and she is thankful for the stranger who rushed her up taking her to the emergency room. >> reporter: you don't know his name? candles for victims like terry kennedy, his nephew says he would often bring a broom here and keep the sidewalks clean. is there a memory sticking out? >> i remember i se

our thanks to gadi schwartz for that. >>> as president-elect prepares to return to the white house, his lawyers are asking the supreme court to step in and stop sentencing proceedings. we should get an answer very soon. >> reporter: that's right. we should hear from the court today in fact. mr. trump's lawyers argue that the president-elect is protected by the supreme court's recent ruling on presidential immunity. the judge overseeing this case has already indicated he's not inclined to sentence the president-elect to any time behind bars. samuel alito confirmed he spoke to mr. trump the day before the emergency filing. alito says the president-elect wanted to discuss qualifications to serve in a government position and insisted that they did not talk about any pending cases. meanwhile, in a new filing, prosecutors say attorney general merrick garland intends to publicly release the report on mr. trump's efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election, but the classified documents case will stay under wraps for now, because there is still an active case against two co-defendants.

you guys are the seeds of change. >> we hope so, yeah. >> reporter: gadi schwartz, nbc news, altadena i'm lester holt. please take care of yourself and each other. good night. over life

gadi schwartz is on the ground in the fire zone. >> reporter: this area of altadena has become an absolute wasteland. you've got rows and rows of homes that have burned. some homes are still standing, but it's just a matter of time. this was the moment the sun rose over the fire raging above pasadena, but you'd never know it, because the dawn disappeared in the smoke. again, you hear those explosions. so many of these homes, there is no hope. but against the odds and mother nature, some stayed doing everything they could to fight back. there are people still here trying to fight this fire with garden hoses. there is still water in this area. but with this much destruction, it almost seems, it almost seems futile. you were here fighting by yourself, right? >> yes. >> reporter: how long have you been out here? i've been out here since 4:00 a.m. >> reporter: trying to protect your home. you have a full contingent of firefighters here. they saved this home for now. a scene that blew up across so many areas from the foothills to the palisades. they're trying to make entrance. they're smashing d

gadi schwartz.ight with their stories. >> reporter: for days, so many across los angeles faced off against apocalyptic wildfires, some homeowners defying the evacuation orders, choosing to protect their properties. >> we need a water drop. >> need a water drop. >> reporter: sprinklers, hoses, generators and pumps, and facing more red flag warnings, angelenos are preparing for round two. in wealthy enclaves, rows of fire trucks and private firefighters are at the ready. we see one, two, three, four, five different water trucks, another three down the way. those in the evacuation zones who lived to tell the tale how theyey saved tir streets, said they did what they could with high pressure hoses. >> we were in our neighbor's backyards, lugging hoses around. >> reporter: in altadena, felipe saved three houses on his street with a garden hose. >> i caught on fire a couple of times. >> reporter: you caught on fire? >> yes. i would just spray myself with the garden hose. saved myself with the garden hose

gadi schwartz, nbc news, new orleans. ♪ >> and that is "nightly news." thank you for watching. and each other. good night. night, more rain and snow headed our way. chief meteorologist jeff ranieri has the timeline. then. i feel relieved a little bit. it feels surreal. we investigate a bartender accused of raping several women. why it took so long to get the suspect prosecuted and how the victims feel now that he's taking a plea deal. plus, cities are reevaluating safety after that terror attack in new orleans. san francisco's new public safety director talks about

gadi schwartz, nbc news, altadena, california. >>> just a few hours from now, president-elect donald trump is due to be sentenced for his 34 felony convictions in the new york hush money case. the hearing coming just ten days before his inauguration. nbc's chris pollone joins me from d.c. hi, chris, good morning. the president-elect tried up until the last minute to stop today's sentencing. >> reporter: hi, frances, good morning. that's absolutely right. president trump's lawyers asked the supreme court to intervene. but, in a 5-4 ruling, the court decided not to step in. the court said the sentencing should not be much of a burden to the president-elect. the new york judge has made it clear that the sentencing will not include any prison time. the court said he could address any issues he has with the case through appeals. and last night he said that's exactly what he will do. >> well, they called for an appeal. and, as you know, they acknowledge what the judge said about no penalty, there's no penalty. but we're going to appeal anyway, just psychologically, because frankly, it's a

we hope so. >> gadi schwartz, nbc news, altadena. >> and that is "nightly news" for this tuesday. climb ♪ ♪ the deeper i fall down ♪ ♪ i'm running out of time ♪ ♪ so let's dance while we're waiting ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ we will live longer than i will ♪ ♪ we will be better than i was ♪ ♪ we can cross rivers with our will ♪ ♪ we can do better than i can ♪ ♪ so dance while you can ♪ ♪ dance 'cause you must ♪ ♪ love out of lust ♪ ♪ dance while you can ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ so tirired of waing ♪ ♪ come baby ♪ ♪ so tired of waiting ♪ ♪ come baby ♪ ♪ we will live longer than i will ♪ ♪ we will be better than i was ♪ ♪ we can cross rivers with our will ♪ ♪ we can do better than i can ♪ ♪ so dance while you can ♪ ♪ dance 'cause you must ♪ ♪ love out of lust ♪ ♪ dance while you can ♪ ♪ love out of lust ♪♪ [cheers and applause] [cheers and applause] >> kelly: okay. okay. okay. [cheers and applause] >> kelly: alright. [cheers and applause] >> kelly: welcome to "kelly clarkson show." give it up for the band y'all. i love that song. i was going to change it at the end. they're not surprised. back in 2011 the album "wound

we hope so. >> gadi schwartz, nbc news, altadena. >> and that is "nightly news" for this tuesday.elf and each other. good night. ♪ ♪ nbc bay area news tonight. how do you rebuild and what mistakes can they avoid? we're joined by the mayor of paradise. his town was destroyed by wildfire

>> gadi schwartz for us tonight in malibu. gadi, we thank you for that. for those who have lost everything, another crisis has quickly emerged. where will they find a new place to live. here is morgan chesky. >> we're going to find a house, i promise. i omise we'll find a house. >> reporter: a promise for a new home. ashley and tim palmatier are now fighting to keep amid the disaster that's ignited a citywide housing crisis. >> fire truck coming! >> reporter: the family of five, six including their pup apollo one of dozens packing an open house after watching homes approach, then engulf their beloved palisades home. >> wednesday afternoon we saw footage that our entire neighborhood had burned down. >> reporter: with more than 12,000 structures destroyed and potentially more to come, the demand for l.a.'s rental market exploding overnight. >> you call and hey, can i come see it? nope, it's rented. you call another one. hey, can i come see it today? nope, it's rented already. >> reporter: ashley says she's looked into 50 properties over the last several day

. >> gadi schwartz is in new orleans today.s law enforcement correspondent tom winter here with me in the studio. tom, let me start with you. we talked about the search of the attacker's home. i know a car was towed away earlier. what more do we know about that? what do we know about the bomb-making materials? >> this is part of the investigation the fbi has been conducting. they now believe this individual was acting alone and they haven't come upon anybody else who could be of concern. they caution it's very early in the investigation, and it is very early in the investigation. the question today is is there some new piece of information they picked up either in the houston area or in new orleans that led them to believe maybe we should double check that car. the easiest thing they do is get a search warrant for the car and then they can tow it. then it goes to their facility in houston and they can go through it and find out whatever they think could be in there, something they might want to look into and see if there's any

gadi schwartz, nbc news, new orleans. ♪ >> and that is "nightly news." thank you for watching.lf and each other. good night. ♪♪ i really hate ♪ ♪ to let this moment go ♪ ♪ touching your skin ♪ ♪ and your hair falling slow ♪ ♪ when a goodbye kiss ♪ ♪ when it feels like this ♪ ♪ don't you wanna stay here ♪ ♪ a little while ♪ ♪ don't you wanna ♪ ♪ hold each other tight ♪ ♪ don't you wanna ♪ ♪ fall asleep with me tonight ♪ ♪ don't you wanna stay here ♪ ♪ a little while ♪ ♪ we can make forever ♪ ♪ feel this way ♪ ♪ don't you wanna stay ♪ ♪ mmm ♪ ♪ don't you wanna stay ♪ ♪ here a little while ♪ ♪ hold each other tight ♪ ♪ don't you wanna ♪ ♪ fall asleep with me tonigight♪ ♪ don't you wanna stay ♪ ♪ here a little while ♪ ♪ we can make forever ♪ ♪ feel this way ♪ ♪ don't you wanna stay ♪ ♪ don't you wanna stay ♪ ♪ mmm ♪♪ [cheers and applause] >> kelly: welcome to "the kelly clarkson show." give it up for my band y'all. kellyoke. i am recorded that song with jason aldean for his album. you can find it on the deluxe version of "stronger." i love that song so much. i sang ad for an entire

gadi schwartz, thank you for takeing the time. doing reelly essential on the ground reporting. please stay safe. appreciate you. >>> joining me now is correspondent msnbc host my colleague and friend katie in the pacific palisades neighborhood of los angeles where she grew up. you have been talking so beautifully. i found it really moving talking about what this experience has been like for you. standing in the ashes of your childhood memories. could you just for people who haven't heard it and for people who have, what has it been like the last 24 hours? >> it has been really weird. it's been so weird, alex. when this story broke, i looked at the images and thought this is going to be bad. there were fires all over los angeles. i grew up in the skies. my parents were news reporters. i grew up over fires. and they would get close to the palisades and watch the ridge line from my grandmother's house in the highlands. there was one in particular that threatened that ridge line. it never did and we always felt so lucky. that fire whi

joining me now is nbc news correspondent gadi schwartz who is live near the eaton fire in altadena, california. gadi, i know you're wearing an apparatus to help you breathe. if you could tell us what the situation is there on the ground, the air quality and the containment efforts for one of the biggest fires in all of this. >> reporter: yeah, and sorry if i'm a little bit muffled, just a little while ago, we were talking fine without the masks for i little bit, we took them down and then the winds shifted and whatever we are smelling right now, we're smelling when the masks came down, was very much -- it smelled toxic. hurt the lungs and so we immediately put on our masks on, i'll have to do this with the mask. pardon me. but it is just -- >> please, gadi -- do what you need to do. go ahead, please. >> reporter: yeah, yeah. no worries. and right behind us, this is a building, you can see walls up. this is an exception here in this area of altadena, the neighborhoods down this way, most of the homes there that we have been seeing throughout the day, they don't even have walls up. it is just th

gadi schwartz spoke to one victim about her harrowing survival story. >> when the gunshots rang out news there. she had just been hit by the speeding truck and then hit by gunfire. >> i tried to run, but i could not. i knew something was wrong with my foot. i thought it was a broken bone or something, but it was not. as -- i am seeing a dead body on the side of me. i said, jesus, let me make it up >> reporter: in alabama, she remembers in the chaos her friend called her mother. >> 70 called your mom and she said, you have to make a tourniquet out of your socks? >> yes >> it sounds like your mom was trying to save you from -- >> yes. i was like, calm down. stop the bleeding. i was bleeding a lot. you know? the other day, they asked if it was tight? >> among the dozens heard, she is one of the lucky ones, released from hospital. she is thankful for the stranger who rushed her to the emergency room. >> you do not know his name? >> i have been trying to find out who he was >> reporter: along bourbon street, candles for the dems like native son terry kennedy, and he it often would bring a br

gadi schwartz, nbc news, new orleans.e're going to bring you back here locally and tell you about the santa cruz wharf. it will partially reopenoday, much earlier than the city originally thought. this after that large portion of the end of the wharf collapsed into the ocean during a strong storm. 17 businesses have since been closed. originally, the city said it could take weeks, if not months to partially reopen the wharf. but now city leaders say they will reopen today. the portion of the wharf impacted by that collapse will obviously remain closed. in san francisco, mayor elect daniel lurie will be sworn in as the 46th mayor. it will happen wednesday morning at civic center plaza. and then come inauguration night, chinatown will be the place to be with an evening full of events with the new mayor, today in the bay gia vang has more celebrations in chinatown. hocker. celebrate a new mayor. the big boss. hello. lily lo, founder of the nonprofit be chinatown, is busy walking through chinatown, making sure small businesse

nbc's gadi schwartz is in the hollywood hills. gadi. i mean, there was a little bit of a panic when you see that fire pop up in the hollywood hills. we were down at the palisades fire. and you just know what the high winds can do. fortunately, right now and again, this is this is just right now you're at the trees and there is no wind that we can see here. and if there are wind gusts, they're not as extreme as what we saw last night. if you can hear all above us, we've got about three choppers that are circling. they are coming in so low that you can feel it in your lungs. if this would have happened yesterday here, if this would have happened with those wind gusts, there is no doubt that this entire area would be most likely gone at this point. but fortunately, we are seeing this happen on a day where they have the air resources, they have the winds down. they can attack this fire like they normally do, and we're just hoping that that stays steady tonight. yeah. back to you guys. a lucky break for sure. thank you. gadi. tonight we're g

gadi schwartz is in the fire zone to start our coverage. >> this area of altadena has become an absolute wasteland. you've got rows and rows of home that have burned some are still standing. but it's just a matter of time. >> thfersz the moments the sun rose over the fire, above pasadena, but you'd never know it. >> again, you hear the explosions. so many, there is no hope. >> some doing everythinghey could to fight back. there are people still here, trying to fight this fire with garden hoses. there is still water in the area. but with this much destruction, it almost seems futeile. >> you have been here since 4:00 a.m. should. >> yeah. >> you now have a full contingent of firefighters here. seems like right in the nick of time. >> they saved this home for now. a scene that played out across so many firelines from the foothills of the angeles moununtains to the palisades. >> i've been trying to make entrance. they're smashing down that door. they gotta go inside. gotta make sure no one else is here. >> who else is in the house? >> reporter: homeowners on rooftops, trying to wet down eve

gadi schwartz has their stories. >> they're going to help us! >> reporter: for days, so many across los angeles faced off against apocalyptic wildfires. some homeowners defying the evacuation orders, choosing to protect their properties amid the hell scape. >> we need a water drop. >> we need a water drop. >> reporter: sprinklers, hoses, generators, pumps. some are preparing for round two. in wealthy enclaves, water trucks standing at the ready. right here we see one, two, three, four, five, five different water trucks. there's another three down the way. those in the evacuation zones to lived to tell the tale of how they saved their streets said they did what they could with high-pressured hoses. >> so we were in all of our neighbors' back yards and lugging our hoses around. >> reporter: in altadena, he saved two houses on his street with a garden hose. >> i caught on fire a couple times. >> reporter: you caught on fire? >> yes. so every once in a while i would just spray myself with the garden hose. just soak myself with the garden hose and co

gadi schwartz came across a homeowner trying to save his own house even before the firefighters arrived or the conditions got worse. are you worried about these winds? i mean, are you worried for your. for your life? this. well, my car is ready to go, so. got it. i'm. if this gets too bad, i'm out of here. but i'm just trying to tell the firefighters. get here, you know? do you think that the firefighters will be able to get here? we just saw a ladder truck working that area, and then they pulled back. it's. they're overworked. it's hard to tell, you know, but every little bit helps here, you know, very calm homeowner there. you're going to hear more from him coming up on nightly news with lester holt tonight right here at 630. we're going to move on to some other news now. walgreens is closing a dozen stores in san francisco. that means it will be harder for many to get prescriptions filled. not just san francisco. walgreens is shutting down 1200 locations across the country. nbc bay area's christie smith has the details. i shop here regularly, actually, probably once every couple of w

nbc's gadi schwartz spoke with rupert garcia as he searched for anything with meaning. we're just trying to find something. i mean, i don't care. like, my kids found a teacup, half a teacup, broke. she she was thrilled, you know? i mean, what else can we get? man. it's gone, bro. to the families who have been impacted by this disaster, you're living through a nightmare. i know. and i promise you, we're going to help you get through this and eventually recover and rebuild. today, president joe biden promised federal resources, including 400 additional federal firefighters and more than 30 aircraft. the federal government will cover 100% of the cost for 180 days. this is going to pay for things like debris and hazard material removal, temporary shelters, first responders, salaries, and all necessary measures to protect life and property. as families come back to see what's left of their neiborhoods, los angeles mayor karen bass is looking ahead at rebuilding. we are going to clear the red tape and unnecessary delays and cost and headaches that people experience in ordinar

gadi schwartz is in the fire zone to start our coverage. >> reporter: this area of altadena has become an absolute wasteland. you've got rows and ws of homes that have burned. you've got some homes that are still standing. but it's just a matter of time. this was the moment the sun rose over the fire raging above pasadena. but you'd never know it because the dawn disappeared in the smoke. again, you hear those explosions. so many of these homes, there is no hope. but against the odds and mother nature some stayed, doing everything they could to fight back. >> there are people still here trying to fight this fire with garden hoses. there is still water in this area. but with this much destruction it almost seems -- it almost seems futile. you were here fighting by yourself, right? >> yes. >> how long have you been out here? >> i've been out here since 4:00 a.m. >> 4:00 a.m. trying to protect your home. >> yes. >> you now have a full contingent of firefighters here. >> yes. >> it seems like it's right in the nick of time. >> reporter: they saved this home for now. >> i'm taking this. >>

gadi schwartz spent the day with people there. >> reporter: today in altadena, there are doorways, stairwaystryways into emptiness, and store fronts, portals and windows into ruin. from above, the loss is staggering. over 7,000 structures, homes and businesses destroyed. and for kim hood, the greenhouse facing the mountain wasn't just her dream home. it was what her parents passed down to her before they died. >> what was your reaction when you first saw it? >> tears. tears. my husband is like, okay, i thought you were cried out. apparently not. >> reporter: she shows us pictures of her family gathering around her fireplace for christmas, one of the only remnants left standing. juan perez puts the scope of destruction into heartbreaking perspective. >> it's all gone. all gone. i mean, my kids were born here, raised them here. 30 some years. we built this, and it's completely gone. not just me, the whole neighborhood is gone. there's thousands of us that don't know what we're going to do. don't know where we're going to go. >> there's nothing left, and i've been here for about an hour and a h

gadi schwartz has just arrived from the pacific palisades which was the biggest problem before. now, to the hollywood hills where the new fire has erupted there. just about an hour ago. we have been watching it on these helicopters which have been allow today fly tonight. what is the latest there? >> we see the helicopters above us. they are such a sign of relief. especially in the last few days. we haven't seen them flying. we got them flying over the hollywood hills now. we just pulled up. i'm not sure if this is going to work because i'm on my phone here. we will take a walk and see what we can see. these are all cars making their way down the hill. and we have the first tanker we have seen, that is the laugh factory over there. this is the cvs pharmacy. right here on crescent heights. so far, we haven't seen any flames up on the ridge. but we have seen flames over on the other side of the laugh factory. it is still quite a ways away. but you see the helicopters working up there. we will wait and hold on real fast here. and see if we can wait for this traffic to come through.

thank you so much, gadi schwartz for that.dible report walking down bourbon street as it reopens. nbc news's jay gray is joining us from new orleans. the sugar bowl is about to kickoff. this was a game that was supposed to happen yesterday. it was postponed. talk to us about the security changes and what you're hearing and seeing? >> yeah, yamiche, and very serious and extensive changes to the security plan and footprints surrounding the sugar bowl. you're right, game postponed yesterday, and so now it's going to kick off in less than an hour here. and what we have seen is an expanded perimeter around the super dome where the game is going to be played. stepped up personnel, federal agents as well as local and state police. you've got more bomb sniffing dogs, and you've got constant checks inside the stadium, and that's been going on since the attack, and will continue through the game. you've got personnel inside the stadium, many more officers than initially planned because of what's happened. i can tell you, there's been pu

nbc news correspondent gadi schwartz has just arrived from the pacific palisades, which was the biggest problem before now, to the hollywood hills, where the new fire has erupted there, just about an hour ago. we've been watching it on these helicopters, which have been allowed to fly tonight because the wind has dropped to the point where the helicopters can fly. what is the latest there? >> lawrence, we see those helicopters above us. they are such a sign of relief, especially in the last few days. we haven't been able to see them flying but we've got them flying over the hollywood hills right now. we just pulled up. i'm not sure if this is going to work because i'm on my phone right here. we're going to take a walk to see what we can see. again, we are starting to see hollywood point these are all cars making their way down the hill and we've got the first tanker that we've seen down here on hollywood boulevard. that was the last factory over there. this is volcanoes, cvs pharmacy. right here on crescent heights, so crescent heights going up. so far we haven't seen any flames up on t

. >>> but first, nbc's gadi schwartz brings us an upclose view of the carnage while driving through pacific palisades. >> wow. that is the pacific palisades presbyterian church. or what is left of it. those are the remnants of a beautiful church that used to be up on the hill there. and you see those concrete pillars. and those beams skyward. but that's about all you see. what makes it possible is unmatched connectivity and 5g solutions from t-mobile for business. t-mobile connects 100,000 delta airlines employees, powers tractor supply's stores nationwide with reliable 5g business internet, and partners with pga of america on game changing innovation. this is how business goes further with t-mobile for business. here's to getting better with age. here's to beating these two every thursday. help fuel today with boost high protein, complete nutrition you need, and the flavor you love. so, here's to now... now available: boost max! prilosec knows, for a fire... one fire extinguisher beats 10 buckets of water, and for zero heartburn 1 prilosec a day... beats taking up to 10 antacids a day. it'

we are trying to get my colleague, gadi schwartz, the shot up from los angeles. they're currently having a problem with his signal. as soon as we can get him we will bring them to you live. but right now i want to bring in our team from washington, d.c., resident-elect donald trump met with republican senators there about his agenda and the new senate majority leader john thune, he has a list ready. watch this. >> republicans in congress are hard at work repairing to address some key priorities for the budget reconciliation process. border security is one key part of providing for our national security. investing in our military is another. we are also going to invest in american energy dominance. other priorities, extending the tax relief that republicans delivered during the first trump administration. >> but republicans are split on how they're going to get it all done with a very slim majority in the house. meanwhile, donald trump himself is still fighting his own legal battles. his team is now asking the supreme court to block his sentencing in the new york

. >> my colleague gadi schwartz encountered multiple instances of people.you've heard about it, but people who've decided to defend their own houses. let me play that. >> but i'm just trying to tell the firefighters. get here. >> you know, you were here fighting by yourself, right? >> yes. how long have you been out here? i've been out here since 4 a.m. 4 a.m. trying to protect your home? yes, you. they come. we're going to help you. >> what's your response to people who feel that they need to stay? that they have no choice but to stay with their property? we do know that there are people who died, fire hose in hand. that is correct. >> and there's a couple of ways to think about this. it's risk versus reward. that's what we do all the time when we assess if we're able to go in and you know, and assist and help, what's the risk versus the reward if we're going to save a life and i'm not going to lose mine in the process, that's obvious. then we're in there. we're going to do that. these fire winds that came through, no, there were no match for what we have

nbc news correspondent gadi schwartz has more from los angeles county. >> reporter: this area of pasadena are still standing but it's just a matter of time. this was the moment the sun rose over the fire raging above pasadena. you would never know it because the dawn disappeared in the smoke. again, you hear those explosions. so many of these homes, there is no home. >> reporter: against the odds and mother nature, some staying doing whatever they can to fight back. >> there are people here trying to fight this fire with garden hoses, there is still water in this area, but with this much destruction, it almost seems -- it almost seems futile. you were here fighting by yourself, right? >> yes. >> reporter: how long have you been out here? >> i have been out here since 4:00 a.m. >> reporter: 4:00 a.m., trying to protect your home. you have a full contingent of firefighters, it seems like it's right in the nick of time. >> they saved this home for now. >> reporter: a scene that played out across the foothills of the angeles mountains to the palisades. and trying to make entrance, they're sma

ut >>> i want to bring in now i colleague, correspondent gadi schwartz.are seeing and hearing and if you have had any chance to hear or process or hear any response to the president's announcement that the federal government will cover 100% of the cost for 180 days for all firefighting and recovery. >> reporter: that is going to come as a sigh of relief to a lot of the people we have been talking to today, but communication is difficult in this area for the likelihood they know what is going on in the outside world right now is d very slim, however one thing we have been monitoring above, you see this is the first time we have seen the hills about alt edina, and yet that plume of smoke, that is burning in the direction of mount wilson. that is the newest concern in los angeles. it is the fire, the eaton fire, that has been moving up the h mountain and is now threatening mount wilson. that is where the main telecommunication infrastructure or most of the television stations and a lot of the radio stations and a lot of the critical firefighting iti meant co

my colleague gadi schwartz was out there on bourbon street and also putting them at the corner of where this before new year's eve. why this had to be done after 14 people were killed in that terrorist attack. also learning from the fbi that they now believes this somewhat of a lone wolf attack. ththey are w saying they the fbi now believes this is somewhat of a lone wolf attack. they do not think there are co- conspirators anymore. the investigation is fluid that they do not think there were other people in new orleans who helped him out to pull off the attack, now they are telling us there were two ied's, pipe bombs that were in coolers along bourbon street on one location or a few blocks ahead of where the terrorist attack ende