here's nbc's jacob rascone. >> reporter: northern california was hit first and hit hard. the storm toppling trees and power lines. causing accidents and four-hour flight delays at sfo. >> yes, we had to rebook the flight. >> in southern california -- >> the storm is really coming. it's coming. it's coming. >> reporter: this is more than just a storm for ed highline. the house can go. damage, severe lives are at stake here. yeah, it's a big deal. >> reporter: the last time a strong storm hit ed's home was buried. >> it took 14 days to clear the mud out of the back of the house and put mud up to the basketball court here. that was the last time. our concern is it could be worse this time. as the rain intensifies. >> reporter: right now, here it is. downed power lines closed the pacific coast highway. the usually dry los angeles river actually became one. just north in camarillo springs mud flows threatened crews from homes. east of los angeles in glendora, concrete rails and sandbags stand guard. >> it's safer to be away from your home than at your home. it's not the steady

>> jacob rascon in the little havana section of miami for us tonight. jacob, thanks. >>> there is breaking news tonight on this ongoing electronic attack on sony pictures. nbc news has confirmed the feds have determined who is to blame, and they are ready to name north korea as the instigators of this. the news comes as the studio has pulled out of the christmas day release of the film "the interview," the movie that sparked the threats of violence. nbc's joe friar in our l.a. newsroom tonight with late details. hey, joe. good evening. >> good evening, brian. u.s. officials tell nbc news the hacking attack originated outside north korea, but they believe the individuals behind it were acting on orders from the north koreans. one u.s. government source says we have found linkage to the north korean government. and today in the wake of all this, "the interview's" christmas release was canceled. >> it's not even a real story. >> reporter: after the country's biggest movie chains announced they would not be showing "the interview" next week, sony pictures de

tamron. >> all right, jacob rascon on the ground in columbia, mississippi, jacob, thank you. this storm continues to push across the country this christmas eve. slow going for a lot of last-minute travelers. nbc's ron mott is at new york's laguardia airport, ron, good evening. >> reporter: good evening to you. good things didn't necessarily come to those who waited until today to travel. fortunately aaa says a vast majority of americans drove to their destination. but folks trying to get out by air was a day of disruptions. look at the scene today earlier at laguardia. despite the heavy fog, you see low visibility and persistent rain. flight disruptions were pretty mellow, five dozen or so. but elsewhere across the country, especially out west, long lines. very long lines. weather at l.a.x. was not a factor, crowding was the issue there. take a look in living color at this misery map. you've seen this map before. there's a lot of green there, which is good. but there's also a lot of red, which means problems. we've seen big problems at chicago's o'hare, dallas-ft. worth and s

our report tonight from nbc's jacob rascon. >> reporter: it was almost inevitable the days of torrential rain would lead to this, the community of gilman hot springs partially buried in a sea of mud. >> crews are on scene right now cleaning up the mess. look at that white suv. >> reporter: so deep and so thick it took half a day for bulldozers to even reach this car. its driver, like dozens of others nearby, had to be rescued. >> there was just this huge like crash and the whole house shook. >> reporter: there were homes smothered by trees, children stuck on a bus who had to be carried away, and farm animals left without pasture. this storm system seen from space stretches nearly the entire west coast. it was all a surprise for the new england patriots as they prepared to play the san diego chargers on sunday tweeting, looking more like new england weather than san diego weather today. and in yosemite a milestone in a historic drought. yosemite falls starting to fall again. jacob rascon, nbc news, los angeles. >>> los angeles police say they're ready to investigate any allegations agains

jacob rascon, nbc news, los angeles. >>> today is known as cyber monday. it's become a major online shopping event in the country. but the numbers are expected to be down overall this year. about 127 million people expected to shop online by the end of the day. that's 4 million fewer than last year. buyers may be experiencing some sales fatigue. spending over the black friday weekend fell a projected 11% from last year. >>> with the conclusion of thanksgiving comes the end of one of the busiest travel weekends of the year. this year already everyone's worst fear has already come true at chicago's midway airport. the tsa line there had people backed up out of the airport terminal and into the parking garage. we get our report on all of it tonight from nbc's tom costello. >> reporter: the photos and videos from midway airport tell the story on the busiest air travel day in six years the security line stretched a mile long. some of the 30,000 passengers turned to social media. as a 20-plus year business traveler, this is the longest line i've ever seen. back

we'll get our report tonight from nbc's jacob rascon in glendora. >> reporter: northern california was hit first and hit hard. the storm toppling trees and power lines, causing accidents and four-hour flight delays at sfo. >> we did miss the first one but got on the second. >> reporter: in southern california -- >> the storm is really coming. it's coming. it's coming. >> reporter: -- this is more than just a storm. >> the house could go. damage, severe, lives are at stake here, yeah, it's a big deal. >> reporter: the last time a strong storm hit, ed's home was buried. >> it took 14 days to clear the mud out of the back of the house and from the basketball court up here. our concern is it could be worse this time as the rain >> reporter: up to six inches of rain are expected in the foothills in areas recently scorched by wildfires. >> those recent burn areas have denuded hillsides, and there's nothing to hold in the moisture and to hold the ground together. so we really could have a flash flood and a mud floe situation. >> reporter: downed power lines closed the pacific coast highway. t

>> jacob rascon live in the south land for us tonight. jacob, thanks. >>> we're back with a big announcement that could change the olympic games as we've come to know them. awe're back with a announcement that could change the olympic games as we've come to know them. nowe're back with announcement that could change the olympic games as we've come to know them. twe're back with a announcement that could change the olympic games as we've come to know them. hwe're back with a announcement that could change the olympic games as we've come to know them. erwe're back with g announcement that could change the olympic games as we've come to know them. we're back with a big announcement that could change the olympic games as we've come to know them. announcement that the olympic games as we've come to know them. could change the olympic games as we've come to know them. the olympic games as we've come to know them. to know them. to know them. >>> ralph baer has died. he had a big idea in 1966. and while rough at first, the invention he called "th

our report tonight from nbc's jacob rascon. >> reporter: imagine america without los angeles. in a report released today addresses the very real possibility that a long overdue massive earthquake would collapse the economy in the country's second largest city. >> those responsibilities have been shirked for far too long. that stops now. >> reporter: an 18-month study led by renowned seismologist recommended that building owners partially rebuild thousands of old structures. wood frame buildings like the one that killed 16 people in the north ridge quake in five years. older concrete buildings within 30. it's an idea jones told brian williams earlier this year is essential to the city's survival. >> how do we move from the los angeles now, which will have huge deaths in a local earthquake, potentially economic disruption in a lot of earthquakes, to a los angeles that can live and thrive through the earthquake? >> reporter: an ongoing nbc news investigation also found critical gaps in earthquake planning that could lead to system failures. first responders told nbc news not even

nbc's jacob rascon has more on their new warning for businesses. >> reporter: when hackers attack sonypictures, they left a message on company computers. hacked by gop or guardians of peace. >> guardians of peace created a facebook page just a few days ago. they have 12 likes on their facebook page. from a hacker community, they're considered a nonentity. >> reporter: in fact, the group is so unknown and has apparently made so many rookie hacker mistakes -- >> word on the hacker street is whoever is doing this doesn't know how to act like a real hacker. >> reporter: some cyber security analysts, like this man, who used to prosecute cyber crimes for the feds, says the sony attack could be the work of a disgruntled employee. >> the fact that he has a deencryption key suggests this is somebody on the inside. >> hello, north korea! >> reporter: a senior u.s. official tells nbc news north korea is suspect in the attack after it promised to retaliate if sony pictures released the comedy about a fictional plot to kim kim jong un. while north korea has not commented on the attack, analysts agr

jacob rascon is in houston with the latest.et me ask you any idea when the former president could be released? >> we have a better idea now than we've ever had since he got here nearly seven days ago. every day we get an update from the family spokesperson. every day we're told he's doing better. the latest update said his condition improve to the point that doctors were talking about discharge days. he would be here at least through the weekend. so today could be a possible release date. so could tomorrow. all we know they're talking about release dates. we know he got here on tuesday after he had trouble breathing. we know he's 90 years old. the oldest living former president. he suffers from a form ever parkingson's disease already which makes it difficult to walk and speak. he's had health scares before. he was here two years ago at the same time. but at that time he was here for two months with bronchitis. this time we're told his condition is far less serious. >> jacob rascon thank you very much. >>> the figures in. sony

jacob rascon is in california where crews are doing what they can to stop the damage. what is the latest there? >> tamron, hi. they've done this before. they know where the mud flows. they have miles of concrete barriers and, of course, sandbags and the city here the city gave away 18,000 sandbags in the last couple of days. in southern california, they're learning when they get the big wild fires like this, and the big rainfalls the potential for mud is so high it's happened before. they've lost homes before. so those in the foothill community near where it burned recently many have left their homes. you see the concrete barriers in front of their homes. and though it's not raining now it comes and goes in waves. we had a wave on sunday. we had a big wave yesterday. the biggest storm to hit southern california this year 8.5 inches in one area in the san bernardino mountains. any moment the fear is the mud could come or it could take day, months, or even longer to slide. >> all right jacob rascon, thank you very much for the update. >>> bill cosby is facing a new civil

nbc's jacob rascon is in houston with a new update. jacob, what's the latest?reporter: kate, good evening. once again a family spokesman says mr. bush remains "in high spirits and continues to make progress." but he will stay yet another night at houston methodist behind me. this will be his fourth night since being rushed here by ambulance on tuesday after having some trouble breathing. at 90 years old, he's the oldest living former president and suffers from parkinson's disease that makes it difficult for him to speak or walk. we're told he spent christmas day with family at the hospital as he did two years ago with bronchitis and a persistent cough. so, kate, he's doing well but not ready to go home just yet. >> good news. jacob, thank you. >>> tonight, we learned the name of a company recalled caramel apples after an outbreak of listeria that killed five people. and made nearly 30 others sick in ten states. it's the happy apples company of washington, missouri. the affected apples have a best used by date of november 23rd, consumers are being warned by the

jacob rascon is live in california. seems in california you either have too little or too much. >> well, you can't go, you can't get it right, for some reason, the officials here in glendora have done this before, preparing for the possible mud slides. they set up these concrete barriers and then, of course, the sandbags. the city alone handed out 18,000 sandbags in the last couple of days. they take this very seriously because they're one of the cities that is just below these foothills that have recently had wildfires. and they've come to learn when they have the wildfires, then they have the rain, the potential for the mud slide is huge. already in this storm we had yesterday, we saw record-breaking amounts of rain, more than 8 inches in one area in the san bernardino mountains. we had flash flooding there. and then down in the foothills where we had it a little bit better. we're still worried about another wave of rain that's coming later today. in all, we've had a wave on sunday, a wave yesterday, and then another

our jacob rascon is outside the hospital in houston with more. jacob, good evening. >> reporter: lester good evening. that encouraging news his breathing has returned to normal that according to a family spokesman who's given positive updates every night. yet the former president remains hospitalized. this will be his seventh night as houston methodist. the oldest living former president suffers from a form of parkinson's disease that makes it difficult for him to speak and walk. two years ago he was here for two months at the same hospital suffering from bronchitis and a persistent cough. important to note in that case we didn't learn the details of just how serious the illness was until after the former president left the hospital. lester. >> jacob, thanks for the update. >>> still ahead tonight, the reason why the president of the united states is apologizing to a pair of newlyweds. also a kangaroo in a kitchen, otters in the pool and the family who lives with them all. hey! guess what day it is?? >>hump day! hummmp daaay! it's hump day! >>yeah

jacob rascon, thank you. >>> detainees sent back to afghanistan.epartment of defense announced the transfer this morning. all three were approved by the guantanamo task force. 132 detainees remember. >>> upcoming changes at the irs may help tax cheats get away with it. we'll look into that. >>> we go inside what looks like an ordinary tavern to find a magical holiday splendor. s? ... ... get cascade complete. one pac cleans better than six pacs of the bargain brand combined. cascade. now that's clean. which means it's timeson for the volkswagen sign-then-drive event. for practically just your signature, you could drive home for the holidays in a german-engineered volkswagen. like the sporty, advanced new jetta... and the 2015 motor trend car of the year all-new golf. if you're wishing for a new volkswagen this season... just about all you need is a finely tuned... pen. get zero due at signing, zero down, zero deposit, and zero first month's payment on select new volkswagen models. that's all i crave.e that's where this comes in. only nicorette gum

and thank you, jacob rascon.ishing and that is the good news. we look at the joplin radar and we will sew you the can concern. this is from the florida panhandle up through georgia and southern portion of south carolina. you can see the squall lines breaking up, which is a good sign as it passes i-95,r it is breaking apart, and clearing on the back edge. a much quieter evening than they have had a day. here is the storm tracker and you can see that it is rain soaked up and down the east coast. we are talking about the drenching rains from virginia beach, washington, new york, and boston and the heaviest rain is still to come for this evening. on the back edge of the system, it is not without the problems in the ohio valley dealing with the rain and the thunderstorms, but we have snow coming down through wisconsin and chicago could get in on some of that by later in the evening, but not a whole lot, because the system is more about the rain. that is because we have mild temperatures with all of the gulf moisture c

nbc's jacob rascon is in glendora, east of los angeles. the second strongest storm to hit southern california this year. with another wave of rain, we are expecting it could be the strongest system the area has seen in many years. we have already had mud flows in the mountains. more than 6 inches in one area. we've seen massive preparations of what they take very seriously here. all of the sandbags. people have lost homes here, especially those who live in the foothill communities near where there have been area that is have recently burned. the rain is expected later today so they are getting ready today. >> jacob rascon in glendora, california. thank you. >>> two schools are closed in knoxville, tennessee, this morning after a tragic crash leaving three dead and more than 20 injured. nbc's kerry sanders hat story. >> reporter: it's a parent's worst nightmare. an accident the tennessee highway patrol troopers have yet to fully piece together. what they do know is one school bus was headed east on the rain-slicked road when, without explan

. >> jacob rascon there in houston, texas.ews keeps coming out about north korea with the governments agreeing to share activities and after this weekend's harsh words for president obama, we reached out to a man who knows that country well. the ambassador to the united nation, bill richardson. you pay your auto insurance premium every month on the dot. you're like the poster child for paying on time. and then one day you tap the bumper of a station wagon. no big deal... until your insurance company jacks up your rates. you freak out. what good is having insurance if you get punished for using it? hey insurance companies, news flash. nobody's perfect. for drivers with accident forgiveness, liberty mutual won't raise your rates due to your first accident. see car insurance in a whole new light. liberty mutual insurance. . >> we are back for the search in flight 8501. it has been nearly 48 hours since it vanished with 162 performs and crew on board. an official said it is likely at the bottom of the sea. with towering thundersto

. >> joining ne now from havana, cuba, is nbc news correspondent jac jacob rascon. what has been the shift there? >> reporter: it's very interesting. unlike in the united states, there is no real controversy here. they don't really want to talk about the political consequences of what's happening. some are afraid to talk, in fact, on camera about that in fear of retaliation there. what thaw do care about is how the changes will affect their day-to-day lives. and in general the people we talk to from all levels of society are optimistic this is a step in the right direction. they're optimistic more tourism, more clients for the taxis. they may change and get a better phone. they may get better food or parts for their cars. if you've ever been to cuba, the cars are so old, from prerevolution times. a lot of car makers have to go to great lengths the to get their car parts. they're very excited about the possibility of getting them directly from the united states. another thing people are talking about is baseball and ballet. they're very ambitious here in their baseba

jacob rascon has an update on the condition. we have heard better news every day leading into the weekend. >> reporter: doctors say he's doing as well as he's ever been doing at the hospital during this stay. he's been here six days. every day we get an update. this one says his condition improved to the point doctors are discussing dates for discharge. they say he will stay here through the weekend. safe to say bush 41 will be going home soon. they say he's doing much better this time around than two christmases ago a when he was here at houston methodist for two months suffering from bronchitis and a cough. we know he's the oldest living former president. he suffers a form of parkinson's disease that makes it difficult to walk or speak. he's had health scares before. in recent months and years he's been active. he was at a book signing. at a coin toss. he's gone sky diving for his birthday last summer. last tuesday he had trouble breathing and was taken here. he'll be headed home soon. richard? >> he's a tough world war ii pil

>> jacob rascon in glendora, california.ng after a tragic crash leaving three dead and more than 20 injured. kerry sanders has the story. >> reporter: it's a parent's worst nightmare. an accident the tennessee highway patrol troopers have yet to fully piece together. what they do know is one school bus was headed east on the rain-slicked road when, without explanation, it crossed the median and right into oncoming traffic, hitting another school bus on the other side of the road. in all, 27 passengers, some in kindergarten, were thrown violently from their seats, including fifth grader joy rayman. >> oh, my gosh. i was scared. everybody was screaming. we have to get out, we have to get out! >> two students and a school aide died in the crash. >> we just ask the community to pray for -- for the loss of life. >> the school bus in knoxville are like those in most states. they have no seat belts. the national transportation safety board is helping the tennessee highway patrol investigate the accident this morning while awaiting

joining from us houston, nbc news correspondent, jacob rascon. is the former president baggagepresident doing this morning? >> reporter: his breathing has returned to normal the most encouraging news yet. important to note we get positive updates every night on the former president. he got here last tuesday, as you said. having some trouble breathing. but he remains hospitalized as now his seventh night at houston methodist. and also important to note he's been here before. two years ago. and we only learned how serious the condition really was after he left. so very well may be he'll go home sometime in the next couple days, and we'll learn just how bad it really was. only after he gets home. >> jacob rascon thank you very much. >>> coming up debunking new years resolutions. a far better way to focus our energy over the next 365 days. we'll be right back with that. >>> welcome back everyone. breaking news overnight on airasia flightel 051. debris from the passenger jet was found in the java sea. and a spokesman for indonesia's navy tells reuters

nbc's jacob rascon is there. >> reporter: hey there, craig. the political consequences of the u.s., cuba relationship is is not what people want to talk about. they want to know how will changes improve my daily life in ways most americans take for granted. life in cuba has not suddenly changed but if better life is a door, cubans believe they were just handed a key. >> the best. >> reporter: the promise of a new relationship between cuba and the u.s. gives new meaning to field of dreams. 20 cubans already play major league ball. to join, they had to defect because of u.s. sanctions. cuban star wants to play for the yankees. the goal is always to play at the highest level, and the whole world knows the highest level is in the u.s. cuban ballet is no different. producing some of the world's finest ballerinas, with similar american ambitions, and potentially a path. on the streets, the dream is more basic. >> all the people of havana seem to care about is how will the changes improve my day-to-day life, from the food they eat to phones they carr

here's nbc's jacob rascon. >> reporter: there must be a lot to think about when you are just starting his eyes. he had these big brown eyes that spoke to me. >> reporter: for vaughan's mother, devonn, it was an easy choice. >> i knew the moment we saw that pick he was our son. >> reporter: yet, he was in serbia. >> he was in serbio. >> reporter: so to serbia, they went. >> laying our eyes on him, it was surreal. it was very emotional, to finally be able to hold him. >> reporter: the family was complete and for his two brothers, it was play time, but for obvious reasons, progress was slow. >> kiss your baby. >> he didn't talk. he couldn't roll over to get around places. he couldn't sit up. he couldn't chew his food. >> then the boy without limbs met a specialist, his prognosis is hopeless. >> don't ever expect him to sit up, don't ever expect to movele around. i picked him up and said, all right, we are never coming back here again. >> they never did. the last laugh would belong to bo. >> he's funny, he's the lowest maintenance of our three kids. >> on a daily basis, we are living life

nbc's jacob rascon is live with the latest on mr. bush's condition. how is he doing? >> reporter: good morning, betty. we are told he is doing well. not well enough to leave the hospital. he is going on the fifth day at houston methodist after he was rushed here by ambulance on tuesday after he had trouble breathing. he is the oldest living former president. he suffers from a form of parkinson's disease that makes it difficult for him to speak or walk. in recent months, he has been active and sky diving on his 90th birthday and several other public appearances as well. we are told he spent christmas day with family at the hospital. he did the same thing two christmases ago when we were told the condition was more serious. the person we spoke with says he is in good spirits, but not well enough to leave the hospital. betty. >> thank you, jacob. >>> so far, so good for a lab technician possibly exposed to ebola. the cdc says he is doing well and will be monitored for 21 days. he is troubled by the latest incident. the cdc does insist the risk is low. >>> if you are wond

nbc's jacob rascon is in houston and join us with the very latest on his condition. jake jacob? >> reporter: sheinelle, good morning, the former president is going on his fourth day at the hospital. he had a quote, terrific christmas day. tuesday he suffered what was being described as a shortness of breath and was taken by ambulance to the hospital. bush 4 is the oldest living president. although parkinson's disease make it is difficult for him to speak and walk he has remained active even skydiving on his 90th birthday. he was also at houston methodist two years ago, suffering from bronchitis and a persistent cough. that time he was here for two months this time around we're told his health scare is not that serious. sheinelle? >> we certainly wish him the best. jacob rascon thank you. >>> the president and first lady visited a nearby marine base. thanking the men and women for their service and saying that afghanistan has a chance to rebuild thanks to their service. by next week they plan to pull out most of the troops. >>> starting in january, customers can order large fries

jacob rascon, nbc news, dallas. >> oh, my gosh.have pictures of kids crying with santa. >> my nephew, just tears. >> it's a rite of passage. and apparently so, because a lot of people are sharing their santa fail pictures at today.com. carson has been checking them out for us. >> it's better than when they turn out good. they're just fun. take a look at laura, sent this one in. kid's kind of mimicking santa there, not too happy. lindsay, the kids throughout the year, not bad, a little trouble at the bottom, but we all have these. they're classic. look at zane here. this is mary's son. throwing a fit on the ground. >> nothing to do with it. >> santa's like, listen, i tried, what do you want me to do. here is erin's girls, the closest they're getting to santa. santa a little lonely. keep those great pictures coming, #orangeroom, we'll put them up for you. back to you. >> i think it's just, it's a stranger. even though it's santa -- >> and he's big. >> he's big. >> but he loves you and he's keeping track with the elf. thanks, carson.

nbc news correspondent jacob rascon has more.an says his condition improved to the point that doctors are talking about dates from the discharge. this is a six-day at houston methodist. every day we get an update saying he is improving and making progress but never to the point they talk about letting him go. at 90 years old, the oldest living former president. we know he suffers from a form of park inson's disease that makes it difficult for him to speak. he's had health scares before. it was two christmases ago he spent two months at houston methodist suffering from bronchitis and persistent cough. this time around it was on tuesday he was taken by ambulance to the hospital after he had some trouble breathing. we're told he spent christmas week with family at the hospital. those family members no doubt are relieved at this latest news. >> jacob, i'm sure they are hoping he will be with the family for the end of 2014 and start of 2015, jacob rascon thank you. we want to bring you the latest on the breaking news we've been coveri

nbc's jacob rascon has the story. >> reporter: when hackers attacked sony pictures, they left a messagecompany computers, hacked by gop or guardians of peace. >> guardians of peace created a facebook page a few days ago. they have 12 likes on their facebook page. from a hacker perspective they're a nonentity. >> word on the hacker street is whoever is doing this doesn't know how to act like a real hacker. >> reporter: some cyber security analysts, who used to prosecute cyber crime for the feds, say the sony attack could be the work of a disgruntled employee. >> the fact that they have a deenkripgs key and what amounts to administrative privileges suggests that this is not north korea doing this but somebody on the inside. >> hello, north korea! >> reporter: a senior u.s. official tells nbc news north korea is a suspect after promising to retaliate if they released "the interview" about a fictional plot to kill kim jong un. >> you want us to kill the leader of north korea? >> yes. >> what? >> north korea has not commented, but say the country is capable. >> they have the capability with

here's nbc's jacob rascon. >> the cia would love it if you two could take him out. >> reporter: whenhe trailer for the comedy "the interview" came out -- >> you want us to kill the leader of north korea? >> yes. >> what? >> reporter: north korea called the movie an act of war. now sony pictures, the studio behind the film, has been hacked, and studio criteria recode, which partners with nbc reports -- >> they are actively investigating the possibility that north korea may have been behind it. >> reporter: the attack has reportedly crippled sony's computer network. >> they have told employees internally they may not have their internal systems working for as much as three weeks. >> reporter: hackers also leaked five sony movies online, four of which have not been released. sony said, the theft of sony pictures entertainment content is a criminal matter and we are working closely with law enforcement to address it. the fbi has now joined the investigation. meanwhile, seth rogen, who stars in and co produced the film, defends the satire on twitter saying i personally don't care if it's

jacob jacob rascone is in california. >> it's been dry.3:00 our time it was raining still and we have a lull and it's coming back. even as it was lulling here it was still going in the mountains. i they got more than 8 inches in the last 24 hours. this storm is already the strongest storm to hit southern california all year. with the rain we're expecting later today it may turn out to be the strongest system to hit the area in many years. >> what is next then? what can we expect as far as rain in the next days or even weeks? >> yeah so today in southern california we're expecting another wave part of the same system that hit yesterday. most will probably hit south near los angeles near san diego. they've had a ton of wild fires so the threat is huge there. you mention the drought earlier. this -- as much rain as we're getting and everyone hope it is will do -- meteorologists say it will take so much more than that a couple of strong storms to make any significant difference. we're hardly going to be able to tell. the real difference in the

joining us now, jacob rascone live in glendora, california. >> reporter: good morning, they have learnedve wildfire and a big rain, that mud from these scorched hillsides can easily come down in the communities. it rapid recently and they're ready for round two. it's what many in california have come to expect when it finally does rain a decent amount, it does this, more than six inches fell tuesday near forest falls in southern california. sand across the state, many daily rainfall records washed away. some set more than a half century ago. >> as you have seen, mother nature is very unpredictable here. >> reporter: many southern california city versus done this before. >> the fact of the matter is when the mountain does cut loose, will you not be able to get out then. you will be struck and stranded. it will be difficult for us to get to you. >> reporter: in the city where they haven't finished cleaning up after the last storm. >> it's extreme. we have mandatory evacuations. >> sand is tear best friend. hundreds of flights delayed, power lost, including at bob hope airport in bur bank.

nbc's jacob rascon is in houston with the very latest. jacob, good morning. >> reporter: sheinelle, good morning. that improvement in his breathing, best news from doctors yet. despite the daily updates, the former president remains hospitalized. last night was his seventh night at houston methodist. he was taken here by ambulance as a precaution last tuesday, after he had some trouble breathing. important to note that if the past is any indication, we may only learn just how serious the 90-year-old, oldest former president's condition really is after he gets home from the hospital. sheinelle? >> thank you, jacob. >>> italian officials still can't say how many more people may be missing from a greek ferry that caught fire off the coast of albania. dozens of other names are on the ship's manifest and some of the survivors aren't included on that list suggesting they may have been traveling illegally. >>> now to a dramatic rescue in phoenix. firefighters were called to the crash scene where they found an suv in a canal. it was on its side in

jacob rascon is joining us. jacob?he's going on his fifth day behind me and he's not well enough to release. the family says that president bush is in high spirits and continues to make progress but will stay in the hospital overnight. we imagine he's been surrounded by family the entire time. we know that on christmas day the family's statement said that he was with his wife, son and other family members in the hospital as well. the statement said he's receiving well weishes from family and friends and every day americans from across the country. mr. bush is 90 years old. he's the oldest living president. he has a number of conditions that we know of. he suffers from a form of parkinson's disease which makes it difficult to speak or walk. we know that he's confined to a wheelchair or motor scooter. he's made public appearances at a book signing with bush 43. we also know that he went skydiving. at 90 years old, it was something, of course, to watch. and he did very well there. other public appearances include, as i sa

jacob rascon joins us with the very latest. >> reporter: doctors have not decided yet but they are now talking of when to discharge the former president, the most optimistic they've been since tuesday when he had trouble breathing and was taken here by ambulance as a precaution. at 90 he is the oldest living former president, suffers from parkinson's disease. he spent two months at the same hospital last year at this time suffering from bronk sbiets a persistent cough. this time around his condition, we're told is far less serious. going on seven days in the hospital. as we now know he will be going home very soon. sheinelle? >> that will be very good news. thank you, jacob. >> putting republicans on notice saying he expects to use his veto pen more often in 2015. with republicans set to control both chambers of congress republicans will have more obstacles passing legislation he doesn't like. >>> after a deadly three-alarm fire near san antonio, five people were killed ten others injured after the fire broke out sunday morning. residents are not required to check in or out. the cause

jacob rascon is in houston and joins us with the latest. >> reporter: good morning. the former president is going on his fourth day at houston methodist. there is good news. a spokesperson says she doing well and in good spirits and had a terrific christmas day. on tuesday he suffered what is described as shortness of breath and was taken to the hospital. bush 41 is the oldest living president and though parkinson's makes it difficult for him to speak and walk he has been active, even sky diving last summer. he was also at houston methodist suffering from a persistent cough. he was here for two months. this time we're told his health scare is less serious. >> we wish him the best. thank you. >>> the president and first lady took a break from their vacation to visit with troops celebrating christmas at a marine base. president obama thanked the men and women and said afghanistan has a chance to rebuild because of their sacrifices. this marks the 13th year soldiers have been on the ground. there by next week the u.s. expects to pull out most of the troops. >>> big news

jacob rascon is in houston with the latest. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. doctors seem more optimistic on the former president's condition, talking about dates for discharge. he got here tuesday by ambulance as a precaution after he had trouble breathing. he is the oldest living former president and as we know suffers from a form of parkinson's disease and had health scares before. two years ago he was hear. we're told this time around his condition is less serious, now going on seven days in the hospital. and as we're told he could be going home very soon. >> thank you. president obama putting republicans on notice this morning saying he expects to use his veto pen more often. the president hasn't vetoed many bills since taking office in 2009, only twice. but with republicans set to control both chambers of congress, republicans will have fewer obstacles sending president obama legislation he doesn't like. in texas fire officials say not all the residents of a senior living apartment building have been accounted for. after a deadly three-alarm fire near sa