i'm phillip mena. >> i'm francis rivera. an outage created a travel might mare ahead of the holiday rush. electricity went out around 1:00 p.m. after a fire damaged. >> over the course of 11 hours to the cheers of weary passengers. more than 1,300 flights were cancelled or delayed with more backups expected to ripple into today. >> reporter: a massive power outage at the world's business jest airport. >> we're all finding out what's to do next. >> arriving planes were held at the point of departure. some arriving passengers were stuck on the tar mac while others said finding flight information was a struggle. >> we haven't got an e-mail or a text. >> the system is down. this is a mess. >> the power outage came at the start of a busy travel season. u.s. air carriers are expected to fly 15 million passengers between now and january 15th. >> santa claus came around. >> a lighter mood for passengers who can do little but wait. >> now to the massive fire consuming southern california. since it broke out two weeks ago the thomas f

thanks for waking up with us, i'm phillip mena. >> i'm frances rivera.you with the newest arrivals. the first modern tiger cubs to be born at the park. your news continues right here. >>> this morning tens of thousands of travelers impacted by a power outage at the world's busiest airport will get another shot at getting to their destinations. >> donald trump returns from camp david to face a mountain of controversy surrounding the latest mueller e-mail bombshell. ahead of what might be the biggest moment of his presidency. >> and ailing senator john mccain is whisked to his home state of arizona. we'll have the latest on his condition. >> when harry met barak, what happened when these two sat down for a candid conversation. >> inside this nondescript brick building, the magic and wonder of christmas with one of santa's busiest helpers. "early today" starts right now. >> good morning, i'm phillip mena. >> i'm frances rivera. power at the world's busiest airport has been fully restored

i'm phillip mena. >> i'm frances rivera. it has been 217 days since donald trump became the nation's 45th president and the russia investigation is still front and center. the white house is now in damage control after a weekend that saw the president weighing in on friday's news that former national security advisor michael flynn pled guilty to lying to the fbi. at one moment mr. trump insisted he's not worried about what flynn might tell investigators. well, and another tweeting about the reason he fired flynn. he knew flynn lied when he asked director james comey to drop the russia probe. >> now they are cleaning it up saying the president wasn't the one who tweeted after all. >> reporter: the president's outside counsel saying he tweeted this tweet to an aide saturday. i had to fire general flynn because he lied to the fbi and the vice-president. the president knew his former national security advisor michael flynn lied to the fbi and then asked fbi director james comey to go easy on flynn. dowd telling nbc news he's res

i'm phillip mena. many of you may have gotten your wish for a white christmas. after a winter weather alert was put into effect for some 55 million americans blanketing parts of the country in snow as santa continues to make his way around the globe. from illinois to ohio, massachusetts to indiana, americans will wake up to find their own little christmas gift left by mother nature herself. it swept through chicago on sunday. bears fans found some warmth in the bleachers and a win and over the browns. while it may make for a nice cocoa morning, it's also likely to make for a treacherous commute for those of you getting ready to hit the road. this year's white christmas, good morning, bonnie. >>> snow over the ground in idaho, parts of the west coast all the way to new england. that's where it's snowing at this hour. we have advisories for heavy snow in that part of the country. we're looking for substantial snow but not along the coast. new york, philadelphia just seeing rain. if you're traveling, though are trouble spots to keep in mind. we're also looking at s

. >> i'm phillip mena. >> i'm frances rivera. it's been 217 days since donald trump became the 45th president. the russian investigation is still front and center. the white house is on damage control after a weekend that saw the president weighing in on friday's news that former national security adviser, mike flynn pled guilty to lying to the fbi. at one time, president trump said he's not concerned, then tweeted why he fired flynn. it suggests he knew flynn lyed to the fbi. >> they are trying to clean it up saying it wasn't the president who authored that tweet after all. we have more from kristen welker. >> reporter: damage control. john doud saying he dictated this tweet sent to an aide. i had to fire mike flynn because he lied to the fbi. it implied he knew the former national security adviserer, michael flynn, lied to the fbi, then asked comey to go easy on flynn. dowd saying he is responsible and the president did not know flynn lied to the fbi when he fired him. dowd adding, i'm out of the tweeting business. i did not me

i'm phillip mena. for those of you who wished for a white christmas this morning, well, many of you may have gotten your wish. after a winter weather alert was put into effect for some 55 million americans, blanketing parts of the country in snow as santa continues to make his way around the globe. from illinois to ohio, massachusetts to indiana, americans will wake up this morning to find their own little christmas gift left by mother nature herself. it even hit chicago as bears fans tried to celebrate and tried to find warmth in the bleachers as well as victory. while it may make for some nice cozy mornings of opening gifts and drinking hot cocoa, it is likely to make for a treasury rust commute for those just now getting ready to hit the road. let's go to meteorologist bonnie schneider for more on that winter weather advisory and this year's white christmas. good morning, bonnie, happy holidays. >> happy holidays to you as well, phillip. if you're where you need to be for this christmas morning, no

i'm phillip mena. >> i'm frances rivera. >> the wildfires burning across southern california are showing no signs of dying down any time soon. six major fires are scorching well over 140,000 acres. some 500 structures have been destroyed and hundred of thousands have been forced to flee their homes. the state offices of emergency services issued its widest ever text alert warning millions of extreme fire conditions as ferocious santa ana winds continued fueling those flames. >> governor ch jerry brown is now calling on president trump to declare a federal emergency in the state. the governor also just declared a state of emergency for san diego. that's where the lilac fire exploded to over 4,000 acres in just a few hours, burning down at least hundreds of trailer homes in a retirement community. dozens of horses at an elite training center also died as hundreds of others sprinted from the flames. red flag warnings have been extended to sunday, due to dangerous wind conditions, making a difficult fight for more than 5,000 firefighters there working around the clock to fight and control th

i'm phillip mena. >> i'm frances rivera. fire fighters are entering an eighth day of fires raging across southern california. fire officials say six wind whipped fires covering more than 250,000 acres have destroyed more than 800 homes and structures. 100,000 people have been forced to evacuate. the largest blaze, the thomas fire in santa barbara and ventura counties, is causing power surges and temporary outages for tens of thousands of customers. and the inferno is triggering new evacuation orders. >> among those in the line of danger, talk show host ellen degeneres who tweeted her home is under evacuation and had to take her pets. dan has the latest from the ground. >> reporter: the thomas fire, the biggest in southern california, is still on the move. >> over of the last 12 to 14 hours we experienced extreme fire behavior. >> reporter: a new flare-up in santa barbara county, more than 100,000 residents under evacuation orders. perfect for wildfires. >> we're in december. the vegetation is as dry as it's ever been. you kn

i'm frances rivera. >> and i'm phillip mena.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

i'm phillip mena. >> i'm frances rivera. on nbc and our nbc stations. have a great one. it )s wednesday, december 13th and it )s chilly outside. a live look at christmas in the park in san jose >>> good wednesday morning to you, it is december 13. a live look right now at christmas in the park there in downtown san jose. puts you in the christmas spirit, every time. good morning, thank you for joining us, i'm marcus washington. >> i'm laura garcia. it is another cold one out there. >> trying to thaw out this morning and get moving, you have to wear extra layers. it is a really cold start. as you get a look at what you are feeling, fairfield takes the top spot right now, 28 degrees. the cold spot. 39 degrees in palo

i'm phillip mena. thanks for starting your day with us.e city by the bay slowly it's december 28th and we're just counting down to the end of the year. a live look at the bay bridge. the city by the bay. we are slowing easing into our thursday morning. thanks for joining us, i'm laura garcia. >> and i'm marcus washington. another cold one. >> yeah, it is cold again. it's pretty much the same story, different day, and the last thursday of the year we start out with some below freezing temperatures in starts of the north bay, while most of the bay area is just above freezing for the inland valleys. we have 42 degrees right now in san jose and oakland, 44 degrees in san francisco, our highs back into the low to mid 60s for the interior valleys, and upper 50s for the coast. so we will take a look he

i'm phillip mena. >> and i'm richard lui, in for frances rivera. we begin today with tragedy out of new york city. 12 people dead including several children after a massive fire ripped through a five story apartment building in the bronx. four others were critically injured. now fighting for their lives. authorities now say this is the city's worst fire in terms of loss of life in a quarter century. here's nbc new york's ray have i era with the latest. >> reporter: when firefighters arrived around 7:00 thursday night, they were met with a chaotic scene near prospect avenue. nearly a dozen people on the fire scape and when they worked their way inside they were met with heartache, people dead inside, several units including a person found dead inside the bathtub. while it's too early to tell what the cause of this fire is, the heart break is starting to set in. the fire started on the first floor and authorities say it worked its way up like a chimney to all five floors, killing 12 people in its path. the youngest victim, a one-year-old. >> i saw pe

. >> and i'm phillip mena. it was a christmas for the record books. and after all was said and done, it may not be the presents under the tree but the view outside of your window after mother nature pounded parts of the country with a wintry mix of snow and ice, making for beautiful white christmas in some areas while threatening others with an arctic blast rarely seen. erie, pennsylvania shattered its old record when they received over a foot of the white stuff. the usually wet pacific northwest, areas like portland, oregon and seattle got their own blanket of white, stranding some drivers. chicago saw a mix of ice and snow making for brisk holiday festivities, while leaving airports almost unscathed. >> and the snow band continued throughout the midwest. here you can see incredible time lapse video coming off lake superior with the water temperature warmer than the frigid air, while the northeast getting the brunt of the storm. a blizzard warning was in effect. bands of snow producing 1 to 3 inches of snow in some areas with strong winds blowing gus

good morning, i'm phillip mena. >> i'm frances rivera. right now a series of wildfires whipped by powerful winds is blazing across the southern california. the state of teenage has been declared in ventura county. the sight of the first and largest blaze now charring almost 60,000 acres and growing. the fast-moving inferno has forced tens of thousands to evacuate the area while hundreds of animals are caught in the fire's path. nbc's jay gray has more from the ground. >> reporter: the fire fight continues overnight. the smoke an orange glow in the california hills, a clear indication mother nature is still winning the battle here. >> it continues to challenge us. our fire is over 50,000 acres and still growing. we have a mandatory evacuation in the areas around the entire fire. >> reporter: tens of thousands of rushed to safety including john and letha who were able to save their pets, but little else. >> our whole lives were wrapped up in that house. everything -- it's all gone, everything. >> reporter: entire communities have been swall

. >> and i'm phillip mena. an undocumented mexican immigrant lamb pasted by then candidate donald trump was found not guilty of murder. it is a case that garnered national attention during last year's presidential election. a jury acquitted jose zarate in the shooting death of 33-year-old kate steinle. authorities say zarate who had been deported five times prior fired the gun on a busy san francisco pier in july of 2015. the bullet ricocheted off a kick kreet rock way striking steinle in the back. prosecutors argued zarate found the stolen gun and deliberately shot it in what they call his own personal game of russian roulette. zarate's lawyers said the gun went off accidentally. >> the verdict drew outcry from conservatives calling into question sanctuary city policies. president trump called it disgraceful, tweeting no wonder our country is so angry over illegal immigration. he called zarate an animal as a stunt for a stronger border including a wall. lawyers for zarate said their client's immigration status

i'm phillip mena. >> i'm frances rivera. a southern california remains under siege from five massive wind whipped wildfires. fire fighters are now entering an eighth day of battling the thomas fire. it is the largest blaze in ventura and santa barbara counties, now scorching 230,000 acres and is only 10% contained. one official calling it the most taxing fire he has ever seen. ferocious santa ana winds continue driving the flames triggering power surges and temporary outages for tens of thousands of customers. the thomas fire is now the 5th largest wildfire in the state's modern history. nbc's kristen dahlgren has more from the ground. >> reporter: in the hills above carpenteria, luis contreras is on edge. >> highway 150 is way below, three quarters of a mile and just -- >> reporter: watching the fire rush toward his home and avocado groves as fire fighters try to slow the relentless spread. >> if a wind comes it is going to kill this in ten minutes. >> reporter: from the air a constant assault. choppers lining up to grab wa

. >> and i'm phillip mena. we begin with breaking news out of australia in what police are describing as a deliberate act. at least 14 people including a child have been rushed to the hospital after a car plowed into pedestrians. witnesses describe the bodies flying everywhere after a white suv sped into a busy intersection, mowing down several people. we can report at least two men, the driver included, have been arrested. police are asking witnesses to come forward with any information, videos, or images of the incident. people on the scene have described this horrific scene as a deliberate one, although australian police have not given any possible motive. >>> back at home, republicans in washington are in the holiday spirit this morning. a triumphant president and gop taking to the white house to revel in their biggest legislative accomplishment to date. passing that $1.5 trillion tax cut package. >> it will be an incredible christmas gift for hardworking americans. i said i wanted to have it done before ch

i'm phillip mena here at msnbc world headquarters in new york. here is what we're watching. early arctic cold weather is setting meteorological weather and contribute to go influenza outbreaks. 36 states reported widespread flu activity. those in red and orange report a high number of cases. the outbreak could be worse since many people don't go to the doctor for treatment. >>> two massive lotteries are still up for grabs. tuesday's jackpot will soar to

. >> and i'm phillip mena. it was a christmas for the record books. and after all was said and done it may not be the presents under the tree but the view outside of your window after mother nature pounded parts of the country with a wintry mix of snow and ice, making forchristmas in some areas while arctic blast rarely seen.nnsylvania shacord when they received over a foot of the white stuff. wet pacific portland, oregon and seattle got their blanket of white, stranding some drivers. chicago saw a mix of ice and snow making for brisk holiday festivities, while leaving the snow band continued throughout the midwe can see incredible time lapse vidff st frige storm. a blizzard warning was in effect. bands of snow producing 1 to 3 inches of snow in some areas with strong winds blowing gusts of up to 55 miles per hour. and it does not look to be letting up any time soon with the wintry setup looking to produce a mess of ice and snow in parts of the south and northeast. who is at fault? none other than meteorologist bonnie schneider. your fault, my friend.

i'm phillip mena. the bitter cold is still biting many parts of the country. millions are facing subzero wind chills from chicago to boston. in international falls, minnesota, the self-proclaimed icebox of the nation, they hit a new record low. 37 degrees below zero. and forecasters are now warning people to be on the lookout for signs of hypothermia and frostbite if they venture outside. >>> and in erie, pennsylvania mammoth piles of snow remain the big story there. with a record 5 1/2 feet falling in just four days. nbc's ron allen is there with more on how that city is coping. >> reporter: more snow fell on erie, pennsylvania. all hands on deck at the emergency center, struggling to clear roads and keep residents safe. >> have you seen anything like this? >> not really. >> reporter: county exec. kathy dahlkemper called for help. even the national guard. you haven't had a break. >> we haven't had a break since really christmas eve. >> reporter: guard troops helped dig out this senior center. the exits blocked by snow. >> now, god forbid, in the event of an e

i'm phillip mena. the folks at norad >>> a white christmas?morning. so will santa leave behind a snowy christmas morning? we'll tell you who will wake up to a winter wonderland. last minute shopping means last minute shipping and now the mad da to get those gifts under the tree in time. plus, north korea is lashing out over tough new sanctions imposed by the united nations. a deadly christmas eve plane crash eaves no survivors and questions about why the pilot chose to take off at all. and home for the holidays. we're will tore the -- there for the

. >> and i'm phillip mena. new details this morning on the suspect behind a subway blast in new york city. the mayor called it an attempted terrorist attack. officials say surveillance captured 27-year-old akayed ullah detonating an improvised explosive strapped to his body inside one of new york city's busiest subway corridors during the morning rush. the incident left three people with minor injuries. ullah himself was hospitalized with serious injuries. police search lead residences connected to ullah. according to officials, ullah was inspired by isis, consumed terrorist propaganda and was angry over u.s. bombings held territory. new york mayor bill de blasio said there are no threats to the city at this time. both he and the governor spoke to the city's resilience. >> we're not going to allow them to disrupt us. that's exactly what they want. >> the terrorists will not win. we're going to keep being new yorkers. let's get back to work. >> official says there is no evidence of any direct connection between

good morning, i'm phillip mena. >> i'm frances rivera. it was a first day gone wrong for a new high-speed amtrak line in washington state. three people were killed and about two dozen injured when an inaugural train derailed off the bridge and crashing into the highway below. it happened in tacoma in the city of dupont during the morning rush. passengers on board later described the harrowing scene. >> things just started to tip over and as it was going around and then all of a sudden just ended up on side and everything went dark and stuff started flying around and that was it. then it stopped. >> the cause of the crash is under investigation, but authorities say speed may have been a factor. nbc's scott cohn is in dupont with more for us. scott, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, phillip. we do know that more now about the speed thanks to the national transportation safety board which is now on-site. they have been able to download the information from the black box on one of the going 80 miles per hour on a track where the speed

. >> and i'm phillip mena. we begin this morning with the earth shattering news out of alabama. a democrat now set to represent the state in the u.s. senate. nbc news reports doug jones is the apparent winner in alabama. beating controversial republican candidate roy moore by a narrow margin. after moderates, independents and a slew of republicans voted for the democrat in a race that garnered global attention. in the end it seems moore seemed to be a step too far even for alabama with his apparent loss causing a shift in the red est of red states. >> it will be felt in washington as well. republicans are down to a razor thin 51-49 majority in the senate. in spite trump endotsing moore in the final days of the race, even though most republicans deemed him toxic. the president weighing in overnight tweeting congratulations to doug jones in a hard fought victory. the write-in votes played a big factor but a win is a wi shot at the seat in a short time. that tweet coming despite the fact moore refuses to concede the race. >> that's what we've got to do, is wait on god and let this

i'm phillip mena. >> and i'm richard lui in for frances rivera. bitter cold air is sweeping across the country, bringing with it dangerously low temperatures. this has some areas continue digging out from record snowfall over the christmas break. erie, pennsylvania still with up to 63 inches of snow since sunday. that's more than five feet, leading local officials to declare a state of emergency. so bad is it even this snowplow needed a helping hand. nbc's ron allen has more from erie. >> reporter: it's one for the history books. a record-breaking snowstorm in erie, pennsylvania, now declared a disaster emergency. >> i wouldn't even go out in this stuff. >> reporter: nearly 57 inches in two days. conditions so hazardous, the airport is still closed. >> i've been surviving on vending machine food. >> reporter: deirdra walsh has been stuck there. >> they keep cancelling the flights. and now everything is overbooked. so i can't get home. >> reporter: and the snow is piling up on the roads too, burying cars, even big truck having trouble getting throu

. >> and i'm phillip mena. this morning we lead off with president trump and the russia investigation. the commander in chief spending the weekend with eyes fixed on the russia probe after his former national security advisor michael flynn pled guilty to lying to the fbi. >> flynn is now cooperating with special counsel mueller's investigation leading the president to seemingly rewrite the narrative of why flynn was fired in the first place. the president tweeted, i had to fire general flynn because he lied to the vice-president and the fbi. he has pled guilty to those lies. it's a shame because his actions during the transition were lawful. there was nothing to hide. well, that seems to suggest the president knew flynn lied to the fbi when he asked then fbi director james comey to drop the flynn investigation. for more we go to nbc's tracie potts in washington. tracie, good morning. >> reporter: hi there, frances, good morning. the president's personal lawyer john dowd says he wrote that tweet but doesn't have

. >> good morning, i'm phillip mena. >> i'm frances rivera. power at the world's busiest airport has been fully restored a complete power outage created a travel nightmare for tens of thousands of passengers at atlanta's hearts field jackson airport. the mayor said electricity went out around 1:00 p.m. after a fire damaged both the main substation powering the airport and its back up. the cause is still under investigation. >> power slowly came on, terminal by terminal, over the course of about 11 hours to the cheers of weary passengers. more than 1300 flights were canceled or delayed and back ups are expected to ripple into today just as the busy holiday travel week gets underway. nbc's morgan radford has more. >> reporter: a full ground stop at atlanta's hearts felt jackson airport left nearly 100 aircraft parked on the runway. none allowed to fly in or out. >> i personally thought it was a really big -- i don't know, terrorist attack or something crazy because the power is out and phones stopped working and that was quite frightening. >> re

i'm phillip mena here at msnbc world headquarters in new york. here is what we're watching. early arctic cold weather is setting meteorological weather and contribute to go influenza outbreaks. 36 states reported widespread flu activity. those in red and orange report a high number of cases. the outbreak could be worse since many people don't go to the doctor for treatment. >>> two massive lotteries are still up for grabs. tuesday's jackpot will soar to $343 million. the jackpot for tonight's powerball is worth $384 million. >>> meanwhile, the stock market ended the year on a down note. three major indexes reported the best year since 2013. the dow gained 25% this year. the s&p, 19%. and the nasdaq, a staggering 28%. now back to that cold weather that is gripping much of this country. 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

. >> i'm phillip mena. >> and i'm frances rive ad lib live picture-- san francisco you.ook outside in san francisco. the bay bridge there lit up, the cars are moving and, yes, it is another cold morning. good morning and thank you for joining us, i'm marcus washington. >> and i'm laura garcia. that's right, bundle up once again. >> yeah, it's another cold morning, and it's not as cold as yesterday in some spots, but we are still going to have a very chilly morning, but warms up as we go through the day. as we get a look at what you're feeling now as you get ready to step out the door, it's 34 in santa rosa, the coldest spot on the map there, 41 in san jose and 48 in oakland and in san francisco. take a look at these highs today, it's going to be really nice, into the upper 60s, even a few low 70s, so i will let you know how long this

. >> and i'm phillip mena.ave you with these beautiful images of lit-up trees in japan as part of an elaborate mid winter light d my name isis jamir dixon and i'a locate and mark fieldman for pg&e. most people in the community recognize the blue trucks as pg&e. my truck is something new... it's an 811 truck. when you call 811, i come out to your house and i mark out our gas lines and our electric lines to make sure that you don't hit them when you're digging. 811 is a free service. i'm passionate about it because every time i go on the street i think about my own kids. they're the reason that i want to protect our community and our environment, and if me driving a that truck means that somebody gets to go home safer, then i'll drive it every day of the week. together, we're building a better california. and it will be a challenging day for commuters who use the bay >>> it's monday morning, the start of another workweek. it will be a challenging day for those commuters who use the bay bridge. live pictures of th

i'm phillip mena. >> i'm frances rivera. >> at least 10,000 acres in ventura county california, triggered mandatory evacuations from hundreds of homes. one person was killed in a car crash associated with the fire. multiple structures have also been damaged. nbc rick montanez has more from the ground. rick, what are you seeing there? >> reporter: philip, good morning. the fire still burning with gusty winds helping it to grow at an unprecedented rate. conditions that will not let up any time soon. fire fighters have another long day ahead of them, already dealing with over 10,000 akers burned out here in ventura county, and just before midnight. an additional 1,000 homes evacuated when the flames began to burn toward the east end of the city of ventura. we know one death at least confirmed this morning. that person died in a in an attempt to evacuate, we are told. neighbors here say they did not expect the fire to grow this quickly. at one point fire officials reported this to be a 5,000 acre fire. one hour later that doubled. schools will be closed later this morning in the santa paula a