President s infamous phone call were live with the latest. Breaking overnight, a saudi court finds eight people guilty in the killing of Washington Post journalist jamal khashoggi. Five of them sentenced to death. So did the u. S. Play any role in helping bring them to justice. All that plus murder mystery, more questions in the killing of that texas mother and the kidnapping of her baby as the victims friend remains in jail. Cruise ship collision, new details on what caused those Carnival Cruise liners to slam into each other injuring passengers both ships returning to u. S. Ports overnight. And triumphant return, eddie murphy delivers huge ratings in his snl return after 35 long years. The classic characters he brought back and the one person who wasnt thrilled about being the target of eddies jokes. Today, monday, december 23rd, 2019 from nbc news, this is today with Savannah Guthrie and hoda kotb live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. And welcome to today on this monday morning, thanks for joining us weve got Kristen Welker in with us all week while savannah and hoda enjoy the day off a lot of people talking about Eddie Murphys return to snl. I typically dont watch it. But it was worth it. Eddies return was one of those things well have more on that in just a moment the holiday rush is upon us with a Record Number of americans hitting the roads, rails, airports as well, and this morning, storms on both coasts could throw a wrench into the travel plansmillio were going to get to dylans forecast in just a moment, but thats right after we check in with kathy park. Kathy is at laguardia airport. Good morning to you. Reporter hey, craig, good morning to you let the Holiday Travel chaos begin. Bad weather is being blamed for briefly shutting down Fort LauderdaleInternational Airport this morning meantime, here at laguardia, things are starting to pick up and experts say this is just the beginning. Be prepared for crowded highways and airports because a record 150 million americans will be traveling this Holiday Season. Across the country, travel nightmares before christmas. Overnight, torrential rain and flash flooding slamming south florida completely shutting down Fort LauderdaleInternational Airport. In virginia, ice and foggy conditions causing this 69 car pile up according to police temporarily closing a major interstate and sending 51 people to local hospitals some with serious injuries the fog was really dense. Couldnt really see more than 30 feet in front of you. Reporter in Washington State, flash flooding triggering this massive landslide halting and sacramento International Airport crippled by internet outcampers cancelled flights and extensive delays leaving passengers stranded and frustrated. This is the worst experience ever in my entire life and i have been flying a lot. Reporter and a weekend fire at lax destroyed two passenger buses and damaged another one. Luckily no one was on board, but the busy airport was partially closed for a short time causing major passenger chaos. These incidents already snarling travel during whats expected to be a record setting holiday get away week. Aaa expects more than 115 million americans will be on the move between now and the new year a near 4 increase over 2018 some folks now bumping up their travel plans leaving earlier, trying to beat the rush and everyone on the roads. Reporter Holiday Travelers boosting last years numbers as more choose to drive or fly. Travel on trains, buses and cruise ships also expected to be higher than 2018 and on the road, experts say drivers should prepare for the worst traffic delays on december 26th and 27th. And if you havent booked your ticket yet, whens the best day to fly, Christmas Eve will see fewer crowds and the lowest average ticket price the worst day, december 26th with crowds at their peak and the highest average ticket price of the week. And with Holiday Travel in high gear, here are a couple of things to keep in mind, especially if youre flying to your destination experts say its probably a good idea to arrive at the airport two hours before your Departure Time consider printing out your boarding pass or have it on your phone, and consider checking your bag curb time because you can shave up time there. Kathy park getting us started at laguardiayo lets focus on the travel trouble spots being created by the weather. Dylan is in for al and has our first check of the forecast. How is it looking. There are two areas we have to focus on with the heavy rainfall florida and Fort Lauderdale picked up more than 8 inches of rain more than 4 of those inches fell in just one hour thats the second all time record rainfall for an hour in the Fort Lauderdale area now were seeing the heaviest rain up across charleston where more than 30 streets are closed at this time because of the heavier rainhroughout the day today and we will see improvements across florida as we continue into the afternoon. The other trouble spot is out in southern california. Look at this moisture just streaming in off the pacific. We will see this rain last for another three to six hours, and that could cause some delays into and out of l. A. As well. Its not all bad news, though. We do have a nice warm if thats what youre hoping for getting into christmas time. We are looking for temperatures to be well above average. 64 as we get into christmas day, lexington, friday about 59 degrees. We werent looking at a White Christmas for areas across the country, temperatures well above average, and well above freezing. And not a whole lot going on besides those two trouble spots. A lot of folks watching getting ready to hop on the plane or in the car. Thats the big question, are you going to make it. Looks good. To politics, the stalemate over President Trumps impeachment trial. Much of washington now on holiday break but it is full speed ahead for the democrats running for president. More on that in a moment. But first, nbcs chief White House CorrespondentHallie Jackson is in florida where President Trump is spending the hallie, good morning. Reporter hey there, craig, good morning to you. President trump is spending his christmas down here near West Palm Beach where we are but i have been told his aides will be working through the holidays planning for a Senate Impeachment trial. Theres not a lot of clarity on when that trial will happen, though, as House Speaker nancy pelosi looks for leverage over Top RepublicanMitch Mcconnell. The speaker, the senate and the standoff triggering new fall out this morning. What shes trying to do is to get Mitch Mcconnell to bend to her will to shape the trial. They had to rush to this Impeachment Vote and then all of and everybody enjoy the holidays. Reporter with nancy pelosi holding off on sending those articles of impeachment from the house to the senate until she has confidence the process will be fair. A fair trial means you get to call your witnesses. Everyone wants to get this thing moving, get it over with but do it in the fair, complete, full way. Reporter the key questions what a trial on impeachment would look like, who if anyone could be called as witnesses and when it could begin. With any start date later in january, creeping closer to the big test of 2020, the Iowa Caucuses, Top White House aides publicly unconcerned. I think we understand that Mitch Mcconnell and Chuck Schumer will strike a deal in this. Youre confident theyre going to strike a deal . Yeah. Reporter but President Trump is frustrated, blasting democrats this weekend. They are violating the constitution. Reporter as newly released documents give more details on the timing of whats at the heart of the impeachment, the freeze on military aid to ukraine as the president pushes for an investigation that could have helped him politically at home. 90 minutes after the july 14th call between President Trump and the leader of ukraine, a white house official and leaders of staffers in the office of management and budget described a brief pause in the aid process, quote, please hold off on dod obligations of these funds, according to emails obtained by the center for Public Integrity, adding i appreciate your keeping that information closely held to those who need to know. Democrats seizing on the exchange. What were they hiding, what were they afraid of. Reporter an omb spokesperson says its reckless to tie the hold of funds to the phone call, noting the freeze had been pulled internally days earlier. To pull a line out of one email and fail to address the context is leading and inaccurate. Hallie, theres Something Else making headlines this monday morning, its this back and forth over that editorial in a high profile evangelical magazine, editorial arguing that President Trump should be removed from office. Whats the latest on the back and forth. Reporter there definitely is a back and forth. You now have the editor and chief of christianity today standing by his comments calling president morally unfit even after the president attacked that magazine on twitter. Backlash within the evanjelical community. Chief White House CorrespondentHallie Jackson traveling with the president. Thank you. Now to the 2020 president ial race, the Democratic Candidates descended on iowa over the weekend as they prepare for the final push to the nations first contest. Nbcs Morgan Radford joins us with the very latest on the state of the race. Good morning. Thats right, guys, good morning. With the Iowa Caucuses just over a month away, theres no clear front runner in the state that could make or break president ial candidates many Iowa Democrats say they are making up their minds about a crowded field of contestants this morning, democratic president ial candidates are flocking to iowa, vying for support aide of the states caucuses six weeks from today. Pete buttigieg narrowly leading the 2020 race in recent iowa polls insists hes talking nothing for granted at a rally with actor kevin costner. Some folks on tv starting to use the word front runner to describe our standing right here in iowa. But thats something you dont get to keep for very long unless you earn it. Reporter joe biden argues hes best positioned to unite the countries even after relentless republican attacks led by the president on him and his son hunter reporter i refuse to accept the proposition in the United States of america that were at permanent war in this country. Theres not much we cant do if we do it together. We dont need all republicans. We dont need to change the whole system. Reporter Bernie Sanders rallying his supporters in nevada the future of the planet rests in a very significant way on this election democracy rests, the future of democracy rests on this election reporter with President Trumps Senate Impeachment trial expected to begin in january, sanders is one of five Democratic Candidates who are sitting senator, all facing the possibility of being sidelined from the trail as they weigh President Trumps political at a time there are some things that are more important than politics i took an oath of office to uphold the constitution, and if we have an impeachment trial in january, i will be there. Reporter so the question now is which candidates could benefit politically from a senate trial among the top tier of contenders, Pete Buttigieg and joe biden would both enjoy uninterrupted campaigning in iowa but veteran political aides say an impeachment trial could also work to the advantage of those senators who could be seen as key players in a very historic proceeding, guys. Certainly does add a twist to the thing. Twist in politics morgan, thank you. Let us get back to that breaking news that we mentioned at the top of the show here, sentences handed down overnight in the killing of Washington Post journalist jamal khashoggi, including five people sentenced to death todays Senior International correspondent keir simmons has that story for us. Keir, what do we know . Reporter good morning. This morning, saudi arabia, were looking to send a tough message hoping we can move on from the crisis that has engulfed the country this year this announcement does not include punishment for a former adviser to the crown prince and that will be questioned by many. This morning, death sentences for the murders of Washington Post journalist a jamal khashoggi, announcing Capital Punishment for five individuals for committing and directly participating in the murder of the victim another three members sentenced to a total of 24 years in prison for covering up this crime and violating the law. Khashoggi, a permanent u. S. Resident and vocal critic of mohammed bin salmon was murdered and dismembered in october last year in the saudi consulate in istanbul his body parts were never found. His death sparked a global outcry against saudi arabia and greater scrutiny of its crack down on dissidence saudi arabia said the kill was a rogue operation but critics of the monarchy and u. S. Ally arent convinced the un said the slaying was an execution and called for the investigation of the crown prince nbc news confirmed that a cia assessment found that crown Prince Mohammed bin salmon ordered the killing of jamal khashoggi. The prince has denied any involvement but in a september tv interview with cbs said he took full responsibility for the killing. Translator absolutely not. This was a heinous crime but i take full responsibility as a leader in saudi arabia. Reporter two senior officials implicated in the murder with the closest ties to the crown prince were cleared of wrongdoing because of insufficient evidence. One of those officials was a close adviser to crown Prince Mohammed bin salman, he has been sanctioned by the u. S. Over the killing yet the saudi attorney general he has no involvement. Keir simmons in london on the breaking news. Thank you. We have a lot more to get to this morning, including the latest on an investigation of a dramatic crash between two cruise ships in mexico Morgan Chesky has that report. Reporter this morning two cruise ships have returned home bearing the scars of an accident in cozumel, mexico hes going to hit us next hes going to hit us. Reporter in tampa, large scrape marks can be seen on the bow of the carnival legend the carnival glory now in new orleans. Crews working to assess the damage a crumpled lower deck can be seen at the rear of the ship according to Carnival Cruise line, the glory was maneuvering to dock on friday when it came in contact with the legend which was docked nearby. Video shows the right rear portion of the glory scraping the legends bow, debris falling into the water the accident captured by multiple angles. We felt the rumble in the ship, we didnt know what it was. Reporter this man, a passenger on board the glory said the captain made an immediate announcement. The captain came on there says weve got a little problem. We hit another boat. Reporter the incident also causing quite the commotion on land oh, my god. Someone could have died. Everyone is taking pictures of glory, because you dont see that every day, a big ship running into, and how much damage it does. Reporter according to carnival, six guests aboard the glory were treated for minor injuries and released. No one was hurt aboard the legend the company adding that the accident did not affect the seaworthiness of either ship, both at the end of a 7 day excursion, the ships sit in their home ports in a letter to passengers obtained by nbc news, the captain of the glory apologizing for the accident adding a formal investigation is underway to confirm the cause of the accident which we believe was due to spontaneous wind gusts and strong currents. For today, Morgan Chesky nbc news. You cant imagine how Something Like that happens. It happened in slow motion too. By the way, the ship is about 950 feet long, so they arent small ships. Theyre massive. Let us turn to another check of the forecast. The heavy rain falling carolinas and out in l. A. , looking nice lots of sunshine, temperatures well above average and its going to stay that way going into the week. Thats a look across the country, well get to your local forecast in 30 seconds good monday morning. Im meteorologist kari hall. Check out the fog we have draped over the top of the bay looking live in san jose. Its clear at sfo and San Francisco were starting out with good travel conditions as we will see our next round of nto christmas day, and temperatures stay cold going throughout the week, inland highs reaching into the mid50s. Morning temperatures upper 30s and San Francisco highs in the and thats your latest forecast. Thank you new developments in that shocking case of a texas mother killed, her baby kidnapped, the victims close friend in jail. Were live with the very latest. Plus, on the eve of Christmas Eve, the final push for holiday gifts. Well tell you where to shop today if you want your presents to arrive on time. But first, this is today on nbc. He does exist they do exist umm santa . Oh no gasp in surprise i have to save christmas wooooh tommy, james, lucy, ben, judith turn right no, the other right whos that nut . car alarm goes off uurrrrgh allo . The presents. Yes . They are going to the wrong people. What . Whos tommy . What have you done . Did i ruin christmas red . Actually buddy, i think you made it even better. After a night like this, crest has you covered. Crest, the official toothpaste of santa. My gums are irritated. I dont have to worry about that, do i . Harmful bacteria lurk just below the gum line. Crest gum detoxify, voted product of the year. It works below the gum line to neutralize harmful plaque bacteria and help reverse early gum damage. Gum detoxify, from crest. Through the at t network, edgetoedge intelligence gives you the power to see every corner of your growing business. From finding out whats selling best. To managing your fleet. To collaborating remotely with your teams. Giving you a nice big edge over your competition. Thats the power of edgetoedge intelligence. music playing this is the first day of my life i was born right in the doorway now i dont know where i am, i dont know where ive been but i know where i wanna go but he wanted snow for thelace holidays. So we built a snow globe. Ill get that later. Dylan but the one thing we could both agree on was getting geico to help with homeowners insurance. What . Switching and saving was really easy i love you what . Sweetie hands off the glass. Ugh call geico and see how easy saving on homeowners and condo insurance can be. Being shot and killed by a store clerk. We want to warn you. Some o good morning im kira klapper. In Contra Costa County a robber killed by a store clerk. We want to warn you, this is exclusive video we obtained may be disturbing. It shows the robber entering m cams market atcg bay atza. The robber is seen pistol whipping the store clerk who veteran. Were not showing you actual shooting but at one point the vet fired a shot at the robber. That robber ran away and later died outside the store. Stony. A second suspect ran out of the store and he is still on the loose. Sending it over to kari hall, cold out there today. And this also is a problem, were looking at dublin, a lot of dense fog as drivers try to make it out to work and temperatures in the mid30s. Were below freezing right now oing to see a next round t now of rain coming in late tomorrow evening, spreading across the bay area on christmas day. Even some low elevation snow up to about 3,000 feet, and were going to dry out after christmas day, temperatures staying in the mid50s and going into the weekend looking good, we have to watch out for this storm system coming in late tomorrow evening. Lets head over to mike for an update on the commute. Im watching out for cars, the bay bridge toll plaza no metering lights, no backup. This is a holiday week for many. We have hanukkah, first full day and we have of course Christmas Eve eve today. Jammed up approaching 238, a crash just past that split off the Castro Valley y, does bog things down there. Smoothly on the freeway. Back to you. Thanks, mike. Ill have another local news update in half an hour. Hope to see you then. Looking around here i see tablets, laptops, printers, smartphones. Theyre all connected to the internet. Theyre all connected. Can your network handle all those devices . Sometimes. Comcast business runs on the nations largest gigspeed network. So you can get the bandwidth you need to power all of your devices at peak performance. If all of my devices could have that kind of speed, i would be dancing get started with secure 35megabit internet and one voice line for just 64. 90 per month. Call today. Comcast business. Beyond fast. Kerrygold has a taste so rich it can take you to irelands lush, green pastures. Where grassfed cows produce rich, creamy milk for a truly delicious taste. Kerrygold. The taste that takes you there. We are back now, 7 30 on this monday morning. The 23rd were going to take you inside Eddie Murphys epic snl home coming, but first, your local news. We are back now, 7 30 on this monday morning. The 23rd of december, 2019, t minus two days and counting until christmas. There is the worlds most famous trees hanging bright. Christmas eve eve. Indeed, it is. And the first day of hanukkah well have more of that in a moment. But first, your 7 30 headline. Concern is growing among u. S. Officials that north korea might conduct a long range missile test in the near future. State television showed kim jong un meeting with top military commanders on sunday, and new Satellite Photos which led some experts to believe the country is expanding its launch capabilities. Kim has warned of a socalled Christmas Gift to the United States. His stalled Nuclear Talks between the two countries approach a break down. Travelers board a United Airline flight from newark to denver had nervous moments when they touched down. Some passengers said they heard a loud noise when the landing gear came down. All of a sudden he said prepare for landing and we hit the ground, and sparks started flying out of the left side of the plane. The plane came to rest with one engine apparently touching the ground. Thankfully there were no injuries reported. The start of hanukkah started sunday night with the lighting of the menorah in washington, d. C. Hundreds gathered for the lighting and the global audience was able to watch online. The rabbi leading the ceremony said hanukkah teach us that no s forward together. Nice message there. We want to take a turn now, and have new details in that shocking case in texas where a missing mother was found murdered on a friends property in what may have been a plot to steal the womans newborn baby. Nbcs sam brock joins us from austin with the very latest. Sam, good morning. Reporter kristen and craig, good morning, the people closest to Heidi Broussard are still trying to process this tragic outcome, even some who didnt know heidi or didnt know her well are heartbroken by the turn of events and want to come out to grieve with the family, so in just a few hours right here at this park in south austin theres going to be a vigil to honor the mother of two whose death is still shrouded in mystery. The desperate search and devastating discovery, 33yearold Heidi Broussard is hitting hard. Were all hurting here as a community. Reporter heidis friends held an impromptu memorial. Today, people in austin will come together for a prayer vigil to remember and grieve the mother of two. Were wanting to remember. Were wanting to help. Reporter four days ago, federal agents and investigators descended on this home in houston. What they found was horrifying. Heidis body in the trunk of a car and her 3week old baby margot in the house. The woman who lives here who goes by Megan Humphrey was one of heidis oldest and closest friends. They met at a church camp. Shes now charged with two counts of kidnapping and tampering with a human corpse. Heidis mom telling nbc news, today we feel overwhelmed with grief and the details of what needs to be done. With christmas coming, our focus is with our grandson to spend time with him to grieve the loss of his mom. She had me convinced when i talked to her, and after i hung up talking with her, that was the last person in the world i expected that could possibly have anything to do with it, so yeah she fooled us all. Reporter we reached out to humphreys attorney who has not returned our calls but heidis friend suspect Magen Humphrey who has gone by the name Magen Fieramusca may have staged her own pregnancy after she posted this baby registry with the same due date as heidis. Do you believe the suspect was ever pregnant . I do not believe she was ever pregnant. Reporter as for baby margot, shes with a foster family under the care of Family Services until dna results confirm it is margot and if heidis boyfriend shane is the father. This is one of those stories thats as wild as tragic. You just mentioned that officials are waiting to confirm if Shane Broussard is actually the father. Why is the paternity now being questioned . Reporter thats a very good question. Shane has said he is margots father, but theres reportedly another man out there whos making the exact same claim. Theyll be pressing them for answers today. Sam brock for us there in austin thank you. We want to shift gears now just ahead and talk about the final push to christmas. If you still havent finished your shopping, weve got your guide to some very last minute deals and the stores that promised to deliver no judgment here. Thats right after this. Wrap up your Holiday Shopping with theli for 5 days only shop nike and adidas. Keurig and nutribullet. And up to 80 off jewelry. Or take an extra 20 off with your jcpenney credit card jcpenney thud crash grunting whistle play it cool and escape heartburn fast with tums chewy bites cooling sensation. Tum tututum tums cooling sensation. 3 after trying it for a week, dovlike crystal. Ials underarms are so smooth to the touch and i love that fresh smell i feel amazingly protected im definitely feeling more confidentyoswitch . Were proving the new keurig kduo brewer makes any occasion the perfect coffee occasion. Breakfast in bed just add Ground Coffee for a carafe, or pop in a pod for a freshly brewed cup. Exactly how i like my coffee. Youve got your carafe. Ive got my light roast. Were brewing the love. You may have gingivitis. When you brush, and the clock could be ticking towards bad breath, receding gums, and possibly. Tooth loss. Help turn back the clock on gingivitis with parodontax. Leave bleeding gums behind. Parodontax. At tmobile, were lighting up 5g, and when you buy a samsung note 10 5g, you get one free. Plus you can experience it on the nations largest 5g network. So you can stay connected like this. Score a last minute this. Get home easier, like this. And share all of this. With that. So do this. On that. With us. And now, buy a samsung note 10 5g and get one free when you add a line. danny 12 hours . 20 dogs . Asy. Wheres your belly rubs . After a day of chasing dogs you shouldnt have to chase down payments. vo send invoices and accept payments to get paid twice as fast. danny its time to get yours vo quickbooks. Backing you. Oh what fun it is to ride in a onehorse open sleigh, buble sparkling water. Its buble were back on this eve of Christmas Eve with todays holiday consumer. So called Super Saturday broke records as the biggest shopping day of the year, but if you still have some items to cross off your list, better hurry. Fortunately still some time to shop and save if you know where to look. Nbcs Kerry Sanders is in south florida this morning to help beat that ticking clock. What you got, kerry. Well, good morning, for the procrastinators among us, craig, there are two ways left to shop at this point. You can do it old school where you go to the Department Store and buy something. Im inside kohls Department Store which is going to be open 24 hours now right up until Christmas Eve or you can do the more Convenient Online shopping where you click, but there are some links in the chains that you need to be aware of, specifically overnight delivery. This morning, with one more day until christmas. Crowded, yes, a lot going around. Reporter and just hours before the final shipping deadlines approach, present procrastinators need to act fast and tech may be your best bet. Apple still offering free next day delivery on select instock items as long as you order today by 3 00 p. M. Another option for the last minute gifts, best buy and walmart. Theyre offering free next day shipping on orders over 35 bucks. But every hour counts. Best buy needs your order tonight by 8 00 local. Walmarts deadline is even earlier. 5 00 p. M today is also the last day for next day shipping through amazon on over 10 million items though if youre not a prime member, the Rush Delivery will cost you if youre willing to pay extra, target has one of the latest deadlines offering same day delivery until Christmas Eve with Delivery Service shipped, that convenience will cost you with higher prices for items and delivery fees as well. Also make sure to read the fine print. Orders need to be placed at least an hour before the store closes so how to make sure youre only shopping for gifts that will make it to your door in time with amazon, youll want to search next day delivery gifts, with walmart. Com, you can click this switch to shop items with next day delivery. And target. Com has something similar by clicking same day delivery, then start shopping. Youll only see items that will be home in time for the holidays but since more customers are shipping up 21 this Holiday Season over last year, unfortunately on time delivery is getting worse down 12 this season according to one Delivery Software company. Of the big three, the worst offender, fedex, with only 68 of packages arriving on time so if youre worried the perfect gift cant be delivered on time, the next best option instore pickup, often the best way to avoid a holiday mishap. Its just a safer way if you have time to jump into the store and get your packages so you dont risk those shipping delays. If all else fails, rely on a holiday lifeline, e gift cards and experienced gifts like cooking class or spa day, no wrapping needed, plus, delivery via email might even be faster than santas reindeer. Going back to something you said, why have there been so many delays on shipping this year reporter well, because really the weather has been a problem but then you compound that by the fact that last year from thanksgiving to christmas, we had 32 days this year that stretch is much shorter. Its down to 26 days so many people buying online its a bottleneck, and its really just created all types of problems of course theres one person who doesnt need to worry about the weather or the bottlenecks or anybody to make sure that the delivery is going to be made on time, of course, and that would be santa. Santa, the one and only kerry, thank you for that. Are you guys ready no. Youre not . No. Tictoc. About 24 hours. You can buy gift cards from just about any store. Just what everybody wanted. Another big concern is the weather. It is the weather, rain on both coasts, but do you want to play a game. Always. Everybody wants a White Christmas. Kristen has never played one of these weather games. Im a little nervous. Who has had more White Christmases, lets start off with st. Louis st. Lose has more than boston, if you can believe it, 21 White Christmases. Chicago or new york city ill take new york. A landslide i cant remember back to the White Christmas we in new york thats what the stats say. Portland versus seattle. Im going seattle. Give me portland. Portland. And seattle whos going to get a White Christmas this year, the game is over, but no, not really many people at all. In fact, we are looking for much above average temperatures running in the 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s by the time we get to tomorrow and wednesday itself. The best chance of seeing snow across the rockies, sierra mountain range, heavy rain in charleston good morning. Im meteorologist kari hall, were starting out with dense fog across the south bay as well as the trivalley. Thats a live look out there in dubl dublin. If youre headed out in the areas, allow extra time and as we go into the rest of the day, some times of sunshine, built with Cool Temperatures by tomorrow evening. We will see some rain moving first into the north bay, spreading across the bay area on christmas morning, and then it does clear out in time for the rest of the holiday week. 2009 was the last White Christmas in new york city. Oh, wow. I love a White Christmas. That was a fun little weather game you should take that to the weather channel. The rest was perfect. Not a good game host. Carson daly in the house. Anybody watch eddie ratings are in opening monologue was great. The reviews are in, but what people are saying, including a target of one of his jokes, well tell you right after this. A lot of folks ask me why their dishwasher doesnt get everything clean. I tell them, it may be your detergent. Thats why more dishwasher brands recommend cascade platinum. With the soaking, scrubbing and rinsing built right in. For sparklingclean dishes, the first time. Cascade platinum. Hi mom. Hi dad. Hey. Hows my Little Princess . Dad. Im not a princess anymore. I want to be a movie director. Oh thats great. You want to go get a snack . Okay. music playing this is the first day of my life i was born right in the doorway now i dont know where i am, i dont know where ive been but i know where i wanna go wh fake gagging noises its the easiest because its the cheesiest. Kraft. For the win win. And take an extra 15 or 20 off plus save even more right now on last minute gifts . Save on fine jewelry sets. The xbox one s. And on celebrity fragrance gift sets. Plus get kohls cash . Plus buy online, two Hour Store Pickup . Plus stores are now open 24 hours kohls we are back at 7 49 with eddie we are back at 7 49 with Eddie Murphys triumphant return to snl. The hollywood legend did it again, and delivered huge ratings for the show he left back in 1984 Natalie Morales has more on the home coming people are still buzzing about. You said it earlier, when he returned to studio 8h this weekend, he reminded everyone why he is still one of the funniest comedians of all time but this morning, not everybody is laughing. It was one of the most anticipated home comings ever. Its great to be back here finally hosting saturday night live for christmas. Returning as host after a 35 year absence murphy didnt disappoint, his sharp comedic edge. If you would have told me 30 years ago, i would be this boring stay at home house dad and bill cosby would be in jail, even i would have took that bet. Bill cosbys publicist firing back overnight posting on instagram, mr. Cosby broke color barriers in the Entertainment Industry so blacks like eddie murphy could have the opportunity to showcase their talents. One would think mr. Murphy was given one would think that mr. Murphy was given his freedom to leave the plantation so that he could make his own decisions. But he decided to sell himself back to being a hollywood slave. Murphy reviving many of the favorite old characters that made him famous with a fresh take on gumby, buckwheat, and mr. Robinsons neighborhood. White people came and changed everything but i am still your neighbor murphy was a relatively unknown comedian when he joined saturday night live in 1980. My name is eddie murphy, im 19 years old. Now a golden globe nominee for dolemite is my name. The timing couldnt be better youd almost think we planned it. You didnt . Well, yeah, we kind of did plan it. The plan worked the iconic ground breaker also joined on stage by fellow kings of comedy who followed in his foot steps what a moment were having. Nearly 10 Million Viewers tuning in to watch him return home for the holidays, earning snl its highest ratings in more years to come back, and people clapping going, i thought he was than 2 1 2 years you dont want to wait 35 years to come back, and people clapping going, i thought he was going to be much funnier. Clearly that wasnt the case. Thanks for making this night a classic night. I love you. That was a huge round of applause, and we should note that the hugely popular lizzo was the musical guest. She got rave reviews for her performance. All around, pretty much an epic performance on snl this weekend. Yeah, she was a lot of folks asking when is eddie coming back. I love that he went for it. He really went for it. Our generation, the comedic minds of all time if you see eddie the king with his princes to his side, and morgan, and Dave Chappelle and chris rock, i could not stop smiling. I couldnt stop laughing, as a child of the 80s to revisit those characters, it was the best. Do it again, eddie. Coming up, a real holiday tradition, the story behind this adorable photo of young Prince George baking with the queen. The problem surrounding hollywoods two big weekend releases, the new star wars, and how did cats do, were going to find out. But first, your local news er twd wishes granted. More than fifty seven thousand pets supported. Over one hundred National Parks protected. Over two million meals provided. Through the subaru share the love event, subaru will have proudly donated over one hundred seventy Million Dollars to national and Hometown Charities over twelve years. shelter attendant thank you. grandfather thank you. senior thank you. makeawish child thank you. [ hissing ] [ hissing ] now the icing on the cake [ laughing ] i love it. Take a moment. To unwrap, and unwind. With lindor. A milk chocolate shell with a smooth, melting center. Crafted by the lindt master chocolatiers whenever. Wherever. Lindor, only from lindt. Wrap up your Holiday Shopping with the bat jcpenney z out sale for 5 days only shop nike and adidas. Keurig and nutribullet. And up to 80 off jewelry. Or take an extra 20 off with your jcpenney credit card jcpenney good monday morning. Right now at 7 56 a live look in San Francisco, the going going, no fog here, weve seen a lot of fog in parts of the north bay, the trivalley and the south bay. All that clears out for the rest of the day, and then well see some sunshine. Temperatures staying cool and tomorrow our next storm system approaches, first bringing rain to the north bay, spreading across the bay area. Look at the time line thats Christmas Eve into christmas day, as we see from rounds of rain moving in. But it looks to clear out late christmas day, and some of that sierra snow will be coming down looking at one to five inches. Significant storm and well have a chance to dry out for the rest of the week with temperatures reaching into the mid50s inland, morning temperatures in the upper 30s and San Francisco staying in the mid50s all throughout the rest of the week. Lets head over to mike for an update on the commute. The south bay we dont usually see fog registering so its there but traffic is showing green on the sensors. Thats good news. Watch it as you come across the area, tougher to see. We see the slowing west 580 north 238 and we have a crash involved and a big rig that slows you down as you head toward the Castro Valley y that keeps 880 for san leandro and san lorenzo moving smoother. The bay bridge toll plaza there you go, our easy drive, no metering lights and much clearer view. Back to you. Thanks, mike. Happening now, a Holiday Shopping nightmare a womans purse stolen and two men shove her to the ground and drag her across the walmart parking lot, it happened around 11 00 yesterday morning at the store on aubray street in fremont. Tace the issue ofs a people live in the camp, which is situatedhnp along highway 12 west santa rosa. 6t well be back with another its 8 00 on today, coming up, holiday headache. Travel troubles underway as Severe Weather coming up, travel from coast and heavy rains cause a massive landslide and a pile up. Everything you need to know before heading out the door. Plus royal christmas tradition and lady liberty they are snl debut, shares a message having the internet feeling good as hell, today, monday, december 23rd, 2019. Best friends in new york city twins here for our birthday. Mother daughter christmas trip. Parents get away from greensburg, indiana. Hi to all my grand kids. From indianapolis. Holy night all is calm we are back on today, this morning, the philadelphia boys choir and chorale performing my favorite of the season just beautiful. Angelic were going to hear more from them youre from philly, we knew you were coming, we called them up Kristen Welker is coming fantastic, but it is so incredible to have them here, and especially resident for me, because i am philadelphia. Lucky for us theyre here all morning, performing throughout the show. Lets get right to your news at eight we start with some major Holiday Travel headaches this morning caused by treacherous weather across the country from Washington State to florida. Nbcs kathy park is at new Yorks Laguardia airport kathy, good morning. Hey, craig. The travel scramble has already begun from now to january 1st, experts estimates 115 million americans will be traveling this season more than 100 million will be taking to the roadways that weather has caused a lot of problems already from coast tots coast. In south florida, severe storms shut down Fort LauderdaleInternational Airport this morning and then in virginia on the roadways this weekend, fog and ice are being blamed for caused a 69car pile up that sent dozens of people to the hospital, some with serious injuries, and then in northern california, at sacramento International Airport it wasnt weather but an internet outage that stranded passengers there, created a lot of delays, a lot of frustration, but looking ahead, dates to keep in mind, december 26th. Experts say if youre taking to the roads, be prepared for lots of delays, especially in the afternoon but some good news to pass along tomorrow, Christmas Eve, apparently if youre planning to fly, the crowds will be at its finish, a little bright spot for you. Well get to dylans forecast in a minute. Washington is on break but this morning we have new information tied to the phone call that led to the president s impeachment. Nbc news chief White House CorrespondentHallie Jackson is in florida where the present is spending the holidays, and she has three things to watch for us good morning, hallie. Reporter good morning to you, the president is taking a break from washington here in south florida but his aides im told will be working through the holidays to get ready for that Senate Impeachment trial there are still some questions now about what that trial might look like, when it may begin, especially House Speaker nancy pelosi is holding off on sending those articles of impeachment over until she says she has confidence that the process will be fair. Thats triggering new fallout, republicans accusing her of sitting on the articles to get what she wants from Mitch Mcconnell. It comes as newly released emails obtained by the center for Public Integrity show a Top White House official, just 90 minutes after the controversial call between President Trump and the leader of ukraine in july asked other staffers to keep the freeze on aid to ukraine closely held an omb spokesperson says its reckless to tie the aid freeze to the phone call noting it had been announced internally days before democrats on the 2020 campaign trail, they are seizing on that Exchange Many of those candidates are blanketing iowa over the weekend, just six weeks out from the caucuses there youve got south bend mayor Pete Buttigieg inching ahead of his competitors in that state. Of course there is still a lot of room for movement over the next month and a half, you know well be watching it. We will indeed, Hallie Jackson traveling with the president , thank you. The pentagon says an American Service member killed in action today in afghanistan officials did not identify the Service Member or provide any other details. However, the taliban has claimed responsibility and said that the more than was killed by a untr 20 americans have been killed in combat in afghanistan this year. The u. S. Is closely watching north korea for signs of a possible Missile Launch for Nuclear Tests in the coming days north koreas leader, kim jong un has warned of a Christmas Gift as Nuclear Talks with the u. S. Remain stalled. State television showed kim meeting with top military commanders yesterday, and new Satellite Photos have led some experts to believe the country is expanding its missile and launching capability. To australia where record heat is being blamed for extensive brush fires. One firefighter took a break from his regular duties to help a thirsty koala. As he held the water bottle, the animal gulps its contents and when the bottle was finished, the koala wanted to play, batting around the bottle, drinking some more the scorching heat did ease, bringing some relief to both firefighters and wildlife. Going above and beyond the call of duty. Hoda is off but we want the boost to go on heres a reminder that even future football heroes start out just like everyone else. Rudolph the red nosed reindee had a very shiny nose and if he ever saw him well, that is Kansas City ChiefsQuarterback Patrick Mahomes as a 4yearold. They somehow got ahold of the vintage home movie there meanwhile on the field last night, mr. Mahomes feeling jolly. Feeling jolly once again the chiefs rolled over the bears. That is precious video. My boys favorite quarterback, too thats so great thats great. Very cute. Still this morning, the inspirational message shared by lizzo after her show stopping performance on snl. Royals are just like us, sort of, i guess, the holiday tradition that little Prince George just joined as the royale season with some noticeable absences, thats right after this but one thing we could both agree on was getting geico to help with renters insurance. Yeah, geico did make it easy to switch and save. Oh no. Theres a wall there now. Thats too bad. Visit geico. Com and see how easy saving on renters insurance can be. Whats the time . Device a dime is ten cents. Severe cold or flu . Take control with theraflu. Powerful, soothing relief to defeat your worst cold and flu symptoms fast. Device sneezes theraflu. The power is in your hands. Your husband woke up first now youve got something up your sleeve what you didnt know was you were surprising your fatherinlaw steve take a minute to clear your head because that was really bad oh, no, yeah and the worst part is, you just started calling him dad the best part of wakin up is folgers in your cup janie, come here. Check this out. Let me see. She looks. Kind of like me. Yeah. Thats because its your grandma when she was your age. Oh wow. Thats. Thats amazing. Oh and she was on the debate team. Yeah, thats probably why youre the debate queen. Mmhmm. Ill take that. Look at that smile. I have the same dimples as her. Yeah. The same placements and everything. Unbelievable. The same placements and everything. Through the at t network, edgetoedge intelligence gives you the power to see every corner of your growing business. From managing inventory. To detecting and preventing threats. To scaling up your production. Giving you a nice big edge over your competition. Thats the power of edgetoedge intelligence. Upbeat musieverything was so fresh in the beginning. [sniff] dramatic music but that plug quickly faded. Upbeat music luckily theres febreze plug. It cleans away odors and freshens for 1200 hours. [deep inhale] breathe happy with febreze plug. Quitting smoking is freaking hard. St, like quitting every monday hard. Quitting feels so big. So, try making it smaller. And youll be surprised at how easily starting small. Can lead to something big. Start stopping with nicorette 3 after trying it for a week, dovlike crystal. Ials underarms are so smooth to the touch and i love that fresh smell i feel amazingly protected im definitely feeling more confident would you switch . Skip to the good part with alkaseltzer plus. Now with 25 more concentrated power. Nothing works faster for powerful cold relief. Oh, what a relief it is so fast music playing this is the first day of my life i was born right in the doorway now i dont know where i am, i dont know where ive been but i know where i wanna go we are back. It is 8 13 on this monday morning, with todays talker this morning, a very royal holiday. Thats right. Buckingham palace is offering a glimpse at how the royal family gets ready for the holidays. Today Senior International correspondent keir simmons joins us with the details. These are great pictures good morning reporter hey, there good morning, they really are great pictures, arent they, and lets be real here, christmas is a magical, wonderful time, but with all the family members, just a little bit exhausting if you feel that way, too, then all for the queen, who were going to find out in a moment has some events this week with family members where there are 50 family members attending, and yet this week there is one person she must be hoping really does make it historic royal photos this Holiday Season, the queen and three kings to be. Four generations in the new pictures released for christmas, Prince George stirring the traditional british dessert, christmas pudding with his father, grandfather, great grandmother, the queen attending church on sunday but her solitary figure, her husband Prince Phillip spent a third night in the hospital being treated for an unspecified preexisting condition. Its unclear if the 98yearold will spend christmas at home with the queen aides stressed he was not taken in as an emergency, but it has prompted fears for his health. Last week, the queens extended family drove to Buckingham Palace for the traditional christmas lunch, guests included the cambridges and their children, george, charlotte and louie, and her now disgraced favorite sun, prince andrew. This cherished tradition is one of the only occasions where the queen celebrates with her whole family 40 or 50 people. Christmas cards too. Charles and camila using this one from their cuba trip, the cambridge card was leaked online the senior royals will join the convene on wednesday, taking the traditional walk to church the two eldest children may join the walk prince louie may still be too young to sit for an hour in Church Without fidgeting the sussexes wont be joining the queen, they are on extended break with 7monthold son archie, celebrating christmas in canada, where meghan worked for many years as an actress before marrying prince harry. But he made an appearance by video. Giving a special christmas message to children trying to make their christmas a bit brighter we are expecting a special surprise from the duke and dutchess of cambridge. Were not sure what it is. Maybe its a new royal tour. Maybe its a baby. In which case you could say the today show family and the royal family are in a competition for who can have the most babies. Not a bad observation. Were popping them out, thats for sure. I think were going to win. Whats in british christmas pudding is the question. Christmas pudding, is a stodgy, do you use that word, filled with dried fruit, hot cake, that it takes sometimes 12 months to make and then you pour a kind of yeo sauce all over it and you only eat it once a year for a reason. No idea. Exactly Prince Georges face is the cutest thing, his smile looking at his grandfather thank you, keir thank you, thank you, sir. Anything that takes a year to make, i just dont trust it at the end of the year. How is the weather looking . A couple of trouble spots but for the most part going into christmas, we arent going to see travel troubles all across the country. We have heavier rain falling across the southeast, it actually produced more than 12 inches of rain in some parts of florida yesterday now it is bringing most of that rain up into charleston where more than 30 streets are closed right now in the charleston area and well likely see some delays at atlanta airport, charlotte, orlando, just because of that heavier rain thats moving through as well. On the west coast, the travel troubles will be out in l. A. , especially a stream of moisture and heavy rain will continue over the next several hours. Here is a livenr here. Cold temperatures and sunshine on the way forqzvconr this niao clouds movingni in and rain int morning. Leaves of rain and snow across bay areaniconi peeks andni9 s. Fo that isnr your latest forecan thank coyou, look at you, po start. Forecast. Look at you, popstart. We had to be here for this. Good morning, and the skipper to my gilligan over there. Get ready for this. He always makes me nervous. Here we go. First up, Weekend Box Office shocker, two major movies hit theaters but both having a rough go of it with, star wars the final film in the series pulled in 175. 5 million since friday, and while that does sound like a huge win, its a bit of a disappointment, early estimates had it pegged by 200 million mark mixed reviews, it is the lowest opening of the star wars. Cats managed 6. 5 million brutal reviews, no doubt hurting the box office, audiences may have been turned off by the way the big stars look in the movie, and the Hollywood Reporter saying an updated version of the film is being sent to theaters with quote improved visual effects. Maybe its just the actors faces and theyre not cats. Its very strange. Not a good sign if you have to update it as a cat person, i cant wait to see that. I cant wait to see it. Go see it, they need you. Ill go with you. Go see it a hundred times today. Next up, hilary duff, congratulations are in order for the actress and singer as she tied the knot over the weekend, she posted this photo to instagram, and posing with her husband matthew koma and they did that in front of a classic jeep wrangler, tin cans and all. The wedding was at her house and included family and close friends. Following the wedding she posted this video from vogue talking about the design of her custom made dress including her and her husbands initials stitched on the inside duff and como welcomed a baby girl, and announced their engagement in may. Ed sheeran released a new video overnight for his song put i different couples from around the world, and it shows a couple in london, and happens to be ed and his wife cherry seaborn, their first time in music video together if you havent seen it, heres a peek on me hey baby whatever you need put it all on me a young couple in love thats what it looks like before kids at my house now i just, i dont know where my wife is they married in 2019 and keep a relatively low profile, and on a fun note, sheeran says he doesnt like to be in his music videos. Lizzo made her big debut on snl. If you didnt see it, heres a clip. Hair done check my nails, baby how you feeling y 2 k. Isnt that great . By the way, listen to this part of the story for lizzo. This was following her big night. She put this up on social media writing on instagram on the left thats when i worked for liberty taxes as a sign spinner. And on the right, my snl debut, adding very inspirational note, dont stop, we need you. Your time is coming. Thats something hoda would post isnt that amazing i love her music, and i loved what shes wearing so cool. Those ratings were giant, and i have to say to my wife, i love you, its our anniversary today. H you still dont know where she is no clue, wherever you are. Were about to start a new decade but around this time roughly 20 years ago, hard to believe, turn of the century, everyone was talking about something called y2k. Some of you people wont remember people were going nuts in this country. And there was a moment, 20 years ago, ibm sent a letter to the faa saying we have a problem, we cant fix this it was y2k, also known as the millennium bug. Dudes, this is what you have to know in the year 1999, america was freaking out, no, like seriously, oh, my god, freaking out. A chicago water company, a steady stream of customers. I have two gallons at home, but i come pick up three more just in case. All day store director rich smith watched consumers get y2k ready. The lamp oil, generators, flashlights. Our increasingly digital age was about to digitize us into oblivion the problem, numbers, or more corral, the number 2000 as in the year 2000. Many a tech expert worried that especially Older Computers would not know what to do when the 99 inside tumbled over to 00 numerous Software Programs just werent set up for it. The bottom line is that most communities in america are not yet ready for y2k with six weeks left to go. As word spread, so did fear, with the power grid hold up, would planes fall out of the sky, would the subway just stop, traffic lights go dark in the u. S. , we threw money at y2k like there was no tomorrow well north of a hundred billion dollars were spent on y2k fixes, back when a hundred billion was real money the office i. T. Person became more important than the ceo, nerds ruled, unquestioned, there ensued a mania, people stocking up on provisions as if preparing for the end of time. An arithmetic armageddon was descending on us new years eve arrived and plenty of folks were thinking, eat, drink, be merry for tomorrow, well, we knew there would be no tomorrow the clock struck midnight, and lo and be hold, pretty much everything still worked. Im pleased to report that what you already know, we dont have anything to report. Which meant all that preparation paid off. Certainly the flu bug has affected us more than the y2k bug, which was nonexistent. Or we had been duped into fearing a bunch of nonsense, y2k, why indeed. Much adieu, right. This ornament from our tree. Look at the look on the face, this is a y2k ornament like is this going to happen or not. It captures how everyone felt i remember thinking im so afraid, i dont really know why. I was working in a newsroom at the time i was just happy i made it to my party. I was working for mtv in times square, hosting their new years in the iconic times square glass, and everyone thought at the stroke of midnight with anr robbern hrj deadni aft being shot and killedni by a ste disturbing. ninrnin pr t hahp it happened onni thenr ahead lai night. Coun counter. I want to check the morning commute with mike right now, is there muchok going on right6z . nininrninope,ni the toll nrp meteringn . ;ni lightco lights, great for thosenr speeds, but t fog in thenr south bay and alson the trivalley. nr [ laughing ] [ electrical buzzing ] [ electrical buzzing ] [ dramatic music ] ahhhh ahhhhh elliott. You came back a lots changed since you were here. Its called the internet. Holiday movies. [ remote bleeps ] im dreaming of a White Christmas family. Home. [ music swells ] woohoo yeah happy holiday while the bells keep ringing they are every wish come true sleigh bells ring are you listening in the rain snow glistening snow glistening a beautiful sight were happy tonight walking in a Winter Wonderland happy holidays wow just stunning, you guys are amazing. Give it up for the philadelphia boys choir how awesome. Incredible guys, just incredible we are back at 8 30. Thank you. And theyll be back in just a few minutes with their full performance just ahead all right we have a huge crowd do you all want a crowd moment i came in just for this moment im going to come over here. We have Three Friends from texas. Where is suzie, wheres robyn, and you are denise nice to meet you all are you all from fort worth and houston. Yes. And did you make some really cool friends tshirts. Sure. Tell us about these cute tshirts. Well, we do a girls trip every year, and we wanted something that would represent our shirts for new york city. We love it. Merry christmas you all. Thank you for visiting friends, i like it. Girls trip. She always gets the texas people looks like a rowdy bunch too. I love those friends tshirts, though, theyre so adorable. Coming up, kate the chemist, do you guys remember kate . She is about to put on a holiday spin, a holiday show, some of those jaw dropping science experiments there, shes going to jazz them up for the Holiday Season if her last visit was any indication, should be a blast. Ill proudly end up blown up you dont need gloves for that dry ice right there. Im a little nervous for that experiment. Dont put your tongue on it. We have spoken to several of the stars from the highly anticipated new movie, little women greta gerwig is going to be joining us. Looking forward to that. Before that, how about a check of the weather. Todays weather is brought to you by net jets, the worldwide leader in private aviation. As i was saying, not that cold we are looking for a pretty nice warm up for the most of the country, especially as we get into Christmas Eve temperatures running about 15 to 25 degrees above average best chance of seeing snow will be out across the rockies in the highest elevations, otherwise its heavy rain in the southwest. It is going to start off a little bit gusty in the southeast. Thats on the backside of the storm bringing that heavier rain today, and then on christmas day, not breaking records, but well be close to records with highs in the 50s and 60s 60s in the carolinas, and 70s in the coast. Below average te nnrni morning, im nrcombjui when the clouds moveco outni wel between Christmas Eve andnr n somefr ofnicoco our baynr area the north bay. Forecast wenrconi dry out after christmas day. co sunshine andco highsxd5a in th [ electrical buzzing ] [ dramatic music ] ahhhh ahhhh elliott. You came back r t hahp hc clerk. Nd killed byco a storoi we need to warn you some of video you mayco findcoco distur. Night. Thenr store clerk thatcocsm m annr ao veteran. Thj vet fired a shot atcococoni died outside of the costore. nr ju police sayco two mencou he parking lot while t1jsuz tonrn steal a purse. It happenedco atnico co11 00nin morning. Todaynrnr the issue ofnrni g home less camps. Live from studio 1a, this is the 3rd hour of today. And good morning, everyone, and welcome to the 3rd hour of today here with al, sheinelle, and the lovely jill martin is joining us. Good morning to you good morning. Yes, craig is not here for whatever reason. We do a great show. Kind of odd we dont know where he is right now. Weve lost him. But het here find my craig we have a great show for you today, starting with an amazing second act about a cop turned country singer. I have been inspired by these stories we d t