Nations capital brie jackson is live with what it could mean for the rising tensions overseas. The crisis at the border secretary of state Antony Blinken is heading to mexico as thousands join a new caravan heading toward the u. S College Football is about to hit its peak even before the new years day playoffs. There is plenty of action to talk about were breaking down the biggest plays as bowl season heats up. Our Furry Friends could be the ticket to teaching old friends new pets pets could be the key to warding off dementia which companies are looking to buy in. Its wednesday, december 27. Early today starts now good morning, and thanks for joining us, im Jessica Layton gaza was on the agenda at the white house as a close advisor to israeli Prime MinisterBenjamin Netanyahu met with top biden officials in d. C ron dermer seen here is the Strategic Affairs minister in the Israeli Government and has worked for netanyahu for decades. Lets go live to washington where brie jackson joins us live good morning this was a highlyanticipated agenda what do we know that came out of those meetings reporter ron dermer met with Jake Sullivan and secretary of state Antony Blinken a white house official tells nbc news that the meeting had four items on the agenda. The transition to a different phase of the war to maximize focus on highvalue hamas targets, practical steps to improve the humanitarian situation and minimize harm to civilians, efforts to bring home remaining israeli hostages, and planning for the day after the conflict ends, including governance and security in gaza. Those last two points are seen as the hard problems of the gaza war. Hamas still holds more than a hundred hostages abducted from israel on october 7th. And its highly unlikely that they can be recovered through force alone. Haun hamas is so far resist ago renewed temporary truce saying only a ceasefire will do. T tl the talks about potentially scaling back the war have been exactly that, just talks u. S. Officials from the president on down urge israel to be more careful, but there are no signs that Prime MinisterBenjamin Netanyahu has taken that to heart. Theres also no sign that the Biden Administration hwill withhold diplomatic support, meaning that a brutal war that started 82 days ago still has no end in sight brie, thank you meanwhile, as tensions rise in the middle east, we are learning more about american airstrikes that targeted three facilities used by iranianbacked militias in iraq. It was retaliation for a strike on a u. S. Air base that hurt three american troops, one soldier injured critically nbcs ali arouzi has more. Reporter so the u. S. Military has attacked iranianbacked militant groups in iraq hours after u. S. Personnel were injured in a drone strike on a u. S. Air base on Tuesday Morning in iraq the u. S. Defense secretary lloyd austin said three sites were hit in response to attacks on u. S. Forces in iraq and syria so who are they . Theyre financed and armed by iran and have been one of the most prominent groups involved in attacks on u. S. Targets in iraq for some time now it forms part of an Umbrella Group of militias under irans patronage. Its also been incorporated into the iraqi army but these attacks are nothing new. The u. S. Has repeatedly targeted sites linked to militant groups in iraq and syria in recent years. And depending on the political situation, these can ebb and flow considerably. Given whats going on in the region and the heightened tensions, the attacks have dramatically increased since october 17th alone, there have been over 100 of these types of attacks by iranianbacked militias. Sos a the conflict in gaza continues, iran keeps issuing threats, which are carried out by their proxies with alarming frequency these days whether thats the houthis disrupting shipping in the red sea or militias in the lavaunt targeting u. S. Interests now to breaking news from south korea this Morning Police say actor lee sun kyun has died in an apparent suicide. Authorities say lee, who had been under investigation for alleged drug use was found in a car in seoul on wednesday. His family reports that he had left home after writing what seemed like a suicide note lee, along with his fell low parasite cast members was awarded outstanding performance by a cast in a Motion Picture at the 2019 s. A. G. Awards he was just 48 years old a tragic update to a missing persons case in san antonio. Police now believe they have found the body of 18yearold savannah soto. Pregnant teen was last seen friday that was the day she was supposed to be induced two bodies were found in a car that belonged to sotos boyfriend. So investigators believe it is soto and her partner, but they still need to be identified by a medical examiner the bodies were likely there for several days the crime scene was called perplexing and detectives are looking at this as a possible murder secretary of state Antony Blinken is headed to mexico today to tackle the migrant crisis head on it comes after a week of record crossings at the southern border, and there is no sign of it slowing, as thousands of migrants have joined a caravan in Central America making their way to the u. S Morgan Chesky is at the border with the latest. Reporter in southern mexico, a new Migrant Caravan is heading north. A group of men, women and children whose organizers say is now 8,000 strong, an of an estimated 2,000 more joined in a single day the caravan last seen in the mexican state near guatemala would be the largest since last year many of them desperate and exhausted. [speaking in a global language this father from honduras sharing his 3yearold daughter is now too weak to walk. The u. S. Border still more than a thousand miles away. In eagle pass, texas, just days after these stunning scenes of migrant families lining the rio grande, u. S. Customs and border prediction facing a quiet lull that likely wont last long. Outside an eagle pass shelter, we met these people. Where are you going now . Oklahoma. Reporter oklahoma. Los angeles reporter l. A dallas. Reporter dallas. Reporter betty ann from venezuela says shes waiting for her asylum hearing after a fivemonth journey here she called dangerous but worth it mexicos president now saying hell meet with u. S. Secretary of state Antony Blinken in mexico city to discuss potential joint solutions. Texas Governor Abbott taking his own steps, installing more barbed wire on the border and busing more migrants to democraticled cities, chicago and new york, both buckling. Governor abbott has maidde i clear he wants to destabilize cities reporter lawmakers in washington still need to strike a deal over southern border policy, but as of right now there is no clear agreement. Or t our thanks to morgan for that report in nebraska, near whiteout conditions calling this dangerous scene on the highway troopers in that state alone responded to more than 100 weatherrelated crashes. Maura barrett has more from chicago. Reporter a deadly winter storm on the move. Creating treacherous conditions across the heartland as millions look to head home from the holidays. If you do have to travel, you should pack provisions in case you get stranded reporter blizzard warnings in effect across five states, including colorado, blan kelted in up to ten inches of snow with up to six inches on the way. In south dakota, whiteout conditions forcing authorities to shut down the interstate. Strong wind gusts tearing apart this car park and piling snowdrifts at residents front doors. The storm turning deadly in kansas a wichita woman killed after Authorities Say she lost control of her truck on an icy stretch of highway and in nebraska, the state patrol responding to nearly 150 weatherrelated incidents, despite urging drivers to stay off the road slick conditions on the interstate causing semitrucks to slip off the roads, others jackknifed, forcing highways to shut down for hours. Flyers feeling the effects, too. More than 5,000 flights delayed or canceled, due to fog taking over the northeast fog also responsible for hundreds of canceled flights in the midwest over the holiday weekend. It was delayed, delayed reporter last year 2 million were stranded. The Airlines Push to hire more workers paying off to bring cancellation rates down. Is there a reason for that . The day after christmas thats okay ill deal with no delays this is perfect holiday travel. New numbers, tsa clocking 18 million in just the last few days tsa is predicting thursday and friday at the end of this week had will be the busiest travel days this year. The blizzard and icy conditions will finally subside across the plains this morning, although pockets of lingering snowshowers cant be ruled out snow will stretch south into parts of missouri and illinois throughthe evening while heavy rain will be possible from the north atlantic through the northeast today. Heavy rain could lead to areas of flash flooding later tonight. Finally, active weather returns to the west coast as a new system moves onshore through the day bringing heavy rain,tron s. Bit pittsburgh 53 a chilly 39 in green bay a family in North Carolina got a big surprise o uunder the Christmas Tree this year a 3yearold got up at 3 00 a. M. And opened every present heres explanation the little guy gave to dad. My son came downstairs and wanted to open all the presents so no one was confused thand thy all knew what they had gotten. They were able to rewrap everything so the oldest son could open his presents. More sports coming up. Whoa crest reality checkup. Bleeding gums are serious, jamie. I must be brushing too hard. No, its actually a sign of bacterial infection. One that can spread to other parts of the body. Check this out. Unlike other toothpastes, crest gum detoxifys antibacterial fluoride works below the gumline to help heal gums and stop bleeding. Crest saves the day, huh . No reason to fear. The 1 toothpaste brand in america. Crest. Im adding downy unstopables to my wash. Now ill be smelling fresh all day long. [sniff] still fresh. Get 6x longerlasting freshness, plus odor protection. Try for under 5 rapper kanye west now known as ye, is back in the headlines this morning, this time with an apology to the Jewish Community written in hebrew. Just weeks after he was captured on video making antisemitic comments yet again dana griffin has more. Reporter an artist with a history of making controversial comments the rapper, ye, formerly known as kanye west is now apologizing to the Jewish Community for his quote, unplanned outburst, posting a message in hebrew on his instagram, writing in part it was not my intention to hurt or disrespect and i deeply regret any pain i have caused, adding that he is committed to learning from the experience im going to give yall one last thing before i go reporter the apology coming weeks after this expletivefilled rant at a listening party for yes upcoming album which included references to hitler, jesus and Donald Trumps legal battles that party eventually shut down by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police for not having a permit but its not the first time ye, who says he has bipolar disorder, has come under fire for comments this interview with infowars shocking fans and critics alike. I say good things about hitler also. Reporter but it was this comment last october that swiftly cost him lucrative endorsement deals. I can say antisemitic things and adidas cant drop me now what now what reporter adidas, along with the gap and balenziaga cutting ties with the rapper in the fall of 2022. His net worth taking a serious hit, plunging from 1. 5 billion to 400 million, according to forbes t ramifications spreading beyond the music world. The Antidefamation League reporting ye was directly referenced by perpetrators of at least 59 antisemitic incidents in 2022. Still to come, were going bowling. We break down all the action from tuesdays bowl games as we gear up for the College Football playoffs, coming up right after this playoffs, coming up right a this. To give your teeth a dentist clean feeling. Start with a round brush head. Add power. And youve got oralb. Round cleans better by surrounding each tooth to remove 100 more plaque. For a superior clean. Oralb. Brush like a pro. 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For a great low rate, go with the general. The losing streak reaches 27 consecutive games. Basketball infamy was achieved at Little Caesars arena with their 118112 loss to the brooklyn nets, the pistons have dropped 27 straight games, with the longest record in losing streaks turning now to College Football where bowl season is heating up ahead of the playoffs on new years day. Tuesday saw a tripleheader starting with the quick lane bowl in detroit. Later on, texas state put on a show in the serve pro First Responders bowl. The bobcats scoring 21 unanswered to pull away from rice university, that coscore 4521. The kansas jayhawks pulled away from the rebels on the back of seven total touchdowns for a win at the guaranteed rate bowl. And now to a quarterback taking to the air waves. Aaron rodgers took to espn to elaborate on the new york jets elevating the quarterback to their active roster last week. He told pat mcafee it was the decision of team, not his own, to move him to the 53man roster so he could continue practicing. He would have been fine going to injured reserve so players on the roster would not have to be released despite a rapid recovery from his torn achilles, he likely will not make another start this season your pets might keep your brain healthy. And later, theres a shewolf in the closet and a statue in colombia see the shakira monument when we come back. A monument when we come back. On your period, sudden gushes happen. Say goodbye gush fears thanks to always ultra thins. With rapiddry technology. That absorbs two times faster. Hellooo clean and comfortable. Always. Fear no gush. Want luxury hair repair that doesnt cost 50 . Pantenes provitamin formula repairs hair. As well as the leading luxury bonding treatment. For softness and resilience, without the price tag. If you know. You know its pantene. How white do you think your teeth really are . 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Heres Contessa Brewer reporter at a party thrown by the worlds biggest casino company, hopes that a new year brings a new reason to celebrate. This is a Destination Resort in new york. Its worth all the effort we put in were very excited about it. A market at that cant be replicated new york is the holy grail for casino expansion reporter he spearheaded the efforts nearly a decade ago. This may be the last greatest untapped market in the world estimated 5 billion in revenue, gross revenue. Reporter Las Vegas Sands has spent years and tens of millions of dollars lobbying for a license to build at the nassau coliseum in long island. Community support is crucial caesars publicizes all those who back their bid this year, ballys bought trumps links in the bronx mgm resorts already operates in yonkers, but its proposing a world class resort with a concert venue, and resorts world already offers slots in queens, wynn resorts and a related company unveiled a plan for the hudson yard. In queens, mets owner steve cohen has partnered with hard rock international, owned by the seminole tribe in florida to overhaul parking lots into a development. Planned projects cost 8 billion bucks. Can you get a return on that investment without a casino license . I think thats pretty challenging. I think the scope of 8 billion cannot be justified unless you are able to maximize the amazing population reporter sands has an ambitious 6 billion commitment. It says it had buildwill build g even if it doesnt land a gaming license. Why does it make sense for Las Vegas Sands . It doesnt. But were committed short and long term. Reporter they are returning a hunger gamestype competition. Highest bidder may just have the best shot at landing the casino license. Contessa brewer, cnbc Business News than forks right now at 5 00, tracking incoming rain. The wet weather returning, and were issuing a microclimate weather alert. Here is a look at our radar, powered by storm ranger. Meteorologist