>> i'm frances rivera. >> president-elect donald trump offers michael flynn a military intelligence officer, the key position of national security adviser in his new administration. now word on whether flynn has accepted the offer. talk about a team of rivals. news this morning trump is considering 2008 gop nominee mitt romney for secretary of state. the two men are scheduled to meet this weekend in what could be an awkward greeting following the dramatic public bashing between the two during the campaign. >> donald trump is a phony. a fraud. his promises are as wurktless as a degree from trump university. >> you can see how loyal he is. he was begging for my endorsement. i could have said, mitt, drop to your knees. he would have dropped to his knees. he was begging. >> the bullying, the greed, the showing off. the misogyny, the absurd third grade theatrics. >> it's sad. he's going around, oh, oh. he's a sad case. he choked. you know what a choke artist is? right? >> well, despite all that, romney joins john bolton, senator bob corker, former cia director david petraeus, rudy giuliani, and nikki haley on a list of possible secretaries of state. haley was a slew of republicans to make their way to trump tower. others including florida governor rick scott, jeff sessions, henry kissinger and more. another big name removes himself from the cabinet race all together. newt gingrich tells nbc news he will not be part of the trump cabinet. that as japanese prime minister shinzo abe is the first world leader to meet with trump since his election for what was described as a very candid discussion. >> a federal judge in san diego will hear arguments in the trump university case, mainly whether to delay the case against the president-elect. his legal team has asked for a delay until after the inauguration, and pete williams cup firms even if president trump can still be compelled to testify on this and other lawsuits pertaining to matters prior to his election. the kufrt trump university legal case was brought by former students who claim the school frauj lnltly misrepresented what students would be taught. the judge is the same judge that trump said during the campaign was hostile to him because of his ethnic identity. >> in arizona, a police officer has been placed on lead after a video was posted on social media showing him punching a woman in the face during a confrontation. that woman was subsequently arrested and an investigation is under way. nbc's miguel almaguer has more. >> reporter: cell phone video captured the confrontation in flagstaff, arizona, when the officer threw the punch. >> you can't hit a girl like that. >> police were responding to an eviction notice. it's unclear what led to the scuff between the officer and marissa morris, who was arrested and then released. >> just let him. >> let him arrest you. >> it's embarrassing. it's the people who are supposed to protect us, and they did not protect us. they ended up hurting me. >> the police department placed the officer on leave, the chief saying he's concerned by what is depicted. >> it is our intent to conduct a detailed and thorough investigation into the matter. >> in his report, the officer said he was kicked and kneed in the groin. the video shot behind a rail is not the only evidence. >> stop, police. stop, right now. >> in flagstaff, police wear body cameras like these, footage from this incident is under review. >> so often in cases like these, there's a rush to judgment and a call for immediate action. >> from a freeway takedown in california to a teen pool party confrontation in texas, officers in past high-profile incidents like these never faced criminal charges. in arizona, police are asking for time and patience to determine if the whole story is on this shocking tape. miguel almaguer, nbc news. >> overseas and more disturbing video this morning. this of a 6-year-old boy pulled alive from the rubble after an air strike in syria. it reportedly took volunteers four hours to rescue this shocked and bloody shield in aleppo. sadly, his mother was killed in the same air strike. more than 20 others were also killed. it's part of a major syrian and russian offensive launched this week. it created a serious humanitarian crisis with frequent strikes on hospitals. >> this morning, a federal investigation is under way into the cause of a massive gas explosion that killed one and injured a dozen other in the town in illinois. look at the surveillance video from wednesday. it captures the very moment of impact. a contractor digging outside the 125-year-old opera house hit a gas supply line. a crew from the gas company responded and the explosion happened as the crew was about to make a repair. it's the latest in a series of recent explosions. in the past 20 years, gas line incidents have killed nearly 287 people. >> 50 wildfires are burning, nearly 120,000 acres across seven states, and residents' health may be endangered. thick smoke extends up to 10,000 feet in the air, making it difficult to breathe. >> if someone were to walk into a designated smoking area, an enclosed room like in an airport, you would be exposed to the same type of smoke that we're exposed to from the forest fires. >> authorities believe many of the fires were started by arsonists and the governor of north carolina announced an up to $10,000 thou,000 award for in leading to an arrest. >> more happily ever afters, it seems. an eye-popping stat shows you u.s. divorce rates have dropped to a 40-year low. we're talking about 40 years here. this is based on new data. the divorce rate is now 16.9 divorces for every 1,000 married wim across the country. meanwhile, marriage rates have increased to 32.2 marriages for every 1,000 women. so nice to see that there are -- there's riding off into the sunset. >> good news for newlyweds. nice to see. part of that is because people are getting married older in life. >> snow is headed to a different part of the country. just a few hours ago, this was the scene in the denver metropolitan area where a steady snowfall blanketed the region for the first sustainable storm of the season, and while not everyone is thrilled about the nasty pre-thanksgiving weather, we found a joyful pooch taking in the snowflakes one at a time with what might be described as pure happiness. >> and commuters who are stuck in that. but here's the thing, for ski country, hey, especially, right, bill? >> it's cold. right before thanksgiving. the snow in wyoming and colorado. if you plan your thanksgiving there, you chose really well. now the storm is moving out of the rockies to the middle of the country. it's all-out blizzard. we have snow coming down at about 1 inch per hour near watertown and into western and central minnesota. the blue shows you the snow. it's widespread from north of omaha to the canadian border. pretty impressive early season storm, and the snow totals from here on out, we could get 6 to 12 inches easily in northern minnesota. that's the big weathertory of smid-atlantic, but that won't last as the cold air is moving across the nation. well, the next storm is already loading up. that's going to affect the west coast as we go throughout the weekend. i'll give you the details coming up. >> bill, thank you very much. just ahead, "time" magazine's most influential images of all time. we'll show you some next. >> plus, when is the best time and the best day to call sick from work so your boss doesn't get suspicious? >> everyone needs to pay attention to that one. ♪ happy thanks for giving! thanks for giving lien the strength to outrun her brother. thanks for giving victor the energy to be the rowdiest fan. and joseph, the ability to see monsters. when you choose walgreens, you choose to make a difference... like how every vitamin and flu shot you get at walgreens helps give life-changing vitamins and vaccines... to children in need. so, really... happy thanks for giving! walgreens. at the corner of happy and healthy. one day a rider made a decision. the decision to ride on and save money. he decided to save money by switching his motorcycle insurance to geico. there's no shame in saving money. ride on, ride proud. geico motorcycle, great rates for great rides. more "doing chores for dad" per roll more "earning something you love" per roll bounty is more absorbent, so the roll can last 50% longer than the leading ordinary brand. so you get more "life" per roll. bounty, the quicker picker upper welcome back. "time" magazine has compiled their picks for the 100 most influential images of all time. here are a few you may recognize. you're looking at the loch ness monster captured in 1934. this is from world war ii, the mushroom cloud over nagasaki, japan. here are the u.s. marines raising the flag in iwo jima in 1945, and this one, historic 1969 man on the moon. and something more recent that we may all remember. remember this? of course, the selfie, that snapshot that ellen took during the 2014 oscars. she took it of all the a-list celebrities. >> what's intrecredible is we a recognize them, that's how you know they're powerful because they're ones we can recall. >> overseas, leading the news, violence erupts in athens, eece, as rioters clashed with police. they threw molotov cocktails and other projej tiles at the police who responded with volleys of tear gas and stun grenades, littering the streets with fire and smoke. it broke out after a march against the greek government's austerity policies which were recommended by the international monetary fund in exchange for critical loans. >> from the "washington post," a self-striebed news writer puts the election ruls on his own shoulders. he said, quote, i think donald trump is in the white house because of me. facebook and twitter are under a barrage of criticism for what said say is aiding and abetting the spread of false information in the election, and president obama is also leading his voice to the fight . >> there's so much active disinformation and it's packaged very well and it looks the same when you see it on a facebook page or you turn on your television. if everything seems to be the same and no distinctions are made, then we won't know what to protect. we won't know what to fight for. >> mark zuckerberg has been downplaying it, saying he doubts the fake news has swayed the election. if it's getting president obama's attention, it's growing. >> mcdaonald's is rolling out a new service it hopes will enhance your service. they will be able to order their meals on a touch screen, take their seat and have the food delivered to the table. the fast food giant is introd e introducing the service to all its restaurants, with the hopes they believe people are happier to wait for their food sitting down. >> that makes sense because sometimes if all the tables are taken, you're waiting for your food and walking around with your plate. >> does that mean you have to start tipping at mcdonald's? >> might be a good idea, too. >> just ahead, the dress that was so tight, it had to be sewn right on her. >> and next, find out how much marilyn monroe's jfk birthday dress sold for. >> plus, the biggest counterfeit bust in history. look at all that cash. fake cash. details next. an extra 20% off. it's time to get ready for the holidays so deck the halls and trim the tree with 50% off holiday décor. dress to impress for the school concert and keep warm with $16.99 hats and $49.99 boots. then hurry home to cozy up for a family movie night. at kohl's, friends and family save a little more with an extra 20% off. it's our way of saying thanks so you can give a little more this holiday. kohl's. incr...think it wouldotection in a pwork, but it does.dn't... it's called always discreet for bladder leaks, the super... ...absorbent core turns liquid to gel. i know i'm wearing it but no one else will. always discreet for bladder leaks. yeah, so mom's got this cold. hashtag "stuffy nose." hashtag "no sleep." i got it. hashtag "mouthbreather." yep. we've got a mouthbreather. well, just put on a breathe right strip and ... pow! it instantly opens your nose up to 38% more than cold medicine alone. so you can breathe ... and sleep. shut your mouth and say goodnight mouthbreathers. breathe right. yo...don't let sinus symptomsnd bring you down now.. get fast sinus relief with vicks sinex and get back in the game. sinex, the congestion, pressure, pain to clear your head... ...medicine. fast forwarding today. president obama heads to peru in the final foreign stop of his presidency. it comes after the predspent the morning meeting with e.u. leaders. >> ted cruz will give a speech to the federalist society alongside governor nikki haley. >> this weekend's box office may break records as the latest film in the harry potter franchise opens up nationwide. >> also, nocturnal animals, tom ford's second feature film, starring amy adams and jake gyllenhaal. >> and manchester by the sea starring casey affleck and michelle williams. >> details on an eye-popping bus and what is the best day and time to call out sick so your boss doesn't catch on? i want to turn to landon dowdy. she has the details. >> happy friday. all of the expert news on how to skip work. but first, let's get a quick check on hollywood. the memorabilia is still hot. the dress marilyn monroe wore when she sang happy birthday to john f. kennedy in 1962 sold for $4.8 million at an auction in los angeles last night. ripley's believe it or not bought the dress that was so tight monroe had to be sewn into it. meanwhile, u.s. and peruvian agents have seized a record $30 million in counterfeit money. the biggest bust of fake greenbacks ever. peru is the largest distributor of fake u.s. currency, and the sting comes just ahead of president obama's visit to the south american country. and listen up for this one. those of you who could use a little me time to play hooky from work, a new survey finds the best day and time to call out sick from work is 6:38 a.m. on a tuesday. that's when you're most likely to be believed, apparently, unlike on a monday or friday when it looks like you're angling for a long weekend. the best excuse, are you ready? >> yes.is? >> stomach problems. >> funny enough, i was going to ask you where you were last tuesday? you didn't come into work. >> you caught me red-handed, but it was a legitimate excuse. 6:38 doesn't work for us. >> we have to do it night before so we can stay out, rip it up, and have our stomach problems. >> when they can't find us next tuesday -- >> they'll know where. exactly. >> have a good weekend. >> have you heard about the grandma thanksgiving text story? one of the best stories you'll probably hear all holiday season. >> plus, the lengths some will go to dump that cookie in ice cold milk or maybe even tea. you're watching "early today." 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( ♪ ) ♪ they tell me i'm wrong ♪ ♪ to want to stand alongside my, my love ♪ ♪ whoa, talkin' 'bout my love ♪ ♪ talkin' 'bout my, my love ♪ you ready, dad? ♪ whoa-ooh ♪ ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh ♪ ...and dale, welllping he loves colleen.nt. they have their differences. but they make it work, most of the time. and at least they agree one thing. new tide purclean it's the first bio-based detergent... with the cleaning power of tide. so you can actually clean your clothes and still... ...do your part. new tide purclean. the first bio-based detergent with the cleaning power of tide. if it's got to be clean, it's got to be tide. we'll play something besides video games. every day is a gift especially for people with heart failure. but today there's entresto®- a breakthrough medicine that can help make more tomorrows possible. tomorrow, i want to see teddy bait his first hook. in the largest heart failure study ever, entresto® was proven to help more people stay alive and out of the hospital than a leading heart failure medicine. women who are pregnant must not take entresto®. it can cause harm or death to an unborn baby. don't take entresto® with an ace inhibitor or or aliskiren. if you've had angioedema while taking an ace or arb medicine, don't take entresto®. the most serious side effects are angioedema, low blood pressure, kidney problems, or high potassium in your blood. tomorrow, i'm gonna step out with my favorite girl. ask your heart doctor about entresto®. and help make the gift of tomorrow possible. what's the best way to get v8 or a fancy juice store?s? ready, go! hi, juice universe? one large rutabaga, with eggplant... done! that's not fair. glad i had a v8. the original way to fuel your day. people say, let's just get a sandwich or something. "or something"? you don't just graduate from medical school, "or something." and we don't just pull smoked chicken, bake fresh foccacia and hand-slice avocado. there's nothing "or something" about it. there's a new online thing, it's spreading quickly. if you haven't heard of it yet, you'll hear by tomorrow. it's called the trump is coming challenge. you sneak up on a group of people and yell, trump is coming! and this happens. >> guys, trump is coming! >> trump is coming. >> hey, trump's coming. >> it's very simple. you just hear it and get out of there. melania does the same thing when she hears him coming home at night. >> soon to replace the mannequin challenge that we have been seeing so much. >> it's something that happens to a lot of us. we send a text to the wrong person, but for an arizona teen, a texting mix-up turned into thanksgiving dinner. the 17-year-old jamal read a text that read in part thanksgiving at my house, and it was from grandma. he didn't recognize the number so wondered when did his grandmother start texting. he asked for a pic. they replied. wanda replied with her picture. hinton replied with his picture and text writing she was not his grandmother and can i still get a plate? she said yes and invited hinton and his family to thanksgiving dinner. their story is a good one heading into the holiday season. an uplifting message. usually it doesn't end up in a nice thanksgiving meal. >> i get creeped up, like miss fired. >> i had relationship misfires, too. don't want to get involved in that. >> there's a british man who took a giant leap to set a world record. look what he did. this is simon barry. he set the guinness world of bungee dunking ort. he jumped 240 feet in the air to dunk a cookie into a cup of tea. he said to nail that cup of tea was pretty tricky. not only is he the world record holder, guinness says he's also officially amazing. it was part of the 120th annual world guinness day. you know what he's got to do? and i'm sure the brits might be a little upset. finger pinky needs to be up. >> judges gave him a 9.9 on the form and the dive. >> maybe next time around. pinky up. >> just ahead, a challenges emerges to take on the democratic house leader. we'll tell you about that. you're watching "early today." little dakota's nose was quivering in fear. because it knew an ordinary tissue was near. the fiery tissue left her nose sore and red. so dad slayed the problem with puffs plus lotion, instead. puffs have pillowy softness for dakota's tender nose. with lotion to comfort and soothe when she blows. don't get burned by ordinary tissues. a nose in need deserves puffs, indeed. now get puffs plus lotion in the squeezable softpack. happy thanks for giving! thanks for giving lien the strength to outrun her brother. thanks for giving victor the energy to be the rowdiest fan. and joseph, the ability to see monsters. when you choose walgreens, you choose to make a difference... like how every vitamin and flu shot you get at walgreens helps give life-changing vitamins and vaccines... to children in need. so, really... happy thanks for giving! walgreens. at the corner of happy and healthy. welcome back. the weekend forecast, we start with today. we're absolutely clear. we're fine in california. but the next storm is lingering and it will be moving in during the day saturday, saturday night, some rain, especially northern california and some showers into sunday. san francisco northward, showery weather to the pacific no, s northwest. a few spots in the upper north could get showers or two. overall, the weekend weather on the west coast, not the best. we'll take the rain, though. we still need it, but -- >> a lot of good movies out this weekend. >> your glass is half full. >> thanks. democrats on capitol hill are looking to recover from last week's republican wave and now nancy pulessee is getting her first democratic challenger from none other than tim ryan. the challenge comes as democrats look to rebuild after their bad election day showing among the rust belt voters. the democratic leader elections were postponed amid the angst in the party. >> the first case of its kind in england and possibly the world. there's a dying teenage girl who has managed to convince a judge to let her body be frozen. the 14-year-old wrote to the judge before her recent death in inhope she could be brought back to life at a time where cancer is cured. the case was taken to court, when her father disagreed with her wish. the girl has been transferred to a specialist facility in the united states to start the preservation process at a cost of $46,000. it's amazing what science can do, but you have the moral and ethical questions. >> i wonder how long that decision will stand that they'll preserve her body. >> and the precedence that may be set. >> it's official, we have already known this. women are better multitaskers than men. scientists have said it for years, but new research from the hse neurolinguistics laboratory look at scans of men and women's brains. the results shows men's minds to be greedier and require much more energy to shift their attention. most women do not experience that amount of difficulty until they reach their 50s while men face it their entire lives. >> you'll learn this when that little baby comes and when you're starting a family. dad, you know this, moms, you know this. we're thinking five steps ahead, ten maybe, you're thinking two at the most. he's going to learn. more people crave wi-fi than sex, alcohol, and chocolate. >> what does that tell us about our day and age? >> it's conducted by this i-pass group, a leading internet provider, so it might be skewed, but a lot of people can relate. american and european participants were asked to rank the importance of the internet against other human luxuries. 45% said wi-fi is the human essential they need. 31% say sex, 14% kanygs pitil -nd t before i get out of here, i want to talk about race. >> kanye gets political and then he gets booed in the process. his overnight rant in the south bay that has many fans calling for anything but an on core. >> inching closer to donald trump's transition into the white house. the political heavyweight he's meeting with this weekend for the possible role of secretary of state. more racist graffiti showing up at bay area high schools. the fleet of concerned parents and the action one school district is taking. "today in the bay" starts right now. >> you made it to friday morning. it's very early if you're just waking up. 4:30 right now. i'm laura ga-c