"early today" starts right now. >> good morning. i'm phillip mena. >> i'm frances rivera. >> the wildfires burning across southern california are showing no signs of dying down any time soon. six major fires are scorching well over 140,000 acres. some 500 structures have been destroyed and hundred of thousands have been forced to flee their homes. the state offices of emergency services issued its widest ever text alert warning millions of extreme fire conditions as ferocious santa ana winds continued fueling those flames. >> governor ch jerry brown is now calling on president trump to declare a federal emergency in the state. the governor also just declared a state of emergency for san diego. that's where the lilac fire exploded to over 4,000 acres in just a few hours, burning down at least hundreds of trailer homes in a retirement community. dozens of horses at an elite training center also died as hundreds of others sprinted from the flames. red flag warnings have been extended to sunday, due to dangerous wind conditions, making a difficult fight for more than 5,000 firefighters there working around the clock to fight and control the flames. nbc's scott cohn has the latest from hard-hit ventura county. scott? >> reporter: and hard hit it is, frances. those eye-popping numbers that you mentioned, 140,000 acres burned in these fires, 500 structures destroyed. the vast majority of that is here in ventura county. this one fire, the thomas fire, which is 115,000 acres in and of itself, and is threatening nearby santa barbara county in addition to ventura county. let's talk about the lilac fire down near san diego. it is threatening the camp pendleton marine base. three civilians injured, and it is at 4100 acres, but threatens to grow much larger as the winds continued to blow. and officials are warning people in the fire zone and outside of it to be on guard. >> we have to be resilient. we have to work together. we have to look out for each other. and even those who aren't in the i-76 corridor and are affected by the lilac fire, there are still 70-mile-an-hour winds going on throughout san diego county. it didn't mean that tonight there won't be another fire going -- start somewhere else. so everybody in the county still needs to be prepared because until these winds die down later in the weekend, everybody is at risk. >> reporter: now, those winds are continuing to blow, but they have diminished considerably from 24 hours ago. and the forecast always was that they were going to peak on thursday, but continue. so we still feel what you might describe as a breeze. and wind gusts still up to 40 and 50 miles an hour. but the hope is now that this santa ana wind episode will die down. red flag warnings, though, continue in effect through the weekend. phillip, frances? >> thank you, scott. now to the fire's front lines. jacob soberoff join eed crews a they race to contain flames. >> i'm along the 101 freeway in ventura, california. this is the new front line of the thomas fire. the tom thomas fire has engulfed over 90,000 acres here in ventura county. and there have been over 50,000 people who have been evacuated from this area, with the winds expected to get what cal fire is calling to epic levels. there are no signs of this fire letting up any time soon. >> this wind event is a historic wind event for our county and the destruction is that its created. with the drought years that we've had, it's just a bad combination. >> reporter: this is a multiagency response, partially because so many homes, lives, property are at risk. these homes are in the immediate path of the destruction right now. but with the shift of the winds at any minute, they too could go up in flames. and the direction could change. >> our thanks to jacob soberoff for that report. the united nations council will meet to n response to president trump's decision to recognize jerusalem as israel's capital. palestinians and israeli soldiers clashed in parts of the west bank and gaza thursday, leading to dozens of injuries. all sides now bracing for more violence as the powerful palestinian islamist group hamas declared friday a day of rage. nbc's richard engel is in jerusalem with more. >> reporter: this was day one of president trump's new plan, which he says will foster peace in the middle east. but peace was in short supply. palestinians rejecting the president's declaration that jerusalem is israel's capital. >> you can see they have been lighting fires here. they're burning tires using the smoke to provide a smoke screen. palestinians threw stones at israeli troops. the troops fired rubber bullets and tear gas there is talk of a new uprising starting, what palestinians call an intifada. they say they tried the peace process for decades, but that president trump's comments show it didn't work. this could become an armed conflict said one of the young stone throwers. everything is possible. >> our thanks to richard engel for that report. back to washington now, where congressional republicans may have gotten another layer of armor to defend their senate majority after democratic congressman al franken announced he will resign in the coming weeks. the junior senator from minnesota was under pressure from his own party to step aside following a seventh woman coming forward claiming franken touch herd inappropriately. >> reporter: former "snl" star al franken announcing he'll soon be a former senator. >> in the coming weeks, i will be resigning as member of the united states senate. >> reporter: franken had been fighting to keep his job after seven women came forward the accuse him of sexual misconduct. too many for 15 women senators, who demanded he step down. >> enough is enough. >> reporter: franken insisting he did nothing wrong. >> some of the'ses against me are simply not true. others i remember very differently. >> reporter: but this photo of franken on a uso tour in 2006 with a sleeping leeann tweeden for which he apologized unleashed a half dozen more accusations. >> he had put his arm around me, and he ended up groping my right breast. >> reporter: franken calling out his rival party. >> uam leaving while a man who has bragged on tape about his history of sexual assault sits in the oval office, and man who has repeatedly preyed on young girls campaigns for the senate with the full support of his party. >> reporter: republicans in a tough spot if roy moore, who denies multiple accusations of sexual misconduct with teenagers wins the alabama senate race next tuesday. also this morning, republican congressmen trent franks announcing he'll resign from congress next month after the ethics committee said it was going to investigate allegations of possible sexual misconduct. phillip? >> thank you. now to a white house comment getting a lot of athings this morning. this time it's from first lady melania trump. she paid a visit to patients and staff at children's national hospital in washington. and just listen to her response when asked where she would like to spend the holidays. >> i would spend my holidays on deserted island, tropical island with my family. >> all right. saying it right there. the first lady and the president are expected to spend their holidays at mar-a-lago in palm beach, florida. and that isn't the only first lady moment getting some attention. mrs. trump, along with second lady karen pence stopped by what-a-burger during their recent trip to texas. they grabbed a meal and snapped photos during their trip this week, catching employees by surprise. >> i was so excited. first lady is here. the first lady is here! she walks in and i was so happy to serve her. everybody came in. everybody was so nice. >> oh, with all the time in texas, phillip, we know. this is what you need to get. you love the jalapeno burger, i think. >> they made an excellent choice. that is my favorite burger by far. great choice. bill karins joining us with a look at the weather. >> you can get flit the snow this morning. snow in areas of texas. houston, all the way down to corpus christi and victoria. it doesn't happen that often. pretty rare. it hasn't happened in a couple of years in this area. a lot of kids were out trying to see the snowflakes last night. you'll see some early this morning. now though breaking out in mississippi and north georgia. winter storm warnings extended from north georgia down through central portions of mississippi. so you don't see that that often either. and again, it will be light accumulations. but especially the bridge, the overpasses could be the most trouble. snowfall totals down through louisiana. but mississippi into areas of central georgia and north georgia, that's where we could get 2 to 3 inches. over the russia investigation is about to get even trickier. we'll explain here on "early today." ♪ so probably take it at night. and if you have any questions, the instructions are here in spanish as you requested. gracias. ♪ at walgreens, how we care will change over time, but why we care remains the same treating everyone with the care and attention they deserve. walgreens. trusted since 1901. stuff happens. when you have a cold... 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(on intercom) all hands. we are looking for the captain's keys again. they are on a silver carabiner. oh, this is bad. as long as people misplace their keys, you can count on geico saving folks money. fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more on car insurance. vatican city kicked off the holiday season by lighting a towering christmas tree that survived a lightning strike in poland. the 6946 foot spruce is also 69 years old. it lost its tip when it was struck by lightning -- not 69 years ago. that's in my head still. the tree travelled for 12 days through poland's missouri region to the heart of saint peter's square in rome. >> beautiful. just over 60 days to go until the 2018 winter olympics kickoff in south korea. but new comments from the trump administration are raising possible safety concerns over america's participation in the games which are set to take place 50 miles from the dmz line with north korea. kristen welker has details for us this morning. >> reporter: a game plan in question when u.n. ambassador nikki haley seemed to suggest the u.s. may not participate in the winter olympics. >> there is an open question. it's always about how do we protect the u.s. citizens in the area. >> reporter: the olympic committee saying there hadn't been any discussions about not attending. and more confusion at the white house. >> no official decision has been made on that. >> reporter: but moments later, a clarification. press secretary sarah sanders tweeting the u.s. looks forward to participating in the winter olympics in south korea, stressing safety and security. a u.s. official telling nbc news haley's comments were taken out of context. still, it all underscores the escalating tensions with north korea, with comparisons to 1980 when the u.s. joined more than 60 countries to boycott the games in moscow. the reality now the u.s. does not want to boy scott cott an ally. >> the entire world comes together around sport. that's kind of the spirit of the olympics. >> reporter: the athletes now ready to carry the torch. kristen welker, nbc news, the white house. straight ahead, we'll introduce you to next generation of marvel superheroes. keep it here on "early today." n. i have cancer. and you also have st. jude. discoveries at st. jude have helped to increase the overall childhood cancer survival rate from 20%...to 80%. and we freely share our research everywhere. you want one? 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>> i love this idea. having that, a lot of times you can't find the remote or you have to switch a certain button. you can do it from your phone. marriott started last year where you can bypass the whole check-in, pick a room and go straight to it. it's just the next evolution in staying in hotels now days. >> you i know why i like it? it saves me from getting my antibacterial rips and wiping everything down that i normally do. >> just another reason. >> keep it right here on "early today." we'll talk about the blaze in california when we come back. ♪ see ya. -take care. ♪ so probably take it at night. and if you have any questions, the instructions are here in spanish as you requested. gracias. ♪ at walgreens, how we care will change over time, but why we care remains the same treating everyone with the care and attention they deserve. walgreens. trusted since 1901. you give us comfort. and we give you bare feet, backsweat, and gordo's... everything. i love you, but sometimes you stink. soft surfaces trap odors. febreze fabric refresher cleans them away for good. because the things you love the most can stink. and plug in febreze to keep your whole room fresh for up to 45 days. breathe happy with febreze. running out of time. in just a couple of hours, a local couple is set to be deported to mexico. their fight to keep their family together. returning to philadelphia. today army/navy weekend kicks off as rivals prepare to face each other on the football field. we'll break down the big events leading up to the iconic game. keeping his promise. why a principal is spending the night camping out on the roof of a school. i bet he wished it was last week when it was warmer overnight. a chilly time-out. we'll tell you about that coming up. good morning. this is "nbc10 news today" first look at 4. i'm tracy davidson. >> i'm via sikahema. many in our area will be seeing their first snow of the season this weekend. and the wet weather to the south is heading our way. >> whoa. >> you see it already has caused snow to fall in texas. this is texas a&m stadium. let's get right to meteorologist bill henley with the most accurate neighborhood weather forecast. anything in store like that for us, bill? >> we are going to see snow during the day tomorrow. that's why i issued a first alert for tomorrow for delaware, new jersey, the pennsylvania suburbs. the most in delaware and south jersey. more of a coastal system. we will see some snowfall, and it will likely be accumulating in philadelphia. less so in the suburbs. don't be surprised to see snowflakes during the day on saturday. now i'll start along the coast. first thing saturday morning at 5:00. then it spreads inland during the day. it will be tapering off by 8:00 on saturday. there will be accumulating snow. it may be more of the slushy variety. a one to four-inch potential. the greater amounts will be in south jersey and parts of delaware leading to hazardous travel. that's tomorrow. for today, clouds. no wet weather near us. and not expecting any during the day today. there may be a few showers this evening along the coast and then a break. and then we will get the system to our south. see how nice and clear it is in the lehigh valley and the suburbs. the clearing has taken place overnight. and that is going to allow the temperatures to get cold this morning. there's the wet weather. it's even spreading snow into mississippi, alabama, georgia, and now into portions of north carolina. that snow is heading our way. so is a cold morning. not quite as cold as yesterday in philadelphia. 37 degrees. there are some colder spots where we're getting that clearing this morning. 28 in reading. 30 degrees in pottstown. we'll be dry during the day. the temperatures climb by 1:00 this afternoon. we'll be in the very low 40s. i'll break it down hour by hour, take a closer look at when you can expect to see some snow over the weekend when i'm back in ten minutes. first, katy zachry has your first alert traffic. thanks. i want to start out with good news. typically at this time we see overnight construction that may