good morning. power house. a massive storm pounding alaska this morning. one of the strongest ever in that region bringing hurricane-force winds and giant waves. it is set to put a cold wave into motion to send temperatures plunging. back toay the number of troops to battle isis. it is a slippery slope to a ground war? in the nick of time. a girl snatched from her bedroom by an intruder in the middle of the night. >> my 5-year-old. >> thanks to her quick thinking stepfather, the story has a happy ending. and here's jay.

>> let's give a welcome to mr. jay leno. >> former tonight show host returns to the show he hosted for decades. a look at the laughs for saturday, november 8th, 2014. >> announcer: from nbc news, this is "today," with lester holt and erica hill. live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. >> good morning. welcome to "today" on a saturday. i'm lester holt. >> i'm erica hill alongside sheinelle jones. we are missing one at the desk. that is because dylan dreyer is over at citifield. also in new york city in the borough of queens. she has a sneak peek at the macy's thanksgiving day parade. we will check in with her for a little inside scoop. >> i cannot stand it all.

the tree going up. >> it's time. let's get to the top stories. this winter holiday related. cold weather. this is dangerously cold weather getting set to grip the country in the coming week. it is due to the storm pounding alaska today that is changing the course of the jet stream. the weather channel's mike seidel is in minneapolis with more. mike, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, lester. from a blustery, but cool minneapolis-st. paul. temperatures are around 40. that is nothing on the way from the arctic. in the twin cities, they could set a record for the longest stretch of sub freezing cold in november. break out the heavy coats. winter is coming early. you can thank nuri for that. the remnants of the storm in the bering sea are headed for alaska with near 100-mile-an-hour winds. a storm so powerful it will cause the jet stream to whiplash

and send frigid temperatures south and east. in chicago, they know what that means. >> cold winter weather. >> lots of snow and freezing cold. >> bring it on. >> reporter: by mid week, temperatures in nearly two-thirds of the country will be 10 to 20 degrees below average. we had a taste last weekend. up to 21 inches of snow in parts of maine. bone-chilling 65-mile-an-hour winds downed power lines and high waves battered the chicago waterfront. a football game in north carolina held in a snow globe. is this just the taste of what's to come? remember last winter? heavy snow and whiteout conditions. we are getting the worst of the storm. here in the northeast, rockefeller center is getting ready for christmas. that usually means winter weather is not far behind. some of that is cold air will get into new york city in the northeast later next week. in the meantime, look at the forecast as the arctic blast

heads to montana and the northern plains and upper midwest the first of the week. on monday, rapid city only 25 degrees. billings at 22. that is nearly 30 degrees below average. winter storm watches up for snow and a good deal of big sky country. tuesday, chicago starts to feel the chill. 30 in the mile high city and by wednesday, the cold air heads to texas with dallas-ft. worth at 52. and on monday across parts of the midwest and plains, some folks will get 6 inches of snow in addition to that teeth-chattering weather. erica. >> thank you, mike seidel. the united states is beefing up the military presence in iraq doubling the number of non combat troops and speculation if this country is back in the conflict.

our white house correspondent welk kristen welker has more. >> reporter: the president asked the pentagon for additional american troops to be deployed to iraq for the fight against isis. the troops will not be in combat ro roles, but there is skepticism this morning. president obama heading to asia to focus on trade and economy in the region. but it is the continues to foil the administration. on friday, the pentagon announced it was doubling the number of u.s. military forces now on the ground in iraq from 1,400 to nearly 3,000. pentagon officials say the forces will train, advise and assist the iraqi military in the fight against isis militants. >> secretary hagel made the recommendation on the request of

the government of iraq. >> reporter: the announcement comes three months after the air strike against the targets in iraq and syria. u.s. military commanders feared without more u.s. advisers, the iraqis could lose the battle. more teams in the north, west and southern iraq and two combat zones in anbar province. pentagon officials insist they are not going into combat. >> they will be trained troops and be able to defend themselves. they are not introduced into a combat role. >> reporter: the announcement comes with the nation still weary. >> i think this is headed toward further increases. more advisers and more troops on the ground. that is the only way you will not only defeat isis, but keep them away for an extended period. >> reporter: later today, the president will announce a new attorney general. if confirmed, loretta lynch as

first female african-american ag. >> kristen welker, thank you. >> tom is among the congressional leader whose met with the president on friday. senator, good morning. thanks for being with us. >> good morning, lester. >> let's start off if we can with the troop increase in iraq. did the president make a convincing argument for the additional 1,500 deployment? >> i think what the president and his team are looking at, obviously, the conditions on the ground and limitations of air power and the importance of getting the iraqi security forces and syrian rebels more engaged in the ground campaign. i think that it is a request that will meet with a good reception on capitol hill, lester, simply because most of us recognize that we're not going to be able to get the job done without engaging in the ground elements.

it prevents having to have american troops on the grounds. >> that having to have american troops on the grounds. >> that is my next question. did he at least crack the door open for combat troops? american combat? >> he hasn't cracked that door open in any setting i have been familiar with in private or public. that's not where he wants to go. i think, you know, the effort to get the iraqi security forces, which frankly we have done a lot of work on before and the new government over there let that training effort go by the wayside, really is something that can be helpful in pushes isis back out of iraq and syria and really isolate them. >> let's talk about the meeting were you part of. the president and congressional leaders. you expressed thoughts of optics. give me the sense of the atmosphere in terms of what

happened now post-election. >> well. it is always a little bit of optics. as you know in washington. i appreciate the fact that the president was reaching out to senate and house republicans and democrats. a bipartisan meeting. he wants to create the conditions in a foundation of trust in order for us to get some things done. so i'm encouraged by that. also i would say at the same time, the message we delivered to him it will make it difficult if he continues down the executive action path. he used that on a number of big issues. we feel it will make it complicated to create a record of accomplishment on capitol hill if the president continues down executive action. it was a good spirit and frank discussion which was beneficial for us and hopefully for the president. he heard where the republicans on capitol hill are coming from. i hope we can create a foundation to get things done. that is what the american people want to see.

>> let's talk about the american people. if any message came out, the people want to you get it together and play nicely together. on that note, are you worried about the president taking executive action and he is worried about republicans appealing obamacare. could this send this congress in another divide for the next two years? >> lester, we hope to take things there is agreement on. there is a broad number of support for the bills that passed the house and senate. the president is going to asia next week. that is important to the economy. there is a lot of energy related things that we think with broad bipartisan support that is good for the economy. if you are focused on jobs and the economy, i think there is common ground there. if we go down the path of more divisive issues, it will be difficult to get that done. having said that, i think there

is certain elements, obamacare and restoring the 40-hour workweek and republicans joining democrats in supporting that. for anything to happen, we have to get a presidentiali signatur. yesterday's meeting was a first step in that. i hope there are more meetings to follow and i hope the president will work with the congress. >> senator, thanks for being with us this morning. >> thanks, lester. let's get a check on the top stories ice. sheinelle is following them. >> gruesome details in mexico on the fate of the missing college students. on friday, authorities announced three drug gang members admitted to killing the 43 students last seen in september. the suspects allegedly burned their bodies. so far, 74 people have been detained in connection to the crime. to washington state. a fourth teenager has died in

the shooting at the high school. 15-year-old andrew fryberg died friday evening. three other classmates were killed in the rampage. part of a love triangle. the 15-year-old gunman was killed after turning the gun on himself. on thursday, another teenager in the shooting was released from the hospital. a little girl is back with her family this morning after a scary kidnapping scene played out in her home with her stepfather coming to the rescue. a man wrestled his 5-year-old stepdaughter from the arms of the kidnapper on the front lawn. the suspect entered an unlocked door in the home near salt lake city and grabbed the 5-year-old from her bed. the dad woke from the noise and foiled the kidnapping. the suspect fled to a nearby home, but captured by a police dog. here he is. troy morley. police in california are looking for a woman in a shopping mall parking lot attack.

look closely at the surveillance video. the woman in the red shirt punching the victim before she falls to the ground. the victim said the attacker followed her out of the store after she asked the woman to quiet her child throwing a temper tantrum. the woman says she may lose a few teeth. and one neighborhood in ohio is trying to help a deer caught in a halloween mishap. a plastic pumpkin used for trick-or-treating ended up wrapped his head. neighbors called wildlife officials to find a way to free the deer soon. a heartwarming ending for a woman who accidentally gave out the wedding ring with the halloween candy. she put it in the jar with the candy. two trick-or-treaters discovered it. their dad posted flyers in the neighborhood. the woman's husband, who also was handing out flyers got a text photo of the girls' poster.

the woman was reunited with her lin ring. she was devastated. >> i forget where it is. i put it in my pants pocket giving the boys a bath. >> i remember going through the trick-or-treat bag and throwing all the non-candy. >> raisins? >> a ring? she has her ring this morning. good news on that front. sheinelle, thanks. the philadelphia woman brazenly snatched off the street this week is back with her family this morning. we are now learning more about the stranger who helped police crack the case. a man many are calling a hero. here is rehema ellis. >> reporter: before the surveillance video was seen around the country and before philadelphia police started investigating, a passerby saw the crime unfold. >> he is fighting and she is screaming. >> yes.

screaming. >> reporter: duane fletcher said he had no idea what was happening. at first, he thought it was a domestic dispute. >> i was coming closer. >> reporter: fletcher said this was something else. he called 911. >> this is not a domestic. >> reporter: fletcher said it happened very fast and the woman who we now know is carles carlesha gaither was pushed in a car. he called 911 again. >> if he didn't make the phone call or didn't wait. all we had was a cell phone in the street and a missing person report. >> reporter: that phone call led police to the surveillance camera at the crime scene. police arrested 37-year-old delvin barnes on kidnapping charges. he is now in a virginia jail. carlesha was freed. there was a $47,000 reward

offered for information and police say they got lots of tips, but the detective who helped solve the case know whose he thinks should get it. >> mr. fletcher is the hero. if there is any money given, i think he deserves it. >> reporter: so far, police have not determined who will get the reward. duane fletcher says if he inspires many people to act, that say reward. for "today" rehema ellis, philadelphia. more and more companies are trying to figure out how to use them. and a drone may save your life some day. >> reporter: it's the difference between life and death. >> it's my dad. >> reporter: waiting for paramedics to arrive and agonizing minutes. now life-saving help is on the way. 23-year-old belgium student came

up with the idea of a life-saving ambulance drone as a graduation project. with the built if defibrillator and camera streaming back to paramedics. it is all designed to save time. emergency responders take up to ten minutes, but the ambulance drone can cover the same distance in just one minute. when life is in the balance and every second counts, alex says the drone can increase the chances of survival by 80%. >> most people hear the word drone and think of killing and death. >> i'm trying to change the perception that drones not only do the bad things, but also do very good things for our society. >> reporter: drones are everywhere you look these days. domino's is experimenting to deliver pizza and amazon.com is working on a drone-delivery system as well.

others have developed drone technology to help farmers. >> it is not something to be scared of or resist. it is something that will help benefit. >> reporter: and while the ambulance drone is still in development and years away from actually saving lives, it changed one life. >> i'm very popular. yeah. definitely changed my life. a lot of companies are contacting me. my first purpose is to see how we can take the next step. >> reporter: the next step, maybe, but more likely the next flight. for "today," ahymen moyladen. let's go to dylan dreyer with a preview of the macy's thanksgiving day parade. >> we will first make you work for a weather forecast. >> we always have to talk about

the weather first. can you believe in less than three weeks, we will be watching the 88th annual thanksgiving day parade. macy's putting on the parade. before you do that, you have to make sure the balloons are working. we will check in with that in a second. the weather across the country, we are seeing fairly quiet weather. most of the country is nice and dry for your saturday. it is going to start getting very cold as mike seidel told you with the cold air from the north over the next couple of days. especially monday and tuesday. today, temperatures look seas seasonable for this time of year. we have showers in florida with an area of low pressure and light snow trying to work into montana especially tomorrow afternoon. today is nice, but on the cool side, espec good morning. 5:49 the time right now. thanks for making up with us. talking about very warm

conditions for your weekend. temperatures today and tomorrow above average by about five to ten degrees. you'll see a little fog this morning. that will burn off quickly. look at these numbers today. 82 for the north bay. 75 for san francisco. even close to 80 in the south bay. overall, a very nice day coming our way with light winds and stagnant air problems. lots of sunshine. and before we get to the macy's thanksgiving parade, we have balloon fest. that is what they are doing here at citifield. i have amy, the executive producer of the macy's thanksgiving day parade. i cannot believe it is here. >> it is three weeks to go. we are excited. >> what is new this year? >> we have six new balloons. a pikachu balloon. we have paddington bear. he has two suitcases. >> and complete with fur.

>> painted fur lining. you will see him today. eruptor and thomas the tank will be in the parade. his face will greet everybody. >> the most helium? >> he has the most helium and most fabric of any balloon we used. >> today, you are testing out the newest balloons. why is it important to test? >> today we are inflating all of the new balloons we have. we are doing it for you so you can see everything that is new and do it for city officials so they see the balloons fly safely and look great. we can control them and this is a test flight. the good thing to do. you are getting to see them. >> it take an hour and a half for each one to become inflated. it is a work in progress this morning. coming up, we will talk more about how the balloons are designed and how they are created and floating down the streets of new york city. we have more coming up here from citifield in a few minutes.

guys. >> dylan, thanks. up next, 26.2 miles. no problem. if you are in a car. erica actually ran it. >> if you are crazy. >> the new york city marathon. we will hear all about it, but first this is "today" on nbc. ♪ ♪ ♪ discover all the naturally moisturizing flavors of burt's bees lip balm.

♪ we're going to let it burn erica deserves a round of applause this morning. >> huge. [ applause ] >> i did not mean literally. >> thanks. >> why are we doing this? you ran the new york city marathon last week. 26.2 miles. 4:47. >> it was a little longer than i wanted. i had a party for 4:47 with 50,000 of my closest friends. it was a great experience. >> that was so cool.

>> i was running for my friend, liz, who has cystic fibrosis. as you turn the corner, i saw one of our producers and i was preparing for mile 17 where the cancer center. i knew my family was going to be there. i was running in memory of my dad. it was a really emotional moment. that is after the race. my mom came in. my husband actually surprised me on saturday night. most amazing husband. i see my sister once a year. she lives in france. he flew my sister in on saturday night because he knew how important it was. it was for our dad. >> so you crossed that finish line, what were you feeling? >> relief. i was so happy. i saw the finish line and all of a sudden, i had something left in the tank and i went for it. i was happy it was over and i

wanted that stinking medal. >> i didn't realize you get it. >> i'll bring it in tomorrow. you can try it on. >> i want good saturday morning to you. 5:56 on a cloudy, foggy morning across the bay area. this is a live look. can you guess what that is? san francisco from san bruno

mountain. good morning, i'm kira klapper with anthony slaughter. i encountered a lot of fog this morning. >> did you notice across our building, that field, there is fog sitting. >> spooky. would have been in time for halloween. >> yesterday we had thick fog. this morning, a little bit of a different story. it's not as thick. you'll notice highs today will be very comfortable. much warmer than yesterday. san francisco spent the last few days in the 60s. today back to 75. even in the south bay and tri-valley, a good mix of upper 70s to low 80s. lots of sunshine. in san francisco once below the fog deck you can see the bay bridge. >> you can see it once you get under it, right? >> exactly. >> that's beautiful. thank you, anthony. it is the silicon valley version of a peeping tom.

a drone spying on residents at a san jose highrise. no one knows who is controlling it. people living in the highrise city heights are complaining about the drone hovering outside their downtown highrise. the president of the san jose downtown resident association says one of his neighbors was in her 10th floor condo when she noticed a blinking light outside her window. it appeared to be a gopro camera attached to a drone. neighbors have seen a suspicious looking man holding a device outside their building multiple times. when they realized he might be using the drone to photograph them, they turned the tables with a camera to investigate him. a 2.9 earthquake shook parts of the south bay. the usgs reports the tremor was centered about two miles southwest of cupertino. no reports of injury or damage. coming up this morning on "today in the bay," comedian jerry

seinfeld makes a surprising admission he hopes will help others. >> that plus all your top stories at 7:00. right now back to the "today" show.

♪ ♪ it's beginning to look a lot like christmas ♪ >> yes it is. we are back on this saturday morning. it may only be the 8th day of november, but it looks a lot like christmas around here parts. standing tall. the rockefeller christmas tree which arrived yesterday here. the crews are already getting set to put up the scaffolding. it is fascinating to watch. >> i wonder who the guy is standing there to the left or to the right. you know how hard it is. coming up in this half hour, an important warning for parents. are your kids who play sports ignoring injuries to stay on the field? as fans everywhere

anticipate the arrival of the "star wars" movie, we will take you to a class to be a jedi warrior. and jay leno returns to the tonight show for the first time since he left. all that ahead. a lot of people in dallas are breathing a sigh of relief after the 21 day period. the dallas nurse first blew the whistle on the hospital, texas presbyterian. we will hear from her in a moment, but first, here is a look back. >> i would try anything to refuse to be treated. i would feel at risk of going there. if i don't have ebola, i may contract it there. >> that is nurse brianna talking to matt last month. criticizing the hospital where

she worked and the treatment over the ebola coverage and patient thomas eric duncan. >> from here to here was uncovered. >> she said when duncan arrived at the hospital, it was chaotic. >> we were unprepared in the sense we did not know what to do with his lab specimen. they were mishandled. that's what the lab technician told me. >> brianna was not one of the nurses who cared for duncan. she did treat nina pham while at texas health presbyterian. officials at the hospital said they made upgrades and improvements to procedures when it comes to dealing with possible ebola patients and protecting staff. brianna finished a 21-day quarantine, but hasn't returned to work. brianna is with us now along with her attorney. thank you for being in the

studio this time. >> thank you. >> you just finished the 21-day quarantine. how was it? >> it was challenging with my family and my husband trying to -- we had to virtually home school our kids because the community reaction. they were scared with a lot of concerned parents. i was afraid my children would be ostracized if they went to school. >> they just went back. was there anything on the first day that was tough? >> their classmates gave them hugs and they went back to a stack of cards. the school did a wonderful job. >> you mentioned the community. you had quite a reaction to this both positive and negative on your facebook page and in general. what have people been saying? >> i had a lot of support. support i could have never imagined. on the flip side, i had a lot of harsh things. people saying hateful things. in the community, strangers and

also coworkers saying that i have done something wrong. i betrayed them. i have been a traitor. they don't want to work with me anymore. >> do you stand by your comments and decision to speak out? >> i do. it's not been easy to be me. it hasn't been easy to make that decision and say what i said and then move forward. what's normal now? i know five years from now i'll still know it was the right thing to do. i'll know ten years from now. i'll know when i'm dying that it was right thing to do. >> you told matt if you needed treatment for ebola, this is last place you would go. let's say one of your children, you have two kids, if one of your kids broke an arm or you did, would you head there for care? >> absolutely. i always told my patients and

coworkers how proud i am to work for the hospital that i would want care and i would bring my loved ones to hands down. >> you want to go back to work? >> i still love the hospital. the hospital and i are trying very hard right now to forge the best plan here that's going to be the best for the hospital and best for me. >> give us a sense from the legal standpoint. >> the hospital is in a difficult situation. frankly, they asked me to keep these conversations confidential. i should honor that at this point. i can assure you based on what i picked up from them, they are doing everything they can to accommodate her. i think they realize they have a great nurse here. >> brianna and gary, thank you. now here's lester. erica, let's get another check of the weather from dylan from citifield in queens, new york. >> good morning, lester. we are here for the macy's balloon fest testing out the balloons that will appear in the

macy's thanksgiving day parade. the afflack duck is here with us for support and pikachu. we will see these progress as we go through the next hour or so. let's take a look at the weather across the country where today is actually going to be a pretty standard day. not a lot going on. we are not talking about a lot of wet or snowy weather or nothing exceptionally warm or cold. the cold air surging in sunday and monday. it is nice and mild out on the west coast. take a look at some of our temperatures where it will be above average. denver will be warmer today and we will see a cool off as that cold air surges in from the north. a front draped across the middle of the country. not producing much as far as showers or snowshowers. we are seeing most of the wetter weather down through parts of florida where we will see scattered showers and good morning.

6:06 the time. waking up to clear skies. a little fog in the coastline but look at these numbers. talking about a warm day. 75 for san francisco today. the north bay will be in the low 80s. east shore mid 70s. even down in the south bay expecting temperatures in the upper 70s to low 80s. only thing about today is we will have moderate air quality. other than that sunshine after 9:00. and that is your latest forecast. lester. >> dylan, thanks very much. no field of dreams. is your teenager putting his or no field of dreams. is your teenager putting his or ealing. the only lotion with healing micro-droplets of vaseline jelly, new vaseline intensive care relieves very dry skin from the first application and deeply moisturizes to heal it in just 5 days. clinically proven.

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♪ it took me four days to hitch-hike from saginaw ♪ ♪ "i've come to look for america" ♪ ♪ we all heard so much about the dangers of concussions in young athletes and athletes in general. a survey found many teens don't take safety seriously on the

field. sheinelle has more. >> lester, it is true. according to the government, more than 1 million kids were send to the emergency rooms for sports-related injuries. now, research by a national safety group may help explain why. it found a troubling culture in youth sports of kids ignoring injuries and feeling pressured to play even when hurt. with a single hit, her life changed forever. >> my opponent drove a stick in my head. right here. i blacked out. >> did you have i idea how badly injured you were? >> absolutely not. >> reporter: the hockey player kept playing. >> i thought i had to be tough and go back in because we were losing. >> that night, the 17-year-old felt nauseous and losing her memory. doctors said she sustained a

concussion with permanent brain injury. >> it took ten months of therapy to be able to stand up without falling over. my gpa dropped so much that i'm anxious about college and not sure if i'll get in to what i worked my entire life. >> it is all about limiting head injuries. >> reporter: the problem has been well publicized. >> the dangers of concussions. >> reporter: many athletes are still putting themselves at unnecessary risk. >> the awareness of the injuries we have to the children is not matching the behavior that we are seeing on the field. >> reporter: in a survey of 3,000 athletes, coaches and parents, the national advocacy group say kids uncovered a disturbing culture. 42% downplayed the injuries to keep playing. 53% of coaches felt pressure to put injured kids back in. it is unknown if bree made her

injury worse by continuing to play, doctors see it every day. >> if they return too soon after head injury, they are at risk for second impact syndrome. >> reporter: and to win, many young players learn they have to play dirty. nearly one-third of kids surveyed said it is normal to play rough in a game to send a message to the other team. >> i heard coaches scream from the sidelines hit with your head. >> reporter: matt, a freshman football player says that is how he got his concussion when an opponent ran into him on purpose. he had to think twice. >> you don't want to be the kid on the team whining. i can see where kids would lie about it. >> reporter: all 50 states now require kids to be pulled from play if a concussion is suspected and many have restricted contact in youth sports practices. sports associations say they are training coaches to resist pressure to play injured

athletes. now permanently sidelines, bree says until kids get the message, they will continue to jeopardize their safety. >> when in doubt, sit it out. it may stink sitting under the lights on the bleacher, it is better to be safe than sorry. what is one game compared to a life? >> reporter: the high school coaching association says it is pushing for new laws to require medical personnel at all youth sports games to handle injuries. we have more information about the warning signs of concussions and kids on our web site at today.com. >> when i grew up, it was walk it off. i'm glad she is sharing her story. >> her mom told me they are not saying kids should not play youth sports. it is an important part of kids health and lives. the take away here is watch the warning signs. parents and coaches, watch the warning signs. >> absolutely. sheinelle, thanks. up next, may the force be

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with two ways to earn, it makes a lot of other cards seem one-sided. . can't mistake that music for anything else. we learned the name of the upcoming star wars movie. it's called "the force awakens." that caused a stir online. some positive and some not so much online. >> the force went to sleep. >> it is taking a break. it is ready. it is coming back with a vengeance. so people are excited about "star wars." including kelly cobiella. she just learned how to become a j jedi warrior. >> reporter: not so far away, a scene out of a sleepover. yes, those are lightsabers.

>> an elegant weapon for a more civilized age. >> reporter: and now you have an excuse to play with one no matter how old you are. it is jedi knight training, it is an actual sport with rules, points, even tournaments. it started in sport with rule n tournament. it started out in italy. >> it is the roaring rocking with the hilt. >> i have been a star wars fan my whole life. i had the opportunity and it is a dream come true. >> let's try this puppy. . >> reporter: it's part fencing and fantasy. >> i am your father. >> reporter: and all fun. >> all good nature. there is no animosity or vengeance. nobody has fallen to the dark side. >> the force is with you young

skywalker. but you are not a jedi yet. >> reporter: 34 years after we first saw the dark side, "star wars" still sells from big stormtroopers to mini jedis. >> it is $600. >> you would be surprised how many people would buy that. >> reporter: the biggest seller of all? you guessed it. lightsaber. >> i don't need it, but i wanted it. you need to have it. >> reporter: have you ever used it? >> yes. >> reporter: it's no wonder the classes are filling up fast. two hours a week, he will turn you into this, but it is guaranteed to bring out the kid in you. kelly cobiella, nbc news, with the force in england. >> we're signing up. >> i think the guy says i really need it. he used it. how did you use a lightsaber?

>> that is part two. just ahead, jay leno returns to "the tonight show" as a guest, but first this is "today" on nbc.

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♪ "i've come to look for america" ♪ good morning. 6:26 on saturday morning. getting a live look outside at the golden gate bridge just before sunrise. good morning. i'm kira klapper with anthony slaughter at a look at your

micro climate forecast. >> good morning to you. >> always good to be with you. >> as you were mentioning, you could see the city this morning. unlike yesterday we were fogged in completely. look at this shot from on top of san francisco. clear skies as far as the eye can see. this is unreal. this is a live skycam right now. we are waking up to beautiful pictures here this morning. high pressure in control of our weather for today and tomorrow. it's going to be a warm weekend. san francisco back in the mid 70s today. if you're headed out there, enjoy the sights of the city, it's going to be very nice. even if the south bay, 80 degrees there. north bay make sure you have water because it's going to be warm today. talking low 80s. rain in the forecast. we'll talk about that coming up at 7:00. >> we are all over the place with this weather. thanks, anthony. there is a peeping tom problem in silicon valley.

a drone spying on residents of a downtown san jose high reyes. no one knows who is controlling it. people living in the luxury condo highrise city heights are complaining about the drone hovering outside their downtown highrise. the president of the san jose downtown residence association says one neighbor was in the 10th floor condo 10:30 at night when she noticed a blinking light outside her window. it appeared to be a gopro camera attached to a drone. neighbors have seen what they call a suspicious-looking man holding a device outside their building multiple times. that man there. they realized he might be using the drone to film them, they turned the tables on him taking out their cameras and snapping photos of him. the claim is now being investigated. new this morning, a 2.9 earthquake shook parts of the south bay hitting just before 3:15 this morning. the usgs reports the tremor was centered about two miles southwest of cupertino. no reports of injury or damage.

>> coming up this morning on "today in the bay" comedian jerry seinfeld makes a surprising admission he hopes will help others. that plus all your top stories coming up at 7:00.

g. it's saturday, november 8th, 2014. here is a look at the top stori stories. a storm blasting alaska today. one of the most powerful ever in the region. it is setting off a chain reaction that leads to dangerously cold temperatures across the country. in the nick of time. a quick thinking man saved his stepdaughter after being snatched from the bedroom by an intruder in the middle of the night. jay is back. the former "tonight show" host is back. this morning, a look at the love fest with jay and jimmy. welcome to "today" on saturday. i'm lester holt along with erica hill and sheinelle jones. >> we have dylan dreyer not at

the desk, but at citifield where thanksgiving is in the air literally. we will have a preview of the thanksgiving day parade. we want to start with the storm pounding alaska. it is rare we talk about the weather in alaska because it is so far away for a lot of people. this could have an impact on a lot of people in a few days. >> the weather channel's mike seidel is in minneapolis following it all for us. mike, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, lester. a biting wind here in minneapolis. temperatures in the upper 30s. that is not too bad for this time of year in the twin cities. they will go in the deep freeze for a long time. take you back to yesterday with a taste of winter up in vermont. in the green mountain state, a dusting of snow in the ski resorts. in maine, up to 6 inches. a far cry from last sunday with nearly two feet of snow. in chicago, it was a chilly friday starting off at 29 and ending at 43.

ten off the average. everybody is bundled up and layered up. they are thinking about last winter. the third snowiest on record. in chicago, they ordered 115,000 extra tons of salt so they have 400,000 tons ready and waiting for whatever the atmosphere throws at them this winter. here is what was typhoon nuri. now it is a big bering sea bomb off the coast of alaska. the pressure down to 924 millibars. it is the strongest storm on record in that part of the world. that will have some impact certainly on the weather in the lower 48. we will have to buckle the jet stream and bring down the cold air and a snow storm ahead of it. look at the south in montana where we have watches into the plains and midwest. here in minneapolis-st. paul, 5 to 8 inches in time for the monday commute. chicago, the warm air is ahead of this and no snow at all.

speaking of cold air, the jet stream, the big dip, this thursday morning, the depth of the temperatures. denver, 15. in the twin cities, 8 above zero courtesy of the cold air and snow pack. it will get mighty cold and stay that way for a long, long time. this air mass will head to texas and rio grande. this gets back east by the later part of next week. lester. >> mike, thanks. time for a look at rest of the top stories from overnight. >> sheinelle jones is following those for us. >> good morning. british security sources tell nbc news they are dismissing reports that local media that the queen was a target of a terror plot this weekend. the rumors speculated that the men planning attack this weekend at the events attended by the royal family. sources went on to say the arrests were to a plot in the early stages. the white house announced it

will more than double the military forces now on the ground in iraq. another 1,500 non combat troops are sent to advise the islamic state militants. this brings the total to 130. president obama is set to tap the federal prosecutor from new york to be the next attorney general. the white house says the president will nominate loretta lynch to replace eric holder. if confirmed, lynch will be the first african-american woman to hold the post. more protests planned in mexico this morning after what appears to be a horrific mass murder. authorities are trying to identify the bodies of 43 college students who disappeared six weeks ago. we have gabe gutierrez with more from mexico city. >> reporter: sheinelle, good morning. for a country that is sadly accustomed to violence, this crime has setoff a wave of outrage.

74 people have been detained, including dozens of police officers and even the mayor of the town where the students were abducted. overnight in mexico city, prayers and protests. >> it could be any of us. >> reporter: after the apparent massacre of 43 young college students who vanished six weeks ago. >> it was absolutely barbaric. >> reporter: mexico's attorney general said gang members confessed to burning the bodies for 15 hours. on september 26th, the students were traveling by bus to guatemala. the mayor and his wife, a couple with ties to a local drug cartel, ordered the local police to stop the students. after six people were shot dead, authorities believe the corrupt officers handed the 43 students

over to the cartel. cesar gonzalez is among the missing. his father mario is a poor farmer and said his son enrolled in the teachers college in search of a better life. this is a pain, he says, that i cannot possibly explain. a heartbreaking story. remains have not yet been identified and families of the missing students are waiting dna test results before they believe their sons are dead. sheinelle, it is unclear when this might happen. >> thank you, gabe. robin williams' death has officially been ruled a suicide. autopsy out friday confirmed the actor died from asphyxia due to hanging. there was no alcohol or illegal drugs in his system when i took his wife. williams apparently did not leave a suicide note. he was found dead in august at age 63. it was a wild ride for two

hikers stranded on a mountain near phoenix. one hiker fell off a cliff injuring her leg and had to be air lifted. rescue was smoothly until the basket she was in started spinning. firefighters say no matter how scary this looks, the girl was not in danger and spinning caused by rotor wash. when the wind is created from the helicopter blades so you spin. >> as if falling off a cliff is not enough. >> right. >> you have to earn it. >> thank you for the rescue. >> sheinelle, thanks. this morning, a utah man in custody accused of kidnapping a girl from her bedroom. thanks to the alert stepfather, the girl is safe. more from mark potter. >> reporter: this morning, a girl is back with her family. the authorities calling the kidnapping attempt at the sandy

home a close call. officers say 46-year-old troy morley entered the house through an unlocked door. >> went through a couple of rooms apparend came across the . >> reporter: morley grabbed the girl from her bed and outside where the stepfather awakened by noises saw them across the front lawn. >> i happen to wake up. he had my daughter outside and my husband ran out and got her from him. he took my 5-year-old daughter. >> reporter: meantime, the man ran and hid in the basement of a nearby home where he was discovered by the owner. >> i went down stairs and he was crouched up by the back door with no shirt. >> reporter: he was arrested afterwards. the girl is safe with her parents. a family spokesperson saying she is unharmed. >> she is physically fine. >> reporter: the case is similar

to the 2002 kidnapping of 14-year-old elizabeth smart taken from her home in nearly salt lake city. she was held captive for nine months. police don't know why morley took the girl from the sandy home. he is now jailed on suspicion of child kidnapping. for "today," mark potter, nbc news. the justice department has a criminal investigation into the japanese company involving the air bag recall. reports that takata conducted tests ten years ago and covered up results. here's tom costelle. >> reporter: it was a fender-bender last may, but when the air bag exploded, cory suffered an injury. right eye gone. >> i thought i had a black eye.

i felt warm blood down my face. i thought i broke my nose. >> reporter: flying metal shrapnel sliced into his eye. he is suing honda and the maker of the air bag takata. takata discovered the widespread problem in 2008, but takata conducted secret tests in 2004 on 50 air bags and hid cracks. >> the results were alarming that their engineers scrambled to come up with fixes to make sure those inflaters. >> reporter: rather than notify safety regulators, takata employees were told to destroy the results and keep quiet. takata calls the allegations inaccurate. they take the accusations serious and now cooperating with the investigation.

since 2008, nearly 11 million vehicles have been recalled from the automakers in the u.s. >> the defect is causing this metal to shred and this is absolutely unacceptable and absolutely outrageous. >> reporter: now republicans and democrats are calling for congressional hearings into what takata knew and when. a former auto pr consultant says these are huge stakes for one of the air bag giants. >> if, however, we found out they misled investigators, they were in a world of hurt. >> honda has been forced to recall most. 7.6 million. it tells nbc news it is working to determine if anyone at honda knew that that were conducting secret tests a decade ago. for "today," tom costello, nbc

news, washington. let's go back outside to dylan dreyer who is getting ready for the thanksgiving day parade. >> reporter: hello. these balloons are huge. the ones behind me, we have eruptor and the mighty power ranger. they are a third to halfway inflated. the power ranger is about 77 feet long and the smile alone on eruptor is 74 feet wide. it is fun to watch them get inflated. can you imagine if it is windy out here? we have ideal conditions. i was talking to the creative director who said if we can make it like this on thanksgiving, that would be fantastic. we will work on that. it is chilly. we have temperatures below average. we will see sunshine and not that much wind across the northeast. we have a cold front that's trying to move east. it is not going to produce many

showers today, although we whil good morning. 6:43 the time. waking up to clear skies in san francisco. you can see this is our live skycam rah. such a beautiful shot in the city. palo alto we have fog. quite a thick blanket of fog. this will burn off in the next hour or so. expecting to see sunshine. full sunshine for everybody by about 8:00. temperatures today warming up. very summerlike. 82 in the north bay. 80 in the south bay. san francisco in the mid 70s. and joining me now is john piper. he is the vice president and creative director and mastermind, if you will, for the macy's parade studios. these balloons are incredible. what goes in to creating these

balloons? >> it takes a lot of artistry and engineering and a great dollop of fun. >> we have fur, we have glitter. what are the most exciting balloons? >> they are all great. fur, paddington bear with his fur texture and suitcase. thomas the tank balloon and greatest volume of balloon we had, eruptor. >> you will be seeing glitter through christmas. how many people does it take to run these balloons down the streets of manhattan? >> we will have 50 lines on each balloon. we will have 75 handlers coached by the pilot and two co- pilots and captain and assistant captain and vehicle drivers. they are all practicing today. >> a team of people to make all of this happen. we will have more coming up here from citifield and the macy's

thanksgiving day parade. >> dylan, thanks. up next, jay leno stops by >> dylan, thanks. up next, jay leno stops by "the tonight ♪ ♪ tigers, both of you. tigers? don't be modest. i see how you've been investing. setting long term goals. diversifying. dip! you got our attention. we did? of course. you're type e* well, i have been researching retirement strategies. well that's what type e*s do. welcome home. taking control of your retirement? e*trade gives you the tools and resources to get it right. are you type e*?

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"the tonight show starring jimmy fa fallon" started the same way. as a stand up. >> competitive eating is a sport. they cover it on espn. it is a competitive sport, but we somehow cannot accept soccer. >> reporter: from the beginning, leno seemed at home and so did fa fallon. >> how am i doing? >> boy it is the crisp weather. >> reporter: only the best comedians are invited from the stage to the couch. >> thanks for calling me over on my first shot. that's amazing. >> i think you have a big career ahead of you. i really do. >> thank you. >> i saw something there. >> reporter: after replacing leno in february, fallon took over a show in turmoil. >> i'm jimmy fallon and your host for now. >> reporter: leno was pushed out for conan o'brien in 2009. only to take the show back in

late night drama. >> i don't like good-byes. nbc does. >> reporter: leno seemed reluctant to hand over the reins to fallon. >> here is his predecessor. they are getting along. laughing and joking. >> reporter: with leno moving on, a new show on cnbc, fallon is settling in. >> jay leno there. >> reporter: for "today," miguel almaguer, nbc news, los angeles. >> so weird seeing jay on the sofa instead of the desk. >> that was a treat. >> good moments there. all right. we will be back in just a moment. this is "today" on nbc.

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good morning, i'm kira klapper. next on "today in the bay," concerns about drones taken to a higher level. neighbors say even their highrise building isn't safe from a peeping tom. plus a report reveals new details about robin williams' final days. and an irreplaceable package lost. this man fears it reveals a bigger postal problem.

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♪ na na na na ♪ na na na na na na na ♪ ♪ when you're ready, come and get it ♪ ♪ na na na na... female announcer: it's a great big world and it can all be yours. here and only here. ♪ come and get it. good saturday morning. it's 7:00. we are taking a live look outside in san jose. already a sunny morning. a little bit of fog still lingering. it will burn off to about 80 degrees on this saturday. thank you so much for joining us. i'm kira klapper here with anthony slaughter, who has a pool. if it gets to 80, i'm inviting everybody to your house. >> it is going to be wa