good morning. coming up on "early today," heavy flooding and dangerous mudslides in california after months of drought. how is the golden state coping? bill cosby slapped with a lawsuit alleging he molested a woman when she was 15 years old. i relate to the 20 million victims, survivors of domestic violence, sexual abuse in every community across our great nation. >> emotional testimony in a senate hearing on domestic violence in pro sports. plus, a shark photo bombs an australian surfing competition. and the latest installment of brian williams slow jamming the news. it is wednesday, december 3rd. "early today" starts right now.

good morning. i'm dara brown. right now we are bracing for more, at least california is, because it is set to get wet again. the third time the rain triggering new mudslides and new concerns. here's nbc's jacob rascone. >> reporter: northern california was hit first and hit hard. the storm toppling trees and power lines. causing accidents and four-hour flight delays at sfo. >> yes, we had to rebook the flight. >> in southern california -- >> the storm is really coming. it's coming. it's coming. >> reporter: this is more than just a storm for ed highline. the house can go. damage, severe lives are at stake here. yeah, it's a big deal. >> reporter: the last time a strong storm hit ed's home was buried. >> it took 14 days to clear the mud out of the back of the house and put mud up to the basketball court here. that was the last time. our concern is it could be worse

this time. as the rain intensifies. >> reporter: right now, here it is. downed power lines closed the pacific coast highway. the usually dry los angeles river actually became one. just north in camarillo springs mud flows threatened crews from homes. east of los angeles in glendora, concrete rails and sandbags stand guard. >> it's safer to be away from your home than at your home. it's not the steady rain that we are worried about, it's that high volume of rain in a short amount of time. >> and that was nbc's jacob rascone reporting. nbc meteorologist bill karins will have more on this storm in just a few minutes. this morning bill cosby is facing yet another name on the growing list of sexual assault accusers. in a civil suit filed yesterday in l.a. judy huth claims it happened in 1974 when she was just 15 years old.

she says cosby served her and her friend, quote, multiple chal lick beverages before leading them to another house that ended up being the playboy mansion. in a bedroom she said the actor and comedian molested her. no response from his attorney who has refuted all the previous allegations. cosby has not been charged with any crime. words we didn't want to hear again. another person is being tested for ebola in the u.s. that is the announcement from massachusetts general hospital in boston. keep in mind, that just means the person has some of the symptoms. a spokesperson wouldn't discuss what the symptoms are or the person's travel history, but the person is in isolation. this news was revealed on the same day president obama asked congress for more than $6 billion to fight the disease that has killed 6,000. there was an emotional moment on capitol hill. it happened during a hearing on domestic violence. this time an nfl boss breaks down with emotion. take a listen. >> my brother and i watched helplessly numerous times as my mother was beaten.

we saw how she struggled to seek help and find the courage to say no more. i relate to the 20 million victims, survivors of domestic violence, sexual abuse in every community across our great nation. >> that was troy vincent. he is the nfl's vice president of football operations. vincent also weighed in on ray rice. he said the league made a crucial mistake in its initial punishment. another closely watched grand jury decision involving a police officer is imminent. this time all eyes are on new york city. a grand jury decision on whether to indict officer daniel pantaleo in the august death of eric garner could come as early as today when the grand jury meets to vote. pantaleo is the officer seen taking down gardner in an apparent chokehold. his lawyer tells nbc the officer testified before the grand jury on november 21st for about two hours. the grand jury could consider charges that include first degree manslaughter and negligent homicide.

new york's police commissioner says regardless of the decision, extra police will be on hand when the announcement is made with some of them working 12-hour shifts. meanwhile though, officials in st. louis are scaling back on extra security now that protests have died down. there are roughly 1,200 national guardsmen in and around ferguson, down from 2,200 at the height of last week's protests. police are investigating the riots and now they tell nbc they are looking into these comments michael brown's stepfather made shortly after the grand jury announcement. >> burn this [ bleep ] down. [ bleep ]. [ bleep ]. [ bleep ]. >> michael brown's mother told nbc that her husband was just being emotional. well, nbc is kicking off the holiday season later today at "30 rock." right now the sun is just beginning to rise.

tonight this 85-foot spruce tree will light up for the 82nd annual rockefeller center christmas tree lighting ceremony. nbc's sarah dollop is outside. >> reporter: this beautiful tree behind me, it's been on the radar for several years ever since the head gardener spotted it. it needed a little time to grow. but now it's ready to take its place in the spotlight. it hales from hemlock township in pennsylvania, now a holiday guest of new york city. the rockefeller center christmas tree, an 85 foot tall norway spruce sprinkled with 45,000 lights and ready to sparkle. its owners, self-proclaimed christmas elves, bought the house on crosby road in part when they learned it was in the running to take that same spot on the plaza. >> i saw it. i was like, wow. great name. great tree.

this is going to be perfect. >> a 150 mile plus journey later, it was hoisted up by cranes. energy led efficient lights strung on its branches and then a crowned jewel. a star with 25,000 swarovski crystals. on the ground, a star-studded lineup is set leading up to the leading including performances by tony bennett, mariah carry, cindy laup per and leeann rhymes. >> this is something i have watched my whole life. now to be on the stage and part of the whole lighting is very exciting. >> reporter: a symbol of the holiday season for people across the country set to shine when that switch is flipped tonight. the tree will stay lit until january 7th giving millions of people a chance to come see it in person. after that it will be recycled, and the search for the 2015 tree begins. >> thank you, sarah. don't miss tonight's festivities

hosted by matt lauer, savannah guthrie, al roker and natalie morales tonight at 8:00, 7:00 central on nbc. bill karins has more on the pacific storm. >> the storm has behaved pretty much as expected. we did get the heavy rain. there was a lot of thunderstorms off the coast of san francisco late last night, pretty good lightning show. now the storm will make its approach onto the coast and it will taper off as we go throughout the day. there's still enough support and lift in the atmosphere that we will see showers and thunderstorms even during the afternoon hours. swoe ear not done with it yet. as far as the actual storm itself goes, the heaviest rain has already occurred. right along the front we have additional pretty heavy rain. southern california especially, it's really tapered off. long beach about one inch. santa barbara picked up a little over 2.25. downtown l.a. by usc campus, 1.2. san diego and oceanside a little

less, about .50 to .75 inch. further up the coast, san francisco got drenched. over two inches. san jose pretty heavy rain in the last hour. sacramento about an inch. everyone got about what we expected with this. the good news for the rest of the country is that storm is also going to bring pacific mild air across the nation. rain mountains, we still could see minor flooding problems as we go throughout the afternoon. >> again, it looks like we had minor problems, but no major problems with mud or debris flows. that's great because we need every drop. >> i know. they needed the rain out there. >> small communities having water shipped into them. we can deal with a little mud.

>> let's hope for the best. the latest ton 13-year-old rescued after four years of being held prisoner. here is what he's saying about the ordeal. caught on camera, a surfing competition got a surprise visitor. details up next.

welcome back, everybody. stories making news this morning. hackers got their hands on several unreleased move advice like "annie." now they might have stolen other information like employee social security numbers and home addresses. the fbi has been working with sony since monday when the hacking was discovered. the 13-year-old boy rescued this past weekend is speaking about the abuse he endured for nearly four years. in an interview with "the daily mail" gregory jean, jr. says i felt like a maid. i had to clean the house and yard and if there was even a leaf out of place, my step mom would beat me with a stick. but he told the paper that he doesn't want his step mom or dad to go to jail. police say his stepmother is on

probation for child cruelty charges stemming from a 2004 incident. in australia an amateur photographer got this really cool picture of a jumping shark. looks more like the shark is photo bombing a surfing competition. surfers were called out of the water, but not for long. for those who always seem to go to bed hungry, an artist in brooklyn created a kick starter campaign. it includes tomato sauce sheets, crust pillow cases and a pepperoni and cheese duvet cover. we dare you not to think of pizza while sleeping in this bed. >> let's get down to business. >> stocks rallied tuesday with the dow closing at a record high on the back of strong november auto sales and better-than-expected numbers on construction spending. look for data today on private sector jobs, productivity and the services sector. the householdless a hearing

today on the takata air bag crisis. executives from the japanese company and several automakers will testify. that ka that says it will leave it up to automakers whether to expand a recall. a new survey finds 80% of older americans failed the basics when it comes to financial literacy. only about one in four have written a financial plan and many others have never even tried to calculate how much they'll need to retire securely. dara, back to you. >> thank you, landon. just ahead, an nba superstar returns to the hardwood for the first time this season. could tiger woods make his comeback this week. what had hockey fans throwing 7,000 stuffed animals onto the ice? sports is up next.

this morning on "today," our garage door repairmen ripping you off. jeff rossen puts them to the test in a hidden camera investigation. let's get the latest in sports. the nba's reining mvp made his return to the court. thunder's kevin durant suited up against the pelicans after undergoing foot surgery for an injury suffered in october. undergoing foot surgery. k.d. scored 27 points but they fell 112-104. college football playoff committee released its rankings. alabama is number one, oregon

number two for the third straight week. the surprise came in at number three with one-loss tcu leapfrogging florida state and dropping to fourth. the final four teams for the inaugural playoffs will be selected on sunday. the university of alabama birmingham is shutting down its football program because it was losing too much money to football. university president ray watts said the move was for the greater good of the athletic department and uab. at 6-6 they became bowl eligible for the first time since 2004 and the only second time in the school's history. tiger woods says he is ready to play again. he will tee off thursday in his annual tournament, the hero world challenge. woods hasn't played competitively since the pga championship back in august. he's been dealing with back issues but now says his body is back. >> feels great. feels fantastic. i've done the proper rehab. i've gotten stronger, more explosive, faster. now i just need to hit more balls.

and one of the cuddliest traditions in minor league hockey continues. we're talking about the bakersfield condors annual teddy bear toss. nearly 7,000 bears were thrown onto the ice. it is a 16-year tradition. all the bears are being donated to different nonprofits throughout california just in time for the holidays. all right. up next, why there will never be another "lord of the rings." plus the best brian williams slow jam ever. ♪ my pre sefrnlths obama don't want none until you pass bills, son ♪

welcome back. let's time out the rest of the rainfall with the storm. the brighter yellows an reds show you where the heavier rain is. san francisco towards sacramento. as we go throughout the day into the afternoon, it gets a little lighter, especially in the valley area. snow levels dropping. right now 8,000 to 9,000 feet, dropping 7,000 to 8,000 feet. we will be seeing another batch of rain. thunderstorms rolling through. thursday morning everything settles down a little bit, just shower activity. by the time we get to thursday afternoon, not a lot of additional pop. not a bad start to our rainy season. the northwest still remains relatively drive. you get your rain, significant rain for the pacific northwest starting late this weekend into the beginning of next week. >> i was hoping for a sunny

forecast there. >> no. >> it's all good. thank you, bill. it time for entertainment news. it turns out burt reynolds is not broke after all. the actor started selling off 600 of his prized possessions and then rumors circulated that he was in financial trouble. well, reynolds says the truth of the matter is he just wanted to clear out some space. no more "lord of the rings." what? why? director peter jackson says, well, it's due to legal reasons. no other movies shall be based off the middle earth fantasy world. angels descended on london last night. it was the first time they hosted the annual victoria's secret fashion show. in between all of the angels, taylor swift, ed shear ran and others graced the walkway to strut their stuff. last night brian williams stopped by the "tonight show" to slow jam jimmy fallon but he couldn't leave without plugging his own show. >> for more on all of this, join us on "nbc nightly news" where

just tonight i celebrated my ten year anniversary. >> your anniversary of nightly news. from all of us at nbc, we want to say congratulations of tn ten years of hosting the 16th hour of the "today" show. >> oh, excuse me, jimmy. how long have you been behind your desk? >> ten months. plus five years if you count "late night." >> no one counts "late night." >> is that so, peter pan sr.? >> oh, take that. >> got to get peter pan digs in. >> a trump card. >> we'll be watching. i'm dara brown. this is "early today." we hope it's just your first stop of the day on nbc.

leading the news in the "huffington post", rolling stones saxophonist bobby keys dead at 70. he started his career with buddy holley and the crickets. he also performed for eric clapton. he died at his home after a lengthy illness. on nbc news.com, zombies or dumb students? about 100 brains missing from university. yeah, curator at the university of texas at austin says undergrads may have been swiping the specimens for years for living rooms or halloween pranks. ew. one of the missing brains is believed to have belonged to charles whitman who killed 16 people and wounded others in a shooting spree in 1966. looking for the bad chromosome

there. some other stories we're following. four teens are in police custody after assaulting a cleveland bus driver. a security camera on the bus caught footage of one boy using a sock loaded with rocks to hit the driver. all four teens will be charged with aggravated assault. in china a woman was rescued after her car plunged into the river. the whole thing was caught on camera. several witnesses helped pull the woman out of the water using the jacket as a rope. it took 20 minutes to get her to safety. her car did not fair as well. >> you can watch peter pan live on nbc this thursday. allison williams stars in the lead role, but comedy site funny or die just released actress jane kurkowski's so-called audition tape for the musical. >> let's bring in jane krakowski. jane. >> please, call me peter. >> pleasure to see you, peter. >> [ bleep ] i'll just put my tony here. ♪ i'm flying sorry. i wanted to jump but this chair

is a lot higher than it seems. [ bleep ] is this thing going to hold? i put it up myself. >> you absolutely should not jump. >> owwwww! >> i love it. >> good for jane. >> i know. she's great at that. >> we don't see anything like that happening during the real show. >> no. >> we'll all be watching just in case. christmas comes to the white house this afternoon. first lady michelle obama welcomes military families for the first viewing of this year's decorations. happy birthday to amanda sigh freed who turns 29. academy award nominated actress july ann moore is 54. rocker ozzy osbourne turns 66. got to be a song in there for him. keep it right here for more news, weather and sports. i'll sdar rah brown with bill karins. thanks for watching "early today." we hope you have a happy one out there.

get ready for another roipd of rain. it's almost been coming down hard in some spots, causing road closure webs flight delays and a number of crashes on bay area roadways. >> we have issued a microclimate weather alert for the bay area as the third storm in less than a week moves in. let's get right to meteorologist christina loren. >> the most rain we've had since 2009 and we could be seeing totals higher than that. we might have to take you back all the way to